Passover! An exciting time of the year, especially this
year, as the 14th of the first month (Aviv), YHVH's
Passover, occurs again in the middle of the week, just as
it did on the week of Yeshua's execution. The Passover
(actually the Feast of Matzot, or Unleavened Bread)
is the first of the seven mo'adim, fixed appointments
with YHVH.
What is so important about these fixed appointments,
their time and place, and are they relevant for today's
redeemed Israelite community? In Colossians 2:16-17 Shaul
says: ''So let no one judge you in food or drink, or
regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are
a mere shadow of things to come, but the substance is of
Messiah.'' Many use this mistranslated scripture
portion to disqualify the feasts of YHVH. However, the
literal translation of these verses is: ''Let no one
be your judge in regards to food, drink, feasts, new
moons or Sabbaths, but the Body of Messiah, for these are
shadows of things yet to come.'' Thus, these Torah
observances are prophetic, and by keeping them we are
proclaiming something that is yet to be revealed in
YHVH's plan. For this reason the Body of Messiah is
''to judge'' and discern these matters, as the
verse points out. To those who would argue that the Torah
laws were nailed to the cross, and that Yeshua has
fulfilled them all, we would say that the apostle wrote
this after the death of the Messiah. In other words, yes,
they are shadows. of things yet to come, and therefore
are prophetic in nature!
Let us walk with Yeshua this Passover, starting today,
Friday, the ninth of the month of Aviv (Nissan). Each day
will be much more meaningful as we ponder the mo'ed ahead
of us, focusing on Yeshua's last Passover. Being the lamb
of Elohim, Yeshua would have had to fulfill all the
requirements of this mo'ed. In addition, there were also
prophetic words that had been written about Him, and of
course those that He prophesied about Himself. Here
are some of the relevant scripture texts; looking at a
Hebrew calendar, as you read, will help. In case you do
not have one, today is Friday the twenty second of March,
but on the Hebrew calendar it is the ninth of Nissan or
Aviv (the latter being the more ancient name, the former
is a name ''picked up'' by the Judeans in
Babylon).
IT IS WRITTEN: ''Do not think that I came to destroy the
Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and
earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matt. 5:17-18).
'' Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of
heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Ought not the Messiah to have suffered these things and
to enter into His glory?' So beginning at Moses and all
the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures
(Tanach) the things concerning Himself'' (Luke
24:25-27).
'' Then I (Yeshua) said, `Behold, I have come----In
the volume of the book it is written of Me----To do Your
will, O YHVH''' (Heb.10:7).
''Then Yeshua said to them, 'all of you will be made
to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
`I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
will be scattered''': (Zech 13:7).
'' 'Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My
Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve
legions of angels? ''How then could the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that it must happen thus?' In that hour Yeshua
said to the multitudes, 'Have you come out, as against a
robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily
with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize
Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the
prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples
forsook Him and fled'' (Matt. 26:31, 53-56).
YESHUA'S PROPHECIES
The Sign of Jonah:
''Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered,
saying, 'teacher, we want to see a sign from You'. But He
answered and said to them, 'an evil and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given
to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of the great
fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth''' (Matt:12:38-40).
'''A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a
sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of
the prophet Jonah.' And He left them and departed''
(Matt.16:4)
''And while the crowds were thickly gathered
together, He began to say, 'this is an evil generation.
It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except
the sign of Jonah the prophet''' (Luke 11:29).
The Sign of the Temple
''So the Jews answered and said to Him, 'what
sign do You show to us, since You do these things?
'Yeshua answered and said to them, 'destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up'. Then the Jews
said, 'it has taken forty-six years to build this temple,
and will You raise it up in three days?' But He was
speaking of the temple of His body'' (John 2:18-21).
''Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the
council sought false testimony against Yeshua to put Him
to death but found none. Even though many false witnesses
came forward, they found none. But at last two false
witnesses came forward and said, 'this fellow said: `I am
able to destroy the temple of YHVH and to build it in
three days''' (Matt.26:59-61; Mark 14:58-62). (Were
these last two really false witnesses? Did not Yeshua say
that He would destroy the temple? Read John 2:18-21
again.)
''And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging
their heads and saying: 'you who destroy the temple and
build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son
of Elohim, come down from the cross '''(Matt.
27:39-40; Mark 15:29-30).
These signs were fulfilled, and there
were witnesses to verify it. Because Yeshua proclaimed
that these signs were to corroborate His Messiahship, it
was in the interest of the priests to ensure, in every
way possible, that those declarations of His would prove
false. That is why they placed soldier-guards around the
tomb and sealed the stone that covered the entrance.
This, however, backfired on them. As a matter of fact,
the soldiers became the first eye witnesses to the
fulfillment of the signs. ''Now while they were
going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and
reported to the chief priests all the things that had
happened. When they had assembled with the elders and
consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the
soldiers, saying, 'tell them, `his disciples came at
night and stole Him away while we slept.' ''And if
this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him
and make you secure.'' So they took the money and did
as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly
reported among the Jews until this day''
(Matt.28:11-15).
