On March 21st we
will be celebrating the Passover. Passover is always a very humbling
experience -- a humbling but thankful service. A service where we really
see the need for Christ's sacrifice for us - for each of us
individually.
Some probably
wonder if we will also celebrate with a Passover Seder the following
night. We will, but not in the same manner that Judaism celebrates it.
"Seder" is Hebrew for "set order." I will get into the subject of the
Seder a little later. Instead of the traditional Seder, we will celebrate
what is called the Night to be Much Observed or Night to be Much
Remembered. Typically this night is celebrated with a big meal. I will go
into that later too.
On the morning of
Sunday, March 23rd we WILL be observing the Wavesheaf Offering. That day
is also Easter. That sometimes causes concern and chagrin among some
people in the Church but we must remember it is a pagan-based
Easter observance which has invaded Wavesheaf
Offering Sunday, not the other way around.
Well, this is what
I want to talk to you about today. I want to discuss these days, these
events, and our participation in them. This will be a rather short sermon.
It is intended as an introductory sermon to the Passover season.
I will not go into
the details of the Passover service today but I will when I talk about
preparing ourselves for this most important service in my sermon "Examining
Our Need for Christ’s Sacrifice." I plan to give that sermon on March
15th. Hopefully, that sermon will help its hearers and readers to be ready
for Passover and our need for its observance.
Let’s begin by
learning a little more about the Passover Seder. As most of you know Jesus
Christ (Yeshua ha Mashiach in Hebrew) celebrated the Passover with a meal.
The day before He was crucified, He directed His disciples to prepare the
Passover.
Mat 26:17-21, 26
(NKJV) Now on the first <day> of the <Feast of> the Unleavened Bread . .
.
The words "day,"
"Feast of," and "Bread" are not in the original Greek text. The word "on"
is from the Greek word "pro'tos" which can mean "before", so I think the
verse should read "before the first of the unleavened," Abib or Nisan 13
in other words.
[continuing]. .
. the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to
prepare for You to eat the Passover?" {18} And He said, "Go into the
city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, "My time is at
hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My
disciples."’" {19} So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and
they prepared the Passover. {20} When evening had come, He sat down with
the twelve. {21} Now as they were eating,......[and again in verse] {26}
And as they were eating,....
Yes Jesus’
disciples ate the Passover meal. Some say Christ didn't eat or drink
because He was to be the Passover Lamb. Luke 22 may support this opinion:
Luke 22:15-19 (NKJV)
Then He said to them, "With <fervent> desire I have desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer; {16} for I say to you, I will no
longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." {17}
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and
divide <it> among yourselves; {18} for I say to you, I will not
drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." {19} And
He took bread, gave thanks and broke <it>, and gave <it> to them,
saying .........
Mat 26:18 seems to
say otherwise, but it’s possible Christ may not have eaten His final
Passover meal. But His disciples did. These verses and others leave the
question open.
But was the meal
the same as a Seder? The Book of John gives us further insight that the
meal was followed by the Passover service.
John 13:2,4 (NKJV)
And supper being ended........Jesus {4} rose from supper and laid aside
His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
So we should all
eat the Passover meal just before the washing of feet and the taking of
the bread and the wine, just as Jesus and His disciples did. But in 1
Corinthians 11 Paul also raises some concerns about our proper conduct at
the Passover meal.
1 Cor 11:18-34 (NKJV)
For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there
are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. {19} For there must
also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be
recognized among you. {20} Therefore when you come together in one
place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. {21} For in eating,
each one takes his own supper ahead of <others>; and one is hungry and
another is drunk. {22} What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise
<you>. {23} For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered
to you: that the Lord Jesus on the <same> night in which He was betrayed
took bread; {24} and when He had given thanks, He broke <it> and said,
"Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in
remembrance of Me." {25} In the same manner <He> also <took> the cup
after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This
do, as often as you drink <it>, in remembrance of Me." {26} For as often
as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
till He comes. {27} Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks
<this> cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord. {28} But let a man examine himself, and so
let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. {29} For he who eats and
drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not
discerning the Lord's body. {30} For this reason many <are> weak and
sick among you, and many sleep. {31} For if we would judge ourselves, we
would not be judged. {32} But when we are judged, we are chastened by
the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. {33} Therefore,
my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. {34}
But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come
together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
There are many,
many interpretations of these scriptures but one is certainly that verses
23 through 26 set up a new Passover service; that Jesus celebrated His
last Passover meal and instituted the service we observe every Passover
evening.
