Easter and everything connected with it. The Sacrificial Lamb and Salvation: Passover in the Bible

Easter - the true meaning

What does the Word of God tell us about Easter? The first mention of Easter we find in the Bible in the book "Exodus" (chapter 12). The background is this: The people of Israel had been in Egyptian slavery for 430 years, and God, true to His Word to lead the people out, sent Moses and Aaron, giving them the authority to speak in His Name. Pharaoh resisted and did not let the people of Israel go to their homeland, to Canaan, not wanting to recognize the True God. He listened to his priests - representatives of the pagan gods. Then the Lord poured out ten plagues on Egypt in order to judge the pagan gods of Egypt and show who the True God is.

The tenth plague was the defeat of the firstborn of the Egyptians, including the firstborn of the pharaoh, who, along with the pharaoh, was revered as a god in the flesh.

“But this very night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to cattle, and I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord" (Ex. 12:12).

The Israelites were told that if they wanted to be saved from the destroying angel who slew the firstborn, then they needed to do the following: kill the best lamb- one for each family; anoint the doorposts with its blood, and then bake and eat with unleavened cakes and bitter herbs.By the way, literally Passover (Passover) from Hebrew means -"pass by". Passover in Israel was not called a bun with raisins, but a slaughtered lamb, whose blood was a saving sign that protected Jewish families from death.

“And Moses called all the elders of Israel together, and said to them, Choose and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and kill the passover; and take a bundle of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the vessel, and anoint the crossbar and both doorposts with the blood that is in the vessel; but you no one go out of the door of your house until the morning. And the Lord will go to strike Egypt, and he will see blood on the crossbar and on both doorposts, and the Lord will pass by the doors, and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike. Keep this as a law for yourself and for your sons forever. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you, as He said, keep this service. And when your children say to you, What is this service? say: this is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed by the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed down and bowed down(Ex. 12:21-27)

We know that the children of Israel were freed from bondage. In christianity Jesus Christ appeared as the sacrificial lamb who was killed for us, for our sins. And thus, as the blood of the lamb was for the Jews a guarantee that they would remain alive and come out of slavery; in the same way, the one who accepts the blood of Jesus Christ as shed for your sins (personally yours, with the recognition that you are a sinner), he receives the forgiveness of sins from God the Father - i.e. full amnesty and exit from spiritual slavery. During the first Passover, it was very important that each family member personally eat the lamb. It was impossible to do it for someone else, and no one could do it for you.

The pagans had a legend according to which the goddess Astarte was born from an egg. And it happened like this. An egg fell from the sky into the Euphrates River, which flows through the city of Babylon. The slaves rolled the egg ashore. Under the scorching sun, it warmed up, and a beautiful maiden emerged from it, who became the goddess of heaven and earth. From ancient times, the pagans celebrated the day dedicated to the Queen of Heaven - Astarte. On this day, they decorated eggs and gave them to each other. This vile pagan custom was introduced into Christianity. The priests who did this began to interpret these symbols through the death and resurrection of Christ. Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nikifor p.554 "The egg is a symbol of life, the red color is the Blood of Christ."

We will also read the interpretation of Easter eggs in the Orthodox newspaper Svet on 04/06/1922. Church significance Easter eggs originates from very distant times. Many years before the birth of Christ, ancient people revered the egg as a symbol of life and used it in their worship services. The pagans believed that the world was created from an egg. Catholic Christians have taken on the old forms of the pagan meanings of the egg while adding new religious meanings to it.” All this is not as harmless as it seems. From history, we learn something else important: “One of the ancient pagan religions, which had a great influence on the formation of the religious views of the inhabitants Kievan Rus, was the cult of Tengri. It was common among the steppe peoples - Turks, Huns, Mongols and others. Having come into contact with these peoples for many centuries, the Slavs adopted a lot from them, breaking first through their national pagan beliefs, and then through adopted Christianity ”(A.A. Oparin“ Stones will cry out ”p. 133).

And here among the Tengrians (worshiping the god Tengri): “The second great holiday was the arrival of spring. Traditionally, it was celebrated in the spring. By this day, the Tengrians baked Easter cakes, which personified the masculine principle. In India and in many other countries, his symbol was the phallus. The Tengrian Easter cake was given the appropriate shape (on top, the corresponding lubricant of the corresponding color). Two colored eggs were placed next to the Easter cake. There is already a connection with the phallistic agricultural cults of India, but the connection of this custom with the Easter traditions of Christianity is just as obvious” (Encyclopedia: “Religions of the World”, 2 volumes Moscow, Avanta, 1996).

Just imagine how the devil rejoices, because the great holiday of God is Easter, given by God, in order to exalt the sacrifice of Christ, turned into a vile pagan ritual with disgusting symbolism.

