Passover

The central Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites’ liberation from Egyptian slavery, when God “passed over” their homes while striking down Egypt’s firstborn. In Christianity, Jesus’s death as the “Passover Lamb” reinterprets the feast as prefiguring redemption from sin.

In Judaism

Pesach (פֶּסַח, from the Hebrew root meaning “to pass over”) is one of the three pilgrimage festivals and the most widely observed Jewish holiday.

Biblical Origin (Exodus 12)

On the night before the Exodus:

• Each Israelite family slaughtered a lamb “without defect”
• Applied the blood to their doorposts
• Roasted and ate the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs
• The Angel of Death “passed over” homes marked with blood
• Egypt’s firstborn—from Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn of cattle—died
• Pharaoh released the Israelites

The Seder

The Seder (סֵדֶר, “order”) is the ritual meal on Passover eve that retells the Exodus story:

The Seder Plate:

• Zeroa (shank bone): Represents the Paschal lamb
• Beitzah (roasted egg): Symbol of temple sacrifice and renewal
• Maror (bitter herbs): Bitterness of slavery
• Charoset (fruit/nut mixture): Mortar used by Hebrew slaves
• Karpas (vegetable): Springtime and renewal
• Chazeret (second bitter herb): Additional reminder of slavery

Four Cups of Wine: Representing God’s four promises of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7):

1. “I will bring you out”
2. “I will deliver you”
3. “I will redeem you”
4. “I will take you as my people”

Elijah’s Cup: A fifth cup left for the prophet Elijah, whose return will herald the Messiah

The Four Questions (Mah Nishtanah): Asked by the youngest child:

• “Why is this night different from all other nights?”
• Prompts retelling of the Exodus narrative

Haggadah: The liturgical text recounting the Exodus, combining biblical passages, rabbinic commentary, prayers, and songs

Observance

Duration: Seven days in Israel (eight in diaspora)

Prohibitions:

• No chametz (leavened products)—symbolizes removal of sin/“puffed up” pride
• Homes thoroughly cleaned before Passover
• Only matzah (unleavened bread) eaten

Commemorative Nature: “In every generation, each person should feel as though they themselves left Egypt” (Mishnah, Pesachim 10:5)

Theological Significance

• Redemption: God’s power to deliver from bondage
• Covenant: Passover begins the journey to Sinai and covenant
• Identity: Foundational narrative of Jewish peoplehood
• Hope: Anticipation of future redemption (Elijah’s coming)
• Gratitude: Thanksgiving for freedom
• Memory: Obligation to remember and retell

Post-Temple Changes

After the Second Temple’s destruction (70 CE):

• No actual Paschal lamb sacrificed (required the Temple)
• The shank bone serves as symbolic reminder
• Seder developed as home-based ritual replacing temple sacrifice

In Christianity

Christianity reinterprets Passover through Jesus’s death and resurrection.

The Last Supper

Jesus’s final Passover meal with disciples (the Last Supper):

• Occurred on Passover eve (synoptic tradition) or day before (Johannine chronology)
• Jesus instituted the Eucharist/Communion
• “This is my body given for you… This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:19-20)
• Transformed Passover elements into Christian sacrament

Jesus as Passover Lamb

Typology: Jesus fulfills Passover symbolism:

• “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
• Like the Paschal lamb, Jesus was “without defect” (sinless)
• His blood marks believers for salvation
• He died at Passover (possibly while temple lambs were slaughtered)
• Delivers from slavery to sin, not just Egypt

Gospel Timing:

• Crucified during Passover season
• Resurrection on “first fruits” (day after Sabbath during Unleavened Bread)
• Connection to Jewish festival calendar is deliberate

Christian Observance

Early Church: Debated Easter’s timing relative to Passover (Quartodeciman controversy)

Modern Practice:

• Most Christians don’t observe Passover itself
• Easter commemorates Jesus’s death and resurrection
• Some churches hold Passover Seders for educational purposes
• Messianic Judaism celebrates Passover emphasizing Jesus as fulfillment

Eucharist/Communion: Weekly/regular observance replaces annual Passover:

• Bread (Jesus’s body)
• Wine (Jesus’s blood of the new covenant)
• “Do this in remembrance of me”

Theological Interpretation

Exodus Typology: The Exodus prefigures salvation in Christ:

• Slavery in Egypt → Bondage to sin
• Pharaoh → Satan
• Passover lamb → Christ
• Death of firstborn → Judgment on sin
• Red Sea crossing → Baptism
• Journey to Promised Land → Sanctification/Heaven

New Covenant: Passover elements point to the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (31:31-34), inaugurated through Jesus’s blood.

In Islam

Islam acknowledges the Exodus and Passover as part of Moses’s (Musa’s) story, though without the ritual observance.

Quranic References:

• Moses confronts Pharaoh (Fir’awn) (Quran 7:103-137)
• Plagues strike Egypt
• Israelites cross the sea; Pharaoh drowns
• No specific mention of Passover ritual

Islam views:

• Moses as a great prophet (mentioned more than any other)
• Exodus as demonstration of God’s power
• Pharaoh’s defeat as warning against tyranny and unbelief
• No continuation of Passover observance (Islamic law replaces earlier ritual laws)

Comparative Summary

Tradition	Meaning	Observance
Judaism	Liberation from Egypt; covenant formation	Annual Seder meal
Christianity	Christ’s redemptive death; new covenant	Easter; Eucharist
Islam	God’s power; Moses’s prophethood	Acknowledged but not observed

Historical Impact

• Jewish Identity: Passover is central to Jewish collective memory and identity
• Liberation Theology: Exodus narrative inspires movements for freedom and justice
• Christian Sacrament: Passover reinterpreted as Lord’s Supper/Eucharist
• Liturgical Calendar: Shapes timing of Easter (calculated relative to Passover)
• Cultural Influence: “Let my people go” becomes universal cry for freedom

Modern Observance

Judaism:

• Most observed Jewish ritual (surpassing even Yom Kippur attendance)
• Families gather for Seder worldwide
• Haggadah continuously revised (feminist, socialist, environmental versions)

Christianity:

• Holy Week culminates in Easter
• Maundy Thursday commemorates Last Supper
• Good Friday marks crucifixion
• Easter Sunday celebrates resurrection

Significance

Passover testifies to God’s redemptive power—breaking chains, delivering the oppressed, and establishing covenant relationship. Whether understood as liberation from Egypt or salvation from sin, Passover proclaims that God acts in history to rescue His people. The blood on the doorpost or the blood of the Lamb marks those who belong to God and are spared from judgment.

For Jews, Passover is the story of becoming a people. For Christians, it’s the story of redemption fulfilled in Christ. Both see in Passover the arc from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from judgment to mercy—themes that echo throughout Scripture and human longing for deliverance.