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Jesus Died on Passover, Not Yom Kippur

I have long believed that many Christians are woefully deficient in their knowledge of both the Hebrew Scriptures and Judaism in general. This creates problems for our interactions with Jews, often contributing to anti-Semitism, but it also hinders our own faith journeys. For example, many Christians have little knowledge about the Hebrew concepts of Sabbath, Jubilee, and shalom, to name just a few!

One aspect of Judaism that Christians are especially ignorant of are ancient Jewish festivals and holy days. There are many insights that these holidays can give us into God’s character. In 2011, I studied in East Jerusalem for five months, becoming friends with many practicing Jews. I celebrated Sabbath, Purim, and Passover, and grew so much in my own faith as I gained insights into the spiritual significance of these holidays. As I learned more, it led me to this question:

Yom Kippur is the most important Jewish holiday of the year, centered on the atonement of sins. If Jesus’ death was mainly for the forgiveness of sins, as many Christians seem to believe, then why did he die at Passover, and not Yom Kippur?

This is something I’ve thought a lot about over the past few years, and have talked through with a number of people. I believe I have a conclusion, with some big implications for Christians. Below is the argument, with four main points.

  1. God chose the time and place where Jesus would be killed
  2. Other holidays could have made sense too, but Jesus’ death is connected to Passover
  3. Passover’s significance is not about forgiveness of sins, it is about liberation from oppression and death
  4. This connection with Passover should give us a grander picture of what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished

Thus, while Jesus’ death on the cross certainly brings forgiveness of sins, the deeper implication is that his death and resurrection brings us victory over death and the devil, and liberation from the kingdom of darkness.

Let’s run through the parts of my argument.

1. God Chose the Time and Place Where Jesus Would Be Killed

In the Gospels, Jesus faces death on numerous occasions, but miraculously dodges it each time (Matthew 2:13, Luke 4:29-30, Luke 13:31-33, John 7:1, John 7:30, John 8:59, John 10:22-39). Yet when Passover of his final year of ministry approaches, each of the Gospels make clear that he deliberately heads towards Jerusalem, the center of opposition to his ministry. Once in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, Jesus had many ways he could have once again escaped death—fleeing the city, scaring Judas away before he kisses him, gathering a mob to defend himself, arguing his innocence to Pilate, calling down a legion of angels, etc.—but God the Father allows Jesus to be crucified by the Romans at this moment, and Jesus willingly goes along with it. There seems to be some purpose behind being killed in this specific time and place: Jerusalem during Passover. Indeed, the apostle Peter says this timing was not random: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). I believe there is a reason Jesus’ death was connected to Passover, which I’ll get to below.  

“The Sacrificial Lamb” by one of the first prominent female artists in Spain, Josefa de Óbidos  (1630–1684)

2. Other holidays could have made sense too, but Jesus’ death is connected to Passover

Granted, there were many Jewish holidays that were celebrated during Jesus’ time, most of them commanded by God in the Torah. Each holiday had a specific cultural and religious significance. If Jesus wanted to connect his death and resurrection to some other culturally significant event, he would have had lots of options:

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified the start of a new era, he should have been killed at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified the forgiveness of sins, he should have been killed at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement of sins via killing of a bull and a scapegoat (see my blog here).

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified God’s provision, he should have been killed during Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorates the Israelites’ journey in the desert and celebrates the harvest)

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified his body as a new temple or altar, he should have been killed during Shemini Atzeret (‘Eighth Day of Assembly,’ following Sukkot (see my blog here)

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified a fulfillment or replacement of the Torah, he should have been killed at Simchat Torah (which celebrates the conclusion and restarting of the annual Torah reading cycle)

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified the importance of preserving one’s ethnic and religious culture, he should have been killed at Hanukkah, which commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabee rebellion against the pagan Greeks. [In fact, Jesus is in Jerusalem during Hanukkah in John 10:22, and the text explicitly says that his opponents tried to seize him to stone him, “but he escaped their grasp” (John 10:39).]

