To grasp the significance of God's words, we must consider the reasons for God instituting the Passover feast. Firstly, the ancestors of Judah displayed ingratitude to their Benefactor, as they neglected the commandments of their Creator despite receiving numerous blessings. Upon their exodus from Egypt, they witnessed the dividing and restoration of the sea and were guided by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. However, they proclaimed, “Let us make for ourselves gods that shall go before us” (Exodus 32:1). What say you, O Jew? The miracles are still within reach, yet you have forgotten the One who bestows these blessings. In their insensitivity and lack of gratitude, God mandated commemorative feasts to remind them of His gifts. He commanded that the Passover lamb be sacrificed, so that when your children inquire about this feast, you may tell them that our ancestors in Egypt painted their doorframes with the blood of the lamb (see Exodus 13:14-15), so that the destroyer would not enter and bring death. Thus, the Passover always serves as a reminder for the people of Israel of their liberation from the bondage of Egypt.
Secondly, the ungrateful Jews not only remembered God's past mercies through the Passover feast, but they also anticipated the future grace to be brought by the Messiah, their Deliverer. The lamb of the Passover foreshadowed a greater Lamb, a spiritual counterpart, with the former being merely a shadow while the latter is the ultimate Truth. With the appearance of the Sun of righteousness, the shadow has faded; when the sun rises, shadows vanish. Therefore, both the figurative and the true Passovers were instituted at one meal (Luke 22). Just as artists blend lines and shades before applying vibrant colors, Christ combined the symbolic Passover with the true one at that meal. When His followers asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover?” they referenced the Passover of the Jews. However, once the Sun rises, the shadow shall no longer be seen; let the truth that has come replace the shadow.
This truth is echoed by the holy Chrysostom, who addresses the Jews, highlighting their misguided attempts to observe the Passover despite their current circumstances: “What manner of Passover do you celebrate, O Judeans? Your temple is destroyed, the altar lies in ruin, and the holy of holies is desecrated; all avenues for sacrifice are void. How can you carry on with such illegitimate practices? When you were taken captive to Babylon, your captors demanded, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion,’ and you could not comply. Even David lamented, ‘On the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept; when we remembered Zion’ (Psalm 136:1-3). In Babylon's rivers, they sat and wept, recalling their heritage and the instruments of music used in worship that they brought along not for use but to retain the memory of their sacred service. When asked by the captors to sing sacred songs, they responded, ‘How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’ (Psalm 136:3-4). Consider this: if you could not sing the Lord’s song amid captivity, how can you observe the Passover of the Lord in a strange land? What folly is this! How unjust! When their enemies compelled them, they would not sing outside their homeland; yet now they undertake this without external pressure, against God’s will.
Behold how the unleavened bread has become an abomination, and the feast itself a violation of the law. Do you assert that the Jewish Passover holds no place today? It once did, but it has been replaced by the spiritual Passover instituted by Christ during that time. To those who partake, it has been commanded: “Take, eat; this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.”
THEOSIS