PJ Hanley“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” Lev 23:5-8
Passover was to begin on the 14th of Nissan and Unleavened Bread on the 15th of Nissan (March-April). Because of the proximity of these feasts, the Jews later combined them into one great eight-day festival called Passover or Pesach. On the first day the Passover Lamb is eaten in remembrance of the night in Egypt when the death angel passed over the houses of the Israelites because of the blood of the lamb. Also, at Passover, all the leaven, which is symbolic of sin (1Cor 5:6-80), is removed from the houses and unleavened bread is eaten. This great feast is a remembrance of the great deliverance from Egypt. Yet, it also pointed to the future when Jesus the Lamb of God was sacrificed on Passover, to take away the sins, not only of the Jews, but of the whole world. He is our Passover Lamb.
Some interesting traditions became part of Passover and have been celebrated for generations. One has to do with the hiding of the Matzah during the meal. The Matzah, which is striped and pierced, is hidden during the meal and later found by one of the children. This ritual is symbolic of Christ who was striped and pierced and buried in the earth for three days. Though the Jews continue to celebrate this tradition every year, their eyes are still blinded so that they can’t see the one who was pierced. Another tradition which was celebrated in New Testament times was the expectation of Elijah at the Pesach meal. During the meal four cups of wine are drank. They are the Cup of Sanctification, the Cup of Praise (or the Cup of Plagues), the Cup of Redemption (the New Covenant in Jesus), and the Cup of Elijah. Also, a chair is placed at the table every year for Elijah who is to come and prepare the way for Messiah (Mal 4:5). Jesus Himself confirmed this tradition in a discussion with His disciples.
“And the disciples asked him, saying, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ And He answered and said, ‘Elijah is coming and will restore all things, but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.” Mt 17:10-13
Many Christians interpret this passage to mean that John the Baptist was Elijah and the fulfillment of Mal 4:5. The New Agers even use it to authenticate reincarnation. However, Jesus did not mean that John the Baptist was literally Elijah. But, rather, that he was a type of Elijah who was to come and prepare the way for the Lord. The angel told Zacharias that he (John the Baptist) would be a “forerunner” in the “spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17).” John himself was very emphatic that he was not Elijah (John 1:21). Also, by pointing out the role of John the Baptist as a type of Elijah who was to prepare the way before Him in his first advent, Jesus did not negate the fact that Elijah was still coming. In fact, He stated categorically that Elijah is still coming and will “restore all things.” This will be fulfilled by the literal coming of Elijah in The Day of the Lord, to turn the hearts of the Jewish people back to “the Fathers” and the hearts of “the Fathers,” which he represents, back to their children. He is undoubtedly one of the “Two Witnesses” of Rev 11 who comes on Pesach to fulfill the ministry which he did not fulfill while on earth.
Many teachers, particularly those that downplay the Jewish roots of our faith, interpret these Scriptures as referring to “the church.” They do the same with any passage that talks about Zion or the renewed Jerusalem. Though valid applications can be made to the church and the Bride using these Scriptures, it is irresponsible and poor exegesis to deny their plain literal meaning. The Jewish believers of the First Century were expecting a literal Elijah to come and not some “Elijah company.” When they spoke of “the Jerusalem above” or the “new Jerusalem,” they were not undermining the future role of the earthly Jerusalem. On the contrary, they were actually establishing it. It is time for those who teach the word, especially those of us who are Gentiles, to stop stealing the promises from Israel and remember that the root, which is Jewish, supports us and not the other way around.
The Passover story has an interesting parallel with The Day of the Lord. The plagues which are to take place during this time are very closely paralleled to those that took place in Egypt. Also, there is a contest between Pharaoh, who is a type of Antichrist, and Moses, who is a type of Messiah, and a miraculous deliverance for the Jewish people. It’s as though history repeats itself only with different players, and even though it has been fulfilled by Messiah’s death, it still points us to the future.