I love Spring. My allergies hate it. In order to enjoy it I medicate. You might be surprised at what exactly I love about Spring. Oh, there’s the sunshine and the blossoms and no more subzero weather. There’s that. I love thunderstorms. I’m not fond of tornadoes but I do love a good thunderstorm. You know, the kind with lots of noise and a hearty downpour. I’ll grab a book and a coffee — dark roast, extra cream, no sugar. No TV, no music, just the sound of the rain beating against the roof.
I look forward to those days Sabbath like days. I save them for doing absolutely nothing. I turn off the devices. I get into rest mode. It’s not the same as winter when everything is shut down and you can’t get outside. This is different. This is self imposed. It’s because I want to be here. And here in the midwest, springtime has the best thunderstorms.
I’m a contemplator, a thinker. Thinkers like to think. It’s one of our favorite pastimes. My favorite thing to think about is God. I love God. I have a good relationship with God. I guess you could say I’m in love with God. When you’re in love with someone you think about them. You think about them all the time. I think about God like that. Springtime, during thunderstorm weather, especially in the Hebraic month of Nisan I get to thinking about God’s faithfulness. My thoughts turn to beginning of a new season and God’s promises being fulfilled, because after all that’s what Passover is all about. And Passover kicks off the monthly cycle.
I’m thinking about Passover, the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua, the Lamb of God. I’m thinking about deliverance, salvation and counting weeks that lead to Pentecost and the pouring out of the Spirit.
A Timeless Reminder of Hope
According to Exodus 12, the annual Passover celebration was intended to serve as a perpetual memorial for the Hebrews. This reminder of their emergence as God’s redeemed people would be their focus at the onset of each year. The ancient Hebrew calendar in use before the fall of Jerusalem (580 BC), the New Year was in the spring. The first month which corresponds to March/April was called Abib. Abib now known as Nisan. Nisan launches the festival calendar and even though the years begin at Tishri, Nisan still marks the numbering of the months.
Jewish tradition lists four new years—Nisan (for kings and the cycle of feasts), Elul (for the tithes of cattle), Tishri (for years, as at present in the Jewish Calendar, sabbatical years and jubilees, and other agricultural purposes), Shebat (for trees).
This month shall be for you the beginning of months. – Exodus 12:2
A New Era
The idea of the beginning of months holds both religious and historical significance, especially for the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. In Exodus 12:2, God chose a specific month to be the first month of the year for the Israelites. It was to mark a new era in Israel’s history, and therefore to be to them the beginning of months. That new beginning began with Passover.
In the Jewish tradition, Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as described in the Book of Exodus. It involves the sacrifice of a lamb whose blood is used to mark the doorposts of the Israelites’ homes, sparing them from the plague of the firstborn and signaling their deliverance from bondage. The Passover lamb is thus a symbol of salvation and new beginnings for the Israelites.
Passover is a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice.
The moment an individual accepts Christ’s sacrifice as atonement they are delivered from the bondage of sin. This makes spiritual rebirth and the start of a new life in faith an individual’s own personal Passover.
The Passover ritual involved picking a lamb on the 10th day of the month, sacrificing it, and eating unleavened bread for a week, symbolizing the removal of sin. Just as Passover marks the new beginning of Israel’s history, the sacrifice of Christ is the new beginning of the Church’s history.
Even though the Passover and exodus from Egypt was over 3000 years ago, Passover continues to serve as a reminder of redemption, salvation, liberation and new beginnings.
John the Baptist declared Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” drawing direct comparison to the Passover lamb.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” – John 1:29-36 NLT
Just as the blood of the Passover lamb brought physical salvation and deliverance to the Israelites, Jesus’ shed blood offers spiritual salvation to those who accept Him as their Savior. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus we are liberated from the spiritual bondage of sin, ushering us into a life of eternal freedom and redemption.
Our Passover, Our Deliverer, Our Savior
To inherit eternal life, we must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and experience the redemption that comes through His shed blood. In this Passover highlights a foundational belief in Christianity regarding salvation and eternal life. This belief is centered on the idea that acceptance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice—His death on the cross—is essential for redemption and salvation, just as God passed over the Hebrew people, thus sparing them from death and delivering them into new life.
New Life, New Beginning
Moreover, just as the Passover marked the beginning of a new era for the Israelites, Jesus’ sacrifice is the beginning of the new covenant between God and humanity. This new beginning is accessible to every individual who chooses to embrace Jesus’ sacrifice, symbolizing a personal exodus from sin.
In this way, the experience of redemption through Jesus’ sacrifice beautifully parallels participating in one’s own personal Passover. It signifies a joyful spiritual rebirth and the exciting start of a new life in faith, much like the Israelites’ inspiring journey to becoming God’s chosen people in a promised land. This profound connection between the Passover and Jesus’ sacrifice highlights the wonderful continuity and fulfillment of scriptural promises across both the Old and New Testaments.
The significance of this belief shines brightly in the context of the Hebraic month of Nisan, which symbolizes new beginnings and joy, as it coincides with the Passover.
The historical and spiritual facets of the Passover serve as a beautiful reminder of liberation and fresh starts, wonderfully reflected in the understanding of Jesus’s sacrifice as a joyous pathway to eternal life.
Embracing Jesus as a personal Savior is viewed as essential for experiencing the fullness of eternal life, embodying not just personal redemption but also a hopeful transformation reminiscent of the Israelites’ triumphant exodus from Egypt.
Wrapping it up
As a thinker and ponderer this time of year serves as a reminder of when I gave my life to the Lord when I was a child. Every year I am reminded of that decision and the faithfulness of God.
Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. – Psalm 37:25 NLT
During the month of Nisan, at the Passover I like to celebrate by remembering the sacrifice of Jesus, His resurrection and ascension. I count the days, like the counting of the Omer, leading up to the launch of Holy Spirit’s empowering ministry in the earth.
Jesus is Savior
Our new life begins when we recognize and accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We are invited into an enriching personal relationship with God. If you haven’t done so, and would like to accept Jesus as your Savior, pray the prayer below. Afterward, share your experience with others.
Prayer of Salvation
Heavenly Father,
I come before You, acknowledging my need for You and the incredible gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I recognize that I am a sinner, and my sin has separated me from You. I humble myself and ask for Your forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead, conquering sin and death forever. I accept You as my Lord and Savior, and I invite You into my heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, guide me in my walk with You, and empower me to live a life that honors You.
I commit my life to You, Lord. Help me to trust in You completely, to grow in faith, and to share the Good News of Your salvation with others. I thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy. Thank You for the promise of eternal life with You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
After accepting Jesus as your Savior, the next steps involve nurturing your new faith and deepening your relationship with God.
Read the Word, Continue in Prayer and Rejoice in Your New Journey
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