Why I wont be Celebrating Easter...
(Or, why I choose to celebrate Passover instead)
REMINDER: This Tuesday there will be an "Eat and Pray" special at the Braybrooks house where we'll celebrate Passover. Below is a bit of an essay about it but I can guarantee a feast, both to the tastebuds and the spirit!
This is an actual letter I sent to a well meaning Christian friend who questioned why I chose to celebrate the Jewish festival of Pesach, or Passover, instead of Easter.
Dear friend,
Thank you for your e-mail, it’s always good to hear from you. I am sorry to see that you were disturbed by our decision to celebrate Passover instead of Easter, but am pleased to know that are concerned with our spiritual well being. It is touching to see you throw yourself in to save us from the depths of our potential heresy with a scripture filled e-mail attachment. You are also welcome to telephone if you get really concerned.
I am aware there is a strong possibility that your e-mail was sent in jest. If this is the case, I might be simply making myself look a fool by justifying myself. However, just in case you really are worried, I thought I would reply.
You will see at the end of the e-mail the Haggadah I intend on using at Passover. This I have adapted (read plagiarised) from a number of books and Internet sources. This I enclose as I am aware that you may not know the traditions of Passover. Although it closely follows traditions and laws practiced by Orthodox as well as Messianic Jews for over 1500 years (and some since God ordained the feast), you will see how Christ centred the festival will be.
I assure you there is no risk of us falling under law. The traditions and laws observed act as symbols and ordinances but in no way add to my salvation. In fact, the more I learn from the Torah, the more I worship the God that saved me from it. There are some laws I will be observing, such as fasting from leaven and eating bitter herbs, but these I choose to observe so that I benefit from the lessons God teaches through them. I do not believe God thinks any more of me for observing them or any less of me if I do not. You will also notice one important part of the Passover meal, the Paschal lamb, is omitted from the evening. This is deliberate. We will not eat lamb to emphasise that we do not believe that sacrificing a lamb will save us. I will not even pick up the shank bone from the plate when I explain the symbols of Passover for fear that anyone at the table may misconstrue it as a blood sacrifice. Our only Paschal lamb is Y’shua (Jesus). These are only symbols.
As I have discussed with you previously, it is important not to detach Christian belief or history from its origins. We cannot understand the gospels without understanding the first century Jewish culture in which they took place. Neither can we understand the epistles without understanding the writer’s or the reader’s backgrounds. If we divorce the jewel of the scriptures from the gold setting of its historical context, we will make our belief into mythology and the person of Jesus into an icon, a golden calf we can shape into any form our 21st century minds can conceive. It is for this reason that we must study the origins of Christianity, which are Judaism and the Torah. (For more on this, I strongly recommend the writing of N.T.Wright)
Jesus was Jewish. He followed Jewish law. He even followed Laws based not on the Torah but on the Talmud, the collected writings of Rabbis outside of the canon (an example of this in the Passover Seder, where the gospels demonstrate he followed the pattern set out in tradition, not law). It is important to bear this in mind when considering the Jewish feasts and festivals: by observing them, we are imitating Christ, not in order to be saved, but to learn from him.
Passover is the most important of these festivals. The Exodus is the most important story prior to the death and resurrection of Christ. It is a symbol of God’s redemption and care for his people. There is a tradition amongst Jews that where the first liberation came at Passover, so will the second (that being the coming of the Messiah). This is indeed the truth. Jesus chose to die at Passover. It was not a coincidence. It was a deliberate choice of timing to emphasise that just as God freed his people from slavery at Egypt and made them into a people, Jesus’ death and resurrection freed all people, Jew and Gentile, from the slavery of sin and made them God’s children.
By observing the Passover, we remember all of God’s faithfulness to his people. We recount the entire story from Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus. We also follow Jesus’ command to “do this in remembrance of me”.
There is not space for me to go into all the symbols and how they relate to Jesus, but I will give you the reasons I observe two of the most important ones. I would recommend reading “Christ in the Passover” by Ceil and Moishe Rosen and “Passover Haggadah: A Messianic Celebration” by Eric-Peter Lipson for more detail.
Fasting leaven: Passover is the feast of Unleavened Bread and I will be fasting from leaven over the festival. I have not thoroughly cleaned the house as Jews do. Neither have I thrown out all products containing leaven as the Torah commands (I was tempted, but as Kate is not fasting leaven, I thought it unfair to impose my decision on her). Like all fasts I observe, this does not save me. Rather, leaven is a symbol of sin and my fast recognises I should treat sin as ruthlessly, lest it spread. The fast reminds me of the following verses:
“… be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
(This emphasises to me that my fast is exactly the opposite of putting myself under law, as the P’s and S’s would have me do!)
“Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” –emphasis added
(This is a key verse for me as it not only emphasises the true meaning of the yeast fast i.e. ridding ourselves of sin and pride, but it demonstrates that Paul, a Jew, understands and observes Passover, recognising it is all about Jesus)
Eating Bread and Wine: Your e-mail suggests that it is un-Christian to keep the Passover, as we practice the Eucharistic communion. However, this is a mistake. We break bread and drink wine both before the meal and afterwards and if you take a close look at the gospel you will see that so did Jesus. This is important and it is only important if you understand the significance of the bread and wine at the start of the meal and the significance of the bread and wine at the end of the meal (see the Passover Haggadah for details). This is a message I believe Jesus wanted to communicate. A message lost in Christian communion but preserved in the Passover. Why did Jesus drink the cups of wine before the meal, but not drink the cups after the meal until he was in the kingdom? Why was the bread he broke symbolic of his body? You will not answer these questions in a communion service but you will at Passover!
I think I have made my point enough and, although there’s plenty more to show you, others have said it better and I’d recommend you read a book on it or attend a Passover presentation. However, I will make one final bold and provocative point, which is crucial to the discussion of why we choose to celebrate Passover instead of Easter: there are no Christian festivals only pagan ones. Whatever you think of the law, the bible contains commands to celebrate Passover, Sukkot and Yom Kippur, but never to celebrate Easter or Christmas. Why? Because Easter and Christmas are Pagan festivals and add nothing to what has already been commanded in scripture.
Easter is the festival of the Spring Equinox and its observance celebrates the spring goddess (the Venerable Bede 672-735 ad. tells us her Saxon name was Eostre, from the ancient name for spring: Eastre). Bear in mind that Ashtoreh, a goddess frequently worshipped by the rebellious Israelites was a similar spring fertility goddess. Most of our spring customs come from Pagan ceremonies associated with this goddess including April fools day, May pole dancing, Punch and Judy and, most of all, Easter chicks, bunnies and eggs! (note: as with my unleavened bread fast, I will not be forcing my customs on others: my little brothers staying with us will celebrate the Passover meal, but I’ll also give them an chocolate easter egg hunt on Sunday morning and take them to my church’s Easter service!)
Christmas has a similarly pagan origin associated with the winter solstice and the associated pagan festivals of Yuletide and Saturnalia. Gift giving, Christmas trees, Holly wreathes, kissing under the mistletoe and Christmas logs are all pre-Christian features.
At present, I choose to continue celebrating Christmas as I cannot think of a better time of the year to celebrate the birth of Jesus (However, with the increasing repaganisation of the festival, I wouldn’t miss it!). However, Passover is intrinsically linked with the death and resurrection of the Messiah and the whole story of God’s actions toward his people. Not only would I strongly defend celebrating, I would strongly recommend others do likewise.
I look forward to speaking to you again soon and would be happy addressing any further concerns you might have.
Best wishes,
Simon
posted by Simon @ Saturday, March 31, 2007
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