Christian Year

PASSOVER

In the Bible, the end of the book of Genesis tells how Jacob (also called Israel) and his family and dependants were invited to resettle in Egypt to avoid famine [Genesis 46:1-7]. However after some generations, the Egyptians had enslaved the Israelites and they wished to move away. God chose Moses to lead the people and various plagues came upon Egypt. In the last of these, every first-born of the Egyptian families was killed [Exodus 11:1-8].

The Israelites were told to prepare a hasty meal which included (unleavened) bread and lamb. They smeared the doors of their houses with the blood of the lamb so that the final plague would “pass over” them [Exodus 12:1-36].

These events are celebrated by Jews in the festival called Passover. Jesus’s crucifixion (on Good Friday) took place at the time of Passover. Indeed the Last Supper (which took place on what we now call Maundy Thursday) was the Passover meal for Jesus and his disciples.

Christians have noted parallels between Passover and what happened in Holy Week: in particular, the idea that Jesus, the Lamb of God [John 1:29], was killed at Passover time as a means for saving humankind.