How did Jesus celebrate Easter? What did He say at the last Passover dinner with His disciples? What did he command them to do?

“On the very first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him: Where do you order us to prepare the Passover for You? He said: go to the city to such and such and say to him: The teacher says: My time is near; I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your place. The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the passover. When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples.” (Mat. 26:17-20).

“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, and said, Drink all of you out of it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. I tell you that from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new [wine] with you in the kingdom of my Father.” (Mat. 26:26-29).

Notice how Jesus made the transition from the Old Testament Passover to the New Testament: “…when they ate, He took…”. What did they eat? Of course, the Passover lamb, for Jesus asked them to prepare the Passover for Him ( Luke 22:7-8). Since the lamb sacrificed at Easter symbolized the sacrifice of Jesus and Christ was about to fulfill what was predicted, after which it would no longer be necessary to sacrifice animals, He changes the Old Testament symbols of Easter to the New Testament ones, namely the slaughtered lamb for bread (symbol of His Body) and wine (symbol of His Blood).

Please note that this replacement took place during the Passover days, when everything fermented and leavened was destroyed in the homes of the Israelites according to the word of God, since leaven is a symbol of sin, and God wanted to give the people the realization that the Lamb of God - Christ - is sinless, and that God and wants to see them as saints. Therefore, both the bread and wine used by Jesus for New Testament symbols were unfermented. In those days, there were no fermented foods in any house, since disobedience to this God's ordinance entailed death (see Ex. 12:15,19). Be attentive to the words of the Apostle Matthew, who wrote: "... on the first day of unleavened bread" the Old Testament Passover was prepared for Jesus, where He replaced the symbols for the New Testament Passover, which was called the "Lord's Supper". Therefore, according to God's Word - the Bible, Easter in the New Testament is not Easter cakes and colored eggs, but unleavened bread - a symbol of His pure Body and unfermented wine - a symbol of His pure Blood.

Why did Jesus institute the New Testament Passover?

Why does Jesus speak of Himself as a sacrifice?Because He wanted the assembled disciples to understand that He is the true Passover for mankind. To be saved from God's judgment on sinners, every person must accept the Paschal sacrifice, Jesus Christ, into his heart, otherwise God will sentence him to eternal punishment. " Then he will say also to those who left side: Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."(Gospel of Matthew 25:41).

Today is our Easter - Christ.He gave His life so that the judgment of God would not fall on us. However, to do this, you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you do not agree that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, then God's judgment awaits you after death. Hebrews 9:27 says, “ And how people are supposed to die one day, and then judgment". Many people repented when the judgments of God fell on Egypt, but it was too late. And it can be just as late for you if you delay the decision to accept Christ or not. The Lord says that it is necessary to accept His Passover - the Lamb of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ and said: …behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world(Gospel of John 1:29). Paul in his First Epistle to Corinthians 5:7 said: « ... for our Passover, Christ, was slain for us» . Easter is not our traditions or sweet Easter cake, Easter is Christ and His salvation. Come to Him and receive forgiveness and eternal life as a gift: ...and the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23b). The true meaning of Easter is salvation in Christ! He patiently waits for you with outstretched arms, wanting to save you. With all your heart turn to Him in prayer, and He will save you. If you don't know how to pray, you can pray something like this:

“Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ. I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again on the third day for my justification. Jesus, come into my heart and change my whole life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord for your salvation, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen" .

Why is the doctrine of holidays in the Bible necessary?

It is necessary for a church with a pagan background, and we are a church with a pagan background.
Our past continues to control us. Look at our attitude to the holidays:

The main holiday of all residents of the CIS - New Year. Previously, it never existed anywhere, it is an invention of the Soviet leaders. See for yourself: what do we celebrate more brightly: New Year or Easter?

If for some reason we cannot celebrate Easter with the whole church, and there is no call to celebrate it ourselves at home - who will celebrate it as a personal holiday anyway? ..And we celebrate the New Year without any reminders.

Our pagan past continues to influence us.
Birthday and baptismal day - in which case do we receive more congratulations in the church, as a rule? Although the Book of Ecclesiastes says that the day of death better than the day birth. We all understand what kind of death we are talking about! On our birthday, our temporary physical life, on the day of our death, together with Christ at the moment of baptism, our spiritual life began, whose continuation is eternal life in Heaven. What is better - a birthday or a christening day?

The only biblical holiday we celebrate is Easter. What about other holidays in the Bible? It's good if we know something about them ... But modern holidays we know much better. That is why the doctrine of the feasts is needed.

WHY DID GOD GIVE HOLIDAYS TO HIS PEOPLE AT ALL?

Exodus 5:1 -

Our Lord God is festive in essence, the very idea, the very concept of “holiday” comes from Him.
Therefore, Heaven is an eternal holiday,
therefore, any of our organized worship here on earth should be festive, i.e. something very serious and deep, and at the same time incredibly joyful in meaning.

