5 Reasons Believers Should Keep Passover

Is the Biblical set apart time of Passover something believers should participate in today? Many of us have been told that the Messiah did away with those things or that they aren't applicable to us today. But keeping this feast can be so rewarding and there is so much to be learned from it! Here are five Biblical reasons for us to participate in Passover today.

1. We are told to by both the Old and the New Testament. Yes, both testaments of Scripture exhort us to keep this set apart time. Leviticus 23 tells us to, so does Exodus 12:14, and the Messiah said to keep Passover in remembrance of him, and even after his death and ascension the Apostle Paul tells believers that we should keep the feasts! The Bible tells us to do things for a reason and it also says that when we follow the instructions we are blessed. I don't know about you, but I will gladly take all the blessings I can from our Heavenly Father.

2. To follow the Messiah's example. 1 John tells us that we should live as Yahusha did. We see the Messiah honoring and observing Passover at his last supper, which he told his followers to prepare for. Shouldn't we follow his example? He had purpose when he set this example for us. He knew it would impact us and our faith would grow through it. Keeping Passover is one way I can align my life to look a little more like his.

3. To remember the historic significance. So many amazing things happened during Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits! The Messiah being put to death on Passover, rising from the dead at First Fruits, and celebrating Unleavened Bread with his followers, but also the Exodus story where the Israelites were freed from slavery. Many significant events in the Bible happened during this time, and we would do well to take a few days to remember and learn from those things.

4. Because Easter is not an acceptable replacement for one of YHWH's set apart times. Many believers have told me that they think Passover and Easter are the same, but this is simply not true! There are many distinctive differences between these, and it's important that we pick the one that lines up with Scripture's instructions. Why settle for less than the truly good things YHWH has for us? At best, Easter is watered-down truth, with many lies and inaccuracies mixed in. We are shortchanging ourselves and the people in our lives when we exchange the Bible's truth for our culture's lies and traditions.

5. We are to be doers of the word. James makes it clear that we aren't just called to know what Scripture says, but we are to implement it into our lives. Passover is a simple and meaningful way to take a tangible step to put the word into practice! None of you would say that the Messiah's death and resurrection is not worth celebrating, so why not to do so in a way that YHWH instructs? 

Related posts: 
Why I Started Celebrating the Biblical Feasts
Preparing for Passover

Reasons Why Believers Should Keep the Feasts

The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays

What Acts 15:19-20 Means (The Jerusalem Council's Laws for Gentiles)

This post addresses Acts 15 and the laws that were given to new believers by the Jerusalem Council. I have heard so many people use this passage to say the commandments have been done away with, or that we don't need to bother with the rest of Scripture's instructions as long as we stick to these four things:

"Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the nations who are turning to YHWH, but that we should write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood." -Acts 15:19-20

So that's all we have to do, right? Just focus on those four things, and don't worry about anything else. The rest of Scripture is really too much trouble, so let's just ignore it. I used to think this verse was giving permission for believers to ignore the Sabbath and set apart times, and eat unclean animals, and things like that. I thought I could do whatever I wanted as long as I wasn't being sexually immoral or didn't eat something that was sacrificed to an idol. I figured as long as I was sticking to that list that was enough. But then I finally read the next verse.

"For from ancient times Moses is read in congregation every Sabbath." -Acts 15:21

Does this verse seem to be a little out of place? What does Scripture reading each week have to do with verses 19 and 20? They are telling others to abstain from idols, whoring, strangled animals, and consuming blood...because on the Sabbath the Bible is read?

And - wait a minute - doesn't the part of the Scripture that's being read give us a lot of other commandments? Including the very commandments that many people believe are no longer valid because of the previous verses?

This is because those four instructions are a starting point, not a list totaling Scripture's instructions for believers. The disciples assumed that anyone coming to the faith would go to congregation each Sabbath and learn more! What are the writings of Moses? The Torah, which includes the bulk of instructions for believers. So by going and listening, these people would slowly learn the word of YHWH and all of Scripture's commandments. So they weren't saying, "this is all there is," but they did say, "here's your starting point - you'll learn the rest as you go."

Seriously, if the disciples thought that the commandments were done away with or not applicable to gentiles, why on earth would they send new believers to learn about them each week? Why would they take the time to teach Scripture's instructions if only those four things were important? That literally makes no sense! That would be like taking a job and your employer training you every single week in the way they used to do business and their old policies. Talk about confusing and a waste of time.

The disciples were giving some basic starting points for people new to the faith. When you're teaching something, you always start with the basics. If you're learning math, you need to start with numbers, counting, and addition before understanding calculus. Focusing on the basics doesn't negate the rest of mathematics. Starting with addition doesn't mean that multiplication or trigonometry aren't valid or valuable. You start with the basics and then continue learning as you go to school.

Scripture is extensive, and there's no way to grasp it all at once. In the book of Acts people from all nations and backgrounds are turning to the faith. Many of these people would have been completely unfamiliar with Scripture. Others were entrenched in idol worship and pagan traditions. The need in verses 19 and 20 to clarify that sexual immorality and idol worship are not okay shows us that many new believers were participating in these things, and even found them acceptable. These practices are wrong, and cause much damage to believers. So Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and other leaders were making a game plan to handle this. They selected a few starting points, and then figured believers would learn more of Scripture's instructions each week when they heard the writings of Moses read. Of course by even bringing up that Scripture is read on the Sabbath day they were showing that they expected new followers to be keeping the Sabbath day.

When we understand this passage to be a starting point when people come into the faith, it fits with the rest of Scripture. We can see that these instructions do not negate the rest of the commandments. In fact the leaders are actually advocating for Sabbath keeping in this very passage! This is not a write-off of the word of YHWH, but rather a place to start when we enter into the faith. We should be encouraged here to consistently study Scripture's instructions so that we can continue to grow in our faith and understanding of how we are to live.

Related posts:
What Does 'No Greater Burdens' in Acts 15 Mean?
On Peter's Vision
The Book of Hebrews
Galatians

Frequently Asked Questions about Biblical Eating

Here are some of the most common frequently asked questions about Biblical eating. That means abiding by Scripture's instructions about what animals we are forbidden to eat, even as we believe in Jesus and the New Testament. We delve into lots of New Testament verses and clarify what they mean. 

What about Acts 10:9-16? People use this to say all food is clean.

This is passage is Peter's vision of the forbidden animals being lowered on a sheet from Heaven. He hears a voice say, "Kill and eat." Many people assume the message of this vision was its face value - but Acts 11 goes on to explain what this vision meant! It's not talking about food at all. According to the Bible, the point of this vision was that no people are unclean or unfit to be part of God's family.

The dairy and meat separation. It's very confusing to me.

This is confusing because humans have made it that way.

The idea of separating all meat and dairy products comes from Exodus 23:19 which says not to boil a goat in the milk of its mother. It's noteworthy that the Hebrew word used means baby goat and not all cattle or animals. Many scholars believe this is about not mixing meat with that animal's specific mother's milk (as opposed to mixing goat meat with the milk of any other goat or butter made from a cow, etc), which apparently was a pagan practice in Bible times.

Since chicken, etc. are not dairy animals there is no express Biblical prohibition from mixing that with cheese, butter, etc. The text also does not seem to be talking about beef or lamb.

We should also note that we do see milk and meat served together in Scripture. Abraham served meat with milk and curds in Genesis 18:18. Many would say that the instructions on how to eat weren't given until later, so therefore Abraham just didn't know not to do this. However we see in Genesis 7 that Noah knew the difference between clean and unclean animals before then.

This Is duck clean or no?

Duck is considered clean. As are chicken, turkey, quail, pheasant, partridge, goose, and dove.

How do you even begin? Especially when your husband refuses?

If your spouse isn't on board then do what YOU can. If you are cooking, make clean meals and if he wants to add something unclean that's his choice.

If you're not sure what all is and isn't permitted, start avoiding what you know is off limits - bacon for example. Start to choose other options instead of bacon and then as you learn more, do more! And remember it will get easier with time!

I will link at the end of a post for a step by step guide to switching to a Biblical diet.

Is meat at stores like Walmart unclean because of slaughter methods?

Leviticus 17:13 tells us not to eat meat hat has blood in it. This can be an issue with red meat - conventional slaughterhouses do not always make it a point to drain the blood, or might not kill the animal in a way that is conducive to that.