''After His resurrection, the disciples also recalled
what Yeshua had said about the destruction of the
''temple'' and about raising it in three
days'' (John 2:22).
YHVH'S APPOINTED TIMES
''And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 'speak to the
children of Israel, and say to them: `The feasts of YHVH,
which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these
are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the
seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy
convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the
Sabbath of YHVH in all your dwellings''' (Lev.
23:1-3). Each feast day, regardless of the day of the
week it happens to occur on, is patterned after the
Shabbat and is called a Shabbaton. This is why Yeshua had
to be taken off the cross and buried before the evening
of the coming in of the ''Shabbat''.
''Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day [the
14th] that the bodies should not remain on the cross on
the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day [the 15th] )
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might
be broken, and that they might be taken away (John 19:31;
Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54). The fifteenth was and still is
the Feast of Matzot - Unleavened Bread. It is a
Shabbat-like day (a Shabbton).
''These are the feasts of YHVH, holy
convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed
times. On the fourteenth day of the first month between
the evenings [the entire twenty four hour period of the
fourteenth] is YHVH's Passover'' (Lev.23: 4-5).
Please note that the fourteenth is not spoken of as a
rest day or a holy convocation (see John 19:31). It was
the day on which they were busy sacrificing and cutting
up the lambs; from evening to evening, a day of
preparation for the Shabbaton that was to follow (the
fifteenth was the first day of the Feast of Matzot).
''And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the
Feast of Unleavened Bread to YHVH; seven days you must
eat unleavened bread. On the first day [the fifteenth of
the Month of Aviv] you shall have a holy convocation; you
shall do no customary work on it. But you
shall offer an offering made by fire to YHVH for seven
days. The seventh day [the 21st of the month of
Aviv, April 3rd this year] shall be a holy
convocation [a Shabbat-like day]; you shall do no
customary work on it'' (Lev. 23:6-8; ref. Deut.
16:1-3). Within the week of the Feast of Matzot it is
possible to have three Shabbats; the fifteenth, which
could fall on any day of the week, the regular seventh
day of the week, and the seventh day feast which again
may occur on any day of the week.
''And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 'speak to
the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come
into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest,
then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your
harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before
YHVH, to be accepted on your behalf''' (Lev.23:9-10).
Literally it says, ''for your acceptance'', or
''that you may be accepted'', in other words, you
and I can only go before YHVH if this wave offering
qualifies us.
''On the day after the Sabbath (the weekly Shabbat
that falls between the two Shabbatons) the first day of
the week [the 18th of Aviv. In Hebrew, one and eight are
equivalent to the letters that make up the word
''life''), the priest shall wave it. And you
shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male
lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt
offering to YHVH.'' (Lev. 23: 9-12). Yeshua was
raised on this day and presented Himself before the
Father, this is why He told Miryam of Magdala not to
touch Him, for He had not yet been to the Father. He was
that first fruit wave offering that you and I may be
accepted. ''And you shall count for yourselves
from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you
brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths
shall be completed'' (Lev. 23:15). (Not forgetting to
count the Sabbath of the 21st of Aviv).
LAMB FOR THE SACRIFICE
''Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying:
`On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for
himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a
lamb for a household. `And if the household is too
small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his
house take it according to the number of the persons;
according to each man's need you shall make your count
for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male
of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from
the goats. `Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth
day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight [between
the evenings]''' (Ex. 12:3-6).
Yeshua the Lamb
''And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and
wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out
in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by
night'' (Luke 2:7-8). The Lamb was born in a stable,
in a feed troth, among the animals. Significantly
it was shepherds pasturing their sheep, that heard the
message of the angles. ''And this will be the sign to
you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths,
lying in a manger.'' (Luke 2:12).
Later in the Lamb's life, John the Immerser exclaimed:
''Behold! The Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin
of the world'' (John 1:29).
An Ethiopian eunuch, who came to Jerusalem to worship,
was sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah.
''He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a
lamb before it's sheerer is silent, so He opened not His
mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken
away, and who will declare His generation? For His life
is taken from the earth'''(Isa. 53:7-8; Acts
8:32-33).
''But with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you''
(1Pet.1:19-20).
''And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the
throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst
of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of Elohim sent out into all the earth. Then He
came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who
sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the
scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and
golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
the saints. They sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy
to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were
slain, and have redeemed us to Elohim by Your blood out
of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have
made us kings and priests to our Elohim; and we shall
reign on the earth'''(Rev. 5:6-10).
''After these things I looked, and behold, a great
multitude which no one could number, of all nations,
tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud
voice, saying: 'Salvation belongs to our Elohim who sits
on the throne, and to the Lamb''' (Rev. 7:9-17).