But there is more
to this subject than the Passover meal. There is the Passover Seder. What
is the difference between the two? The original Passover meal consisted of
a roasted, whole lamb and bitter herbs. That was it as far as we know.
This is a far cry
from a modern day Judaic Passover Seder. The Seder today consists of a
roasted shank bone of a lamb; a hard-boiled egg which has been roasted
until it turns brown; a piece of whole horseradish root; freshly ground
horseradish; a piece of lettuce, parsley or celery; and a mixture of
chopped apples, nuts, raisins, cinnamon, and wine. There is also four cups
of wine per person, some Matzos (unleavened bread with symbolic holes in
it), and a bowl of salt water in which to dip the vegetables. All of this
is part of the Seder celebrated the same night we would be celebrating the
Night to be Much Remembered. Remember Judaism keeps what they call
Passover on the 15th, not the 14th, of Nisan. The Seder is
their celebration of the Passover.
How do the two
meals, that celebrated by the Israelites in Egypt on the 14th and the
Seder celebrated today on the 15th, compare? I don't think they compare
very well at all - even though they are supposedly celebrating the same
event. Christ and/or His disciples seems to have eaten the meal like they
did in Egypt, certainly on the same day. Do you want a New Testament
scripture proving that the Passover is on the 14th? Try John
13:29.
(John 13:29 NASB)
For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was
saying to him, "Buy the things we have need of for the feast"; or
else, that he should give something to the poor.
If this occurred
on Abib (Nisan) 15, Christ would have been telling Judas to buy things for
the Feast on a holy day in violation of Lev 23:6. No, this occurred on the
14th. Christ could not break the law.
You may remember
Christ dipping the sot (some unleavened bread) into the juice of the lamb.
Today they do not have a lamb, ostensibly because there is no temple to
sacrifice it in, hence the symbolic shank bone.
How can we have a
Passover Seder on Abib (Nisan) the 15th when, according to Lev 23:5,
Passover has already passed?
But you may ask,
why don't you eat a lamb and unleavened bread snack before Passover
services? We can and some do. That would be the appropriate time. But with
what do we celebrate it? A whole lamb? Some do. We would end up burning up
99% of it before morning (Ex 12:10). Is that really what we should do? Or
would we be justified in doing a traditional Seder with its non-biblical
foods? These are some of the reasons we do not observe the Seder prior to
our Passover service.
Now let’s talk
about the Night to be Much Remembered/Observed. This is observed the night
of Nisan (Abib) 15. Many observe this night with a huge meal. But
scripture doesn't really say to do that. Let's read it, first from the New
King James version.
Exo 12:41-42 (NKJV)
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on
that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went
out from the land of Egypt. {42} It <is> a night of solemn observance
to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This <is> that
night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of
Israel throughout their generations.
The Tanakh reads
Exodus 12:41-42 quite differently.
...at the end of
the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the ranks of
the LORD departed from the land of Egypt. {42} That was for the LORD a
night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same
night is the LORD's, one of vigil for all the children of Israel
throughout the ages.
Not even a mention
of a solemn observance, is there? But the word "vigil" is used instead.
Now I'm going to read to you from the Hebrew interlinear. The translated
text in the margin reads:
And it happened,
from the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this very day all the
armies of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt. {42} It is a night of
celebration to Jehovah, for bringing them out of the land of
Egypt. This night is it, a celebration for all the sons of Israel
to their generations.
The actual text
translation is more difficult to follow but let me give it to you anyway:
And it was from
the end of thirty years and four hundred years. was on very day this,
went out all the armies of Jehovah from the land of Egypt. a night of
celebration It (is) to Jehovah, for bringing them out of the land of
Egypt; it (is) night this to Jehovah a celebration for all the
sons of Israel for their generations.