People handle this differently - some cook the meat thoroughly, others salt meat to draw out the blood, others buy only meat where they know how it was slaughtered, and some only feel comfortable with certified kosher meat.

I find it difficult to find kosher certified meat, any suggestions?

Talk to small scale butchers near you and find out their slaughtering practices. Many are consistent with kosher methods, but without the certification.

Call the nearest synagogue and ask if/where their congregants get kosher certified meat.

Small grocery stores can usually special order kosher meat. It helps if you place a fairly large order to make it worth their trouble.

Take a cooler and stock up when you go to a large city. You can freeze meat at home to use in the coming months. Kroger and Trader Joe's are usually good bets. Call ahead to double check that they carry it!

Kosher certified meat is rarely pastured/grass fed/local/organic, what do we ask our local farmers?

Most farmers don't do their own slaughtering. Ask if they know what that consists of. If they don't, find out where their animals are processed and contact them.

I would ask what steps they take to drain the blood, and go from there. 

There is really not much in Scripture about how an animal should be killed. Some believe that a cow's throat should be slit and drained that way. The more common method today is to first stun-gun cows in the head before slitting their throats to drain the blood. Many feel this is more humane for the animal.

Does eating Biblically mean I have to become a vegan or have a plant based diet?

No. Becoming a vegan is an option but is not something that is required to have a Biblical diet.

In Daniel we see that he switched to a plant based diet in order to avoid unclean meats that likely were sacrificed to idols. If your choice is to eat a vegan meal or unclean meat, then that's an easy decision to make to keep the Bible's commandments. In general though, you have the option to eat Biblically-sanctioned meats and dairy, if you like.

I would remind everyone that vegan eating is a personal choice and not a Biblical commandment.

What about Romans 14 where it says believers with sensitive conscience's will eat only vegetables?

This passage is mostly talking about fasting. Some people feel called to fast certain days, while others did not. Both sides should treat the other with kindness.

Are mushrooms clean?

Most people say yes because Scripture does not mention anything about them being unclean. Judaism accepts edible mushrooms as kosher. 

Others would say no since they are not a plant that produces seeds (see Genesis 1:29). Seaweed also doesn't produce seeds, so that's something to watch out for if you land on this side.

What are things to avoid that might get missed?

Checking produce for bugs is always a good idea. You don't need to spend forever on it, but it's something to watch out for as you're chopping. If you find bugs you can take them off and still use the veggie or fruit.

Some beef or turkey products will have pork casings. Double check the ingredient label when you're buying any type of sausage product.

Gelatin is usually made from pork. It shows up in gelatin desserts like jello, marshmallows, pudding mixes, and lesser quality yogurt and sour cream.

You can get beef gelatin, if you are so inclined, to use in any recipes calling for it!

What kind of fish are okay to eat?

Fish need to have fins and scales. Common fish that are Biblically clean include salmon, tuna, cod, trout, perch, sea bass, herring, pollock, tilapia, mahi-mahi, and flounder. 

Cookbook recommendations?

Pretty Simple Cooking from A Couple Cooks is a gem! It's vegetarian but they include some recommendations for incorporating meat if you'd like to. The book is also arranged by the amount of time each recipe takes, which I love! It has practical recipes for real Biblically clean meals!

What's your interpretation of the verse in Mark 7 where it says he made all foods clean?

Mark 7 isn't talking about what is being eaten, it's talking about eating without going through a (non Bible based) ritual of hand washing. That's why they asked, "Why do your followers eat with unwashed hands?" and not, "Why are your followers eating forbidden things?"

Also, the Bible never calls unclean animals "food." When the Bible talks about "food" it means only the things that God says we can eat.

What are thoughts on eating out, specifically at a restaurant that serves unclean and clean food?

I feel most comfortable at restaurants that don't serve unclean meat, or at least very little of it. That said, quality restaurants (especially those accommodating to vegetarians and those with food allergies), have no problem avoiding cross contamination if asked. Restaurants like these typically have a vegetarian deep fryer and spot on the grill. If you are having meat you can request they clean the grill.

A reader mentioned watching out for restaurants that cook with lard. This is mostly a problem at southern type and Mexican restaurants, so that's something you can ask about. Again, for places that are vegetarian-friendly, this usually isn't an issue.