Any activity we do to worship God is a celebration for God and therefore for us.

THE OLD TESTAMENT HOLIDAYS WERE DESIGNED TO REMIND GOD'S PEOPLE OF 3 THINGS:

1. About the great things he did for their fathers in the past,
2. About His constant presence next to them in the present
3. Of His amazing promises to be fulfilled in the future.

HOLIDAYS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

In the establishment and organization of Jewish holidays, the number "seven" served as the basis:

Genesis 2:2-3 -

The idea is very simple - each of the holidays of God and in general the whole picture of the holidays as a whole carried the idea of ​​fullness and abundance accompanying God's presence. The number seven has always been associated for every Jew with the concept of shalom - peace, abundance and perfection.

John 10:10 -

Every seventh day among the Jews was considered a holiday.
Every seventh year was called the Sabbath year and was considered sacred. In this year it was necessary to forgive all debts to their brothers, to leave all field work and to consider everything native to be common property.
Even more solemn was the jubilee year following the seventh Sabbath year (7x7=special holiday!). This year, freedom was declared for all slaves, each Israelite was returned back to his house and his field, if before that he was forced to sell them for debts.

The main annual holidays were: Easter, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles.
On these three feasts, all adult men had to come to the tabernacle (temple) and not empty-handed, "but each with a gift in his hand, looking at the blessing of the Lord."
Feast of Unleavened Bread, i.e. seven days after the Passover, and the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated for seven days.
The seventh month was also celebrated with special solemnity, and three great feasts fell on it (the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles).

The Lord God loves to celebrate. This can be seen, if only by the fact that the total number of "red" (non-working) days in the Old Testament calendar far exceeds their number in any modern calendar.

I) EASTER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Passover in the Bible is called an annual holiday, the purpose of which is to remind the Jews of their release from four hundred years of captivity by the Egyptians. Easter Jews celebrated for the first time on the night of liberation from captivity. The Rule of Easter was given by the Lord God Himself through the prophet Moses.

Exodus 12:1-17 -

The main part of the Passover holiday was the sacrifice of a lamb, which was then roasted on fire and eaten in every Jewish family. Hence the expression " cook easter», « eat easter».

Easter the Paschal lamb itself is also named in the Bible, and even the entire festive service is called the Paschal sacrifice to the Lord - Exodus 12:25-27 -

Easter every newcomer who lived among the Jews had to do the same. Let's see what was said in the Law of Moses - Numbers 9:14 -

Already the very first Easter was celebrated not only by Jews!

Exodus 12:31-32 -

Exodus 12:37-38 -

The mission (conversion of the Gentiles) began already at the moment when the Lord God gave the charter Easter- those Egyptians who left Egypt with the Jews were the first converts from the Gentiles, these were not random people - God would not have tolerated them among his chosen ones. They, along with the Jews, "were baptized in the cloud and in the sea."

These first "fruits of the gospel" took part in the first unleavened week and rejoiced together with the people of the Lord God One. Already here you can see that the holidays given by God were supposed to serve as an instrument of influence on the surrounding world, an opportunity to show everyone who wants the character and attitude of the Lord God through everything that people see and hear at these festive services.

The first time the Jews celebrated the Passover in Egypt, the second time in the desert, and the third time they crossed the Jordan, in Gilgal, in Canaan. During the time of the book of Judges, it seems to have been celebrated quite regularly, but LATER PASCH IS MENTIONED ONLY UNDER 2 KINGS: under Hezekiah and under Josiah.

2 Chronicles 30:1, 10-11 says of Hezekiah:

And in the book of 2 Kings 23:21-23 it is said about Josiah:

Judging by the reaction of people to the call of Hezekiah to celebrate the Passover (and there were messengers .. but they were laughed at and mocked), the Jews had long neglected this holiday. That is, for 500 years the Passover holiday in Israel was forgotten. The feasts of Pentecost and Tabernacles were also forgotten.

From here you can do important conclusion- the attitude towards the holidays of the Lord God well reflects the attitude of people towards the Lord God himself. At the end of the Book of Judges, people asked for a king, so as not to be different from other peoples, to be “no worse” than they are. Accordingly, the customs and holidays of the unfaithful neighbors were adopted.

Jeremiah 7:17-19 -

In the days of David and Solomon, Passover was not celebrated, but it was normal to offer sacrifices to idols on the heights. This continued under subsequent kings.

I will selectively read passages from various books of Kings:

1 Kings 3:2-3 -

1 Kings 22:42-43 -

2 Kings 12:2-3 -

2 Kings 15:1-4 -

These heights run through all the books of Kings, showing what people invested their time and hopes in, where their heart was, their treasure. People for hundreds of years forgot the holidays given to them by the Lord (and their liberation), but with pleasure they observed pagan holidays, adopting them from the surrounding infidel peoples.

