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A simple look at a calendar will show
that this year (2005) many believers will celebrate Easter on March 27, a month
before Passover which begins the evening of April 23. What’s the
significance? Why does Easter precede Passover this year? And in light
of what each commemorates, “How is it that the Resurrection precedes the
Crucifixion?”
Messiah Our Passover
During the early New Covenant years, while
the apostles lived and kept watch over all things spiritual, Messiah’s
resurrection was celebrated by all believers at the same time that
Jewish people observed Passover. The feast of Passover commemorates the
deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 12:1-13; Deut. 16:1),
and was, in fact, ordained by God to prefigure our deliverance from the
bondage of sin through the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God, Yeshua,
or Jesus. He is declared to be “the Lamb that was slain from the
foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8) and is therefore “the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The New Covenant
consistently refers to Passover as the type of Messiah’s death and
resurrection (see 1 Cor 5:7), and our commemoration of the Lord’s
atonement (the Lord’s Supper), is actually taken from the bread and cup
of the Passover Seder (Luke 22:19,20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). The resurrection
itself actually occurred on the Feast of First Fruits, which takes place
in conjunction with the Passover (see Lev. 23:10-12), and is considered
a type of Messiah’s resurrection as well (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). Even by the
middle of the second century, the Lord’s resurrection was celebrated
normally on the Sunday after Passover.
Doctrines of Men & Devils
But then a change was made. In AD 325 the
Council of Nicea (located in present-day Turkey), called together by the
Roman Emperor Constantine I, decided that all churches should celebrate
the Resurrection together on the Sunday after the full moon of the
Spring equinox, and not in conjunction with Passover. But why the
change? It was unanimously accepted at the Council that Easter should
never fall at the beginning of the “Jewish” Passover. Many believers
elsewhere still weren’t convinced, however, and this required subsequent
discussions in later councils and synods. Still, many believers
continued to celebrate the resurrection in accordance with Passover,
even after Constantine’s legislation. So Constantine wrote to leaders of
believing communities not present at the Council of Nicea to explain
their Easter decision. This letter, entitled “On the Keeping of Easter,”
gives us insight on the reasoning behind the decision:
“It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of
all festivals, to follow the custom [the calculation] of the Jews, who
had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds
were blinded. In rejecting their custom, we may transmit to our
descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter… We ought not,
therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews… we desire, dearest
brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the
Jews... (They) have no longer been led by reason but by wild violence,
as their delusion may urge them… How, then, could we follow these Jews,
who are most certainly blinded by error? …it would still be your duty
not to tarnish your soul by communications with such wicked people [the
Jews].” (From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the
Council. Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20.)
Pretty awful reading, huh? How did such blatant Anti-Jewish sentiment
get into so called “Church” Councils?
Jerusalem, We Have a
Problem
Satan knows that the Second Coming of
Messiah is linked to the repentance of Israel (see Zech. 12:10; Matt.
23:39; Acts 3:19-21). This enemy of our souls has attempted to deceive
so-called Christians to despise the Jewish people, which is in direct
contradiction to the Scriptures (Rom. 10:1; 11:17-20), and thereby make
faith in Yeshua abhorrent to any self-respecting Jewish person.
Following the death of the Jewish apostles, Peter, Paul, John, etc.,
anti-Semitism seeped into the assemblies of believers. Sadly, this
anti-Semitic attitude is reflected in much of church history in its
relationship to the Jewish people and has prevented Jewish people from
understanding the biblical Messiah. Not only that, the “Church” would
put into practice non-biblical traditions which do not reflect the
biblical facts of Messiah’s death and resurrection, which even born
again believers practice to this day. This can create problems, one of
which we encounter every few years at Passover: believers will celebrate
the Lord’s resurrection at Easter a month before the biblical observance
of the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection at Passover! Thus it appears
we have Messiah resurrected a month before He is even put to death. Now
that’s confusing!
Wabbit Twacks!
Over the years, believers began reading
the Bible for themselves, and saw that God loves the Jewish people, and
He wants us to as well (see Jer. 31:3). They began to ask about the
rationale for “Easter,” as Resurrection Day is called in the West. The
name Easter came from “Eostre”, the ancient Anglo-Saxon fertility
goddess, which is a derivative of “Ishtar” as she was called in Fertile
Crescent region. The fertility-goddess idea is also why Easter bunnies,
baby chicks and eggs are associated with this occasion. Today the
question on the minds of many is, “Why is Messiah’s resurrection
separated from Passover?” Obviously the reasoning will no longer hold
up. Therefore many believers are rediscovering their biblical, Jewish
roots, and are understanding the importance of the festivals, including
Passover, since they relate so directly to Messiah and New Covenant
faith. For more information on rediscovering your Jewish roots get the
book The Feasts of Israel from our website bookstore. You may also
invite one of WMM’s speakers to your congregation to teach on the feasts
and other relevant Messianic matters. Happy Holidays!
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