Master Minded Ministries Newsletter - April 2022
Understanding Easter with Passover
Have you heard about the C & E Christians? They’re the ones who show up on Christmas and Easter. It’s their “family tradition,” and evidently it satisfies the requirements to put them into the religious category. They could probably give several of the highlights for the season, but it remains a holiday for families and little else. You’ve got Santa Claus and Easter bunny, and then you might throw in a little Jesus. With the gap in the middle, we go from birth to death of Jesus and really no reason to know much more.
Since we’re about four months from Christmas we head into the spring with Easter. It has its story with Jesus being hung on a cross and three days later rising from the dead. It’s pretty quick to the finish, and the details are just that, snippets that you can pick up on if you’re interested. It really is the “cliff notes” version, so we just cut to the chase, right? Maybe that’s the problem, we’re just too familiar with the short story to care any more about details. Here’s my take – maybe the details came before the story of Easter. What if we explore what came before? Ready?
Does it Matter?
As long as we have almost everything we need, or a way to get it, we seldom realize how silently our rights are being taken away. “For the sake of safety” we are now restrained. The Hebrew children in Egypt experienced the same thing until they found themselves slaves.
Freedom not only comes with a price, it comes with great responsibility. Jesus came and set captives free, but there is a responsibility to remain free. Jesus said, “Abide in me and I in you…”
John 15:4
First question: Is Passover related to Easter? Actually, yes, it is.
Jesus and the disciples were celebrating Passover during the time of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.
Passover was an event and celebration when God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. Israel had been locked in an unhealthy relationship with Egypt for about 450 years. It really got worse after a Pharaoh came into power who didn’t remember Joseph. It was during a time when Israel was growing as a people group. Even in exile, God was blessing them, and they prospered. But the good times came to an end, and unfortunately, they didn’t remember where home was. They found themselves enslaved, beaten and tormented. If there had been any leadership in the family, it was certainly missing.
The quick version is that God heard their cries for help and initiated a plan, or should I say – the plan! God knew that this day would come, and it was just a matter of time for the people to decide when they had had enough! It took God about 80 years to develop the person (Moses) into the right kind of leader. This Moses would have to have an independent mindset, not a slave, a strong personality developed by years of both plenty and then scarcity. He would have to learn patience and yet know how to move quickly. He would have to know that he belonged to a God of power and authority. Done (Exodus 1-14).
God delivered ten lessons for Pharaoh and the Israelites to see His amazing power. The last lesson would be the backdrop for our Easter Story. About 2000 years later another Deliverer would come and be sacrificed just like the lamb from the Passover story. I bet they never imagined that God had a person in mind when the lamb was the focus.
I want to ask you some questions. Do you remember what God promised to do for the Israelites in Egypt?
In Exodus 6 how many times did God say “I will”? What was the purpose of all the “I will(s)”? What was the message? (I can’t do all the work!)
The purpose of the very last act of redemption (the plague of death to the first born) required a response from the people, didn’t it? What did they have to do?
Exodus 12 says that they had to:
Recognize a date and time – “On the tenth day of this month” (vs 3);
Determine amounts for food for the dinner, (the lamb) so there would be enough and not too much;
Choose the lamb, that was a year old male without defect;
Keep the lamb in your house for 3 days;
5) Slaughter them at twilight, vs 6;
6) Take the blood and put it on the doorposts of their homes – top and both sides (making a cross, vs 7);
Make bread without yeast –vs 9;
Eat all of it, vs 10;
Stay in your home throughout the night – don’t leave, vs 12;
And so much more!
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” Exodus 12: 12-13.
If the people had not responded, there would have been only death and more slavery. God was giving them and us the opportunity to participate in the redemption story. This is the back story of Easter.
In the pages of the Bible where we find the story of Jesus, there is the redemption story being fulfilled right before our eyes. The exodus from Egypt was the rehearsal of the greater one to come but the similarities are striking.
Jesus walked on this earth about 33 years, His ministry starting when He was 30 years old. Note the 3’s. Jesus was with us for those 3 years of His ministry, dwelling with us.
Jesus participated with His disciples in the Passover Seder dinner prior to being betrayed.
He was the Lamb without defect - sinless
Jesus was sacrificed and died in the late afternoon, considered evening.
His blood became the sacrifice for redemption of mankind.
He was declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.
Our part is to stay under the blood.
Each year Dave and I lead a Passover Seder dinner with over 100 people. We are reminded that this has been a 4000-year tradition for the Jewish people, and when we participate in this, we are recognizing the fulfillment of God’s gracious plan. Each year it reminds us of the amazing way that God had to prepare
His people for what He would do on a grander scale. His Redemption was for the whole world, not just for
them, and each year they rehearsed this, the plan became a part of who they were.
Tradition? Maybe, but in reality, joining in a Passover Seder becomes a teaching and a heritage for the next generation. Remember, we are only one generation away from losing our heritage. My prayer for the Body of Christ is that we can thank the Jewish people for keeping the heritage and tradition and now remember that without them we wouldn’t have salvation (Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi) Who paid the ransom and set us free from sin, death and hell.
