Passover…Then and Now

Let’s hope I get this right. If I understand my Jewish friends correctly, the grand holy day of Passover celebrates God’s rescue of His chosen people. Slaves in Egypt, God kept His covenant promise and freed them, as the angel passed over the homes of the Israelites, marked with the blood of the sacrificed lamb, sparing their firstborn sons from death. God’s rescue then continues: He guides His people in passing over the Red Sea, and then, for 40 years, He led them as they passed over trials and temptations in the desert, to arrive at freedom at last in the Promised Land.

No wonder our Jewish neighbors solemnly recall these marvelous events!

But they tell me there is even more to it. The Passover continues…now! God still saves us, rescues us, and helps us pass over from hate to love, doubt to faith, discouragement to hope, sin to grace, death to life. Now that’s really worth remembering!

So, they tell me, the Passover is not just a sacred, momentous event that did happen; it still does, now, for God’s renewal and restoration are infinite and eternal.

So do we Christians dare participate in the Passover, grateful to our older brothers and sisters in the faith?

We recall the Passover of Jesus. At the very time He as a faithful Jew was observing the feast in Jerusalem, He Himself passed over from death to life, from darkness to light, from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Jesus did that, a long time ago…

Yet, like our Jewish friends, we, too, believe that this mystery still goes on now. We call this the “paschal mystery.” Jesus shares His victory over sin, Satan, hate, and death with us on the journey through life, a passage at times desert-like, at other times oasis-like.

We are fortunate that Passover, Holy Week, and Easter coincide this year, these two great commemorations bringing renewed focus on the role that our faith continues to play for the Jewish and Christian communities.

Two recent encounters have helped bring that reality home for me in beautiful ways.

A man I know who has battled alcoholism for decades is now, finally, thanks to his faith, his wife and kids, his encouraging friends, and a mountain of prayers, close to completing his treatment at a renowned rehab facility. He writes with joy that the freedom of sobriety is his! And he happily tells me he is scheduled to come home on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. This he sees as providence! While he knows he must continue his sobriety one day at a time, he sees this as his Passover, his resurrection. And right he is!

Another dear friend is at home on hospice, with death to come any day. On my most recent visit a few days ago, I found her at peace, smiling, holding hands with her husband, children, and grandchildren. While I sat beside her she smiled slyly, winked, and whispered, “When I die is up to the Lord, I realize. But, I’m sort of hoping it comes on Easter Sunday!”

Ah! Her Passover! That’s why we say that the deceased have passed.

When we say “Passover,” “Good Friday,” or “Easter Sunday,” we just don’t use the past tense. You bet it all really happened way back then, to be sure. But, we use the present tense as well, because God is still saving His people! And that’s worth celebrating!

A blessed Passover and Easter!