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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Feast of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits

Yeshua (Jesus)
Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples, saying that he had eagerly desired to eat this Passover with them before He suffered and that He would not eat it again until the kingdom of God comes. (Luke 22:7-16) After the Passover meal, they sang a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:30) The hymn sung during Passover is the Hallel which includes Psalm 118:22; "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone." Jesus is the capstone that the builders rejected. (Matthew 21:42; 1 Peter 2:7) Jesus was crucified as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) The Lord's Supper is a remembrance of His sacrifice as the perfect Passover Lamb and the fullfilment of the new covenant between God and man. (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 5:7; Eph 2:11-13) Prophecy of this sacrifice is found in Psalm 22. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah also spoke of the sufferings and sacrifice of the Messiah, and how that sacrifice would be the ultimate atonement for the sins of God's people. (Isaiah 53)

Matzot is plural for matzah. Unleavened bread (matzah) is a symbol of Passover, Leaven represents sin. (Luke 12:1; 1 Cor 5:8) Matzah stands for "without sin" and is a picture of Jesus, the only human without sin. Jesus said that the "bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" and tha He (Jesus) is the "Bread of Life," the "bread that came down from heaven," the "living bread" which a man may eat and not die. (John 6:32, 35, 41, 48) While leaven is a symbol of sin, the Messiah is "unleavened" or sinless. He conquers the grave with His resurrection because He is not a sinner under the curse of death. Jesus was scourged and pierced at His crucifixion. As the prophet Isaiah proclaims, "By His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) All of the festivals instututed by God, including Passover and Unleavened Bread, are "shadows of thing to come." (Colossians 2:17)

Yom HaBikkurim is a picture of Jesus' ressurection, Jesus rose on the third day of Passover season, Nisan 16, the day of Firstfruits. That event gave new meaning to this agricultural holiday. The apostle Paul, a Jewish believer and rabbi, wrote, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him." (1 Cor 15:20, 22, 23) Jesus' resurrection is the promise of the future
resurrection of believers. (John 5:28, 29) Although most believers in Jesus have never heard of Yom Habikkurim, they celebrate it as Resurrection Day or Easter.

2 comments:

Emma said...
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My Creative Time said...

Hi Lorie,
I just checked my blog & the video is working ! Maybe you need to refresh your page!!!
Thank you for visiting!
Hugs,
Emma:)