All this ended with severe punishment - enemy occupation and captivity. God had to take away everything from his people for 70 years - property, security, freedom - so that they finally understood something about true values and remember the real Lord.

The fact that the Lord God would do this, He warned His people even when He gave them the law, and then repeatedly reminded them through the prophets.

For almost 500 years, the Jews did not celebrate the festive Sabbath years commanded by the Lord God, in which nothing could be sown, and the earth had to rest.

5 centuries: 7 = 70 years that they "owed" God, and it was for these 70 years that they were taken captive to Babylon, so that the earth, in God's words, "rested".

It was revealed to the prophet Daniel by the Lord God that after 70 years allotted for punishment, the people would be released back to their homeland, which was fulfilled under Cyrus.

The punishment worked - after the Babylonian captivity, the Jews took up their minds, and in the book of Ezra we see that the celebration of Passover is resumed:

Ezra 6:19-22 -

Again, as in former times, we see that people have renewed their relationship with Heavenly Father, and this is evident in the zeal and desire with which they celebrate His holidays. And again with them together (later in the same chapter) -


to have recourse to the Lord God of Israel,” i.e. again works as a tool for converting people, those who want to know about the living God.

II) EASTER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Today is a holiday all over the world Easter are noted as a historical and cultural tradition, almost always without a personal relationship to the Lord God, and without having deep convictions from the Bible for this.

Easter today they associate with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, although before the resurrection took place, Christ was executed on the cross in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies for the sins of the world. This moment - His death, the responsibility of each of us for this, as well as the relationship of these events with the meaning of the Old Testament Passover - is overlooked.

Should we celebrate Easter today?
Is it obligatory and necessary for the salvation of the soul?
– Can we say that the meaning of the Easter holiday, like the meaning of many Old Testament decrees, no longer has significant significance for us today?

We know from the Bible that the Jews, becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, continued to keep the ordinances of God's Laws, including all the Old Testament holidays, but Gentile converts did not keep all this, and attempts to force them to keep the entire Law were rightly criticized from biblical positions.

- Maybe to celebrate or not to celebrate Easter Is it just our good will, the fruit of our desire?

1 Corinthians 5:7 -

If the church in Corinth consisted exclusively of baptized Jews who continued to observe the provisions of the law, everything would be clear, but there were also converted Gentiles, and it can be assumed that the number of baptized Gentiles in relation to baptized Jews was 10 in the Asian and Greek churches: one. The passage from Zechariah 8:23 leads to this conclusion -

Addressing the bulk of the disciples, which consisted of Gentiles, Paul uses such expressions as "unleavened," "cleanse the old leaven," "unleavened bread of purity and truth," and finally calls Lord Christ "our Easter»!

An important conclusion to be drawn is that the celebration of Passover in the 1st century was not one of the Jewish customs that was not required for baptized Gentiles.

Even in the prophecy of Isaiah, the fate of the coming Messiah was compared with the fate of the Passover lamb:

Isaiah 53:1-2,7 -

The same thought sounds in the last book of the Bible - in the Revelation of John the Theologian - Revelation 5:5-9 -

Acts 8:32-35 -

John 1:29 -

1st Peter 1:17-19 -

Let's remember the last Easter of Jesus Christ with His disciples before His arrest and death:

Luke 22:14-20 -

On the first day of Passover, people ate the flesh of the lamb, and its blood on the doorposts saved them from God's wrath and punishment. The words of Jesus spoken during the Passover meal actually meant:

"THE LAMB IS ME, YOU EAT MY FLESH, YOU ARE SAVED BY MY BLOOD."

Now, noting Easter, we can recall not only passages from Old Testament, speaking of DELIVERANCE from death and captivity with the help of sacrificial flesh and blood, but also the prophecy of Revelation, speaking of our VICTORY over sin and death thanks to the flesh and blood of the Lamb:

Revelation 12:9-11 —

Today for us, Easter is not only a look back, but, more importantly, a look forward with faith - at what awaits us all at the end of the path, if we go through it with faith to the end.

Let our Easter worship, like our every communion, will be a vivid manifestation of this faith - both in the eyes of God and in the eyes of all who want to share it with us.

