The Passover feast is a special annual meal consisting of lamb, herbs, and unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) eaten at twilight, the start of the 14th day of Abib (aka Nisan, March or April, Exodus 12:1-28, 43-50, 13:10). No other religious celebration was like it at the time it was commanded to obey by the Lord. It is somber and reflective, joined with gratitude and awe.
The Israelites are to remember how the Lord brought them out of slavery when they eat the Passover. Yeast represents sin; thus, the Passover feast and the feast of Unleavened Bread point to Jesus, who died to remove sins and rescued us from slavery to the sinful nature and the influence of the devil, the adversary.
Jesus, being born a Jew, also celebrated the Passover. He gave instructions to Peter and John that took faith to obey. First of all, they were to look for a man, someone they did not know, carrying a jar of water in busy Jerusalem, which was something women typically did in the early morning. Secondly, they were to give him an unusual directive. Third, the directive was inviting them and several more into his house to eat the Passover, normally a family occasion. The detailed and strange instructions were obeyed (13). All happened as Jesus said.
The original Passover meal and the instructions to Peter and John were not typical. The Lord Jesus can give us instructions that seem strange and impossible to obey. Yet, obedience is always a blessing in the end.
The Lord God, through an outreach pastor, told me to turn my paper Bible study materials and knowledge that was in my head into a web page almost 30 years ago. The World Wide Web was first made public in 1993, 32 years ago, and AOL Hometown, my first platform, started in 1998. Though requiring self-sacrifice with no income or support from it, the mission has been a spiritual blessing. Oh, the refreshment of obeying strange and impossible commands.
