Examining Aspects Of The Passover

Passover was established by our Creator as a temporary law, to heal a breach in communication between Himself and His creation, and to save us from death because of our sins. We read about these first sins in Genesis 2:16-17. The first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived in a perfect enviroment created by God. They had their every need supplied by their Creator. Given a simple command, “To obey Gods voice” and warned that disobedience to God’s laws would cause them to die. The woman failed through deceit, and the man through deliberate disobedience to God’s command. 1 Timothy 2:13-14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
Romans 5:12 Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned

Genesis 3:1-5) During this exchange between the woman and the rebellious spirit known as the serpent or Satan (adversary), the first lie was told to humanity. Satan said to the woman, you shall not die, and this same lie is still believed today. The teaching of an immortal soul that continues to live on after death independently of God, came directly from Satan.
Genesis 2:17 God said, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Satan through his deception and temptation of mankind brought death, and an end to humanity, or so it seemed. Sin caused a division between God and mankind that could only be covered by sacrifice, as a form of repentance. We read about this in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 59:2 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

God’s Plan To Save Mankind
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. What does this mean? These were a divinely provided blood covering for the sins of our first parents, so they could remain in God’s presence. Blood sacrifice was to be a form of repentance to cover sin as a substitute for the blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who would die for His creation four thousand years later. This was an added law and the reason for future animal sacrifice, until the Christ (Messiah) would come.

Sacrifice was to be a form of repentance for sin, and was the responsibility of the head of each family, until the time of Moses. When God called Moses, He gave to him the written laws, and established the priesthood for Israel. From that time sacrifice became the responsibility of the priesthood only.

Genesis 4:3-4 Cain and Able knew what to do, as they had probably
sacrificed before. They also would have watched their father sacrifice for their family. Each of them were now heads of their own families, and mature enough to make their own decisions. Able believed and obeyed God’s law, but Cain who refused to cover his sin by blood sacrifice, separated himself from God and murdered his brother.
Genesis 8:20 After the flood Noah built an alter to the Lord, and taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnted offerings on it, for himself and his family.
(Clean and unclean food was established by God from the beginning of creation. Some animals, fish and fowl were intended for food. Others were intended to clean the enviroment.)

1 Peter 1:18-20 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Our Creator, the one who would become Jesus Christ, would shed His own blood for the forgiveness of our sins. That was the price God paid for our spiritual lives, to save us from the second (or spiritual) death. Hebrews 9:22 The law requires thar nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
(Matthew 26:28 This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Results Of Sin
Through the sin and disobedience of our first parents, the earth was cursed, Genesis 3:17-19. Mankind was also banished from the Garden of Eden, and entered into a personal experimmental understanding of good and evil. Rather than follow the revealed knowledge of our creator, we chose to discover for ourselves what brings good results in life and what does not. Hence our abundance and variety of religeous teaching today. When we look at the state of this world, the destruction of the planet and our history of pain and suffering on it, even to us there must be some realization that our experiment has been a disaster! We as a species are not capable of governing ourselves. Our creator has given us laws that if obeyed would transform this world into one of peace and happiness, but because of our nature as a people, that seems beyond us.

A Perfect Sacrifice For Our Sin
Exodus 12:1-13 These are the clear instructions from God for the first Passover given to the nation of Israel thirty five hundred years ago.
Exodus 12:5 The lamb was to be without defect – a perfect sacrifice.
Fifteen hundred years later,that perfect Lamb without sin was crucified for humanity.
Luke 23:13-15 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them. “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion.“ I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has King Herod, for he has sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. (He was a Lamb without blemish. (Sin)
1 Peter 1:19 With the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Exodus 12:3 The lamb was chosen on the tenth day of the month, and slaughtered on the fourteenth. The lamb was amongst the people for three and a half days to ensure that it was without blemish. The ministry of Jesus was for three and a half years. They could find no blemish (sin) in Him.
Exodus 12:13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
The blood itself when applied, was perfect protection from judgment. God did not require anything in addition to His directions then, and does not want us to add to or delete from His word today.