Happy Passover and Easter.
Interesting and Inspiring Biblical Study Tours for Your Spiritual Growth
Master Minded Ministries loves to take people on a Biblical Study Tour experience. There’s nothing like walking in the dust of the saints of old and even in the footprints of our Messiah. Understanding the Bible as THE source of legitimate truth, we welcome the mission to provide you with travel experiences to venues that will increase your understanding of, and relationship to, God Himself.
Have you ever wondered as you were reading the Bible, what it might be like to see these places, experience the geography, get a perspective on the context and proximity of distance between places?
A Biblical study tour is the way to enhance your prayer life, deepen your faith, and see the Bible like you’ve never seen it before. With Covid-19 moving rapidly into the rear-view mirror, travel opportunities are now opening, and the invitation is being extended to experiences biblical sites and historical places.
Our context-rich tours are designed to make the Bible easier to understand by providing experiences and insights through engaging the culture, geography, and history found in the biblical text.
Location plays a role in shaping life, while at the same time gives a glimpse into why God places us where we live today. The Bible contains so many stories of God putting His people in places and situations they'd never choose and yet it is especially there and in those circumstances that he seeks to be known, trusted, and glorified.
Many of those "out of the way" places are precisely where we go, and, like our ancestors in the faith, we discover His love afresh.
Lessons from Israel
Located in the area close to Nazareth lies a little village that takes us back in time to see what life was like in the times of Jesus. You can walk on paths that take you through the village and show you ancient segments of society where people demonstrate the crafts and lifestyles of that era. There are women working with wool from the sheep herds. There’s a carpenter shop where you find the men teaching other young people the art of the trade.
As you walk through the vineyard you will find a tower that oversees the work and the wine press where people are demonstrating that trade and describing how things were done 2000 years ago. You will find the olive trees green and beautiful, and the ancient olive press called a gethsemane, the place of the pressing.
Experiencing these ancient traditions brings the Bible to life.
Our tours are not just about going somewhere; they’re about being somewhere! Learning and growing are REAL parts of our tours, but if you're an experiential learner, you'll love them and excel on these journeys!
We would like to invite you to join us on a couple of upcoming tours. Let’s take a look at them.
Our tours are not just about going somewhere; they’re about being somewhere! Learning and growing are REAL parts of our tours, but if you're an experiential learner, you'll love them and excel on these journeys!
We would like to invite you to join us on a couple of upcoming tours. Let’s take a look at them.
Walk where Jesus walked. Imagine yourself in the Galilee and in Capernaum – referred to as Jesus “hometown,” where Jesus began his ministry and recruited his first disciple. Stand on the Mt. of Beatitudes and make believe you are listening to the Lord preach the Sermon on the Mount. Experience baptism in the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Continue on to the Holy City of Jerusalem and walk some of the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, where you can take time to reflect the Lord’s sacrifice for all of us. What an incredible moment it will be when you stand on the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem, where Jesus ascended in to heaven. Travel 5 miles south of Jerusalem to the not-so-little town of Bethlehem. We invite you not just on another trip, but a spiritual journey you will never forget.
10 - Day Holy Land Tour with 4 and 5 Star Deluxe Hotel accommodations: 1 night stay in Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea; 1 – night stay in the Dead Sea Resort area and 2 - nights stay on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and the remaining nights in the city of Jerusalem. Simply click here for all of the details: masterminded.org.
Join us on a 13-day tour of The Seven Churches of Revelation & Patmos in Turkey and follow Paul in Greece. On this tour, you will see the sights in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Troy, Athens, Corinth, and so much more. We fly out of Boise on this biblical study tour that will make your Bible reading go to a whole new level. You can get all of the details by simply clicking here: www.masterminded.org. Make a deposit and save your seat. Get ready for a trip of a lifetime.
For Christians, traveling is much more than some rousing adventure game; it’s an opportunity to reconnect with God in ways we never thought possible. Certain places have a way of opening us up to new perspectives concerning Christ and His word. It could be a result of natural ambiance, or maybe the location holds some historical significance for Christians. Whatever the reason, these destinations provide travelers opportunities to seek Jesus with clear minds and open hearts.
For those who are looking to step out onto the open road, Master Minded Ministries is the starting point. Check it out, on our website:
Get connected today.
About Master Minded Ministries
Master Minded Ministries is a 501-©-3 non-profit that endeavors to build bridges between Christians and Jews. We work to educate the Body of Christ to the value of our Judeo-Christian heritage through teaching (preaching, teaching, writing and biblical study tours) and through our radio outreach “The Teacher and the Preacher.”
Your contributions are tax deductible and extremely important for the ongoing work to share the deeper messages of God’s Word. Pastor Dave continues to pastor at Deer Flat Church in Caldwell Idaho and if you have questions or need more information about our upcoming trips or questions related to the Teacher and the Preacher, you can reach us through our websites:
