Passover: MY Appointed Festivals & Jesus Arrives In Jerusalem

Seven years ago, God revealed to us that Passover was much more than a day celebrated by a certain people. Since then, our family has kept the Lord’s Feast of Passover. Sadly, many Christians believe that Passover (and all of the Spring and Fall Feasts) are somehow only “Jewish” holidays.

The fact of the matter is that the Lord's Feasts are no more “Jewish” than Salvation is.

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. Leviticus 23:1-2

The Feasts belong to God, not a certain people. They are (as God tells us):

“MY appointed festivals”

In the King James translation, Leviticus 23:1-2 says: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

There is no question as to whose Feasts they are! An important word in this verse is convocations.

What does that even mean?

According to Webster’s “it is an assembly of persons convoked”… huh?

But, when we checked the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and looked up the Hebrew meaning of the word convocations, we found something amazing!

4744 miqra: from 7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal ­­– assembly calling, convocation, reading.

All of God’s Feasts outlined in Leviticus are rehearsals!

According to the to word of God, God gave His people the feast of Passover so they could rehearse - year after year - what the Messiah would in fact perform! See Colossians 2:16-17 and Hebrews 10:1

Jesus fulfilled the Passover "rehearsal" so much deeper than by symbolic types and shadows. Every aspect of what is commonly called “Passion Week” is a direct fulfillment of Passover... the timing of His entrance in Jerusalem, His breaking of bread, His pouring of wine, Pilate’s declaration of no fault, Jesus’ crucifixion and Resurrection… all of these correspond perfectly to the day and hour of Passover!

Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem

From John 12 we can determine that Jesus entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before Passover, now known as Palm Sunday:

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived… The next day the great crowd that had come for the Festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. John 12:1,12

God’s people kept the tradition of selecting their Passover lamb on the 10th day (the same day Jesus arrived into Jerusalem) for thousands of years:

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. Exodus 12:3

Frequently missed is the significance of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem when he did.

Jesus was welcome into Jerusalem (or selected, if you will) as God’s Passover lamb on the very day when Passover lambs were being selected!!

I will post more regarding Passover tomorrow...