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What the Bible says about Passover as Preparation Day
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Exodus 16:4-5

Clearly, God allows the people to gather manna on the first through sixth days of the week. However, on the sixth day He tells them to gather twice as much, as well as to prepare what they would eat on the seventh day. Historically, then, the day before a Sabbath (Friday) was a preparation day.

But is the preparation day only for weekly Sabbaths? No! From the example of the holy days (see the notes at Exodus 12:15-18), a preparation day can fall on any day except Saturday! The Passover itself occurs the day before the first day of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath, making it a preparation day.

Staff
Was Jesus Resurrected on Easter Sunday?

Leviticus 23:5

While the Passover is one of God's appointed times, it is not listed in Scripture as one of the annual Sabbaths. It is a regular day of work—in fact, it is the preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread—but the first few hours, the evening portion of the day, is a significant memorial of two great events in God's plan for mankind: the death of the firstborn in Egypt and the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The bulk of the instruction about the Passover is written in Exodus 12, and a great deal of it concerns the Old Testament ritual meal that was eaten on that evening. These details are types that were fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so the New Testament church is no longer required to slay a lamb, since, as the apostle Paul writes, "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (I Corinthians 5:7).

The New Testament Passover is modeled after the events that occurred during what is commonly known as the Last Supper, the Passover meal that Jesus ate with His disciples just before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Jesus began His instruction that evening with a command to wash one another's feet: "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (see John 13:1-17), and so we do.

The apostle Paul summarizes what happens next:

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; 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." 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." (I Corinthians 11:23-25)

So, to commemorate His sacrifice by which He paid the penalty for human sin and consecrated the New Covenant (see Hebrews 9:11-28), Christians eat a little unleavened bread and drink a small amount of wine. In doing so, they acknowledge His sacrifice and rededicate themselves to their covenant with Him. It is clear from both the Old Testament and New Testament examples that only those who have made the covenant—Christ's disciples—are allowed to partake of the bread and wine, thus only baptized members should participate in this part of the service (see the principle in Exodus 12:43-49; also I Corinthians 11:27-29).

As Christ did after changing the Passover symbols, members of the church then listen to the words of Jesus' discourse to His disciples, which is found in John 13-17. Then, to close the service, they sing a hymn before concluding the solemn service (see Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
How Do We Keep God's Festivals?

Matthew 26:2

Two days before Jesus fulfilled the Passover, He prepares His disciples for His death by telling them that after two days would be the Passover and that the Son of Man would be delivered up and crucified. Thus, He was crucified on the Passover. For further proof of that, John shows that it was preparation day for a high day, the first day of Unleavened Bread (John 19:31). Obviously, preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread is the day of Passover, the fourteenth day of Nisan/Abib.

Christ is specifically named as "our Passover" in I Corinthians 5:7. Jesus is called "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). John the Baptist, when he first saw Him after He began His ministry, as He approached the River Jordan for baptism, said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It is easy to see the strong connection between Jesus and the lamb killed at Passover.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension

Matthew 27:62

All four gospel accounts make mention of the Preparation Day, but in reference to Passover day rather than the sixth day of the week (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42). Passover is an annual preparation day for an annual Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread. When we eat the unleavened bread that night, we are symbolically taking in this bread from heaven—the true manna. A look at the preparatory aspects of the Passover can reveal some of God's intent for the weekly preparation day.

Even though Passover day is still a common work day, it is nearly impossible to shake the gravity and significance of not only what was experienced the night before, but also of the upcoming Feast. The Passover ritual helps us to reorient our minds. It may not be a holy day, but it feels like one because our thoughts have been gathered and focused on the spiritual dimension in anticipation of the holy days. The Passover puts us in the right frame of mind so that we can be mentally present when the holy time arrives.

It is not exactly the same for the weekly preparation day, because when something is repeated frequently, it loses some of its impact. However, knowing that the Passover is the epitome of preparation days, it can help us to use the weekly preparation day to reorient ourselves mentally and spiritually so the Sabbath does not come upon us abruptly.

The Days of Unleavened Bread are an annual memorial of God's deliverance from physical and spiritual Egypt, but the lesson would not be complete without the Preparation Day of the Passover right before. In the same way, the weekly Sabbath is also a memorial of God's deliverance from physical and spiritual Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). But the lesson is not learned nearly as well if we do not take advantage of the weekly preparation day by beginning to turn our focus.

There are two major themes of the Sabbath in the Old Testament, drawn from the two different versions of the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. One theme is liberation from captivity: from Egypt for the physical Israelites, and from Satan, sin, and this world for the spiritual Israelites. The other theme is the fact that God is Creator, not only of the physical world but also of the spiritual.

The Sabbath demonstrates these two principles in two ways. On the one hand, the Sabbath is a memorial of these things, a weekly reminder that we have been redeemed—we have been liberated—and now God's spiritual creation has begun within us. On the other hand, the Sabbath is also a means by which these things take place. That is, we have been freed from spiritual captivity, but if we want to remain free, we need to pay special attention to the Sabbath. The Sabbath also reminds us that God's creation is continuing in the spiritual realm, but what is to occur on the Sabbath is a means by which that creation takes place.

We are to ingest the spiritual manna—that is, work to further our relationship with God—each day, but it is on the Sabbath that it is especially helpful to us because it is a time when nothing else should compete for either our time or our attention. By ingesting that Bread from heaven, we are taking part in the spiritual creation through taking on the image of God. We truly are what we eat, and eating the true Bread from heaven causes us to develop His attributes. Making use of the time before the Sabbath is what helps to get us ready—focused—to do our part in that spiritual creation.

David C. Grabbe
Manna and the Preparation Day (Part Two)

John 19:14

The word "Passover" in this context requires some explanation. At some time before Christ's day, the Jews had begun calling the day of Passover and the following seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8) by the single name "Passover." This has caused great confusion for non-Jews, especially when they read the account of this particular Passover. But John 19:31 should clear up any confusion: "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day) . . ."!

So, without a doubt, Jesus was crucified on a Passover day, Nisan 14, and the Sabbath that followed was the first day of Unleavened Bread, an annual holy day, a high day. This only makes sense, for the apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 5:7, "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
'After Three Days'


 




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