What is the Significance of Passover?

Passover is the holy and joyous festival that commemorates Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The Jews cried out to God in their oppression, and God sent Moses to deliver them.

But Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, so God told Moses He would strike every Egyptian home with the death of the firstborn.

The Jews were instructed to slay a lamb and "take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses" (Exodus 12:7) on that night. Then God promised, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (v. 13).

The Jewish captives were also told to eat the sacrificial lamb in haste as they prepared to leave Egypt in the first Exodus.

Passover and Easter

Again this year, Jews the world over will share the Passover meal to commemorate their deliverance by God from slavery and captivity.

Some of the Jewish Passover rituals have carried over to the Christian holy days of Good Friday and Easter. Many of the aspects of communion or the Lord’s Supper are also taken from the Passover tradition.

Jesus regularly observed the ceremonies of Passover by going to Jerusalem to celebrate this festival with his disciples. It was during the Passover celebration that Jesus taught his followers the significance of his approaching death and the season known to Christians worldwide as Easter