MANNA from
MESHIAN
…
Pastor Ellen Mumper, Canada
Spring
Cleaning and Passover- A Fresh Start
Spring cleaning? Such a daunting prospect with such a
beautiful prospective outcome! Where did the idea come from? It's natural to
expect that after a long winter we would clean out heavy clothing and get out
the light, clean up our yards to prepare for spring gardens, and put away boots
and accumulated things of winter. These are a natural explanation for spring
cleaning.
There is a spiritual reason for spring cleaning also.
Those who are studying the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith know something
about the festivals of the LORD taught in Leviticus 23 and other places. These
festivals are celebrated in a cycle, year after year. The festivals mentioned
in Leviticus 23 were a rehearsal and teaching anticipating the coming life and
work of Yeshua the Messiah. There are two groups of festivals: the first set of
four occurs in the spring and correspond to His first coming- His death,
burial, and resurrection and giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). The second group
of three occurs in the fall and teach of His future glorious return and
restoration of Israel, and the coming judgment.
Exodus 12 says "This month shall be unto you the
beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."
According to Scripture, the month of Aviv, also called Nisan, comes in the Spring of the year. On the tenth day of that month, the
children of Israel in the bondage of Egypt, were to
take a lamb into their house. They were to observe it for four days. Then, as
the Scripture says, they were to shed its blood and apply it to the doorposts
of their homes. That night the death angel swept through Egypt and the
firstborn of every man and beast died, if there was no blood applied to their
door. This is a beautiful picture of what happened with Yeshua. We too were slaves
to sin. We take a Lamb! Yeshua rode into Yerushalayim
on the 10th of the month. For four days He was observed in His Father's house,
the temple. He was found perfect, as Pilate even declared "I find no fault
in this man." (Luke 23:4). On the fourteenth of Nisan, just as the temple
lambs were being slain for Pesach (Passover), Yeshua OUR Passover was crucified
for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Many Christians are discovering the beauty of the
celebration of these feasts that speak of Messiah. I have been to several seders (Passover celebrations) by
Christians who are digging deeper into the Hebraic roots of their faith. Last
spring we had a seder at our
home and invited Christian friends. It was a night of great blessing and joy as
we shared how every part of the seder
speaks of Messiah.
But oh, look at what the verse says that was referred to
above about Messiah being our Passover! 1 Corinthians 5:7 says "Purge out
therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened.
For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." Do you see how this is
a distinctively Christian celebration? Do you see the word "purge"?
There is much work to be done! Spring cleaning!
The commandment in Exodus 12:14- 15 says "And this
day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD
throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away
leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened
bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from
Israel." Verse 17 says "And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened
bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of
Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever." I need to get all the leaven out of my
home. That means in my kitchen I need to thoroughly clean the cupboards. I need
to clean the refrigerator, the stove... the microwave... the floors... and so
forth.
The people of Israel literally cleaned every inch of
their homes to make sure they got every single crumb of bread out, and anything
else that contained leaven. Every inch is swept. Every garment is washed, for
bread may have been in a pocket. Pots are scrubbed. Even curtains are washed.
Then, for seven days after Pesach there is to be nothing with leaven eaten.
Leaven is often a picture of sin in Scripture. After we have been redeemed by
the blood of the Lamb we need to go through a process of learning to walk with
Him and purging ourselves of every sin, to be sanctified unto Him.
I still clean it out of my home. But there is a spiritual
application far deeper. How much more should we be preparing the inside of our
earthen vessels? The seriousness of heart preparation is brought forth very
well in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, where the last
supper with the disciples is described. This was a Pesach Seder which Paul
instructs that believers keep the Appointed Time, every year at Passover till
He comes. But in these verses I am talking about he did not mention getting rid
of bread and cereal from my kitchen. He talked about the heart. How do we
prepare our hearts? Where Paul describes the last supper, which was actually a
part of the Seder, he says "Wherefore 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..." (1 Corinthians 11:27, 28)
With spring cleaning, as we anticipate the celebration of
the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua our Messiah, we need a spring
cleaning of the heart. As new life springs up from the earth and as Messiah
came out of the grave, we need to go into the new religious year with clean hearts
as vessels prepared for the Master's use.
Shalom!
Ellen
