Should Christians Celebrate Passover?
No.
Thus GRUK’s shortest post ever!
Maybe we can expand upon this theme. There are several reasons why Christians shouldn’t celebrate the Passover.
To begin with we need to understand that there is a difference between modern Passover celebrations and ancient Passover celebrations. They are not exactly the same thing. The biggest difference is the lack of a sacrificial lamb. You will remember that in Exodus 12 that a lamb was slain and the blood was placed on the doorposts. This was to be repeated, though without putting the blood on the doorposts. This lamb was slain so that Israelites would live. The lamb dies but brings forth life. John’s Gospel is replete with this theme. After his opening, he quickly moves in saying “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” That is pretty clearly in reference to the Passover.
In AD 70, the Temple was destroyed. Since no new temple has ever been built, the ability to offer the sacrificial lamb has ceased, from a practical standpoint. This is such an important part of the Passover, that removing it will make modern Passover fundamentally different from the ancient practise. Indeed it takes away what is, from a biblical perspective, the primary point!
Robin Routledge in a great article “Passover and Lord’s Supper” says that (download it from Tyndale):
It has been noted that in Jesus’ day the Passover Seder … was so different from current Jewish practice that participants in the latter are more likely to be confused, than to gain any helpful insights into the Lord’s Supper. (p. 204)
It’s worth highlighting that the symbolic elements of Passover celebrations today are not only unhelpful to Christians but can bring added confusion because the simplicity of the original Passover (lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread) have been developed and expanded. In Jesus’s day there is clearly wine that is significant. In modern celebrations, there are 4 cups. Luke seems to be alluding to this in his account in chapter 22.
Another element that distinguishes modern celebrations from ancient ones is where information is drawn from. As stated above what we know about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread comes primarily from Exodus (12; 23:15; 34:18). Whereas celebrations today draw upon the Mishnah. While this is an ancient document it is the development of tradition. Since it is a man-made tradition the symbolism is not relevant to Christians. This will mean that little will be gained by celebrating Passover.
Routledge, in his article, further draws us back to the Scriptures. In the Synoptic Gospels, the bread and wine are what come to the forefront, not the lamb or bitter herbs. While it is true that the Lord’s Supper is inaugurated at the Passover, there seems to be a conspicuous absence of the lamb. This is very likely deliberate as Jesus is the Lamb par excellance. But this simplicity is also notable. This celebration that Jesus institutes is what is to continue, not Passover. As we have seen, there is no lamb sacrificed because there is no temple. But at a deeper theological level, there is no lamb because The Lamb has been sacrificed. Passover is fulfilled in Jesus. Just as Christians should not participate in Temple sacrifices (should a new temple ever be erected) so they should not participate in a feast that has been fulfilled.
Finally, by way of warning. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews warns against going back in (redemptive) time. A new era has dawned in the coming of Christ. The new covenant of Jeremiah 31 has been inaugurated. We should not celebrate Passover because Passover has been fulfilled in Jesus. Through Jesus, a new exodus has been accomplished. Christians should not celebrate Passover because it brings about confusion as to where we are in history. We live at the dawn of a new age, the Last Days. To celebrate Passover is to go back to before Jesus came into this world. It is to go back to a time of shadow and promise instead of light and fulfilment. Celebrating Passover diminishes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus joyfully gives us this Sacrament so that we might be spiritual feed and nourished.
This does not mean that understanding the Passover is not helpful for us today. But it is the biblical-theological thrust that is important for us to understand, not the traditional celebration of the Mishnah that is celebrated today. One important element of this biblical-theological thrust is that the Passover is no longer celebrated by Christians because it has been fulfilled by Christ. He was always the terminus or endpoint of the Passover. Now, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper…until we no longer do. The Lord’s Supper will have an endpoint, too. The great wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19 will replace it.
Let us seek to understand the Passover from the biblical account. Let us see the new and greater exodus brought about by the Lord Jesus Christ. But, at the same time, let us press on, celebrating the Lord’s Supper as often as we meet together, in remembrance of Him. Let us joyfully gather, with bread and wine, longing for that future great and glorious day when we will celebrate what the Lord’s Supper is pointing us towards!