What does the Bible say about the Christian Passover? The Easter traditions of nominal Christianity are not based on the Bible (there is no instruction in the Bible for Christians to celebrate the Jewish Passover or the fictitious Christian Passover according to pagan traditions, which is associated with the resurrection of Christ). EXODUS 12 chapter. ...... 40The sons of Israel who lived in Egypt lived in a strange land for four hundred and thirty years. 41And at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on the same day, all the armies of Jehovah went out of the land of Egypt. 42On this night, a feast dedicated to Jehovah should be celebrated, because he brought them out of the land of Egypt. This is the night on which all the sons of Israel from generation to generation are to celebrate a feast dedicated to Jehovah. 43Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the Passover decree. No foreigner can eat it (only the sons of Israel). The Easter traditions of nominal Christianity are not based on the Bible. But, looking into history, one can see the true origins of this holiday: its customs are rooted in ancient pagan fertility cults. Here are some facts. Easter cakes. In the book “Essays on Slavic Paganism”, Academician N. I. Tolstoy points out that “Easter“ Easter cake ”or“ Easter ” Eastern Slavs"is" the remnants of paganism or the continuation of pagan traditions. In the book "Russian holiday. Holidays and rituals of the folk agricultural calendar” says: “The Slavic pagan basis of the tradition of baking Easter k[ulich] lies in the custom of making ritual bread in the spring on the eve of sowing work from sour, fermented with yeast dough. By sacrificing this bread to the earth, the elements or the ancestors, the farmers sought to propitiate them magically, enlist support and ensure the fertility of the earth and a bountiful harvest. Eggs. The 2nd issue of the Science and Life magazine for 1999 noted: “It is obvious that this symbol [egg], like many others, passed to Christianity from pagan cults ... Our distant ancestors revered ... the egg as a symbol the beginning of life, fertility, spring rebirth. About dyeing eggs, the book “The World of Russian Culture” says: “The roots of this custom lie in ancient superstitions. [...] During the Slavic feast of the propitiation of spirits, along with other gifts, they brought eggs painted with blood, since blood, according to ancient beliefs, was considered a tasty food. Subsequently, the eggs began to be dyed in various bright colours so that the spirits pay attention to the gifts brought to them by people. Easter morning. The custom of holding a service before dawn has its origins in the traditions of the ancient sun worshipers, “who, at the time of the spring equinox, greeted the rising of the sun and honored its great power to give life to all that grows” (Celebrations-The Complete Book of American Holidays). Rabbits, hares. These are symbols of fertility, "originating in the ancient rites and symbolism of pagan spring holidays that were common in Europe and the Middle East" (Encyclopædia Britannica). Name. In some Germanic languages, the very name of this holiday indicates its non-Christian origin. For example, in English language it is called "Easter" (iste), and in German - "Ostern" (ostern) *. Here is what the Encyclopædia Britannica says: Exact value English word"Easter" unknown; in the 8th century, the Anglo-Saxon priest Bede the Venerable associated it with the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, Eostra ”(Encyclopædia Britannica). Other sources associate this name with Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of fertility, who in Babylonian mythology corresponds to the goddess Ishtar. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the origins of Christian Easter well: “Many of the folk Easter symbols and their individual elements are borrowed from pre-Christian spring celebrations and pagan rites, mostly associated with the cult of fertility.” The Bible warns against worshiping God in traditions and customs that are not pleasing to him (Mark 7:6-8). 2 Corinthians 6:17 says: “Come out of their midst and separate yourself,” says Jehovah, “and touch no more unclean things.” Christian Easter has pagan roots. And all who desire to please God will keep away from such feasts. Revelation 22:18 “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: whoever adds anything to this, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll, 19and whoever takes away anything from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, then God will take away his share in what is written in this scroll: he will not allow him to eat fruits from the trees of life and enter the holy city.

Easter

I. NAME

Evp. word passover means in the Bible, on the one hand, the feast of P., and on the other, the festive sacrifice, Easter. lamb. This word is derived from the verb, original. meaning "limp", and then got the meaning "to jump over something", "to leave untouched". When the Lord in Egypt struck down the firstborn, He did not touch the houses of the Jews, "jumped" over them (Ex 12:13). This event should be reminded to the Jews by P.

