Passover and Easter

Passover and Easter

The Passover and the Easter remain among the most significant festival events in Christianity as they are observed yearly around the same time. Although they occur in a common time frame, they represent different instrumental events in the Christian faith. The Passover, for instance, represents the time when God “passed over” the houses of Israelites and killed every firstborn in every Egyptian family including animals as a means to save them from the grip of slavery lasting 430 years. The Passover is celebrated over seven days as it was commanded by God. The Easter, on the other hand, is a festival by the Christian Church that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days later after his death on the cross. Although the two festivals differ in their origin and significance somewhat, they share common aspects of Christianity such as sharing, salvation and the nature of God as represented in the readings in Zechariah 9:9 and Exodus 12. 

Caring and loving others remain two standout teachings of Christianity. In Exodus, God instructed the Israelites to make a sacrifice of a pure animal in which they would feast with their families and smear the blood of the animal on their doors. No food was to remain for that night and everyone in the family was required to have plenty. In this manner, the scripture encourages sharing and loving others at the family level. Those who could not manage to finish their meals were encouraged to invite and share with those without food. Essentially, the festivities of Passover encouraged Israelites to care for one another through sharing as they marked the start of a new life away from slavery. Easter, on the other hand, commemorates the conquering of death by Jesus. Christians join families and friends to mark the important occasion. They share and help others as they celebrate the power of Jesus in overcoming death. Both events emphasize on the essence of caring for others as the scripture teaches.

Both the Passover and Easter represent the birth of salvation whereby believers have to offer sacrifices to be reconciled with God and be away from sin. During the time of Passover, God had been trying to rescue Israelites from their Egyptians masters using other 9 plagues. The Egyptians would however not relent to the power of God despite the plagues. Eventually, God instructed Moses to inform all the Israelites to make sacrifice using a male animal without blemish and paint the blood of the animal on the front of their doors. God would see the blood and skip such houses as he went about killing the firstborns in every Egyptian family. Following the sacrifices, the Egyptians allowed the Israelites to leave and worship their God however they pleased. The essence of sacrifice set the people of Israel free from sin and slavery as they could now worship their God freely.

The Easter, on the other hand, represents the importance of the death of Jesus in offering salvation to believers. On the cross before his death, Jesus proclaimed that everything was over for Christians as his blood on the cross washed away sins. His resurrection reaffirms his power by defeating death. Through the blood of Jesus, Christians are saved from sin and offered salvation to become the righteous ones of God. The aspect of sacrifice is reiterated by the death of Jesus on the cross whereby he shed blood to wash away the sins of the world from the piercings on his ribs. Blood was a significant element in the two festivals. It is used to cleanse the people in both cases and through the shading of the same, new ways of life are established. Believers are separated from their dread of sin and suffering and connected to a better place where they can worship God freely.   

The nature of God is diverse from caring, loving, humble and vengeful among many others. The Passover and the Easter instrumentally showcase the nature of God to his people. In the case of Passover, God is manifested as caring and vengeful for his people. Initially, the pharaoh had refused to let go of the people of Israel. God loved and cared for his people to intervene with the plagues. At the time he was avenging the many years of suffering of Israelites as slaves to the Egyptians. He has instructed that revenge is His and the people as they should forgive. On Easter, Jesus has resurrected and defeated sin and death. His nature, in this case, is shown as all-powerful and above all human abilities. He is showcased as the savior who will deliver humans from the hands of death and sin. Further, he is brought to Jerusalem on a donkey ride according to the scripture in Zechariah 9:9. The people expected the King to enter Jerusalem with highly valuable materials like many other kings. Kings had wealth and power and only used the best equipment available to the people. Jesus, however, showed his nature as that of a humble servant and not a flamboyant leader. The same is expected of leaders to remain humble and serve with honesty and humility. The nature of God, therefore, remains diverse from caring, vengeful, and humble, among others.

Concluding, the Passover and Easter remain two significantly festivals in Christianity regarding the origin and other aspects. They, however, serve to show many aspects of the Christian life such as the need to share and care for others. It also shows the significance of sacrifice for Christians to be saved from the hands of sins. The nature of God from caring, vengeful and humble is also well-highlighted by the scripture and the events of the Passover and Easter.