My Observance of Passoverby Garry D. Pifer I grew up in the Radio Church of God (later
to become the Worldwide Church of God) and accepted the teaching of the
church regarding the observance of Passover. It was taught that we
were to observe the “New Testament Passover” with wine, unleavened bread
and foot washing. The appropriate time was in the evening, the beginning
of the 14th day of the first month on the “Hebrew Calendar,” or as it was
often called, “God’s Sacred Calendar.” (This of course was the Jewish
Calculated Calendar.) The understanding was that in Egypt the lamb
was killed at the beginning of the 14th, roasted and eaten that night,
and that on the daylight portion of the day the Israelites “spoiled” the
Egyptians. Then, after sunset, the beginning of the 15th they began
their journey out of Egypt. Of course, the assumption was that Jesus
ate the Passover with the Apostles at the beginning of the 14th, 24 hours
earlier than the Jews. It was explained that the Jews had become confused
and some celebrated on the beginning of the 14th and some on the beginning
of the 15th. I never did any study or checking on the details of all
of this for myself.
However, following Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s
death, Mr. Joseph Tkach Sr. published in church literature a different
timetable for the Egyptian Passover. He indicated that the lamb
was killed at the end of the 14th, cooked and eaten on the beginning of
the 15th and while still dark but in the morning they began their trek out
of Egypt. He stated that this was a different explanation of the events
but we were still celebrating the “New Testament Passover” at the correct
time “because Christ clearly changed the time.” This all intrigued
me. I did a fairly extensive study to come to an understanding of
all of this. I concluded that he was correct in the timing of the Egyptian
Passover. (See my study “A STUDY OF PASSOVER--THE
BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH OF THE FIRST MONTH” )
However, I had difficulty accepting and substantiating his conclusion regarding
the “New Testament Passover.” I could find no Scripture indicating
a change to a different time. And, I did not believe God changes His
own “appointed times.” I meditated upon this and studied this for quite
a few years. Finally, I saw that our premise that Christ “ate the Passover”
at that last supper with His Apostles was an incorrect premise. Several
different studies, from different Scriptures and from different directions
show this. (See my studies “DID CHRIST EAT
THE PASSOVER AT HIS LAST SUPPER?,” “THE LORD’S SUPPER, WHAT IS
IT?" and THIS DO,...IN
REMEMBRANCE OF ME )
My conclusion from my studies was that
Christ did not command us to take the bread and wine as sacraments once
a year. He ate a supper with His Apostles and gave them (and us)
a great amount of teaching. He emphasized the importance of the bread
and wine, but an importance we should see every time we eat bread and “drink
of the cup.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which begins the evening
of the 15th is still to be kept. And, I now begin that Feast with a
good meal, with unleavened bread and wine, and reflect on both the Passover
lamb that was sacrificed throughout the Old Testament, picturing the Lamb
of God that was to be sacrificed AND on the sacrifice of Christ, our Passover.
One other change I have made in my celebration
is that I no longer go by the Jewish Calculated Calendar with all of the
man made postponements. After studying the subject, first of all
from the Bible, I could not find that God ever ordained the postponements
nor could I find any authority given to the Jews (or certain Jews) to devise
and maintain a calendar. It seemed illogical to make the assumption
that many have made that God didn’t give us information within the Bible
to know how to determine the dates of the Festivals He commanded.
What kind of a God commands His people to celebrate a Festival on the 15th
of the first month and then doesn’t tell them how to determine when that
is. (For further information see my study “THOUGHTS ON THE CALENDAR”) I
saw Scripture that instructs us to “observe” or watch the crescent moon
and the condition of the barley crop in Israel to determine the months
and the start of the year.
I do not celebrate a “seder” as the Jews
still do each year, neither do I take of the traditional “foot washing,
bread and wine” of the Church of God tradition. The Christian world
as a whole takes “communion,” “Lord’s Supper,” or “New Testament Passover”
as a sacrament. Of course the word “sacrament” is not in the Bible
but is defined by the dictionary as “any of certain Christian rites held
to have been instituted by Christ.” My studies mentioned above
will show clearly why I do not believe Jesus Christ instituted a “New Testament
Passover sacrament.” The bread and the wine are very important symbols
to all Christians but are not reserved for one time a year. We must
be partaking of the “True Bread,” Jesus Christ, daily.
|