Q & A

Q & A

By Amy Gentry

Q: Do Christians celebrate Passover?

A: Yes. Not in the traditional sense that is laid out in the Law.  Most Christians who attend a Good Friday service generally participate in the taking of the Lord’s Supper.  The traditional Passover meal is celebrated in remembrance of the night the angel of the Lord spared the lives of the Israelite’s first born.   The Lord commanded this celebratory meal be repeated annually, generation after generation, in gratitude to the Lord for his protection.  As a Jew, Jesus partook of the Passover meal.  At his final Passover celebration, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them…” Matthew 26:26-27 NIV emphasis mine.  Eucharisteo is a Greek verb meaning “to be grateful, feel thankful, give thanks.”  Jesus gave thanks (eucharisteo) to the Lord for the provision that was made by the Lord on the night of the original Passover.  Today, we partake of the Lord’s Supper to give thanks (eucharisteo) to the Lord for the provision that He made for our sins – to remember Jesus’ sacrifice.