light in the darkness

Pesach and Easter

I wrote this blog this time last year at Easter and Pesach and I have copied and pasted it as I want to share it again.
It appears here in slightly edited form.

Pesach and Easter – both occur over the weekend of the full moon. At the Council of Nicea in 325 AD it was agreed that both celebrations would be linked to the full moon on or following the vernal equinox (in the northern hemisphere) and the autumnal equinox (in the southern hemisphere) and thus would fall on any Sunday between 22 March and 22 April.

 Chag Sameach to all of you – may it be a blessed time. And the same to all of you for Easter, may it be a blessed time.

Just some thoughts from me about Easter and Pesach.

Someone on the radio last year took exception to people saying ‘Happy Easter’. That person said it was not a happy time because of Christ’s death. There was a brief discussion – this was not the topic of conversation on the radio – but the anchor did say that it was also a time of redemption and renewal. He captured this very well in a few words.

Pesach or the Passover has a different focus to Easter. Pesach is what it says .. a Passover.  Pesach is a time for ‘looking back to the going forward’, whereas Easter is inter alia a remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion and His resurrection. Pesach commemorates the Exodus (Greek : going out; second book of the Bible) of the Israelites from Egypt who up until then had lived as slaves since the time of Joseph. Four hundred years after the end of Genesis, Moses led the children of Israel to the land which God promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Moses and the Israelites had lived as slaves under the rule of Pharaoh and the Pharaoh refused to release them. God sends 10 plagues upon Egypt, the last of which was the slaying of the first born in any home. But, God told Moses, none of the Israelites would be killed – their homes would be passed-over. Pharaoh pleads with Moses to end the plagues and so lets the Israelites free. They flee their homes with unprepared and unleavened bread and also after slaying their lambs. The Pharaoh reneges on the deal and chases after the Israelites but Moses strikes the Red Sea which parts and the Pharaoh and his army are drowned. And as Joseph requested on his death-bed: Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for Joseph had surely sworn to the children of Israel, saying: God will surely remember you, and you shall carry my bones away with you. Exodus 13:19.  This amazing story tells of the birth of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea under Moses, and their arrival at Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. There is much much more by way of narrative to this story but it is not my aim to re-tell it. On their journey from Egypt to Israel, their hardships are great and many. My aim is rather to focus a bit on what this annual and very religious time means at least in terms of my (probable) limited understanding; and also in a way that has nothing to do with my being Jewish or non-Jewish. I like to think back and wonder what it all means in terms of me, today; and the relevance for all of us today. And indeed, it is curious is it not, that Easter and Pesach overlap … and for me it is, as I write this, a duty almost, to look briefly at the symbolism of these two events.

Christ’s act of His descent into Hell after the crucifixion is the ultimate act of individuation. It is in preparation for His ascension into Heaven. The scriptures tell the story of Jesus and His life and they are beautiful beyond imagining. Every word, every setting, every moment is painfully poignant. They are also very challenging – to take in the words of the scriptures in a meaningful way, is to enter into the story and feel it. From all points of view, from every angle, I can’t help but see that the scriptures are very psychological indeed – they speak straight to the psyche. How can He not be celebrated, not least for sacrificing His own life that our sins be forgiven; but also for His unconditional love, His sympathy and empathy; His poetic justice; His showing us that the spirit alone is of value; His love for the sinner who repented … so for me the time of Easter is a remembrance of Jesus’ life and message.

The Pesach means for me the end of slavery and finally reaching the Promised Land; it is a remembrance of the fulfilment of God’s promise that is joyfully celebrated. In terms of my world today, it is timely to remember freedom from slavery which can take many forms .. being a slave to lust, material wealth, being trapped in so many ways and looking to myself to try to discern where I am a slave or trapped in my complexes. Joy in the possibility of being free from all forms of slavery; pain in Christ’s death – yet also a fulfilment of God’s promise and joy in that too.

The images of Moses and Jesus are alive and well and their message lives on

14 Comments on Pesach and Easter

  3. A significant time to reflect and would that we could carry these signs and stories of ultimate release into the Wesak full moon, the full moon in Taurus, a time for peaceful reflection and clearing.

