And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
Mark 14:22 (KJV)
Imagine for a second that Yeshua went to a synagogue or church to break bread on the Passover evening. Walking in, Yeshua would be invited to sit somewhere special as a recognized rabbi. His disciples would sit elsewhere among the crowd of strangers. Those heading the service may not even give Yeshua an opportunity to speak during the occasion. This is most likely the experience of everyone who gathers in a church during Passover.
It was never intended to be this way. Only in the intimate setting of a home could the message of Passover be shared among small groups of people (a family). It is in the home that teaching happens – and Passover is all about teaching!
26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
Exodus 12:26-27
The message is to be passed on from the parents to the children. It is passed on from the Rabbi to the students. Intimate settings are required among brothers and sisters who deeply value each other.
I have witnessed an obvious transformation in many of my own congregation this year due to this one event – Passover. Without the church or the religion performing the service because of COVID-19, the people had to look up what the Torah actually writes. Without the grip of religion, the people took it upon themselves to read and follow God’s instructions for the holy day. Many families have remarked that they have never been so involved in Passover before. It made the holy day special. It required them to dig in and pass on the teachings of the Bible to their children.
Families started eating unleavened bread and bitter herbs, they sat with each other in the quiet setting of their homes, and read the Word of God. In the congregations I am familiar with, you do not see this on Passover evening. Families all attend the church, sit separate from one another (especially if you have a position) and chat socially while any reading of Scripture might be happening. Families lose touch with God’s word, children are not instructed by their parents, and no accountability occurs. It is just procedure, especially for those that do not put any effort into what is happening.
It was different this year. Parents made efforts to do what God says, not the procedural service of religion. The meaning of Passover was understood. People read the words from the Torah and strived to live accordingly. They made unleavened bread instead of Paska bread (a tradition of Orthodox men that has been elevated above God’s commandments) and talked about Moses and Egypt just like God instructs. I can only imagine how pleased Yeshua was to see His brothers and sisters observing the instructions of His Father.
I praise YHVH for this opportunity.
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