One's first
impression is that the Tanakh is not correct in verse 42. Again, let's dig
into and compare the word "vigil", as used in the Tanakh, with the word
"celebration" or "solemn observance" as used elsewhere. The Hebrew word is
"Shim-moor'" and is Strong’s #8107. It is translated as "celebration" in
verse 42 of the New King James. According to the Hebrew lexicon, shammur
means watching or vigil. According to Strong’s, shammur
means an observance but Strong’s also says the word is from the root word
"shaw-mar'", Strong’s #8104, which means to guard, protect, attend to,
heed, preserve, wait for, watch. The two words, shimmur and shamar, seem
quite different in meaning. Ex 12:42 is the only place in the Bible where
this Hebrew word is used. I cannot explain why both the interlinear and
the King James use the word "celebration". According to the lexicon, the
Tanakh seems to have it right. Let me read it to you from the Tanakh
again:
...at the end of
the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the ranks of
the LORD departed from the land of Egypt. {42} That was for the LORD
a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same
night is the LORD's, one of vigil for all the children of Israel
throughout the ages.
It appears to me
that (1) God watched the Israelites leave Egypt on that night and (2) the
children of Israel are to watch for and vigilantly observe that night
forever. The definitions we have read do not seem to describe a night of
solemn observance; only that we must remember to observe the night
vigilantly.
The Israelites
went out of Egypt on the night portion of Nisan or Abib 15th. Now, there
is no doubt we should all feel jubilant that they left. It is symbolic of
us leaving sin behind, which is what the days of Unleavened Bread, which
starts on the night portion of the 15th, is all about. See Numbers 33:3.
We should be glad.
But scripture, at least the King James scripture, says it is a night of
solemn observance. Is a huge meal a solemn observance? Every Night to be
Observed meal I've attended has been jubilant, and not necessarily because
of Israel leaving Egypt or because we are leaving sin behind. In our
mind, and I want to stress that, it is a good time to vigilantly
remember the date, but dispense with the big meal and treat it as a solemn
observance, a time to discuss the exodus from Egypt and sin. This is
our rational. I am not trying to influence you one way or the other,
especially in regards to the big meal, and you are certainly free to
observe it as you understand scripture.
Now let’s talk
about the Wave sheaf offering.
Judaism calls this Sfirat Haomer or First Fruits. Another name for
it is Yom HaBikkurim. Sfirat Haomer means literally "the Counting
of the Sheaf". The lesson of this offering is clear: If God has been
faithful to bless us with an early harvest, He will most certainly provide
the late harvest of late summer. In Leviticus we have the actual command
to observe it:
Lev 23:9-14 (NKJV)
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {10} "Speak to the children of
Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to
you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. {11} 'He shall wave the sheaf
before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the
Sabbath the priest shall wave it. {12} And you shall offer on that
day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb ................verse 14 <it
shall be> a statute forever throughout your generations in all your
dwellings.
So why haven't we
been observing it since we first came to a knowledge of the Holy Days?
Only because it is not defined as a Holy Day? It seems like it should be
one of the most important festivals for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to
observe. Let's turn to the book of John.
John 20:1 (NKJV)
Now on the first <day> of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw <that> the stone had been taken
away from the tomb.
So here was Mary
visiting the tomb of Jesus early on a Sunday morning, so early it was
still dark...and the body of Jesus was gone! She notified Peter and John
and returned to the tomb, talked to the angels, and began to leave. Turn
to verse 14.
John 20:14-17 (NKJV)
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing
<there>, and did not know that it was Jesus. {15} Jesus said to her,
"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him
to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away,
tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." {16} Jesus
said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to
say, Teacher). {17} Jesus said to her, "Do not touch Me, for I have not
yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them,
‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and <to> My God
and your God.’"
Jesus had not yet
ascended to His Father to receive His acceptance of Christ's sacrifice for
all mankind. Did Jesus ever allude to anything about this? Indeed he did.
Let's turn to John 12.
John 12:23-24 (NKJV)
But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man
should be glorified. {24} Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain
of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it
dies, it produces much grain."
Skip down to verse
32.
John 12:32 (NKJV)
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all <peoples> to
Myself."
These words of
Jesus allude to both His resurrection and His ascension. He died, was
buried, was resurrected, ascended to our Father, and is now producing more
"grain."
After He was
accepted He returned to His disciples. Matthew 28 completes the picture.
Mat 28:9 (NKJV)
And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying,
"Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
Notice that His
disciples could then touch Him and even worship Him. This is significant.
They could not touch Him before He had been accepted but afterward He
could even be worshiped as God. Exodus 22:20 tells us they could not have
worshiped Him if He were not God. See our sermons "Whom Do We Worship?"
and "Trini-Bini-Uni-tarianism.. Which?" to better understand this.
