My parents just authored a new picture book for children that provides a Messianic Jewish perspective on Passover, showing how it points to the Messiah. Our friend Melody Hemmer illustrated it with outstanding paintings. We were thrilled to have the books arrive at our house from the press just this past Monday. The new book, Passover Next Door, is now available! Check out the description here.
“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” - Exodus 12:2
Passover begins tonight at sundown, the 14th of the month Nisan on the Jewish calendar. (Biblical trivia: this month was originally known as Abib or Aviv (Exodus 13:4, 23:15, 34:18), but ever since the Babylonian captivity it became better known as Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1, Esther 3:7). It’s also spelled Nissan.)
Passover commemorates the redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and it was so important that God told Israel that this shall be the first month (rather like a birthday). The focus is redemption, and in Jewish tradition, the month of Nisan is the month of redemption. Interestingly, also in Jewish tradition, the redemption from Egypt was viewed as a foreshadowing of something even greater:
The Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Rosh HaShana 11a) recounts a prevalent opinion among the sages that, “In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed.”
Redemption was indeed completed in Nisan, by the Jewish Messiah at Passover around 30 AD (Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:7; John 19:14).
There’s good reason to celebrate redemption this month.
Consider this. According to Jewish tradition, the month of Tishri was the month of creation, followed by the fall. Then God redeems Israel, his covenant people, from slavery in Egypt, and by explicit commandment changes the first month from Tishri, the month of creation, to Nisan, the month of redemption. And He promises a future redemption –a prophet like Moses but greater than Moses. This was fulfilled with the redemption of Yeshua in the month Nissan a millennium later. He came to His own people at the time that He had already taught them about.