Rabbi Schneider - Understanding Passover
In the book of Leviticus, chapter 23, the Lord gives us what he calls his seven appointed holy days, in addition to shabbat which happens of course every week. The first of these holy days takes place in the spring, and it's called "Passover", or in Hebrew we refer to it as "Pesach". And it takes place on a month, in Hebrew known as the month of Nisan.
Now, Passover really launches the birth of Israel, because Israel comes out of Egypt as a nation. And of course most of us know enough about Passover, that we recall the fact that the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, on the night when they had applied the blood of the lamb over the doorpost of their home. And when the destroying Angel moved through the land of Egypt that night, every home that was covered by the blood on the doorpost, the destroying Angel passed over, so that the children of Israel were spared destruction.
And then, following that destructive night in Egypt, where the firstborn of the Egyptians were all put to death, Pharaoh finally said to Israel, "Get out. I've had enough of judgments of your God for keeping you here". So, the children of Israel were released from Egypt on that day. Because, once again, the Angel of death passed them over when he saw the blood of the lamb, and Israel was birthed as a nation.
Incredibly, Yeshua is introduced to the world by Yochanan the Immerser, we say in Hebrew, or John the Baptist, as listen, the Lamb of God. John 1:29, Jesus comes to the Jordan river where John is baptizing. John the Baptist points the issue and says, "Behold, the Lamb of God", tying Yeshua back to that first Passover that the children of Israel experienced on the night of the exes, when the Lord delivered them out of Egypt.
Paul actually says that Christ has become our Passover. Why? Because it's through the shed blood of Yeshua, the final Passover Lamb, that destruction and judgment passes us over. And even as Israel had to be in a home that was covered by the blood in order to be spared from judgment, so you and i, beloved ones, need to be under the blood of Yeshua, if we're to be spare the judgment of God due to our sin. It's not enough just to believe that Jesus died on the cross and bled for your sins, you literally, Jesus said, have to eat his flesh and drink his blood, in John chapter 6.
In other words we need to come into a relationship with him, and we do this through yielding our life to him, receiving him, and then submitting to him in obedience. And when we do that, his blood then covers our life, and he becomes for us our deliverer. So, Passover is important. 25 times plus in the Book of Revelation Yeshua is connected with Passover by being identified as the Lamb. It is fundamental for Christians, whether you're a Jew or a gentile, to understand that Jesus completes Passover finally in God's redemptive plan, and personally for you.