    Thank you for such an informed and thoughtful piece. I find it calming and centering. Thank you for reminding us.

    • Hi Carol and thank you so much for your comment. It is a time for reflection isn’t it. Clearing – I like that. Calming, centering and clearing .. from Carol …. c’est le vie.

  4. Hi My Dear Friend,

    This is a courageous post, in days where the egos of people seem to be dominating the scenes of history. If only we were to sit back and look at the Pesach and the crucifixion we would discover not only the parallels, but the redeeming nature of both as they free us from our covetous thinking, illicit behaviors, mental depressions and bodily sicknesses that more than likely have a psychosomatic background.

    For me as a Christian, the Pesach has a special meaning. If that had not happened, then Jesus, the Son of God, would have never come into this world to save us. It is for me a fact that the Jewish people’s departure out of Egypt meant a new opportunity for everyone. What if they had stayed in Egypt? There would have never been a Mary or a Joseph, and the carpenter who came out of Nazareth would not have existed. So thank God for the Pesach. It was indeed necessary. The lamb was slain. The blood stain posted on the door symbolizing freedom to all who were behind the doors guaranteed life.

    The crucifixion is similar only this time the lamb was the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He was crucified, and the weight of the sins of the world were on his shoulders. He suffered and every mental depression, every sickness that I thought I had, every pain and anything else was on the cross with him. Again, it brought me eternal freedom, and also the freedom to live a purposeful life. When I accepted Christ as my Saviour, I was called out to live a life of integrity, a life that reaches out to others with helpful hands and not grabbing hands, to live a life of trust and faith. Living this kind of life is not easy, but the joy one receives by living it is indescribable.

    So thank you my dear friend for this very poignant remembrance of why we celebrate Pesach and Easter. Even though I am not Jewish, I celebrate both.

    Finally, I have only one thing to add: Moses truly died and was buried by God. But in the book of Matthew, chapter 17 verse 3, Moses and Elijah were transfigured on the Mountain and were talking to Jesus while Peter, James and John were sleeping. When they awoke they saw them, and Peter was so overjoyed he wanted to build three tabernacles.

    Jesus certainly did die on the cross but on the third day, after preaching to the lost souls in purgatory or hell, God raised him up. According to the Book of Acts, chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 Jesus was taken up, ascended into heaven. So the Son of God and Son of Man is no longer dead, he lives.

    Once again thank you my dear friend. It is always a special treat to read your articles and I enjoy every article I read.

    I wish you a joyful Pesach.

    Mo’adim lesimha.

    Shalom,
    Patricia

    • Patricia, thank you very much for your comment – I appreciate this so much.

      I immediately changed the last line of my blog – that was careless and silly of me … and thank you a million times for pointing out my grave error.

      What a lovely way of putting it about Pesach and that if it hadn’t been for freedom from slavery there wouldn’t have been the Son of The Father. The blood of the lamb being the stain that remembers and grants freedom is especially poignant.

      I wish you a blessed Easter and Pesach Patricia and thank you again for your thoughtful, reflective and beautifully written comment.

      Chag Sameach ..

      Susan.

  5. I enjoyed the reminder – thank you….such significant messages and we can take from both.
    A blessed Easter to you and the family x

  6. Thank you Gwynn! Both messages from the Jewish and Christian faiths are important and significant …
    May you have a blessed Easter with family!

  7. Susan, thanks for the inspiring reminder of what Easter and Pesach are really about. With so much commercialism we forget the true meaning. Also, because I’m not familiar with the Jewish faith I loved your comparison between Passover and Easter… it is a powerful message. As we prepare for the holiday I wish you and yours all that is wonderful.

  8. Hi Elaine, so nice of you to leave a comment and thank you for the lovely compliment!

    I went back you yours of Jan 3, and looked for the next blog and was re-directed to another site which did not open .. just to mention this just in case .. it could be from my side I don’t know (Johannesburg South Africa) but I though I would mention this?

  9. Hi, Susan! Thanks for visiting my blog! Good to see you again, and good for you to be ready to jump into the A to Z for 2013! I am less prepared, but very excited. We shall see…

    Your blog is beautiful. It has such a peaceful feel to it! Looking forward to visiting again soon!

Comments are closed.