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified resisting violent rulers, he should have been killed at Purim, which celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from genocide in the Book of Esther

·       If Jesus’ death mostly signified the giving of a new law and set of commands, he should have been killed at Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai

I think an argument that can be made that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have resonances with each of the Jewish holidays listed above. However, the holiday that is clearly associated with Jesus’ death and resurrection is Passover. That is significant, because…

3. Passover’s significance is not about forgiveness of sins, it is about liberation from oppression, slavery, and death

The full story of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt would take too long to summarize here, but I want to make one main point clear. When the Israelites sacrificed lambs on the night of Passover, the reason was not merely to survive the plague of the death of the firstborn, though that was the immediate result. The real reason they sacrificed lambs was so that they might be delivered from slavery in Egypt!

If we line up the Exodus story with the story of Jesus, we can see some fascinating correlations. This chart–which is not exhaustive by any means– is based on my notes from studying the Gospel of Mark and comparing it to the Passover narrative in Exodus:

As you can see here, there are remarkable connections between the story of Passover and the story of Jesus, and there are more that I could have listed but left out to save room. All this is to reiterate: Jesus’ death on the cross certainly brings forgiveness of sins. But the deeper implication is that his death and resurrection bring us victory over death and the devil, and liberation from the kingdom of darkness.

4. This connection with Passover should give us a grander picture of what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished

Some Christians argue viciously about the various theories of atonement; i.e., what did Jesus’ death on the cross actually accomplish? Those who hold to Penal Substitutionary Theory or Anselm’s Satisfaction Theory generally argue that Jesus’ death was solely to forgive our sins by being a sacrifice to God in our place. If that were true, then the holiday that would best correspond to Jesus’ death would have been Yom Kippur. In Yom Kippur, a bull would be slaughtered and a scapegoat would be driven away to take away the sins of the people. But as we’ve seen, Jesus did not choose to die at Yom Kippur. To put it more bluntly, Jesus was not the bull of God or the goat of God, he was the lamb of God (John 1:29)!

So, if we look at the cross with Passover in mind, Jesus’ death is not a payment to God to satisfy a desire for justice. Instead, it is how God’s people are liberated from their true enemies: sin, death, and the devil. Instead of an exodus of people out of Egypt, Jesus’ death on the cross brings an exodus of people out of the kingdom of darkness (Ephesians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 2:14). Thus, this strengthens the Christus Victor Theory of atonement, wherein the death of Jesus represents a total victory over the powers of evil.

Now, please hear me: I’m not saying that Jesus’ death doesn’t bring forgiveness of sins. What I am saying is that forgiveness is merely the vehicle to bring humans out of our captivity to the kingdom of darkness and into a new kingdom to be his people. Forgiveness itself is not the end-all be-all, any more than the sacrifice of the lambs was the end-all-be-all of Passover. Each of those things is in service of a bigger picture.

I want to close by noting that for the Jewish people, Passover is the foundational narrative. It all goes back to being liberated from captivity in Egypt. Other Jewish holidays matter, but for them that’s the main origin story of their entire people group (even more prominent than God’s calling of Abraham in Genesis 12). So for Christians, I believe we would have a much different perspective of God if we saw Jesus’ death and resurrection not as a “get out of jail free card,” but instead as the foundational turning point wherein he deals a fatal blow against the powers of darkness in order to liberate his people. And I think the connection to Passover helps to make that very clear.

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, he utterly conquers our arch-nemesis and liberates us out of slavery and into glorious freedom. That’s the meaning of Passover, and that’s the meaning of the cross.

Free Resource: Politics Bible Study Guide

Christians need to know and be able to discuss what Scripture teaches about politics. The word “politics,” after all, comes from the Greek word “polis,” meaning “city-state.” Politics simply refers to the way that people living in a large community (such as a city, state, or country) make decisions about power and resources. And since Jesus calls his followers to love our neighbors, obedience to Jesus will necessarily mean every Christian is involved in “politics”—broadly speaking—in one way or another. While the particulars may vary from place to place, and person to person, no one who follows Jesus’ commands can be fully exempt from political life.  

