Passover Dinner.  By Edna Robinson.

On Sunday, April 21, 2024, a Christian friend called and invited me to a Passover Dinner that would be held the next day.  According to this year’s calendar, Passover begins Monday evening, April 22 and ends Tuesday evening, April 30.  As my friend gave me some insight about the dinner, I told her, “I have never been to a Passover Dinner.”  Then, I said, “I don’t have anything to wear.”  I was trying my best to avoid going.  She told me the dinner would be presented at her sister’s house who isn’t Jewish but believes Christians should celebrate all Jewish holidays.

After I hung up the phone, I thought for a moment whether I should go.  I put the thought out of my mind, until the next day on Monday morning, when I received a phone call from my friend asking me to attend the Passover Dinner.  Again, I tried to avoid going, but eventually, I said, “Okay, I will go, but I am not Jewish.”  Her reply said, “We are all Jewish.”  “We have been grafted in.”  Then, I thought maybe it would be interesting to find out how the Passover Dinner is celebrated according to the Jewish tradition.

I already have a clear understanding from the Bible that Passover is a remembrance of God’s protection for the children of Israel from the plague that kill the first born. I also have seen the movie, Ten Commandments, several times, which also provides a good understanding for Passover remembrance.  God’s instructions to Moses was that each family kill a lamb and place the lamb’s blood on the lintel and two sides of the doorposts and the plague of death would pass over them (Exodus 12:21-22).

When we entered my friend’s sister’s house, dinner wasn’t completely ready, and it was not quite evening when the celebration dinner should begin.  So, we watched two videos about Passover Dinner or Passover Seder.  Each video presented food items eaten and what they symbolize.  When dinner was ready to be served, another video was presented about Passover Dinner.  But that video displayed a large gathering of people seated in a large dining area at many round tables.  On the platform was a long table with several people seated and a pastor reading information from a booklet about the Passover Dinner.  We were also given the same booklet to follow along with the pastor.  When the pastor said eat a certain food item, we ate the same food item.  When he said drink the wine, we drank the wine.

This was a new experience that was very interesting to participate with other Christians, although I have always considered Jesus as the fulfillment of Passover.  The Bible informs that on the day of Passover, Jesus and his disciples were partaking of the Last Supper (John 13:1-3).  It also indicates that Jesus is our Passover, and we should keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthian 5:7-8).

Would I attend another Passover Dinner?  I probably would participate and fellowship with the appropriate understanding that it is a traditional Jewish celebration and that my Savior, Jesus Christ is my Passover (Matthew 26:26-27).

LORD OF ALL!

All Scripture from KJV Bible.