II. EASTER EXODUS

1) pharaoh did not want to let go of slavery. the Israelites into the wilderness even after God sent nine plagues on the Egyptians to break their stubbornness. And then Moses announced to Pharaoh the last, most severe punishment - the death of all Egyptian firstborn (Ex 11:4-6). This punishment was to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites out of the country (v. 8);
2) Jews had to carefully prepare for this day, which meant for them at the same time. and a test of faith (Heb 11:28). Starting from the 10th day of the month of Abib, i.e. from the beginning of Israel. year (Ex 12:2), each head of the house had to take care of a one-year-old, without flaws, a lamb or a kid for his family - a lamb (v. 3,5). If a family was too small to eat a whole lamb at one time, it had to join a neighboring family so that the number of participants in the meal would be sufficient (v. 4). The lamb was to be slaughtered on 14 abiv “toward evening” (lit. “at dusk”), i.e. between sunset and nightfall (v. 6; Lev 23:5; Numbers 9:3,5,11; cf. Deut 16:6). A bunch of hyssop was to be anointed with the blood of the lamb on the doorframes and threshold of every Jewish house, after which no one had the right to go out the door (Ex 12:7,22). The lamb had to be roasted whole - with the head, legs and entrails; not a single bone could be broken, it was forbidden to eat meat raw or boiled (vv. 8,9; cf. Deuteronomy 16:7 and 2 Chronicles 35:13; → Cooking, boil, 1). The Passover lamb was to be cooked in the house. Easter included. meals included, kp. moreover, unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Ex 12:8). All remnants of food were to be burned (v. 10), and all participants in the meal were to be ready to set off immediately (v. 11);
3) this bake. the whole lamb was a symbol of unity and wholeness. P. should have eaten in one house (v. 46) before the Lord, Who "is One" (Deut. 6:4). In one day He accomplished the liberation of Israel (Ex 12:41), and for this His people must serve Him alone (Deut 6:5). Unleavened bread (unleavened bread) is quickly baked "bad bread" (Deut. 16:3); later they reminded again and again of the haste during the Exodus (Ex. 12:34,39); bitter herbs symbolized the bitterness of life in Egypt. slavery;
4) when the Israelites celebrated Passover. meal, the Lord at midnight from 14 to 15 Abib "smoke all the firstborn in the land of Egypt" - from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the prisoner, as well as "all the firstborn of cattle" (Ex 12:29,30). However, the people of Israel were spared for the sake of the Passover. lambs who died instead of the firstborn (cf. → The Lord's Supper, I and II). Thus the way for the → exodus was opened;
5) the opinion is often expressed that even before Israel. P. there was an ancient form of this holiday - a spring festival celebrated annually by nomads; such an assumption can be made on the basis of a number of cultural and historical. data. However, there are no sources earlier than the Bible (or even contemporary with it).

III. THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE LAW ON THE REPEATION OF EASTER

1) as a constant reminder of the fundamental will save. deed of God, for the deliverance of Israel. people from egypt. slavery, the Law commands the Israelites annually (Ex 13:10), from the time of the conquest of the promised land (Ex 12:25; Ex 13:5 et seq.), to make P., linking it with the feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:14 et seq.; Numbers 28:16,17; Deut 16:1-8; see also Eze 45:21-24). Easter. lamb was allowed to be slaughtered and eaten only in a special priest. place (Deut. 16:5-7), for which all Israel. men were to appear “before God” (v. 16). All fathers were to explain to their sons the meaning of the holiday (Ex. 13:8). No foreigner, settler or mercenary had the right to participate in this common meal, which reminded the Israelites of the deliverance of their ancestors from slavery and made them relive this great event in their hearts again and again (Ex 12:43,45). Only having performed → circumcision, a bought slave, and if desired, a foreigner, could be allowed to participate in the holiday (Art. 44,48). The one who was prevented by ritual impurity or departure from celebrating P. on time could do it in a month (Numbers 9:10-12), during the so-called. small P. Anyone who neglected the feast out of disobedience was subject to the death penalty (v. 13), for he himself excluded himself from Jude. society;
2) immediate Adjacent to P. was the feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted from 15 to 21 Abib (Ex 12:18), which, on the one hand, also reminded of the exodus (v. 17; Deut 16:3; cf. Deut 26:1-11), and on the other hand, was the feast of the beginning of the harvest (Lev 23:10-14). The first and last day of the feast were the days of St. meetings, when only such work was allowed that was connected with the preparation of food (Ex 12:16; Lev 23:7,8; Numbers 28:18,25). Holiday sacrifices were offered daily (Lev 23:8; Numbers 28:19-24), to which were added the voluntary sacrifices of the Israelites (Ex 23:15). During the entire holiday, it was forbidden to eat and generally keep leavened bread in the house (Ex 12:18-20; Lev 23:6). On the trail. the day after the Sabbath (i.e., after the first festive Sabbath), on the second day of the feast (as understood by the Septuagint and Josephus), the priest offered the first sheaf as a shaking offering and a lamb as a burnt offering. Until that moment, the fruits of the new harvest were not allowed to be eaten (Lev. 23:9-14). This is probably the first sacrifice at the same time. symbolized the universal beginning of the harvest (Deut. 16:9). As in P., during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the violation of God's precepts was punishable by death (Ex 12:19);
3) the description of P. and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Deuteronomy 16 shows some differences from other prescriptions concerning these holidays. Here, it seems, it is allowed to bring as a passover. the sacrifices also are cattle (v. 2; however, it is possible we are talking other feast sacrifices) and mentions only one day of assembly at the end of the feast (v. 8; see also Ex 13:6). It was allowed to set off on the trail. morning after Easter. meals (Deut. 16:7), as it happened during the P. Exodus (Ex 12:11,39).

IV. EASTER HOLIDAYS IN THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL

P.'s holidays are described in detail only a few times: after P.'s celebration at Sinai (Numbers 9:1-5), it was celebrated during the entry into Canaan: then the Israelites celebrated P. in Gilgal and the next. day they ate unleavened bread and roasted it. grain from the harvest of this land, after which the fall of the manna ceased (Josh 5:10-12). The Feast of Unleavened Bread is not mentioned here. After the construction of Solomon's temple, P. began to be celebrated regularly (2 Chronicles 8:13). Importance have two P. feasts, celebrated under the kings Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30) and Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chr. 11 ff; 2 Chronicles 35:18). However, if P. Hezekiah was committed in the second month (2 Chronicles 30:2 et seq.), according to the prescriptions, exposition. in Numbers 9:10 and following, then Josiah celebrated it in the first month, as it should be according to the Law (2 Chronicles 35:1). In both cases P. was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread (2 Chr. 30:21; 2 Chr. 35:17).

V. EASTER IN THE ERA OF LATER JUDAISM

Late Jud. the tradition clearly defines what rules for the celebration of P., due to specific. the situation of the outcome, have lost their relevance: the choice of the lamb on the day of 10 Abib, the anointing of doors with blood, the prohibition to leave the house, the readiness of the participants in the meal to set off. Victims. lambs (the number of which reached several tens of thousands) were slaughtered on Nisan 14, approx. from 15 o'clock day, in the Jerusalem temple. The lamb was slaughtered by its owner or the one to whom he instructed to do it; the priests collected the blood in bowls, the bowls were handed over to one of the priests, who poured out the contents at the foot of the sacrifices. altar. During the slaughter of the lambs, the Levites sang psalms 112-117 (the so-called. hallel). The lambs were to be eaten within the boundaries of Jerusalem. At the same time, the place of the family community increasingly began to be occupied by a group of pilgrims who came to the feast, who agreed to eat Easter together.

VI. THE EASTER DURING WHICH JESUS ​​DIED

1) according to Ev. from John, Jesus died on Nisan 14, on the eve of P. (John 19:14), as a true sacrifice. The lamb, in which not a single bone was broken (v. 36); On Nisan 13, Jesus dined with His disciples for the last time (Jn 13:1). His burial took place on the evening of Nisan 14, before the onset of the Sabbath, which is called “great” (John 19:31), apparently because that year the holiday coincided with the calendar Sabbath. In this case, the morning of resurrection corresponds to the first day of the week (John 20:1), when the first fruits of the new harvest were brought (see above, III, 2). Ap. Paul testifies that Christ was slain for us as a passover. lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) and rose again as the firstborn of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20,23). The dating of the Evangelist John is confirmed by Vavil. the Talmud, which also calls Easter Eve the day of Jesus' death;
2) synoptic The Gospels call the day of resurrection the first day of the week (Mt 28:1; Mk 16:1,2; Lk 24:1), and the day of death is the eve of the Sabbath (Mt 27:57,62; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54) , however, they do not mention the eve of P. At the same time, they unanimously call the day of the Supper of Jesus with the disciples "the first day of unleavened bread", when they offered the Passover. lamb (Mt 26:17; Mk 14:12; Lk 22:7), i.e. 14 Nisan. Thus, they, unlike John and Paul, refer the day of Jesus' death to Nisan 15, a festive Sabbath, which is thus at the same time. turns out to be the eve of the next. followed by a calendar Saturday. At the same time, it remains unclear that the Jews who took Jesus into custody had stakes with them (Mt 26:47,55; Mk 14:43,48; Lk 22:52), which, not being proper weapons, fell under the ban; kp. in addition, Joseph of Arimathea bought a linen in the evening (Mk 15:46), which also could not be done on Saturday;
3) this contradiction between the testimonies of John and the weather forecasters can be removed in two ways: a) the day when the Lord's Supper took place is called "the first day of unleavened bread" (see Mt 26:17; Mk 14:12; Lk 22:7); this may be due to the fact that the evangelists, as is customary among the Jews, attribute the time of the meal, which took place on Nisan 13 after 6 pm, to Nisan 14 already. In this case, a meal was prepared for Jesus without the Passover lamb, since the lambs were slaughtered only on the trail. day; b) it is known that there were disputes between the Pharisees and Sadducees about which day to celebrate the feast → Pentecost. Of particular importance here was the circumstance whether P. fell on the day, directly. preceding the Sabbath, or on the Sabbath itself. (In the year of Jesus' death, P. was celebrated on Saturday.) It is possible that the disputing parties reached a compromise, as a result of which the Sadducees celebrated their P. a day later than the Pharisees. If we assume that this was the case in the year of Jesus' death, then Jesus celebrated P. in more early term(see Mt 26:18), i.e. on a day that according to the calendar was Nisan 13, but the Pharisees considered it already Nisan 14, i.e. on the day when it was necessary to celebrate P. according to the Law; and the Sadducean priests considered P. next. day (John 18:28). Then the death of Jesus, which came "about the ninth hour," i.e. OK. 3 p.m. (see Mt 27:46,50 and parallel places), coincides with the official. the hour of the slaughter of the Paschal lamb among the Sadducees, while for the Pharisees this day was already the first Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the same time. day of preparation for the calendar Sabbath of the current week. If this assumption is correct, then the discrepancy between the data in the Gospels becomes understandable, justified and ceases to seem contradictory.

How important it is sometimes to think about what we believe in and what we aspire to. We all have only one God the Father; but why is it that someone who is born in Israel, for example, most often becomes an adherent of Judaism? Residents of Iran, become Muslims? And those who are in China choose Buddhism?.. Often, we become adherents of the Christian denomination in which we were brought up from childhood; or someone told us - and we just believed?... So what is what we believe in - TRADITION? TRUE?..

So what is what we believe in - TRADITION? TRUE?..

What is Easter? The tradition of the Easter holiday is that the vast majority of us celebrate it as a bright holiday of the resurrection of Christ.

• It is worth paying attention to the fact that Christ himself, being at the earthly age of 12 years old, celebrated Pascha (Luke 2:41,42.).
• Also, in the days of the apostles, it was not celebrated in the way it is customary today (1 Cor. 11:23-28; 5:7,8.).

So What does Easter really mean?[in Hebrew Pesach] ?.. In order to come to the truth and understand the essence of this holiday, let's examine the history of Passover from the beginning.

Let's pay attention to the Scripture from the book of Exodus 12:24,26,27. In verse 27, it is made clear what the name Passover [Pesach] itself means:

"This is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed by the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians….

If you carefully read the entire 12th chapter of the book of Exodus, it becomes noticeable that the firstborn were saved those families where the blood of the Passover lamb was anointed on the doorposts. Also, the sacrifice of this lamb itself played a significant role here - as eating it.

It is important to pay attention to Exodus 12:24, where it is written: "Keep this as a law for yourself and for your sons forever"(Ex. 12:24). What do these words mean?

• About 1500 years later, John the Baptist said of Christ: "here Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world''(John 1:29).
• Our Lord, He was that sacrificial "lamb": "for Our Easter, Christ, slain for us"(1 Corinthians 5:7)

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This means that the essence of Easter has not changed; the sacrifice of the Lamb of Christ [bread as an image of the flesh - Luke 22:19.] and His blood [wine from grapes, as an image - Matt. 26:27-29.] still saves.

Also, in order to understand the essence of Easter, we need to understand the essence of two more subsequent holidays that were required to be observed according to the Mosaic Law ... These were: 1) the feast of the first harvest [Pentecost - Leviticus 23:9-12,15,16,21.]. 2) the feast of the second harvest [Tabernacles - Leviticus 23:34.]. What is the connection between these three holidays?

Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23,24,26. pointed out that the prototype of the true Pascha was the Lord's Supper; on which the Lord gave the command to accept bread - as a sacrifice broken [killed] for us. And the verse from 1 Corinthians 11:26 says: ‘ ’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the DEATH of the Lord until He comes.’’(1 Corinthians 11:26).

Also the parable of the wheat seed from John 12:23,24 points to this:

‘’Truly, truly, I say to you, if a grain of wheat, falling into the ground, does not die, it will remain alone; but if he dies, he will bring forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

Understanding the meaning of Easter, we can more clearly understand the meaning of the three holidays of the Old Testament (Leviticus 23 ch.):

1. Easter- the image of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7).
2. Seed - Christ, by His death redeemed first of all the firstborn, the image of which is the holiday first harvest - Pentecost- Acts 2:1-4,16-21. (1 Corinthians 15:22,23; Rev. 14:1,3,4; 20:4-6.).
3. As well as Feast of the Second Harvest - Feast of Tabernacles, was an image of the gathering of a great multitude of other saved from mankind - Zechar.14:16-21. (Heb.11:32,39,40. Rev.20:5.). (Mat. 25:31-36,40. Rev. 7:9,14.). And all this thanks to the ''Seed of Wheat'' from John 12:24.

Also indirect evidence that the essence of Easter is death - ransom, can serve as a passage from Nehemiah 6:15. That the wall of Jerusalem was built precisely for fifty two days, at first glance it may seem something ordinary. But pay attention to the Song of Songs 8:10 and the book of Revelation (Rev. 14:1,3,4; 21:9,10,12,17.).

This indicates that the “wall of Jerusalem” is the image of the firstborn of Christ. And the passage from Nehemiah 6:15 is important detail, if we take into account that from the death of Christ - until the feast of Pentecost, precisely fifty two days.

So: we do not want to argue with established traditions, we just drew your attention to some places from the Word of God. And what is true for you is up to you ...

Sergey Iakovlev (Bokhan).