Hebrews 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are to come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the most holy place once and for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

For those disciples who believed Jesus to be the Christ, the seed of Abraham written about in Genesis and in Daniel, who witnessed the beginning of His ministry and would also witness His crucification and death outside the gates of Jerusalem, these would be His witnesses.
John 1:29 The next day John (The Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “ Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘ A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ( John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.) I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John gave his testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. I would not have known Him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus And That Last Passover Night
Matthew 26:26-28 While they were eating, (or at table) Jesus took bread,
gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.“ Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 14:22-24 Mark’s testimony is written the same as Matthew’s.
Luke 22:14-20 When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the the Kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.”
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”
John 6:33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Transition To The New Testament
Jesus, as high priest, changed the Passover symbols from the blood of a lamb, to bread and wine. Which represents His body and blood, given to free mankind from our bondage to sin and death. Animal sacrifice covered sin so that the sinner could commune with God, but there was no forgivenes for sin until Jesus was sacrificed. Hebrews 10:3-4 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Christ’s Redeeming Sacrifice
Romans 3:24-25 All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.
What does that mean? The sins repented of that were covered by animal blood in the past, were now forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, for all who believed going back to Adam and Eve. Forgiveness that came through Him was for the sins of the past, present and future. For all those who would repent (change) and believe.
Mark 1:15 Jesus began His ministry by preaching: “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent, (change) and believe the good news!“ (of the Kingdom of God)
Hebrews 10:8–10 First He said, “ Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” ( although the law required them to be made). Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.“ He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ( For all who believe)

New Testament Teaching
Through the sacrifice of His Son, God made forgiveness of sin available to all who would believe and repent. The Lamb of God had been sacrificed, so Passover would no longer involve blood sacrifice, but this change had to be taught to a fast expanding new church. This was the work that the apostles had been appointed to do. They would explain to the newly called christians
the teachings of Jesus.
John 4:23 jesus said that a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
What does Jesus mean by this statement? The physical church was coming to an end. The church was the physical nation of Israel under the Old Testament. The written law of Moses and the oral laws of Jewish tradition, were enforced together as the civil letter of the law. Now the physical enforcement of God’s law would end in His church, with the death of Jesus.
World religions of today have the same understanding of God that the Jewish people had before Christ’s sacrifice. That the clergy are God’s representatives on earth. The clergy represent the human organization, and rarely represesnt God. Jesus Christ is our High Priest in heaven right now with His Father. This is what Jesus said in John 4:23, to those who worship God in spirit and in truth.

The Internal Work Of The Holy Spirit
Obedience to God’s law would now be from the heart through the influence of God’s Holy Spirit, which was given on the day of Pentecost to all those who believed. The church was now internal and personal, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God for all those who would walk with Him.

Sacrifice In A New Form
Paul speaks of a different form of sacrice ln the church of God. Not a physical sacrifice of animal blood, but of a personal spiritual overcoming. Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. God is still in the process of creating our minds to walk in obedience with Him. Ephesians 4:23 To be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The Apostlic Witness
Prior to the next Passover, the new disciples would need to be informed of the changes that Christ Jesus had made to the passover symbols. The apostles as witnesses would need to give in writing, an accurate account of the ministry of Jesus, the Son of God. The Holy Spirit which they received on the day of Pentecost, fifty days later, would remind them of what Jesus taught them and would lead them to all truth.
The gospel of Matthew was probably produced five or six years after the resurrection A.D. 35-37. Prior to that, many informative articles would have been written and spoken of by the apostles who were teaching amongst the disciples. Each apostle being a witness for Christ would have shared their experience, as the Holy Spirit guided them. They would all have that shared common knowledge and understanding. Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

Mark’s gospel was written about twenty years after that of Matthew, in about A.D.57 The details of his gospel account on that Passover evening are the same as Matthews.
The gospel of Luke was written shortly after that of Mark’s, about A.D.63.
Luke 22:24-27 Luke does add that there was strife among them, as they all wanted to be leaders with Him when He established His kingdom. Not realizing that His kingdom would be yet many years into the future. They had not yet received the Holy Spirit of God, and were thinking in purely human terms of a physical kingdom.

The fourth gospel witness on the Passover is the apostle Paul, In his letter written about A.D. 59 to the Corinthian church. He writes to clarify for the church what took place on that Passover evening, when Jesus gave the new symbols of Passover. His witness to what Jesus said and did is the same as that of the other gospel writers, and he testifies to their complete accuracy.

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 For I received from the Lord what I also passed onto you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.
1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

The Last Gospel Witness
The apostle John’s gospel was completed in about A.D. 85-90. He does not mention the new symbols of bread and wine being offered on that evening, but he does speak in more detail on this sublect in chapter six of his gospel account. He speaks of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles, and this is the first and only time that this is mentioned by a witness for Christ Jesus. Of course it was a very common practice of hospitality in that time and place among many nations, but not as a form of worship. When many church of God members adopted this practice, it was taught as an act of humility. It took up more time than the Passover service itself, and was a great distraction, which took away from the solemn, yet joyous Passover service.

