CHAPTER 11 THE PASSOVER

THE cycle of Temple-festivals appropriately opens with "the Passover" and "Feast of Unleavened Bread." For, properly speaking, these two are quite distinct, (Leviticus 23:5, 6; Numbers 28:16, f 2 Chronicles 30:15, 21; Ezra 6:19, 22; Mark 14:1) the "Passover" taking place on the 14th of Nisan, and the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" commencing on the 15th, and lasting for seven days, to the 21st of the month. (Exodus 12:15) But from their close connection they are generally treated as one, both in the Old and in the New Testament; (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:1) and Josephus, on one occasion, even describes it as "a feast for eight days."1 There are peculiarities about the Passover which mark it as the most important, and, indeed, take it out of the rank of the other festivals. It was the first of the three feasts on which all males in Israel were bound to appear before the Lord in the place which He would choose (the two others being the Feast of Weeks and that of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14; 34:18-23; Leviticus 23:4-22; Deuteronomy 16:16). All the three great festivals bore a threefold reference. They pointed, first, to the season of the year, or rather to the enjoyment of the fruits of the good land which the Lord had given to His people in possession, but of which He claimed for Himself the real ownership. (Leviticus 25:23; Psalms 85:1; Isaiah 8:8; 14:2; Hosea 9:3) This reference to nature is expressly stated in regard to the Feast of Weeks and that of Tabernacles, (Exodus 23:14-16; 34:22) but, though not less distinct, it is omitted in connection with the feast of unleavened bread. On the other hand, great prominence is given to the historical bearing of the Passover, while it is not mentioned in the other two festivals, although it could not have been wholly wanting. But the feast of unleavened bread celebrated the one grand event which underlay the whole history of Israel, and marked alike their miraculous deliverance from destruction and from bondage, and the commencement of their existence as a nation. For in the night of the Passover the children of Israel, miraculously preserved and set free, for the first time became a people, and that by the direct interposition of God. The third bearing of all the festivals, but especially of the Passover, is typical. Every reader of the New Testament knows how frequent are such allusions to the Exodus, the Paschal Lamb, the Paschal Supper, and the feast of unleavened bread. And that this meaning was intended from the first, not only in reference to the Passover, but to all the feasts, appears from the whole design of the Old Testament, and from the exact correspondence between the types and the antitypes. Indeed, it is, so to speak, impressed upon the Old Testament by a law of internal necessity. For when God bound up the future of all nations in the history of Abraham and his seed, (Genesis 12:3) He made that history prophetic; and each event and every rite became, as it were, a bud, destined to open in blossom and ripen into fruit on that tree under the shadow of which all nations were to be gathered.

Thus nature, history, and grace combined to give a special meaning to the festivals, but chiefly to the Passover. It was the feast of spring; the springtime of nature, when, after the death of winter, the scattered seeds were born into a new harvest, and the first ripe sheaf could be presented to the Lord; the spring-time of Israel's history, too, when each year the people celebrated anew their national birthday; and the spring-time of grace, their grand national deliverance pointing forward to the birth of the true Israel, and the Passover sacrifice to that "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Accordingly, the month of the Passover, Abib, or, as it was called in later times, Nisan,2 was to be unto them "the beginning of months" - the birth-month of the sacred, and at the same time the seventh in the civil, year. Here we mark again the significance of seven as the sacred or covenant number. On the other hand, the Feast of Tabernacles, which closed the festive cycle, took place on the 15th of the seventh month of the sacred, which was also the first in the civil, year. Nor is it less significant that both the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles fell upon the 15th day of the month; that is, at full moon, or when the month had, so to speak, attained its full strength.