On that first
Sunday after Passover, Jesus Christ became the first fruit offering, that
is the wave sheaf offering, for all of us who will be accepted by Him as
part of the first resurrection.
1 Cor 15:20-23 (NKJV)
But now Christ is risen from the dead, <and> has become the first
fruits of those who have fallen asleep. {21} For since by man <came>
death, by Man also <came> the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. {23} But each
one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those <who are>
Christ's at His coming.
These words of
Paul are generally read as a commentary on the order of the resurrection,
but Paul is actually making a technical reference to Sfirat Haomer. It is
not merely that Jesus was the first to rise bodily from the grave and be
accepted by our Father, but that by doing so, He is the direct fulfillment
of the feast of First Fruits.
So what do we do
on the day of the wave sheaf offering to remember Christ's ascension and
acceptance? Scripture is not clear for us today. Christ was the wave sheaf
offering. We can't change or add to that. Christ was the sacrifice. We
can't add to that. What we do is to have a Sunday morning brunch
dedicated to Christ's ascension. As I said earlier, most years this day
falls on Easter, a problem for some. But we should look at Easter as the
paganizing of a very meaningful and important day, not at the wave sheaf
memorial as being held on a pagan holiday.
This brings us to
another question raised by some regarding which Sunday we should observe
the wave sheaf offering. As you know, the offering was to be waved the day
after the weekly Sabbath. Some years, not this year, the last day of
unleavened bread also falls on a Saturday. Should we be observing the
Sunday after the days of unleavened bread instead of the Sunday after
Passover? For the answer, we must study an example in the book of Joshua.
We know that the Wave Sheaf Offering was strictly commanded before
Israel could eat any kind of new grain or bread made from it. We read that
earlier in Lev 23:11-14. Joshua was leading Israel in righteousness by:
1. Carefully
following the law - Josh 1:7-9
"Only be strong
and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which
Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to
the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. {8} "This book
of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on
it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that
is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have success. {9} "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with
you wherever you go." [I wish modern Israel would remember this.]
2. Respecting
the Captain of the Host - Josh 5:13-15
Now it came
about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked,
and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his
hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our
adversaries?" {14} And he said, "No, rather I indeed come now <as>
captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the
earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his
servant?" {15} And the captain of the LORD'S host said to Joshua,
"Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are
standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
3. Circumcising
his men again, as ordered, even though it was logically crazy to do
prior to going into what might have been a major battle.
Now let's look at
the observance of Passover by Joshua:
Josh 5:10-12
While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, they observed the Passover on
the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of
Jericho. {11} And on the day after the Passover [the 15th], on
that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land,
unleavened cakes and parched <grain>. {12} And the manna ceased on the
day [the 16th] after they had eaten some of the produce of the
land.....but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during
that year.
Lev. 23:14 said
that they could not eat roasted grain or new growth until it was offered.
So it had to have been offered by the 15th of Abib if Joshua was to obey
the law.
Joshua was zealous
about keeping Passover. He knew he needed God in the great conquest ahead.
The next day they ate grain. Could he have ignored the wave sheaf offering
command to not eat grain or produce before the wave sheath offering, and
thereby incurred sin? That seems very unlikely. The only explanation is
that the Wave Sheaf Offering was made in the morning on the day after
Passover day that year! In order for Passover to be followed by the
Wave-sheaf offering, Passover would have to fall on Saturday. The
Wave-sheaf offering, then, would fall on the first day of Unleavened
Bread. That means that the Sabbath referred to in Leviticus 23:11 and 15
can precede the days of Unleavened bread, and hence, the Wave-sheaf
offering can not fall after the days of unleavened bread.
As a side-light,
Lev 2:12-16 describes the first fruits offering:
Lev 2:12-16 'As
an offering of first fruits, you shall bring them to the LORD, but they
shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar. {13} 'Every grain
offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the
salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain
offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. {14} 'Also if
you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to the LORD, you
shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire [parched], grits
of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.
{15} 'You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain
offering. {16} 'And the priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial
portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an
offering by fire to the LORD.
Notice, in verse
14, that grits of new growth was part of the offering. What is the
difference between "grits of new growth" and "green ears", the definition
of "Abib?"
Now let's consider
the following scenario from Joshua chapters 2-6: