Passover 101: Understanding the Feast of Adonai

Passover is just around the corner, and so is Easter. Many churches now call Easter Resurrection Sunday to distance themselves from its pagan origins. I applaud their efforts. The average churchgoer does not correlate Passover with Easter. The enemy would not want them to know that the roots of their faith in the Messiah are directly related to Passover.

Let's take a look at Passover. Many would say that Passover is a Jewish Holiday, and Christians don't have to participate in this feast of Adonai because the Messiah fulfilled the law! Let's look at why Christians should celebrate Passover instead of Easter.

· First Easter or Resurrection Sunday celebrates the Messiah being resurrected from the dead. This is based on the story of Passover. This alone should make us ask why Christians don't celebrate Passover.

· Jesus Celebrated the Passover!

Luke 22:15–18 (NASB95PARA)

15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

This means Messiah Jesus will celebrate Passover with us again.

· Jesus also commanded us to celebrate the Passover! The church calls this communion.

Luke 22:19 (NASB95PARA)

19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Jesus is commanding us to celebrate Passover, and when we do, we are supposed to do it in Remembrance of Him. I am not saying we cannot partake of the Passover elements at any other time, but Jesus was referring to the Passover matzah and wine Paul even mentions that we should celebrate the Passover Feast. Paul was speaking to the Corinthians after the resurrection. I would conclude that the disciples continued to celebrate Passover

1 Corinthians 5:8 (TLV)

8Therefore let us celebrate the feast not with old hametz, the hametz of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread—the matzah of sincerity and truth.

Paul referred to Jesus as our Passover Lamb. Passover Feast is the perfect way to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection.

1 Corinthians 5:7

7Get rid of the old hametz, so you may be a new batch, just as you are unleavened—for Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

John even calls Jesus the Lamb of God.

John 1:35–36 (NASB95PARA)

35 Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” John calls Jesus the Lamb of God.

If we look at the first Passover, we understand why the Messiah is our Passover Lamb. Read all of Exodus 12. The lamb that was sacrificed had to be without spot or blemish. Jesus was without spot or blemish; He had no sin. Leaven is often considered a sin.

Yeshua (Jesus) was without sin. God commands us to remove all the leaven from our dwellings before Passover. See Exodus 12:15

Exodus 12:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

The Israelites were commanded to put the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost of their house.

Exodus 12:7 (KJV 1900)

7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Why were they told to put the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost of their house? To keep their firstborn from death. That blood was a sign that this family belonged to God. Do you ever wonder if anyone disobeyed that command?

Exodus 12:13 (TLV)

13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. So there will be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

When we believe in the death and resurrection of the Messiah, his blood is on the doorpost of our hearts, and when Yeshua returns, when God brings forth his Judgements, He will see the blood of the Messiah and Passover us, and we will have eternal life. Yeshua is the firstborn Lamb of God.

God says that the Passover is to be celebrated forever.

Exodus 12:14 (TLV)

14“This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to ADONAI. Throughout your generations, you are to keep it as an eternal ordinance.

Many have been taught that Passover is just for Israel, so those who are gentiles don't have to celebrate the Lord's Passover. In Ephesians, Paul shows us that all those who believe in the Messiah Jesus become part of the commonwealth of Israel. So because of the Messiah, we get to celebrate the Lord's Passover every year throughout eternity.

Ephesians 2:11–22 (NASB95PARA)

11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Remember, there is no more Jew or Gentile. We are one in Messiah, sharing in all the promises and covenants. We have been adopted into the household of God.

Let's recap the reason why believers should celebrate the Lord's Passover

· Easter and Resurrection Sunday are all about the Lord's Passover.

· Jesus Celebrated the Lord's Passover.

· Paul and the disciples celebrated the Passover after Jesus' Resurrection.

· Jesus commanded us to celebrate the Lord's Passover.

· Paul said we are to celebrate the Lord's Passover.

· Yeshua (Jesus) is the Passover Lamb.

· Yeshua's (Jesus) blood (The blood of the Lamb) saves us from eternal death and gives us eternal Life.

The best reason to celebrate Passover instead of Easter (Resurrection Sunday) is that we love Yah and want to obey Him. We want to get to know Him!

Adonai's Passover

Passover this year is on the evening of April 1, 2026. That evening at twilight is the Passover Seder

Exodus 12 has most of our instructions for Passover. The Jews have established traditions for Adonai's Passover Feast. We will first go over what God has instructed us to do for Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and all commanded feasts by Adonai.

What Does God Say about Passover?

Exodus 12:2–4 (NASB95PARA)

2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.

The first thing we want to notice in the scripture above is when we are to observe the Passover Feast. The month of Aviv is the first month of the biblical year. Israel today calls it the month of Nissan. Then God commands Moses to speak to the whole congregation of Israel. Remember, we as believers are the Congregation of Israel. All who believe in Messiah Yeshua are the congregation of Israel. We do not replace Israel; we are grafted into Israel. Every family was to take a lamb, and God even made provision for small families.

Exodus 12:5–6 (NASB95)

5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.

The lamb we pick must be without spot or blemish, so that at twilight the whole congregation is to kill their lamb. They are to take the blood of the lamb and paint it on their doorpost.

Exodus 12:7 (NASB95)

7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.

How is this meat supposed to be cooked? Over Fire!

Exodus 12:8–9 (NASB95)

8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs, along with its entrails.

They were to eat the whole lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herb. They were not to leave any meat till morning. If they couldn't eat it all, they were to burn it completely! God even tells them how to eat this meal, dressed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Exodus 12:11 (NASB95)

11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the LORD’S Passover.

Notice that it didn't say the Jewish Passover. It says the LORD's Passover. As believers, we need to stop separating ourselves from Adonai. When a child is adopted, he participates in family feasts and is not separated from his adoptive family. He takes their name he learns the rules of his new family. When you give your life over to the Messiah and receive Him as your Lord Savior, you no longer belong to the World. You are now part of the family of God. So when Abba's Father says we are going to have a feast every year, we have a feast.

Why did God command them to put the blood on the doorpost?

Exodus 12:12–13 (NASB95)

12 ‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Interesting that we see that applying the blood of a lamb on the doorpost of their house saved the firstborn from the plague of death. Yeshua's blood saves us from the plague of everlasting death. We are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God. Whom is the firstborn of God, Yeshua, has taken our place. We have been delivered from sin, from the bondage of Egypt; we are no longer enslaved by sin. We have been set free; those whom the Son has set free are free indeed. We have everlasting Life. So when we celebrate Adonai Passover, we already have the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost of our hearts.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14–15 (NASB95)

14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Let's have a closer look at the scripture above. "Feast of Unleavened Bread" is seven days long and begins the night after Passover. Passover is at twilight, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts at Sundown the next day. A Biblical day is from sundown to sundown. God says that this "Feast of Unleavened Bread" is to be a memorial and we are to celebrate forever. When Yeshua returns, we will celebrate the "Feast of Unleavened Bread."

The First thing we are commanded to do is eat. What we eat is unleavened bread, and we are commanded not to eat bread that has been leavened. Basically, leaven is the stuff that puffs up the bread.

Galatians 5:9 (NASB95)

9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

So on the first day, we are to remove all the leaven from our houses. Families all over the world clean their houses to make sure on this day there is no leaven in their homes. Then God says that whoever eats anything with leaven will be cut off from Israel. So I believe God is very serious about this feast. Remember, we don't have to celebrate Passover to be saved. Works cannot save you. We have been saved by grace through faith in Yeshua Messiah. So why should we celebrate Passover? Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits? Because we love Yeshua and want to Obey Him.

Exodus 12:16 (NASB95)

16 On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.

Here we see that we are to have a holy assembly on the first and the seventh day. On both days, there is to be no work except for preparing food.

When we read further in Exodus 12, God repeats His instructions for Passover and Unleavened Bread, and states that they are an eternal ordinance. This is not a Jewish Feast, it is a Feast of Adonai. It is for everyone who believes in the one and only true Savior of the world, Yeshua the Messiah.

You can start by removing all the leaven from your home this week. Passover is this Friday at Twilight.

Modern Day Passover

The modern-day Passover has changed very little since Yeshua and His disciples celebrated Passover. Most of what I am going to show you is tradition. The Seder is meant to remind them of what God did in Egypt and how He set them free from bondage. As believers in the blood of the Lamb, we have been set free from the bondage of sin and death.

Exodus 12:25–27 (JPS 1917)

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 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, for that He 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.

In Isaiah 53, it is very clear that this describes our Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah. Referring back to this scripture as we go over what happened during the Passover Seder.

Isaiah 53:1–12 (JPS 1917)

Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him. 3 He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.4 Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed. 6 All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.’10 Yet it pleased the LORD to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of the LORD might prosper by his hand: 11 Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Today, we do not sacrifice the Passover lamb for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that after the first Passover, the lambs were slaughtered in the temple; some were slaughtered at home. There is no Temple! The second and most important reason is that Yeshua is our Passover Lamb, and we no longer need the Passover Lamb to be sacrificed for us.

The Evening Passover Seder

Before the Seder, they search the house to ensure all leaven is removed. This leaven symbolizes sin. see 1 Corinthians 5:6–8.

Then everyone sits at the table, and they all wash their hands. Yeshua participated in this, but he also washed their feet. see John 13:4-5.

The Woman of the house will light the candles, which commemorate the Evening. There are four cups of wine or grape juice that everyone drinks during the Seder!

1. The Cup of Sanctification- God brought them out from Egypt

2. The Cup of Judgement- I will deliver you from Bondage

3. The Cup of Redemption- I Will Redeem You

4. The Cup of Praise- I will take you for my People, and I will be your God

Exodus 6:6–7 (NASB95PARA)

6 Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment

There is a blessing for each cup. "Blessed are thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine." After the Cup of Sanctification, they eat the parsley dipped in saltwater. The parsley represents the hyssop, which is how the blood of the lamb was put on the doorpost of the house. Dipping it in saltwater and then eating represents the years of tears because of being enslaved by Egypt.

The next part of the Seder is interesting: Three matzahs (unleavened bread) are put in a pouch with three openings, one for each matzah. Many have speculated that these three Matzah represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The middle matzah is taken out and broken in half; one part is wrapped in a napkin and hidden, and the other half is put back into the pouch.

Next is the telling of the story of the first Passover. This part is actually done by the youngest child and the host. The child asks four questions, and the host answers them. After the story of Passover is told, the second cup, the Cup of Judgement, is poured.

The host instructs everyone to place a drop of wine on the plate for each plague as it is recited. Then they bless the cup and drink.

Now the bitter herbs that are commanded by God to eat. This is usually eaten with the matzah after the blessing. "Blessed art Thou. O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commands us concerning the eating of the bitter herbs." Then they eat what is called Charoset (mortar) with matzah, which represents the bricks built in Egypt.

Finally, Dinner is served. Most community Seders are very long.

After dinner, the children search for and find the matzah that was hidden after the first cup. The child who finds the matzah usually receives money or a gift. This usually doesn't happen until the third cup, the cup of Redemption. When the child brings the matzah, called the Afikoman (a Greek word), the host will break off a piece and share the rest with everyone at the Seder. This is when Yeshua said, "This is my body, broken for you," passed the Matzah around, and commanded them to eat it. This is what we call the Last Supper before Yeshua was crucified.

The third cup, The Cup of Redemption, is blessed and drunk. Now, this is the cup that the Messiah said this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:26-29

26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

The matzah eaten today is pierced and looks striped.

There is a lot of symbolism here; it is the 3rd cup, and Israel named it the Cup of Redemption. Do you think any of that is a coincidence? Yeshua is our redeemer!

Throughout the Seder, a seat is saved for Elijah. A child usually runs to the door to see if Elijah has come and brought the Messiah. The Jews are still looking for the Messiah. Because Yeshua has already come, maybe we should leave a seat for the Messiah for when He returns.

There is also a lamb shank bone and an egg on the Seder plate, which remind them that sacrifices are no longer done because the temple was destroyed.

We know that when Yeshua died on the cross, He put an end to sin sacrifices! The Seder ends with the cup of praise, usually followed by a song.

All of the above is mostly tradition. The bible says to eat the lamb that was slaughtered, eat bitter herbs, and tell the story of Passover. How you do that is all up to you.

Exodus 12 tells you exactly what you need to celebrate. Try to find a Seder in your area, preferably Messianic, because they can see Yeshua in the Passover Seder. One Day, Israel, the Jews will see that the Messiah has come and will soon return.

Michelle Enterline (The Narrow Way Disciple)