I have been researching Passover for some time and am now teaching about it via a women's group on Thursday mornings. This is the beginning of a series on the 7 Festivals God gave the Jews after their Exodus from Egypt. Each of these 7 festivals point to the one that would come and did come. The four Spring Festivals have been fulfilled with the remaining three Fall festivals yet to be. Just as the first four were fulfilled in Christ's first coming, the last three will be in his second.
We started with the Jewish Calendar and how it differs from ours. Their calendar is 354 days long, and one that is based on the moon (lunar) while ours is on solar time. To keep up with us and to keep their seasons right, they have added a 13th month called 2nd Adar It's considered a leap month coming on the scene 7 times during a cycle of 19 years. So on the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth this month shows up. This has to be done to keep the appointed feasts in their appointed times. If not, Passover would soon be celebrated in the winter months.
There has only been one Passover. The rest are memorials only. Passover was to be celebrated during the month Nisan (Mar-April). The Jews were to take a young unblemished lamb (symbolizing innocence) from their flock on the 10th day of Nisan. On the 14th they were to kill it, eat it with their family and keep a service of Passover. The reason the lamb was picked days ahead of time and put with the family was for it to become a real sacrifice. By having this lamb in their home playing with their children or tied outside the door for all to see would serve as a reminder of what was to come.
Only three foods were required for this; the lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The lamb would be roasted by fire. Fire speaks of the judgment of God. This lamb would take the judgment in their place. The blood of the lamb would be splashed over the top and pillars of the door. This was a visible sign to all that believed. When God "passed over" Egypt in judgment that night many years ago, the Jews that obeyed were saved by the blood of the lamb.
Although Passover is only a one day event it was followed the next day by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This Feast would last for seven days. It's mostly blurred together as a long eight day festival and Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are used interchangeably.
Many people don't know that this holiday was so important to God that he gave the Jews an alternate date in case they were ceremonially unclean or were away from their home during this time. They would be able to celebrate the Passover on the Second Month, Iyar on the 14th day. At one point in history, during King Hezekiah's day, the whole nation celebrated Passover in the second month, and they were ashamed. The reason? The priests were unclean and the people did not have themselves together. Before this King, they were not behaving themselves and God's house was in disrepair filled with all kinds of idol worship items. Before they could celebrate the Passover much work had to be done.
The lamb was to be slaughtered "between the two evenings" or the "going down of the sun" traditionally from 3pm to 6pm. Jesus died or "gave up his spirit" at exactly 3 pm according to Luke. On the 10th day of the first month Nisan Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. He was telling us that He would be that lamb that would take the judgment in the place of the people. He would be the Passover Lamb. His blood would be visibly shed on the wood on which he hung. Those that take this cross as their own and this Lamb as their own will be cleansed by the blood of this lamb. God will pass over them in his judgment like he did so many years before as in the day of Moses.
"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John the Baptist