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1. Why it is repeatedly called a Pesach TO Yahweh – “le-Yahweh” (Ex 12:11; Lev 23:5; Num 9:10; Num 28:16; Deut 16:1; 2 Kings 23:21; 2 Chron 30:1; 2 Chron 35:1; etc – altogether 16 times).
2. The way Pesach and Unleavened Bread were seen as a unit in New Testament times: Mark 14:12 “On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they were slaughtering the Pesach lamb, his disciples said to Him, Where do You wish us to go and prepare, for You to eat the Pesach?”
3. The nature of Pesach, compared to other feasts. Deut 16:2 And you shall slaughter (NOT “keep”) the Pesach to Yahweh your Elohim. The other feasts (and the commandments!) were kept (“shamar”) but the Pesach was killed or slaughtered or offered (“asah”). It is pointing, very clearly, both forward and backward, towards the One who was killed, the One who was offered, on our behalf: Eph 5:2 “Messiah also has loved us, and gave Himself for us, a gift and an offering to Elohim for a sweet-smelling fragrance.”
4. The recurring theme of the Firstborn and how it links with being reborn. Col 1:18 Y’shua as the firstborn from the dead – “prototokos” – from the Greek words “proto” (first) and “tikto” (to be born).
5. How King YOSHIYAHU is related to Pesach. He assembled the people of Yehudah for a Pesach in Jerusalem that was the first in its kind (maybe the first, altogether?) in a period of approximately 430 years since the time of the Judges (430 is the same number of years as the stay in Egypt, before the Pesach of the Exodus). The meal of this Pesach consisted, among other items, of 37600 sheep and goats and 3800 cattle. That means that for every 32 people there were one bull (or cow) and 8 sheep – some of the meat roasted, and some cooked in pots – assuming that the number of people was around 120000 (remember that the Northern tribes were not present at this time). Yoshiyahu was a great reformer and one of the best kings of Yehudah, since the reign of David (350 years before). There were 4 kings that succeeded him, over a period of 25 odd years, before the Babylonian exile started off, about 590 before Messiah. It is said of all 4 of these that they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. That is why it is written in the book of Sirach that “in the days of wicked men he (Yoshiyahu) made godliness (or: the fear of Yahweh) to prevail”. He is someone who lived by the meaning of his name, “founded in Yahweh”.
6. How MEPHIBOSHET is related to Pesach. Mephiboshet was the grandson of king Saul and son of Jonathan, the good friend of David. When he was 5 years old, the members of his household received the news that his father and grandfather were both killed in a battle against the Philistines. In the rush to get to safety, the child fell and became lame in both legs for the rest of his life (2 Sam 4:4). Because of the special relationship between David and Mephiboshet’s father, Jonathan, David took it upon himself to always take care of Mephiboshet, whose life was often characterized by hardship and depression. The Hebrew word in 2 Sam 4:4 for “he became lame” is “Yippaseách”, a word derived from the same root as Pesach. The name “Mephiboshet” literally means “breaking the shame in pieces.” So, after Mephiboshet’s unique type of Pesach episode (when he became lame), David was instrumental in “breaking his shame to pieces” based upon Mephiboshet’s connection with Jonathan. For us, Pesach is a reminder that Yahweh has “broken our shame to pieces”, based upon our connection with his son, Y’shua. This is true, even for those who feel utterly helpless in themselves, yes, even for those who feel lame and unable to move forward. We know this, because it is written in Isaiah 35: “Be strong, for Yahweh is coming to save you … the LAME (literally: the pisseách – from the same root as Pesach) shall leap like a deer … waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert … and there shall be a highway, and it shall be called “The Way of Set-apartness … The unclean does not PASS OVER it (literally “avar” – from which the word “Hebrew” is derived), but it is for those who walk the way … the ransomed of Yahweh shall return and enter Tsiyon with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