If the apostle John intended foot washing to be part of the Passover service, surely he would have mentioned this much earlier. Why would he keep the Passover for sixty years and not talk about footwashing? If the Lord Jesus intended foot washing to be included in the service, he had many witnesses to tell us so, but there is no mention of this at all in scripture. Why? Christ Jesus left us four witnesses of the bread and wine. Jesus made sure to leave many witnesses to His ministry. He was well aware that people would only consider the witness of two or three to be valid.
John 8:17 In your own law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.
John 5:31 If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. (This verse tells us that our Lord Jesus accepted the biblical rule of evidence which required two witnesses)
Deuteronomy 19:15 A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Matthew 18:16 Every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
1 Corinthians 13:1 “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. Where is the second witness to this foot washing addition to the Passover? There is no second witness because there is no first witness, as foot washing was never intended as an addition to Passover.
The Passover ceremony that the apostles received from the Lord was Spiritual. Nobody has the authority to add a human physical act to a Spiritual command given to us by Christ. Mixing our human form of worship to a Spiritual ceremony; would the apostle John really tell believers to do such a thing? “God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in Spirit and in truth” John 4:24.
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. Surely we must not bring our own human thoughts to a God given Spiritual ceremony! (Hebrews 10:1-7 Physical acts cannot bring about Spiritual results.)

Perhaps Jesus used the foot washing as a lesson in humility at that time? Certainly the apostles needed such a lesson, judging from scripture.
Matthew 20:20-23 The mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and kneeling down, asked a favour of Him. “What is it you want?“ He asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other on your left in your kingdom.“ They thought that Jesus (the Messiah) would establish His kingdom at that time, according to the scripture, but they didn’t understand that He would come a second time.
They were ordinary human beings and their thoughts were those of men, seeking positions of power in a government.
Luke 9:46-48 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside Him. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all- he is the greatest.“
Luke 22:24 On that very night a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.“
when they received God’s Holy Spirit fifty days later on the day of Pentecost, their minds were opened by the indwelling Spirit, to many things that Jesus taught them, including humility and the old testament prophecies.
Foot washing was never included in the Old testament Passover, or mentioned in the new church services, so how can we just add it to scripture when we are warned not to do so?
Deuteronomy 4:2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of your God that I give you.
Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, described in this book. (also see proverbs 30:5-6)
On That Last Evening
John 13:14 Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. How did Jesus mean this? He tells us how. John 13:15-17 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Surely Jesus is teaching His disciples to walk in humility with God and each other, and to do as He showed us by His own example in the lessons taught. He was not teaching foot washing, but in our carnal thinking process that’s what we focus on, the physical !

John 13:6-7 He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord are you going to wash my feet?“
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.“ So what Jesus was doing was not what Peter thought, just an act of humility. He told Peter that he would understand later, and no doubt Peter did, as indeed they all understood, including John. What are we not seeing? What is it that we are still not understanding?
Jesus offered His body to His Father for the sins of the world, as the final act of blood sacrifice under the old testament law. This offering to God was made under the old testament laws which were still in effect at that time, and had to be obeyed if Jesus was to be the perfect Lamb of God without blemish.
He also instituted and offered bread and wine as symbols of His shed body and blood as acts of worship under New Testament law. To understand the reason under law for the footwashing, we must look to Old Testament law.

The Law Of God
Exodus 30:17-20 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the alter, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons ( or fellow priests) are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they will wash with water so they will not die.“

Exod 40:31-32 Moses and Aaron and his sons (fellow priests) used it to wash their hands and feet. They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the alter, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Jesus as our High Priest was without sin, but His fellow priests ( the apostles) required their feet to be washed in keeping with the Old Testament law.
John 13:8 Peter not understanding what Jesus was doing was probably shocked by His reply. “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” Having just read the Old Testament scriptures We can see more clearly the reason for Jesus’s sharp reply. The old law was still in force at that time and had to be observed.
John 13:9 “Then, Lord,“ Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!“ John 13:10 Jesus explains to Peter, and to us also, the meaning of the New Testament teaching. A person who has had a bath (has repented and is baptized) is clean and needs only to come to the Father through Christ. (to have their feet washed)

When we repent and are baptized, we are clean from all sin. But we will get our feet dirty as we walk daily in this sin filled world. When we realize that we have sinned, we must come to God quickly in repentance, and Jesus our High Priest washes our feet as He did for the apostles, before they approached the Father.

On Passover those who believe God offer to Him bread and wine as the symbols of the body and blood of His Son, just as Jesus instructed on that night before His crucifiction. Jesus Christ is the only one who washes the feet of His disciples. He said nothing about His followers washing each others feet, as that is His work as our High Priest, for our forgiveness before His Father.