Common Thread Binding Passover And Easter

Last November we noted that the dates for Hanukkah and Christmas coincided and that the first half of the Messianic prophecies had been fulfilled. In April of 2017 Easter and Passover will intersect, we will look at the connection between those two events and examine the significance of the remaining prophecies concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus  of Nazareth.

Let us consider the common thread that binds Passover to Easter. The Hebrews had sojourned to Egypt, having been experiencing a great famine and hearing that there was plenty for all in Egypt. After several hundred years the Egyptians became tired and wary of the Hebrews who had flourished in Egypt and they put them to great servitude under harsh conditions. Moses petitioned the Egyptian Pharaoh for their release using various signs and wonders in an attempt to change the stubborn Pharaoh’s mind until God told Moses to have each Hebrew household select a lamb without blemish and mark the lintel and doorposts with the blood of the lamb and eat the lamb that night and remain prepared to leave. The angel of death would then visit the homes bringing death to the firstborn of those whose doorposts weren’t marked by the blood of the lamb. This was the event that caused the Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from their bondage and allow them to leave Egypt and the oppressing servitude behind. ( Exodus 12)

The first Passover was a foreshadowing of what was to come. Jesus was and is the final sacrifice for the sins of mankind, He releases all who call Him Lord and Savior from the bondage of sin, eternal death and separation from God as we mark the lintel and doorposts of our hearts with the blood of God’s Lamb without blemish. In a clear reference to Passover the risen Christ calls us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”  (Revelation 3: 20)

This is a lengthy examination of fulfilled prophecies dealing with God’s answer for the sins of all mankind and proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah and leads up to a commentary that will follow regarding the promise of His victorious return as the avenging Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior of the world and Creator of the Universe.

Messiah would be rejected by his own people.

OT - I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;

(Psalm 69: 8)

OT - He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

NT - He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. 

(John 1:11)

Messiah would be declared the Son of God.

OT - I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. (Psalm 2:7)

NT - And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3: 16-17)

Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

OT - The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz′edek.” (Psalm 110-4)

NT -  So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee”; as he says also in another place, “Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz′edek.” 

(Hebrews 5:5-6)

 Messiah would be called King.

OT - “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:6)

OT - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9)

NT - And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!” And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. (Mark 11:7-11)

Messiah would be betrayed.

OT -  Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9)

OT -   Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. Then the Lord said to me, “Cast it into the treasury” the lordly price at which I was paid off by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and cast them into the treasury in the house of the Lord. (Zechariah 11:12-13)

NT - While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?”

(Luke 22: 47-48)

NT -  Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26: 14-16)

Messiah would be falsely accused.

OT - Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I know not. 

(Psalm 35:11)

NT - And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” (Mark 14:57-58)

Messiah would be silent before his accusers.

OT - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. (Isaiah 57:3)

NT - And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. (Mark 15:4-5)

Messiah would be spat upon and struck.

OT - I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)

NT - Then they spat in his face, and struck him; and some slapped him, 

(Matthew 26:67)

Messiah would be hated without cause.

OT - Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. (Psalm 35:19)\

OT - More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? (Psalm 69:4)

NT - If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It is to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ (John 15:24-25)

Messiah would be crucified with criminals.

OT - Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)

NT - Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 

(Matthew 27:38)

Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. 

OT - They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalm 69:21)

NT - they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. (Matthew 27:34)

NT - After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), “I thirst.” A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

(John 19:28-30)

Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced.

OT - Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; 

they have pierced my hands and feet (Psalm 22:16)

OT - “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zechariah 12:10)

NT - So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:25-27)

Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed.

OT- All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads; “He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” (Psalm 22:7-8)

NT -  And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 
(Luke 23:35) 

NT - And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 

(Matthew 27: 39-45)

Soldiers would gamble for Messiah's garments.

OT - they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots. 

(Psalm 22:18)

NT -  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:34)

NT - And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 

(Matthew 27:35 -36) 

Messiah would be forsaken by God.

OT - My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1)

NT - And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, la′ma sabach-tha′ni?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Messiah would pray for his enemies.

OT - In return for my love they accuse me, even as I make prayer for them. 
(Psalm 109:4)

NT - And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:34)

Messiah's bones would not be broken, soldiers would pierce his side.

OT - In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh outside the house; and you shall not break a bone of it. (Exodus 12:46)

OT - He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (Psalm 34:20)

OT - “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. (Zechariah 12:10)

NT - but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of him shall be broken.” (John 19:33-36)

Messiah would be buried with the rich.

OT - And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 

(Isaiah 53:9)

NT - When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathe′a, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. (Matthew 27: 57-60)

Messiah would resurrect from the dead.

OT - For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. 

(Psalm 16:10)

OT - But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. 

(Psalm 49:15)

NT -  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you.” 

(Matthew 28: 2-7)

NT - “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’

“Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. (Acts 2: 22-32)

Messiah would ascend to heaven.

OT -  Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! (Psalm 24: 7-10)

NT - So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19)

NT - While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 

(Luke 24:51)

Messiah would be seated at God's right hand.

OT - Thou didst ascend the high mount, leading captives in thy train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. (Psalm 68:18)

OT - The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1)

NT - So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19)

NT - ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet’. (Matthew 22:44)

NT - But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” 

(Acts 7:55-56)

Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin.

OT- But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:5-12)

NT - While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5: 6-8)

“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1: 18-21)

Ask Jesus into your heart and into your life and today will be the day of your salvation.