• Home
  • Daily Devotional
    • Daily Devotional
  • Daily Reflections
    • Daily Reflections
  • Couples Devotional
    • Couples Devotional
  • God Names Devotional
    • God Names Devotional
  • Thoughts
    • Thoughts
  • Sermons
    • Christian Sermons
  • Bible
    • Bible
  • Things of the Bible
    • Things of the Bible
  • Bible Verses
    • Things of the Bible
  • Bible Dictionary
    • Bible Dictionary
  • Prayer
    • Prayer
  • Daily Prayer
    • Daily Prayer
  • Women
    • Christian Women
  • Christian Books
    • Christian Books
  • Quotes
    • Quotes
  • Biographies
    • Biographies
  • Christian Life
    • Christian Life
ourdailydevotional logo
christian devotional
  • Home
    • Home
  • Sermons
    • Christian Sermons
  • Devotional
    • Daily Devotional
    • Couples Devotional
    • God Names Devotional
    • Thoughts
  • Reflections
    • Christian Reflections
  • Prayer
    • Prayer
    • Daily Prayer
  • Women
    • Christian Women
  • Bible
    • Bible
    • Bible Dictionary
    • Bible Verses
    • Things of the Bible
  • Books
    • Christian Books
    • Biography
  • Quotes
    • Christian Quotes
  • Life
    • Christian Life


Meaning of EASTER

(term derived from the Hebrew "pesach", from "passing": cf. Ex. 12:13, 22, 27; Ant. 2:14, 6).



(term derived from the Hebrew "pesach", from "passing": cf. Ex. 12:13, 22, 27; Ant. 2:14, 6).

(a) The first of the three annual solemnities in which every non-handicapped Israelite male was to appear at the Temple (Ex. 12:43; Deut. 16:1). It was instituted in Egypt in order to commemorate the fundamental event of the liberation of the Israelites (Ex. 12:1, 14, 42; 23:15; Deut. 16:1, 2).

It solemnly celebrated the fact that God, who had killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, had nevertheless overlooked the homes of the Israelites, marked with the blood of the lamb.

They had to eat it hastily, with the staff in hand, and with the attitude of people ready to leave for the liberation promised by God. The festival began on the fourteenth day of the month of Abib (Nisan) at sunset, that is, at the beginning of the fifteenth day, with the meal that followed the sacrifice of the lamb (Lev. 23:5).

A lamb or a goat was killed between the two afternoons, near the time of sunset (Ex. 12:6; Deut. 16:6), or between the ninth and eleventh hours (Wars 6:9, 3). Roasted whole, it was eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).

It could not be boiled in water. His shed blood was a type of atonement; The bitter herbs symbolized the sufferings of slavery in Egypt, and the unleavened bread represented purity (cf. Lev. 2:11; 1 Cor. 5:7, 8).

The Israelites who took part in this act of redemption constituted the holy people, joyfully communicating in the presence of the invisible God. Participation in the Passover meal was obligatory only for men, although women had the right to participate, as well as the entire house.

If the family was small, neighbors could join them to eat the whole lamb (Ex. 12:4).

The Passover sets forth in type the offering of Christ as that in which the justice of God with respect to sin has been declared. The blood of the lamb was a testimony of death, that is, of the elimination in the eyes of God of man in his sin against Him.

This elimination took place vicariously in the person of the Just One, who gave Himself as a ransom for all. By eating the lamb roasted over the fire (emblem of judgment), the people associated themselves with what had taken place in type.

The Lord Jesus greatly desired to eat the last Passover with his disciples, since they all formed a unique "family" circle. This Passover was about to be fulfilled in Christ Himself, who took His place of separation from the earth until the advent of the kingdom of God (Luke 22:15-18).

Way to eat Easter.
The Jewish authorities point out that the way of eating the Passover in the time of the Lord was as follows:
(A) When everyone was in their place, the president of the party gave thanks, and everyone then drank the first cup of wine mixed with water.