In this 10-week guide (link at bottom), I introduce 10 different passages of Scripture throughout the Bible that engage with the idea of politics (plus a bonus passage at the end). These are not an exhaustive list of passages that deal with politics; in fact, it would be difficult to find a single page of the Bible that doesn’t have some reference to rulers, justice, laws, wars, or another political topic! Instead, I tried to choose a variety of passages from both Old and New Testaments that take different looks at how God’s people are meant to engage with politics. Additionally, this is NOT a partisan guide that is attempting to sway people to support one single American political party in 2024. My goal was to create a guide that would be broadly applicable no matter when it is used or the political context.

But first, let me give you a warning: This is NOT a Bible study series meant to confirm everything you already believe about politics. In fact, if you read the Bible with an open mind and expect it to align perfectly with a specific political platform, you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, this guide is designed to zoom out to take a broader look at how God’s people are meant to engage with issues of power, justice, and political organization.

Written thousands of years ago, these passages may feel challenging to you, or distant from the political questions we face today. It may be tempting to try to fit the Bible into your pre-existing beliefs. But if instead you are willing to engage with Scripture thoughtfully, wrestling with the text in small group discussion and seeking to observe, interpret, and apply God’s Word, you will be surprised by how relevant and timely these ancient words are. It is possible that some of your political views may be reinforced, but it’s also possible that they will be challenged.

Are you willing to let your views of politics be conformed to Scripture, rather than the other way around? Are you willing to allow God-breathed Scripture to blow into your life, even if it messes with your pre-existing categories? My hope and prayer is that you are, and that in community you are able to experience a fresh vision of God’s approach to politics.

(These passages are designed to be studied using the “inductive manuscript method” utilized by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For more on how to lead an inductive manuscript Bible study, visit howto.bible ).

To download my Politics Bible Study Series, click here:

Politics-Bible-Study-SeriesDownload

PS: if you’re curious, here are the passages I go through in my guide: 

Session 1: Genesis 1:26-2:3. The Image of God 

Session 2: Genesis 11:1-9. The First Empire 

Session 3: Genesis 41:25-57. Joseph’s Diligent Use of Political Power 

Session 4: Leviticus 25:1-42. The Year of Jubilee, a Reset Button for Society 

Session 5: 1 Samuel 8:1-22. The Israelites Demand a King 

Session 6: Jeremiah 29:4-14. Seek God’s Shalom Even in Exile 

Session 7: Nehemiah 1:1-2:8. Nehemiah Advocates for His People 

Session 8: Luke 4:1-13. The Temptations of Jesus 

Session 9: John 18:28-19:16. The ‘King of the Jews’ 

Session 10: Romans 12:9-13:8. Loving Those in Authority 

Bonus Session: Revelation 18:1-13, 21:1-4, 21:23-22:2. A Tale of Two Cities

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

New Trump Campaign Ad: “God Made Trump”

Last week, former President Donald Trump shared a new 3-minute campaign ad on Truth Social titled “God Made Trump.” This video has also aired at his official campaign rallies, with some attendees reportedly stretching out their hands in a posture of worship. With stirring music and images (and based on the famous “God made a farmer” ad), the video is worth watching in full to give you insights into Trump, his campaign, and his supporters. Here’s the transcript of the ad:

On June 14 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, I need a caretaker. So God gave us Trump.

God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, fix this country, work all day, fight the Marxists, eat supper, then go to the Oval Office and stay past midnight at a meeting of the heads of state.’ So God made Trump.

‘I need somebody with arms strong enough to wrestle the Deep State and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to ruffle the feathers, tame the cantankerous World Economic Forum, come home hungry, have to wait until the First Lady is done with lunch with friends. Then to tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon. And mean it.’ So God gave us Trump.

‘I need somebody who can shape an axe, but wield a sword. Who had the courage to step foot in North Korea. Who can make money from the tar of the sand, turn liquid to gold, who understands the difference between tariffs and inflation. Will finish his 40 hour week by Tuesday noon, but then put in another 72 hours.’ So God made Trump.

God had to have somebody willing to go into the den of vipers, call out the fake news where their tongues are as sharp as a serpents–the poison of vipers is on their lips–and yet stop. So God made Trump.

God said, ‘I need someone strong and courageous. who will not be afraid or terrified of the wolves when they attack. A man who cares for the flock. A shepherd to mankind who will never leave nor forsake them. I need the most diligent worker to follow the path, and remain strong in faith and know the belief of God and country. Somebody who’s willing to drill, bring back manufacturing and American jobs, farm the lands, secure our borders, build our military, fight the system all day and finish a hard week’s work by attending church on Sunday.’

And then his oldest son turns and says, ‘Dad, let’s make America great again. Dad, let’s build back a country to be the envy of the world again.’

So God made Trump.

As an evangelical Christian who has been very critical of Trump and his Christian supporters, you might think I would deny the very premise of the ad. And to be fair, I could of course argue that God didn’t send Trump, it’s just that enough Americans voted for him that he was elected–our own free will brought him into office.1 Or I could hypothetically argue, as I did satirically here, that it was Satan who brought Trump into power. Or I could simply focus on how Trump is flirting with blasphemy, since he is saying that he–not Jesus–is a shepherd who will never leave nor forsake us.

I won’t argue either of those today. Instead I’ll just hypothetically wonder: what if God did indeed give us Trump?

In the Hebrew Scriptures (1 Samuel 8), the Israelites ask for a king so that they may be like the other nations. They want a powerful leader, a strongman, to fight for them and defeat their enemies. God names this desire as idolatry, and warns the Israelites of the disastrous outcomes that will follow from having a strongman king. But they persist in demanding it, so he ultimately lets the people have what they want. Sometimes God gives us the thing that we desperately demand, even if He knows it will be bad for us.

Obviously, not everyone in America wanted Trump to be elected president, least of all me. But I wonder if Trump is indeed the incarnation of who we are collectively as a nation. America, like Trump, is:

Sexually impure, adulterous

Self-absorbed, longing to be a celebrity

Addicted to social media and television

Practices unhealthy eating and sleeping habits

Petty, flippant, and impulsive, yet with the ability to hold grudges for a long time

Cynically using religion as a weapon to win earthly battles

Greedy

Dismissive of the cares of the downtrodden and lowly

So, what if God did give us Trump, to be a judgment on America and reveal what this nation truly is?

Lord, have mercy.

“And on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.” -1 Samuel 8:18

  1. This is my actual view. I think God gives humans lots of freedom and free will, for better or worse. Sometimes we make good decisions, but sometimes we make bad ones. In other words, ultimately I don’t think God gave us Trump. We did. ↩︎

Ways I Encountered God During My Sabbatical (and Key Lessons Learned)

My 6-month sabbatical, which concludes July 8, has been a rich, fulfilling time of rest, rejuvenation, and restoration. I am so grateful that InterVarsity has both the systems and structures that allow for sabbatical, as well as the culture that supported me in taking it. It’s hard to summarize 6 months of experiences in one document, and it’s possible that some realizations will only emerge after more time has passed, but here is my current list of highlights. At the end are the main lessons that I learned that I hope to bring forward with me after I return to work. 

Ways I encountered God

Time with kids:

  • Told numerous Bible stories to Luke per his request! Luke’s favorites involved Jesus calming the storm and appearing to the disciples after his resurrection. 
  • Having a solo week with Luke while Liz was away with Ellie. We were able to eat dinner at a farmer’s market, had lunch at a Nepalese restaurant, hiked along a stream, and ate ice cream
  • Was able to be fully present with kids when they were sick and stayed home from daycare
  • Spent significant time with Ellie every Tuesday and Wednesday. We often went to the library or to the Dickinson art gallery. 

