Well, it’s Passover time once again, when the Jewish people remember their mighty deliverance from bondage in ancient Egypt. Over in Israel, Jewish families have been cleaning out their homes of all leaven in time for the festive Passover seder meal, which began Monday night. They spent the evening singing songs, reciting prayers, reading Scriptures about the Exodus, and enjoying a huge family meal together – just as Jews have been doing for thousands of years. Now two thousand years ago, Jesus himself hosted a Passover meal for his disciples just hours before his death. We know it as the Last Supper, when he prepared his followers for his sacrifice on the Cross. But Jesus also followed Passover customs and traditions that night which show us just how Jewish he was. And for Christians, learning about the Passover seder meal can add so much more meaning to the Lord’s Supper and our understanding of Easter. So just what were some of the Jewish customs which Jesus followed at the Last Supper? How do they add to our understanding of his identity as a Jewish rabbi? And what new traditions did he bring to the Passover meal? Jesus and the Passover! That’s our focus this week here on Front Page Jerusalem! We’ll look at the way Jesus celebrated his last Passover with his disciples and how that adds to our understanding about his Jewishness. Our special guest will be our own ICEJ Executive Director, Dr. Jürgen Bühler, who is also an ordained minister.
Monday evening starts the Passover holiday, when Jewish families sit down together for the festive Pessach seder meal. This is a tradition which goes back thousands of years, and even Jesus shared a Passover meal with his disciples just hours before he died on the Cross. Today, we want to take a closer look at the Last Supper and what it reveals to us as Christians about the Jewishness of Jesus. Front Page senior producer David Parsons spoke this week with Dr. Jürgen Bühler, Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, about Jesus and the Passover.
ICEJ Report
In today’s ICEJ Report, Front Page senior producer David Parsons speaks to a colleague at the Christian Embassy about what they’re doing to help needy Jewish families in Israel to celebrate the Passover according to custom. Here he is now with Yudit Setz of the ICEJ AID department.
Join hosts Earl Cox, Ben Kinchlow and David Parsons for this week’s Front Page Jerusalem, on a radio station near you or visit our website to download the MP3 and to subscribe to program podcasts
We are in the midst of the Passover week, a Jewish holiday that Christians mark as well because of the crucifixion of Jesus on Passover Eve some 2,000 years ago. And of course, this coming weekend we are also celebrating Easter, the day in which our Lord arose from the dead. The Exodus from Egypt is indeed one of the most powerful and dramatic stories in the entire Bible. And the Gospel accounts of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus also carry great power – even the power of life from the dead. So we want to center our attention on the sacrifice of Jesus as our Passover lamb and how God raised him from the dead as the first fruit of the resurrection. Why was Jesus so willing to be crucified? And what does this all mean for our own lives today? Remembering the Resurrection! That’s our focus this week here on Front Page Jerusalem! We’ll look at the victory of Jesus on the Cross during that fateful Passover two thousand years ago, and how his triumph over death is still impacting people to this day. Our special guest will be Rev. Juha Ketola, International Director of the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. Plus, we’ll also have an interview with Richard Meryon, who holds a unique position as warden of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