(B) Everyone washed their hands.

(C) The table was prepared with the Passover lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and a plate of thick sauce (which was said to symbolize the mortar with which they made bricks in Egypt).
(D) Everyone dipped some of the bitter herbs in the sauce, and ate it.

(E) The plates were taken from the table, and the children or proselytes received instruction about the meaning of the festival.

(F) Then the dishes were brought back, and the president said: "This is the Passover that we eat, because the Lord passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt."

Holding up the bitter herbs, he then said: "These are the bitter herbs that we eat in memory of how the Egyptians made the lives of our fathers bitter in Egypt."

Then he referred to unleavened bread, and repeated Psalms 113 and 114, ending with a prayer. Everyone then drank the second glass of wine.

(G) The president broke one of the unleavened bread, and gave thanks.

(H) Everyone then participated in the Passover lamb.

(I) To finish the meal, everyone took a piece of bread with some bitter herbs, and, having dipped it in the sauce, they ate it.

(J) They then drank the third cup of wine, called the "cup of blessing."

(K) The president then pronounced Ps. 115, 116, 117 and 118, and with another glass of wine the party ended.

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Titus's troops, the possibility of immolating the lamb in the Temple disappeared, so Judaism has since celebrated the Passover without the victim, without its central component, which was precisely the type of He whom they rejected, and whom they will recognize when he comes in glory (cf. Zech. 12:9-14 ff.; 14:1-9).

Closely related to Easter was the “Feast of Unleavened Bread.” The Passover meal was the characteristic aspect of this festival, which lasted until the twenty-first day of the month (Ex. 12:18; Lev. 23:5, 6; Deut. 16:6, 7).

On the day the Israelites left Egypt, Moses revealed to them that the solemnity of the Passover would last seven days (Ex. 12:14-20; 13:3-10). He had then given them the necessary instructions for the first night only (Ex. 12:21-23), informing them that it would be a perpetual statute (Ex. 12:24, 25).

The presence of the pilgrims in the central sanctuary chosen by Jehovah for the celebration of the festival was obligatory only during the time of the Passover meal; The next day they could go to their own towns (Deut. 16:7).

The first day of the festival corresponded to the fifteenth day of the month, which acquired the character of Saturday, the same as the seventh day of Easter: on these days no servile work should be done, since they were marked for a holy convocation ( Ex. 12:16; Lev. 23:7; Num. 28:18, 25; Ex. 13:6; Deut. 16:8).

The next day of this Saturday, the second day of the festival, the priest waved before Jehovah a sheaf of barley, the first fruit of the harvest: this gesture consecrated the beginning of the harvest (Lev. 23:10-14; cf. Joseph 5:10-12; Lev. 23:7, 11 in the LXX; Ant. 3:10, 15).

(See FEASTS AND PENTECOST.) But the day of waving the sheaf was not assimilated to Saturday. The agricultural year had more to do with the festival of weeks or Pentecost and with the festival of tabernacles or cabins than with Easter.

In addition to the usual sacrifices in the Temple, two bullocks, a ram, seven one-year-old lambs and, as a sacrifice of atonement, a male goat were to be offered as a daily burnt offering during the seven days of Passover solemnities (Lev. 23: 8; Num. 28:19-23).

The bread to be eaten during these seven days had to be free of yeast. On the night of the first Passover there was no leaven in the house of the Israelites, and they set out hastily, taking with them unleavened dough (Ex. 12:8, 34, 39). Unleavened bread, a symbol of purity and truth, recalled this hasty flight from Egypt (Deut. 16:3; 1 Cor. 5:8).

The Bible mentions the celebration of Passover:
at Sinai (Num. 9:1-14),
during the entry into Canaan (Josh. 5:11),

under Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30:1-27; vv. 5, 26 refer to Solomon);
under Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chron. 35:1-19),

in the time of Ezra (Ezra 6:19-22. See also Mt. 26: 17 ff.; Mr. 14:12 ff.; Luke 22:7 ff.; Jn. 28:28; Ant. 17: 9, 3; 20:5, 3; Wars 6:9, 3).