In Church:

  • Being able to fully engage with and enjoy a small group and the Alpha course
  • Having a deeper sense of community with the diverse people who attend our church
  • After a sermon series about loving one’s neighbors, intentionally taking Luke with me to hand out cookies and donuts to our nearby neighbors—discovering that 3 people who attend our church also live on our block! 

Spiritual Reflection:

  • Met with a spiritual director each month
  • Journaled regularly
  • Took a total of 10 Retreat Days, mostly at Stillwater Retreat center in Carlisle

Reading and writing: 

  • Read ~35 books, especially books that covered topics like power, politics, and faith
  • Read through old journals from 2008-2013, seeing in the pages how I grew as a person and as a follower of Jesus. I saw how angsty and insecure I was when I was younger, and how I slowly grew more confident and secure as God kept leading me forward. 
  • Wrote ~15 blogs about faith, philosophy, politics, and even Star Wars!
  • Created a 9-week small group Bible study guide on the theme of “Politics in the Bible”
  • Listened to the Good Faith podcast and the Bible Project podcast

Outdoor activity:

  • Skied at Roundtop Mountain on 7 occasions, despite the limited snow this winter
  • Hiked at White Rocks, Pole Steeple, Oppossum Lake, Kings Gap, Letort Stream, Waggoner’s Gap
  • Kayaked on the Conodoguinet and canoed in the Poconos
  • Sat on the beach at Fuller Lake

Conversations with friends:

  • In person visits with Jason & Megan, Andrew & Sam, Neil, Mark, Kirk, Jeff & Sam, Ian, Steve & Meg, Joanne, Emery, Sean & Nicole Tim, Ryan, Colin, Grace, Rella, and many others
  • Phone calls with Betsy, Rob, Avi, Lauren, Tom, and many others

At home:

  • Set up a basement “lair” for myself to retreat to 
  • Was able to enjoy cooking more frequently and thinking through more elaborate meals
  • Hired a construction company to tear down our old fence and build a new one 
  • More meaningful time with Liz

Travel:

  • Trip with Liz to Stasbourg, France for a wedding. Had an Airbnb overlooking what had been the tallest cathedral in Europe, and had time to explore numerous old streets, churches, and architecture
  • Family vacation in the Poconos right on a gorgeous lake
  • Trips to Longwood Gardens 
  • Trip to Newburgh for Memorial Day
  • Upcoming trip to Massachusetts 
View of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg, France

Lessons Learned During Sabbatical

1. I should pay more attention to my feelings and desires, rather than ignoring them. They often point to a helpful next step. Over sabbatical I got better at listening to my body and soul. When I felt lonely, I reached out to a friend. When I felt hungry, I made sure to find something I wanted to eat. When I felt sick, I took it easy and rested. When I felt bored, I left the house to run errands or went on a hike. When I return to work I want to make sure I keep listening to my own feelings and desires and responding accordingly. 

2. I can have confidence and security in myself as I build my life on Jesus. I don’t have to be anxious, worried, or panicked even if others are, because I know where my foundation is. On the flip side, I don’t have to get sucked into thinking the grass would always be greener if something about my situation changed. God has brought me step by step to this current location, life, family, and career, and I must continue to be grateful and intentional in all of those things, trusting him to keep leading me.  

3. Institutions, organizations, and systems of power matter a lot, but the way Christians interact in them should be different compared to others. A Christian should long for a slow and steady influence over a longer amount of time, rather than trying to achieve a flashy big impact all at once. Similarly, the best way to change culture is not just to critique it, but to create more of it. And lastly, as intense as this political moment is right now, Millennials such as myself should not burn ourselves out trying to fix everything right now. We need to be preparing ourselves and our own institutions for what’s going to come in the next 20-30 years, when we enter senior leadership and become the next generation of leaders.

4. Do not ignore the Holy Spirit and prayer. Through reading books and reflecting on my own experiences, it becomes more and more clear to me how important it is to be aware of the reality of the spiritual realm and the power of God in bringing hope and healing. One move of the Holy Spirit it worth 50 attempts solely in my own power.