I woke up this morning to a beautiful full moon with an orange-red hue, and I was reminded that Passover had just begun last night.
Many believers reading this might think, wasn’t Easter last month, and what do you mean that it started last night?
Long story, short: The calendars used in Western Christianity and the Russian Orthodox Church are tied to the Gregorian and Julian calendars, respectively. They use the full moon and the spring equinox to determine Easter, while the Jewish people claim a biblical calendar that uses the full moon, too.
Jewish believers also follow the Bible’s reckoning of when a day starts. According to the Genesis account, the evening and the day were the first day.
Also, according to Genesis, the sun, moon, and stars were given for appointed times as their purpose before being used for light.
All of that to say that the full moon is a reminder of God’s appointment with man.
When we think of the original Passover, we should recall that for many long years, people were desperately praying for God to rescue them.
Those who believed the Lord on that first Passover made the radical decision to smear the blood of a lamb on their doorpost and lintels.
While the full moon shone brightly over Egypt that night, the spirit of death crossed the land into many homes, taking the lives of the firstborn, except, of course, the firstborn of those who trusted God for their rescue.
Fast forward a couple of thousand years to another Passover. The full moon was shining brightly once again, this time in the land of Israel. Jesus is praying in the garden, having just had a Passover seder with His disciples to establish the new covenant.
This time, the blood of the Lamb was being spilled to stop the spirit of death for all who trusted the One who gave it.
We often don’t need all the small details, certainly not to trust Jesus for our salvation. The big picture is more than sufficient. But for those who enjoy chewing on the richness of the Word of God as I do, there is great beauty in those details. As well as comfort.
For Jesus, the Passover started that evening when He broke bread with His disciples and drank the wine of covenant while recalling how He rescued the children of Israel so long ago.
The unleavened bread symbolized the sinless bread of life broken for us. The bitter herbs represented our sin and the bitterness of the fallen world.
When we think of Passover, there is even more to recall and more to celebrate, but the most important detail is that the Lord helps His people when they call on Him.