And if a restaurant can't tell you the ingredients they use - I would really think twice about eating there. I've worked in restaurants and there is absolutely no mystery to anyone in the kitchen about what is being used. If a waiter or waitress can't answer your questions they can always go and check with the kitchen.

I applaud all of you making the choice to implement a Biblically clean diet into your life! There are many things that can be debated, but wherever you land on these things I'm proud of the changes you are making! YHWH is honored by your effort to be obedient to Scripture!

More about clean eating:

10 Times the Bible Talks About Clean Eating
How to Eat Biblically Clean
Biblically Clean Meal Ideas

All Things Work Together for Good: Grief, Pain, and Romans 8:28

All things work together for good. -Romans 8:28 

I was listening to a podcast with an Italian olive grower and the host asked this question that you could tell the grower thought was incredibly stupid. They had been talking about famously cold winters in years past that had damaged and killed many of his trees, the host asked if it was sustainable to keep growing olives on the outer limits of their temperature capacity. Wouldn't it be better for the olives to be in a warmer climate so they would never be damaged by the cold? Wouldn't it be better if nothing bad ever happened to the trees?

His answer was something like, "Of course it's hard on the trees. They are pushed to their absolute limits because as a gardener, I know they do better if they suffer. Suffering yields good fruit."

That really took me by surprise for a second, but of course it's true. In gardening it's important for plants to suffer or be uncomfortable or to be pruned so that they can be at their absolute best. Being stretched and pushed beyond their limits of comfort is what yields good fruit. Having a winter that is so cold that some branches and trees are lost, means more and better olives down the road. Maybe you won't see that return the very next year, or even for several years, but eventually there is no denying that the fruit is tastier and more abundant.

Are you thinking of John 15? That's where the Messiah told us that we are vines, and his Father is the gardener who prunes good branches so that they bear even more fruit, and he takes away the unfruitful parts. YHWH uses the natural to show us how things work spiritually. And in the natural, those uncomfortable, even painful, challenges are what bring forth the best fruit.

Have there been any suffering or trying circumstances in your life lately? Have you lost a loved one? Were you laid off from your job? Are you facing health challenges or strained relationships? Do you deal with anxiety or have you been stressed out by current events? While I am sincerely sorry for any pain you are in, the good news is that this will yield more fruit if we let it.

Now please hear me: I don't believe that YHWH is sitting up in Heaven passing out disease or starvation or death or abuse because that's what he wants. We live in a broken world and many things happen that are not his desire or best. He doesn't say that bad things won't happen to us but he does promise to use them for our good. And this suffering brings fruit.

As a gardener myself I cannot wish hardship on my plants. It is painful to me to see them suffering from the weather, animal encroachment, a fungus or whatnot. Ironically I spend a fair amount of time in the summer worrying if my tomato plants have enough water - when I know a bit of a drought will force them to take root. They will produce sweeter and tastier tomatoes if they lack water for a time. The plant will be stronger and more resistant to storms and disease. Because that physical challenge and discomfort yields fruit.

How many times have I as a plant or vine wished for a whole lot less suffering? Can you see me? I need water. Get these bugs off. It's too cold here! Doesn't the gardener care? I long for those temperate climates where I am comfortable all the time. I don't want to have to wonder when my provision will show up. 

YHWH is a gardener who wants good fruit. And he is skilled, and knows how to bring that out in us. What if we stopped looking at that verse in Romans like "All things work together for good in spite of the hard times," and more like, "All things work together for good, even because of the hard things"? I can't say that I am excited for pain and trials and the frustrations of life, but I am thankful that when those times come they will be an opportunity for growth and producing the very best kinds of fruit. What if we looked at those places of pain in our lives as the starting point for his amazing healing work in us? What if we were able to use the injustices we have experienced to help someone going through something similar? When we are pushed beyond our limits by life, let that bring out the very best fruits in us. 

So if you are like those olive trees who are hurting from the cold, know that you can survive this and even come out better for it. If you are in a painful season of pruning, know that your branches will become stronger for it. If you are recovering from a cold-snap or lack of water know that eventually you will produce fruit again. All these things will work together for your good.

"For this slight momentary pressure is working for us a far more exceeding and everlasting weight of esteem." -2 Corinthians 4:17

More:

When YHWH Keeps You

How Scripture Says to Handle Anxiety