Yeshua shows Thomas |
Happy Resurrection Day to each of you, what a glorious gift of salvation Jesus/Yeshua gave us! We can never repay God. Watch the videos below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GCsQvL98rg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcm5vdiHCHE
April 20, 2014
The LORD is my rock,
my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
— Psalm 18:2
my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
— Psalm 18:2
During this holy season for both faiths, I
wish my Jewish friends a blessed Passover, and to my Christian friends, a
blessed Easter. In the previous week, I shared some reflections on the Passover
celebration and the lessons that can be gleaned from it for Jews and Christians
alike. In fact, many of the sacred aspects of Christian worship trace their
spiritual roots directly to the Jewish faith and the early history of the
nation of Israel.
Such is the case with the term “Paschal
Lamb,” or “Lamb of God,” which in the Christian tradition refers to Jesus. From
the Jewish perspective, the term is Korban Pesach, or “sacrifice of
Passover,” which dates back to the first Exodus. The blood of a sacrificed
lamb, which was smeared on the doorframes of each Jewish household, served as a
sign of deliverance from death striking their firstborn sons. The lamb’s blood
would be the only path to salvation — without it, their firstborn would die,
along with those of the Egyptians.
Additionally, the lamb represented the
idols, or false gods, that the Egyptians worshiped. By killing a lamb, the
Israelites were, in essence, defying their Egyptian masters as well as
demonstrating once again the power of the God of Israel over the Egyptian gods.
In the times of the Jewish temple worship,
Jews obeyed God’s command to remember the first Passover by sacrificing a lamb
on that day. This lamb had to be male, one year old, and most importantly,
without blemish. Only then would it suffice to be the perfect Passover
sacrifice. (See Exodus 12:5.)
This Passover observance is what Christians
reference when speaking of “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1
Peter 1:19).
It is also true that Jesus, as an observant
Jew, and his disciples were celebrating the Passover on the very night that he
foretold his coming death. Jesus followed the same divine instructions that
were given to Moses as he broke bread with his disciples. And later, the
apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians to “keep the
Festival” (Passover/Lord’s Supper) with unleavened bread.
Indeed, the Christian observance of Easter
resonates back to the story of the Jews’ escape and deliverance from Egyptian
bondage three thousand years ago. Understanding the story of Passover and rich
symbolism of the seder meal gives a new richness to many of
the worship traditions at churches around the world.
This year, as my Christian friends
celebrate Easter, it is good to remember the Jews’ miraculous deliverance on
that first Passover and of God’s divine leadership taking them from bondage to
freedom. Let us celebrate and praise along with David, in the words of Psalm
18, our rock, our fortress, and the horn of our salvation.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
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