Why should Christians keep the Passover?

In this article I will present the reasons why a Christian should celebrate Easter even if this holiday was given to the Jewish people and was a shadow of the events that followed. Here is the question:

I don’t understand why Christians should keep the Passover. The Passover was instituted the night the destroyer passed through Egypt. It is a Jewish holiday that reminds Jews of what happened on the last night in Egypt and how the blood of the lamb anointed on the doorstep saved the lives of the firstborn. It is true that this Passover lamb symbolized the Lord Jesus, who was to be the Passover lamb, but the Jews did not understand this even to this day, except for some Christian Jews. As Christians, we should not celebrate this holiday because it has been replaced by the Lord’s Supper. On the night He was sold, the day before His sacrifice, Jesus instituted the Passover Supper. And Paul says that Christ, your Passover was sacrificed and in remembrance of this a supper was instituted, which in some denominations is held once a week, in others once a month. So the Lord Jesus gave this command to do this in remembrance of His death and not once a year, but several times. So Easter was replaced with the Lord’s supper. Why is the Jewish Passover still celebrated? I don’t even understand why Easter is set according to the preference of people? Every year at a different time and not only that, some have it at one time and others at another time in the same year when, in fact, the date of the Passover of the Jews is known and it is a single date set by Moses. So well did the devil manage to confuse things in this regard that where the exact date is known it moves every year to another date. And where it is not known, for example the birth of the Lord, a fixed date was found according to certain calculations and that date was chosen.

You have already partially answered the question you asked. Just as the Lamb was the Passover of the Jews on the night when they were delivered from Egyptian bondage, so the Lord Jesus is called our Passover, because through Him we were delivered from the bondage of sin. Of course, this only applies to those who believed in Him wholeheartedly and were born again. It is true that the Lord Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and did so while all the Jews ate the Passover lamb, and so did the Lord Jesus with His disciples. To eat the Passover was to eat that lamb, and this Jesus did with the disciples, in remembrance of the event in Egypt, but then instituted the Lord’s Supper and as he broke the bread he said it was His body that was broken for many, and the wine was His blood shed for the remission of our sins.

The Lord Jesus did not set a frequency for the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, different denominations practice it with different frequency and this also for the reason that it does not become a routine so that people would not understand the meaning of this sacrament. On Thursday before Easter, most churches have divine services and then officiate the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the event that took place then. Then, on Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus is celebrated. At this great event, the attention of Christians is focused on Easter and they celebrate it. It is true that Christians also celebrate the resurrection of Jesus weekly. Sunday, the day of the Lord, was exactly the day when Christians celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and because of this event Sunday became a day of rest for Christians. In the case of the Russians, Sunday is even called “Voskreneni,” meaning resurrection. All Christians in the world celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus 52 times a year, that is, they celebrate it weekly. However, Easter is a big and official holiday when we remember exactly the time when this event took place. We celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, one of the greatest victories in the universe and which has become our personal victory.

Why is it celebrated on different dates? We addressed this topic in the article “Why do Orthodox and Catholics celebrate Easter on different dates?” Under no circumstances should this become an occasion for division among Christians. I am now on my way home from Armenia, where I preached and taught the Word of God and celebrated Easter last Sunday. What a joy it was to see so many people come to worship the Lord Jesus and many entered into the New Covenant with Him on the day of Easter. Arriving home, on Sunday we will celebrate Easter in Moldova. And again, with equal joy, we will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is worthy to be celebrated and we should enjoy His Resurrection every day. Christ is risen!

Translated by Didina Vicliuc