Passover, the Way to Eternal Life

Who Commands Us To Keep the Passover? 

There are so many Christian denominations in the world. In the United States alone, there are over 300,000 churches and numerous doctrines, all while claiming their path leads to salvation. Does every way lead to heaven though?

To avoid confusion, we must acknowledge that there is one Bible and one accurate interpretation. As the people of God, it is essential to keep the commands of God. For Christians who want to live a virtuous life that leads to heaven, the truth of the Passover is necessary. Where, then, did the command of the Passover originate?  In the time of Moses, God instructed the Israelites to prepare a lamb to be used as a sacrificial offering to celebrate the Passover to the LORD.

Ex 12:10-14 “…Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. On that same night, I will pass through Egypt, and…I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come…celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.”

Nowadays, most Christians need help relating to the Old Testament. As a result, many of God’s teachings have been overlooked and under-appreciated. God commands His people to celebrate the Passover in the New Testament time also. Before being crucified, Jesus held the last supper with his disciples in Mark’s upper room. At that time, the disciples carried out Jesus’ instructions to make preparations to celebrate the Passover. 

Mt 26:17-19 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied,… My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

God’s commands have been consistent from the Old to the New Testament. Then, shouldn’t Christians keep the Passover today? Yes, we should observe the Passover as the Savior’s command.

Why Did God Command Us To Keep the Passover? 

Every command has a purpose. In the history of Israel, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430 years. They lived miserable lives due to their slave drivers and hard labor. At that time, God took pity on them and sent Moses to free His people. God sent nine plagues one by one, but still, they were held captive. It wasn’t until right before the tenth plague, the killing of the firstborns, that God gave his command to keep the Passover. The reason was to free the Israelites from slavery and bring them to the promised land of Canaan. So, through the Passover, the Israelites were freed from slavery. Likewise, in the New Testament age, people are also in slavery to sin and death. For this reason, Jesus came to earth in the flesh.

Jn 8:34-36  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Jn 6:53-54 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Those who eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood are no longer under slavery to sin and death, but can have eternal life. The way to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood is through keeping the Passover of the new covenant which represents the flesh and blood of Christ. 

Lk 22:19-20 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you… “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Keep the Passover Pursuing Eternal Life 

Keeping the Passover is the way to change into complete beings that can enter eternal life. Without keeping this life-giving ceremony, our humanity would result in pain, suffering, and eventually, death. So God promised the blessing of eternal life before entering heaven as a guaranteed entry to the kingdom of heaven. Passover is the way to eternal life to enter the everlasting world which overflows with joy and happiness.