The name of the Passover, in Hebrew Pesach, and in Aramaean and Greek Pascha, is derived from a root which means to "step over," or to "overleap," and thus points back to the historical origin of the festival. (Exodus 12) But the circumstances in which the people were placed necessarily rendered its first celebration, in some particulars, different from its later observance, which, so far as possible, was brought into harmony with the general Temple practice. Accordingly, Jewish authorities rightly distinguish between "the Egyptian" and the "Permanent Passover." On its first institution it was ordained that the head of every house should, on the 10th of Nisan, select either a lamb or a kid of the goats, of the first year, and without blemish. Later Jewish ordinances, dating after the return from Babylon, limit it to a lamb; and it is explained that the four days previous to the slaying of the lamb referred to the four generations that had passed after the children of Israel went down into Egypt. The lamb was to be killed on the eve of the 14th, or rather, as the phrase is, "between the two evenings." (Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:3, 5) According to the Samaritans, the Karaite Jews, and many modern interpreters, this means between actual sunset and complete darkness (or, say, between six and seven P.M.); but from the contemporary testimony of Josephus,3 and from Talmudical authorities, there cannot be a doubt that, at the time of our Lord, it was regarded as the interval between the sun's commencing to decline and his actual disappearance. This allows a sufficient period for the numerous lambs which had to be killed, and agrees with the traditional account that on the eve of the Passover the daily evening sacrifice was offered an hour, or, if it fell on a. Friday, two hours, before the usual time. In the original institution the blood of the sacrifice was to be sprinkled with hyssop on the lintel and the two doorposts of the house, probably as being the most prominent place o entrance. Then the whole animal, without breaking a bone of it, was to be roasted, and eaten by each family - or, if the number of its members were too small, by two neighboring families - along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs,. to symbolize the bitterness of their bondage and the haste of their deliverance, and also to point forward to the manner in which the true Israel were in all time to have fellowship in the Paschal Lamb. (1 Corinthians 5:7, 8) All who were circumcised were to partake of this meal, and that arrayed as for a journey; and whatsoever was not consumed was to be burnt on the spot. These ordinances in regard to the Passover were afterwards modified during the journey in the wilderness to the effect, that all males were to appear "in the place which the Lord shall choose," and there alike to sacrifice and to eat the lamb or kid, bringing at the same time also another offering with them. (Exodus 34:18-20; Deuteronomy 16:2,16, 17) Lastly, it was also ordered that if any man were unclean at the time of the regular Passover, or "in a journey afar off," he should celebrate it a month later. (Numbers 9:9- 11)

The Mishnah 4 contains the following, as the distinctions between the "Egyptian" and the "Permanent" Passover: "The Egyptian Passover was selected on the 10th, and the blood was to be sprinkled with a sprig of hyssop on the lintel and the two door-posts, and it was to be eaten in haste in the first night; but the Permanent Passover is observed all the seven days;" i.e. the use of unleavened cakes was, on its first observance, enjoined only for that one night, though, from Israel's haste, it must, for several days, have been the only available bread; while afterwards its exclusive use was ordered during the whole week. Similarly, also, the journey of the children of Israel commenced on the 15th of Nisan, while in after-times that day was observed as a festival like a Sabbath. (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:7; Numbers 28:18) To these distinctions the following are also added:5 In Egypt the Passover was selected on the 10th, and killed on the 14th, and they did not, on account of the Passover, incur the penalty of "cutting off," as in later generations; of the Egyptian Passover it was said, "Let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it," while afterwards the Passover-companies might be indiscriminately chosen; in Egypt it was not ordered to sprinkle the blood and burn the fat on the altar, as afterwards; at the first Passover it was said, "None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning," which did not apply to later times; in Egypt it was slain by every one in his own house, while afterwards it was slain by all Israel in one place; lastly, formerly where they ate the Passover, there they lodged, but afterwards they might eat it in one, and lodge in another place.

But the inference that the Passover was only celebrated on the occasions actually mentioned in Scripture seems the less warranted, that in later times it was so punctiliously and universally observed. We can form a sufficiently accurate idea of all the circumstances attending it at the time of our Lord. On the 14th of Nisan every Israelite who was physically able, not in a state of Levitical uncleanness, nor further distant from the city than fifteen miles, was to appear in Jerusalem. Though women were not legally obliged to go up, we know from Scripture, (1 Samuel 1:3-7; Luke 2:41, 42) and from the rules laid down by Jewish authorities,6 that such was the common practice. Indeed, it was a joyous time for all Israel. From all parts of the land and from foreign countries the festive pilgrims had come up in bands, singing their pilgrim psalms, and bringing with them burnt- and peace-offerings, according as the Lord had blessed them; for none might appear empty before Him. (Exodus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:16,17) How large the number of worshippers was, may be gathered from Josephus, who records that, when Cestius requested the high- priest to make a census, in order to convince Nero of the importance of Jerusalem and of the Jewish nation, the number of lambs slain was found to be 256,500, which, at the lowest computation of ten persons to every sacrificial lamb, would give a population of 2,565,000, or, as Josephus himself puts it, 2,700,200 persons, while on an earlier occasion (A.D. 65) he computes the number present at not fewer than three millions.7 Of course, many of these pilgrims must have camped outside the city walls.8 Those who lodged within the walls were gratuitously accommodated, and in return left to their hosts the skins of the Passover lambs and the vessels which they had used in their sacred services. In such festive "company" the parents of Jesus went to, and returned from this feast "every year," taking their "holy child" with them, after He had attained the age of twelve - strictly in accordance with Rabbinical law (Yoma, 82 a) - when He remained behind, "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions." (Luke 2:41-49) We know that the Lord Himself afterwards attended the Paschal feast, and that on the last occasion He was hospitably entertained in Jerusalem, apparently by a disciple, (Matthew 26:18; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13) although He seems to have intended spending the night outside the city walls. (Matthew 26:30, 36; Mark 14:26, 32; Luke 22:39; John 18:1)

"unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27)

Then, two weeks before Pesach, and at the corresponding time before the other two great festivals, the flocks and herds were to be tithed, and also the Temple treasury-chests publicly opened and emptied. Lastly, we know that "many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves." (John 11:55) It is this practice which finds its spiritual application in regard to the better Passover, when, in the words of St. Paul, (1 Corinthians 11:27, 28) "whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."

We have already explained that according to the Rabbis,9 three things were implied in the festive command to "appear before the Lord" - "Presence," the "Chagigah," and "Joyousness." As specially applied to the Passover, the first of these terms meant, that every one was to come up to Jerusalem and to offer a burnt-offering, if possible on the first, or else on one of the other six days of the feast. This burnt-offering was to be taken only from "Cholin" (or profane substance), that is, from such as did not otherwise belong to the Lord, either as tithes, firstlings, or things devoted, etc. The Chagigah, which was strictly a peace-offering, might be twofold. The first Chagigah was offered on the 14th of Nisan, the day of the Paschal sacrifice, and formed afterwards part of the Paschal Supper. The second Chagigah was offered on the 15th of Nisan, or the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. It is this second Chagigah which the Jews were afraid they might be unable to eat, if they contracted defilement in the judgment-hall of Pilate. (John 18:28) In reference to the first Chagigah, the Mishnah lays down the rule, that it was only to be offered if the Paschal day fell on a week-day, not on a Sabbath, and if the Paschal lamb alone would not have been sufficient to give a satisfying supper to the company which gathered around it.10 As in the case of all other peace-offerings, part of this Chagigah might be kept, though not for longer than one night and two days from its sacrifice. Being a voluntary offering, it was lawful to bring it from sacred things (such as tithes of the flock). But the Chagigah for the 15th of Nisan was obligatory, and had therefore to be brought from "Cholin." The third duty incumbent on those who appeared at the feast was "joyousness." This expression, as we have seen, simply referred to the fact that, according to their means, all Israel were, during the course of this festival, with joyous heart to offer peace-offerings, which might be chosen from sacred things. (Deuteronomy 27:7) Thus the sacrifices which every Israelite was to offer at the Passover were, besides his share in the Paschal lamb, a burnt-offering, the Chagigah (one or two), and offerings of joyousness - all as God had blessed each household. As stated in a previous chapter, all the twenty-four courses, into which the priests were arranged, ministered in the Temple on this, as on the other great festivals, and they distributed among themselves alike what fell to them of the festive sacrifices and the shewbread. But the course which, in its proper order, was on duty for the week, alone offered all votive, and voluntary, and the public sacrifices for the whole congregation, such as those of the morning and the evening.11

The special preparations for the Passover commenced on the evening of the 13th of Nisan, with which, according to Jewish reckoning, the 14th began, the day being always computed from evening to evening.12 Then the head of the house was to search with a lighted candle all places where leaven was usually kept, and to put what of it he found in the house in a safe place, whence no portion could be carried away by any accident. Before doing this, he prayed: "Blessed art Thou, Jehovah, our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments, and commanded us to remove the leaven." And after it he said: "All the leaven that is in my possession, that which I have seen and that which I have not seen, be it null, be it accounted as the dust of the earth." The search itself was to be accomplished in perfect silence and with a lighted candle. To this search the apostle may have referred in the admonition to " purge out the old leaven." (1 Corinthians 5:7) Jewish tradition sees a reference to this search with candles in Zephaniah 1:12. "And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles." If the leaven had not been removed on the evening of the 13th, it might still be done on the forenoon of the 14th of Nisan. The question what substances constituted leaven was thus solved. The unleavened cakes, which. were to be the only bread used during the feast, might be made of these five kinds of grain - wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye - the cakes being prepared before fermentation had begun. Anything prepared of these five kinds of grain - but only of these - would come within range of the term "leaven," that is, if kneaded with water, but not if made with any other fluid, such as fruit-liquor, etc.

