Topical Bible: The Feast of the Passover: All Males to Appear At

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Feast of the Passover, also known simply as Passover, is one of the most significant and ancient festivals in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This event is foundational to the Jewish faith and is also of great importance in Christianity, as it foreshadows the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Biblical Origin and Commandment

The institution of the Passover is recorded in the Book of Exodus. God commanded Moses to instruct the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood so that the angel of death would "pass over" their homes during the final plague on Egypt (Exodus 12:1-14). This act of divine deliverance led to the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

The command for all males to appear before the Lord during the Feast of the Passover is found in the Torah. In Deuteronomy 16:16 , it is written: "Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles." The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover, thus requiring the presence of all Israelite males.

Significance and Observance

The Passover is observed on the 14th day of the first month, Nisan, in the Hebrew calendar. It marks the beginning of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, during which no leavened bread is to be consumed, symbolizing the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt (Exodus 12:15-20).

The requirement for all males to appear before the Lord underscores the communal and covenantal nature of the festival. It was a time for the Israelites to reaffirm their identity as God's chosen people and to remember His mighty acts of salvation. The central location for this gathering was eventually established in Jerusalem, where the Temple became the focal point of worship and sacrifice.

Theological Implications

The Passover holds deep theological significance, as it prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus is identified as the Passover Lamb whose blood brings salvation to all who believe. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7 , "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." This connection highlights the continuity between the Old and New Covenants and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through Christ.

Historical and Cultural Context

Historically, the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover was a significant event, drawing Jews from all over the ancient world. This practice continued until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. The Passover Seder, a ritual meal that includes the retelling of the Exodus account, remains a central element of Jewish observance today.

In the time of Jesus, the Passover was a backdrop for key events in His ministry, including the Last Supper, which was a Passover meal. This meal established the New Covenant in His blood, as recorded in the Gospels (e.g., Luke 22:14-20).

Conclusion

The Feast of the Passover, with its command for all males to appear before the Lord, serves as a powerful reminder of God's deliverance and faithfulness. It is a celebration of freedom, identity, and divine grace, deeply rooted in the history and faith of God's people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 23:17
Three items in the year all your males shall appear before the LORD God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Jesus Living at Nazareth and visiting Jerusalem in his Twelfth ...
... knew it not [As vast crowds attended the Passover, it was ... repeated even to this day
during the feast seasons at ... see Matthew 22:15-46]: 47 and all that heard ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xvi jesus living at nazareth.htm

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras ...
... if any one omits this mourning [funeral feast], he is ... elsewhere informs us of, that
at a passover a little ... had said that "the whole multitude" [all the males ...
/.../chapter 22 the jews make.htm

The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch.
... At the passover, pentecost, and the feast of tabernacles, all the males in Israel
were commanded to appear before the Lord, in the place which he had chosen. ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xi the conversion of.htm

The Miracle of Pentecost and the Birthday of the Christian
... three great annual festivals of the Jews in which all the males were required to
appear before the Lord. Passover was the first, and the feast of Tabernacles ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 24 the miracle of.htm

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians ...
... shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males
be circumcised, and ... if they were baptized [in water] at all, joined to ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/john bunyan on the terms.htm

In Judaea
... not more than thirty days before the feast" (Shekal. ... December would prevent the flocks
being kept all night "in ... the open thirty days before the Passover, or in ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 5 in judaea.htm

P??dobaptism. Its Accordance with the Institution of Christ, and ...
... baptism, was intended for infants, but the passover, for which ... But while I admit
that all the posterity of Adam ... which God invites to the heavenly feast the lame ...
/.../chapter 16 paedobaptism its accordance.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... of his grace shall be seen upon her; the glory of pardoning grace shall now shine
in her own soul, and grace in the glory of it shall appear in all her doings. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm