Should Christians Celebrate Passover? Biblical Answer

Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples is well known in Christianity — but it was also an important meal for a different reason. The Last Supper was, in fact, a meal during the celebration of Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were the first festivals God commanded the Israelites to celebrate. This was one of three festivals that were meant to bring all of Israel together to celebrate in Jerusalem and was a time of rejoicing and thanking God for His deliverance. So why don’t Christians celebrate Passover? After all, didn’t Jesus celebrate it? To find out the answers, we’ll need to go back to the beginning.

Christians do not universally celebrate Passover today because the church gradually shifted its focus from the Old Testament feast itself to Christ, the true Passover Lamb, and to the celebration of His death and resurrection. Even so, Passover still has deep biblical meaning for Christians because it helps explain God’s deliverance, Jesus’ sacrifice, and the gospel story more clearly.

Why Don’t Christians Celebrate Passover?

Most Christians do not celebrate Passover in the same way Jewish people do because the church came to center its worship on Jesus’ fulfillment of Passover through His death and resurrection. Over time, as the church became more Gentile and Easter became the primary Christian celebration, Passover was less commonly observed. Still, many Christians continue to study Passover because it points powerfully to Christ as the Passover Lamb.

Origins of Passover

The story of how Passover came to be is found in the book of Exodus. At this time, the Hebrew people (soon to be called Israelites) were enslaved in Egypt. God sent a man named Moses to the pharaoh, commanding the pharaoh to let God’s people go. When the pharaoh refused, God sent a series of ten plagues upon Egypt. After the tenth plague, the pharaoh finally agreed to let the people go.

What was that tenth plague? It was the death of every firstborn in Egypt. And that was the night of the first Passover. To prepare for the tenth plague, God told His people to sacrifice a spotless lamb and paint their doorposts and lintels with its blood (Exodus 12:3-7). He then gave instructions on a special meal they should eat, a meal symbolic of readiness.

God explained, “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). God then gave instructions on how to celebrate Passover, which would commemorate this time and His deliverance.

What Is Passover?

Passover occurs from the 15th to the 21st of the Jewish month of Nissan, which is in March or April by our calendar. On these seven days, the Israelites were to eat nothing with leaven in it, to symbolize the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt. A traditional Passover meal consists of fire-roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread, according to God’s directives (Exodus 12:8). Once Israel reached the Promised Land, they were to travel to Jerusalem each year to celebrate the Passover. You can learn more about the specifics of Passover here.

Did Jesus Celebrate Passover?

As a Jew, Jesus celebrated Passover. Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem every year for Passover, as God had directed (Luke 2:41), and, as an adult, Jesus continued to return to Jerusalem for Passover and is recorded as going there more than once with His disciples (John 2:13). The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem occurred as Jesus entered the city to celebrate Passover. The Last Supper, before Jesus was arrested and put to death, was a Passover meal.

What Does the New Testament Say about Passover?

The first Christians were Jews, and as such, continued to worship in synagogues and partake in many Jewish customs. Paul, though an apostle to the Gentiles, appears to have continued celebrating Passover (Acts 18:21; Acts 20:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). However, the New Testament focuses more on the Passover’s foreshadowing of Christ than on the celebration itself:

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch — as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. - 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Just as the blood on the doorways of the Hebrews saved them from the death of their firstborn, the death of God’s firstborn, Jesus, is the blood that allows us to be saved from death. Jesus is likened to the sacrificial lamb. God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt was an early foretaste of His deliverance of all believers from sin.

Why Did We Stop Celebrating Passover?

As time went on, the church grew from majority Jewish to majority Gentile. These Gentiles were largely unaware of Jewish culture, so those things not specifically tied up with Christian doctrine were often lost. As Christians, the church was no longer bound by Old Testament law (Romans 7:4). With these laws, many of the associated customs also fell away. Eventually, the celebration of Easter became more prevalent than that of Passover.

In AD 325 at the Council of Nicaea, Easter was cemented as the day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and its date was also determined. This was when Easter perhaps most officially replaced Passover. In the Middle Ages, growing anti-Semitism in Europe led to even further distancing of Roman Catholics from all things Jewish. Later on, Reformation theology’s heavy emphasis on salvation by grace alone, not through works, also did not foster an environment conducive to celebrating Old Testament ritual. However, today more Christians are beginning to take an interest in Passover and its meaning for both Jewish people and Christians.

Why Passover Still Matters for Christians Today

Passover still matters for Christians because it helps us understand the bigger story of redemption. The Exodus points to God’s power to save, the blood of the lamb points to Christ’s sacrifice, and the meal itself reminds us that God has always been forming a people who remember His deliverance. Even if a Christian does not celebrate Passover formally, learning its meaning can deepen gratitude for the cross, the Last Supper, and the resurrection of Jesus.

Should Christians Celebrate Passover?

As Christians, we are no longer bound by Old Testament Law (Romans 10:4). However, the New Testament doesn’t forbid the celebration of Old Testament festivals. In the end, we must look to verses like Colossians 2:16-17:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

What matters is our worship of Christ. In some ways, this will look different for each person. Whether we celebrate the Passover or not, it is helpful to learn from it and remember Christ’s sacrifice as our Passover Lamb.

Frequently Asked Questions About Christians and Passover

Did Jesus celebrate Passover?
Yes. Jesus celebrated Passover as a Jewish man, and the Last Supper took place during Passover.
Why don’t most Christians celebrate Passover?
Most Christians do not celebrate Passover because the church gradually shifted toward Easter as the primary celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, especially as the church became more Gentile.
Does Passover matter for Christians?
Yes. Passover matters because it helps Christians understand God’s deliverance in Exodus and how Jesus fulfills that picture as the Passover Lamb.
Is it wrong for Christians to celebrate Passover?
The New Testament does not forbid Christians from observing Old Testament festivals, but it makes clear that the reality those festivals pointed to is found in Christ. Christians should approach the question with freedom, wisdom, and Christ-centered worship.

For Further Reading:

Alyssa Roat studied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University. She has worked as a literary agent at C.Y.L.E., the publicity manager at Mountain Brook Ink, and as a freelance editor with Sherpa Editing Services. She is the co-author of Dear Hero and has 200+ bylines in publications ranging from The Christian Communicator to Keys for Kids.

Why Don't Christians Celebrate Passover if Jesus Did?