''They sing the song of Moses, the servant of Elohim,
and the song of the Lamb, saying: 'Great and marvelous
are Your works, Lord Elohim Almighty! Just and true are
Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You,
O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You, For
Your judgments have been manifested''' (Rev. 15:3-4).
Passover Lamb's Journey
''Now it came to pass, when Yeshua had finished these
sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the
region of Judea beyond the Jordan'' (Matt. 19:1; Mark
10:1; John 1:28). ''Now they were on the road, going
up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was going before them; and
they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid.
Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell
them the things that would happen to Him: 'Behold, we are
going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be
betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and
they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the
Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and
spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise
again''' (Mark 10:33). Please note the pronoun being
used, it is as if the Son of Elohim 'aspect' of Yeshua is
speaking about the Son of Man 'aspect' of Himself.
''Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho
with His disciples and a great multitude, blind
Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
And when he heard that it was Yeshua of Nazareth, he
began to cry out and say, 'Yeshua, Son of David, have
mercy on me!''' (Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35; 19:1 Matt.
20:29; Luke 19:28). Interestingly, YHVH used a blind man
to declare that Yeshua was the Messiah Son of David.
''Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to
Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Yeshua sent two
disciples, saying to them, 'go into the village opposite
you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a
colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me'''
(Matt. 21:1-2; Luke 19:28-29).
''Then, six days before the Passover [the ninth of
Aviv], Yeshua came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had
been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they
made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one
of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Miryam took
a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the
feet of Yeshua, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the
house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then one
of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would
betray Him, said, 'why was this fragrant oil not
sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?'
This he said not that he cared for the poor, but because
he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to
take what was put in it. But Yeshua said, 'let her
alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For
the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have
always''' (John 12:1-8).
On Erev Shabbat, when you sit to have your meal, think
about what had taken place on this very night so many
years ago. Maybe find some
perfume to scent the air.(fragrance of Messiah).
''The next day [Shabbat the tenth of Aviv], a great
multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard
that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of
palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
YHVH! The King of Israel!' Then Yeshua, when He had
found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 'Fear
not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt''' (John 12:12-16).
The Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) was and still is
celebrated on he fifteenth. This year that day
happens to fall on Thursday, March 28th. If we
count six days before the fifteenth of Aviv, we arrive at
Friday the ninth (today, March 22nd), this was the day on
which Yeshua came up to Beit-Onya (Bethany) and had an
Erev Shabbat meal with El'azar (Lazarus), Martha, and
Miryam. Yochanan (John) tells us that the following day,
which would have been Shabbat the tenth of Aviv, Yeshua
rode the colt of an ass into Jerusalem. It was not Palm
Sunday, but ''Palm Saturday'' that year.On
the tenth the priests carried the lambs for the Passover
sacrifices into the Temple, as commanded by YHVH (see Ex.
12:3). The lambs were examined for four days, and if no
blemish or defect could be found, they qualified for the
sacrifice, and were killed on the fourteenth. Yeshua went
up to Jerusalem on the tenth, and for four days he was
questioned and examined and in the end no fault could be
found in Him. He was the perfect sacrifice. He
celebrated the Passover meal the night before the rest of
the nation celebrated it, as He knew He would not be
around for the occasion. ''Now before the feast of
the Passover, when Yeshua knew that His hour had come
that He should depart from this world to the Father,
having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them
to the end'' (John 13:1).
''When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve
apostles with Him. Then He said to them, 'with fervent
desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat
of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of
Elohim''' (Luke 22:14-16). He was then crucified on
the fourteenth, which is Wednesday, the middle of the
week. On the day of preparation Yeshua was put into the
grave, just before the Shabbaton of the fifteenth, the
eve of Thursday (please keep in mind that the night comes
first and then the day). He was in the grave that night
(1st night), all day Thursday (1st day, the fifteenth);
the night of Friday (2nd night) all day, Friday (2nd day
the sixteenth); Saturday night (3rd night) and all day,
Saturday (3rd day the seventeenth). Then sometime after
the Shabbat went out Yeshua rose from the dead. He was
exactly 3 days and 3 nights in the grave. The religious
leaders were looking for a reason to denounce him as a
liar. Indeed, if He would not have stayed in that grave
for three nights and three days they would have proven
their point beyond a shadow of a doubt, and Yeshua could
not have been the Messiah of Israel. The Good Friday and
Easter Sunday celebrations only come to the aid of those
who would declare Yeshua a liar. The sign of Jonah is
Yeshua's answer to an evil and wicked generation.
Let us be as those who have understanding and join
Yeshua's disciples and remember all that has been
written. ''Therefore, when He had risen from the
dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to
them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which
Yeshua had spoken'' (John 2:22).
Hag Same'ach,
Shevet Achim
''Great and marvelous are Your works, YHVH - Elohim
the Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who
shall not fear You, O YHVH, and glorify Your name? For
You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and
worship before You, For Your judgments have been
manifested'' (Rev. 15:3-4).