Early on the forenoon of the 14th of Nisan the feast of the Passover may be said to have begun. In Galilee, no work was done all that day; in Judea it was continued till mid-day; the rule, however, being that no new work was to be commenced, though that which was in hand might be carried on. The only exception to this was in the case of tailors, barbers, and those engaged in the laundry. Even earlier than mid-day of the 14th it was no longer lawful to eat leaven. The strictest opinion fixes ten o'clock as the latest hour when leaven might be eaten, the more lax eleven. From that hour to twelve o'clock it was required to abstain from leaven, while at twelve it was to be solemnly destroyed, either by burning, immersing it in water, or scattering it to the winds. To secure strict obedience and uniformity, the exact time for abstaining from and for destroying the leaven was thus made known: "They laid two desecrated cakes of a thank-offering on a bench in the porch (of the Temple). So long as they lay there, all the people might eat (leavened); when one of them was removed, they abstained from eating, but they did not burn (the leaven); when both were removed, all the people burnt (the leaven)."13

The next care was to select a proper Paschal lamb, which, of course, must be free from all blemish, and neither less than eight days, nor more than exactly one year, old. Each Paschal lamb was to serve for a "company," which was to consist of not less than ten, nor of more than twenty persons. The company at the "Lord's Passover Supper" consisted of Himself and His disciples. Two of them, Peter and John, the Master had sent early forward to "prepare the Passover," that is, to see to all that was needful for the due observance of the Paschal Supper, especially the purchase and sacrifice of the Paschal lamb. Probably they may have purchased it in the Holy City, though not, as in the majority of cases, within the Temple-court itself, where a brisk and very profitable traffic in all such offerings was carried on by the priests. For against this the Lord Jesus had inveighed only a few days before, when He "cast out all them that sold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers," (Matthew 21:12,13) to the astonishment and indignation of those who would intensely resent His interference with their authority and gains. (John 2:13-18) While the Savior still tarried with the other disciples outside the city, Peter and John were completing their preparations. They followed the motley crowd, all leading their sacrificial lambs up the Temple-mount. Here they were grouped into three divisions. Already the evening sacrifice had been offered. Ordinarily it was slain at 2:30 P.M., and offered at about 3:30. But on the eve of the Passover, as we have seen, it was killed an hour earlier; and if the 14th of Nisan fell on a Friday - or rather from Thursday at eve to Friday at eve - two hours earlier, so as to avoid any needless breach of the Sabbath. On the occasion to which we refer the evening sacrifice had been slain at 1:3o, and offered at 2:30. But before the incense was burned or the lamps were trimmed, the Paschal sacrifice had to be offered.14 It was done on this wise: - The first of the three festive divisions, with their Paschal lambs, was admitted within the Court of the Priests. Each division must consist of not less than thirty persons (3 x 10, the symbolical number of the Divine and of completeness). Immediately the massive gates were closed behind them. The priests drew a threefold blast from their silver trumpets when the Passover was slain. Altogether the scene was most impressive. All along the Court up to the altar of burnt-offering priests stood in two rows, the one holding golden, the other silver bowls. In these the blood of the Paschal lambs, which each Israelite slew for himself (as representative of his company at the Paschal Supper), was caught up by a priest, who handed it to his colleague, receiving back an empty bowl, and so the bowls with the blood were passed up to the priest at the altar, who jerked it in one jet at the base of the altar. While this was going on, a most solemn "hymn" of praise was raised, the Levites leading in song, and the offerers either repeating after them or merely responding. Every first line of a Psalm was repeated by the people, while to each of the others they responded by a "Hallelujah," or "Praise ye the Lord." This service of song consisted of the so-called "Hallel," which comprised Psalms 113. to 118. Thus - The Levites began: "Hallelu Jah" (Praise ye the Lord). The people repeated: "Hallelu Jah." The Levites: "Praise (Hallelu), O ye servants of Jehovah." The people responded: "Hallelu Jah." The Levites: "Praise (Hallelu) the name of Jehovah." The people responded: "Hallelu Jah." Similarly, when Psalm 113 had been finished - Psalm 114: The Levites: "When Israel went out: of Egypt." The people repeated: "When Israel went out of Egypt" The Levites: "The house of Jacob from a people of strange language." The people responded: "Hallelu Jah." And in the same manner, repeating each first line and responding at the rest, till they came to Psalm 118, when, besides the first, these three lines were also repeated by the people (verses 25, 26):

"Save now, I beseech Thee, Jehovah." "O Jehovah, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity;" and "Blessed be He that cometh in the name of Jehovah."

May it not be that to this solemn and impressive "hymn" corresponds the Alleluia song of the redeemed Church in heaven, as described in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6?

To Chapter 12

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