It is evident that the term "Passover" was applied to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as in Deut. 16:2, 3: "And you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, of the sheep and of the herds... not you will eat leavened bread with it; seven days you will eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction..."

It is evident that the term "Passover," applied to cows, refers to the festival of unleavened bread; Furthermore, it is stated that "you will eat with it (evidently referring to "the Passover") unleavened bread for seven days."

This perfectly explains John's mention (John 18:28) that the Jews refused to enter the Praetorium "so as not to defile themselves, so that they could eat the Passover."

It has been claimed in certain "critical" circles that there is a contradiction between John and the Synoptic Gospels, since they place the Last Supper on the day marked by the Law, while John would indicate that the Lord brought forward the celebration of the Passover one day. , dying on the day the Passover lamb was sacrificed.

But this idea is erroneous, evidencing ignorance of the fact that in Judaism the entire period of seven days was known as Passover, and that by "eating the Passover" was understood in a general sense to participate in the sacrifices offered during the seven days of the Passover (cf. Anderson, Sir R.: “The Prince Who is to Come”, the chapter “The Passover Supper”, PP. 127-135).

(b) The lamb or goat sacrificed at the Passover festival (Ex. 12:21; Deut. 16:2; 2 Chr. 30:17). Christ is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7). He was without blemish, like the Passover lamb (cf. Ex. 12:5; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19); none of his bones were broken (cf. Ex. 12:46 with Jn. 19:36); His blood was our redemption before God (Ex. 12:13).

«Our Passover, which is Christ, has already been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7, 8).

The unleavened bread exhibits that sense of grace through faith, in which, apart from the negative influences that may be suffered by the flesh and old associations, the Christian can be habitually in communion with the sacrifice of Christ, so May your entire life be consistent with everything it entails.



Father, as we honor the birth of your Son, let us think on mercy, healing, and reconciliation. Amen.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Healing Time

J. Stephen Lang
1868: On this date a political leader who grew up poor, had no formal education and was illiterate until his wife taught him to read and write, issued Proclamation 179 “granting full pardon and amnesty for the offense of treason against the United States during the late Civil War.”
Christmas means you have an eternal home waiting for you. That should make more than the angels sing!

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

A Personal Promise

Charles Stanley
Jesus came to earth with the view of offering you salvation. He wanted you to have a restored relationship with the Father, a relationship that was so close, so intimate, that you would have your special place in the Father’s house (John 14:1–4).
The only people in Israel who did recognize Christ at His birth were humble, unremarkable people.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Unexpected Savior

John MacArthur
Scripture records that when John the Baptist began his ministry, “The people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not” (Luke 3:15).
In the incarnation, God spanned the vast chasm of fear that had distanced him from his human creation

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Reflections on the Incarnation and Freedom of God

Philip Yancey
Think of the condescension involved: the incarnation, which sliced history into two parts had more animal than human witnesses. Think, too, of the risk. In the incarnation, God spanned the vast chasm of fear that had distanced him from his human creation.
Remember that His presence can be experienced. His promise is as true as ever.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Blessing of the Presence of Jesus

Charles Spurgeon
He is as certainly with us now as He was with the disciples at the lake when they saw coals of fire, fish on the coals, and bread (John 21:9). Not physically, but still in real truth, Jesus is with us!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Bible Dictionary

Bible Dictionary online, your comprehensive guide to understanding the rich and profound meanings behind the words and concepts found within the Holy Scriptures.


Our Daily Devotional Logo
followmeusa.net@gmail.com
OURDAILYDEVOTIONAL.NET
"We follow Jesus"
Sitemap | Sitemap | Sitemap Bible | Privacy Policy & Cookies
Follow us on Youtube