For nearly 2,000 years, followers of Yeshua have observed the Feast of Passover, a tradition retained from the earliest Messianic Jews and Gentile believers alike. Far from a recent trend, this celebration reclaims the practices of Yeshua’s first followers who were observant Jews upholding biblical commandments. This enduring heritage continues to inspire a growing movement today, as many believers search for the Hebrew roots of their faith, seeking to align the lives with God’s Word.
What is Passover? The Feast of Passover is a special Appointed Time with YHWH (GOD), the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. HE commands HIS followers to observe Passover annually in the book of Exodus. Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) also gave His followers instructions to keep the Passover in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each apostle described how this command was given to them at the Last Passover Seder (Last Supper) with Yeshua in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.
GOD dictated in scripture the date for Passover – the First Month (Nisan), the fourteenth day, and the time – sunset. It is held in the springtime between the months of March and April on the Gregorian calendar that is used in the United States. You will need a Jewish calendar to find the date each year or visit GodTime.blog. You will find God’s command in Exodus 12 in detail:
14 “This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD. You are to celebrate it as a permanent statute for the generations to come.”
God’s instruction for believers to keep the Feast of Passover can be found in several key scriptures: Leviticus 23: 1-2, Numbers 9: 1-3, Deuteronomy 16: 1-2 and Exodus 12:1-20.
WHY DID YESHUA (JESUS) FOLLOWERS CELEBRATE PASSOVER –
The practice has deep historical roots that stretch from the first century when the earliest followers of Yeshua (Jesus) were all Jewish, and they continued celebrating Passover exactly as they always had — but now with the understanding that:
- Yeshua is the Passover Lamb
- His Last Supper was a Passover Seder meal
- The Messiah’s death and resurrection occurred in Passover Week and Yeshua brought Passover’s ancient symbols to their intended completion (fulfillment).
The Book of Acts shows the early believers kept the all the biblical festivals. From the 1st to the 4th centuries, historical writings from early church fathers (even those who were hostile to Jewish believers) confirmed that:
- Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua continued observing Passover
- They kept it on the biblical date; 14th of Nisan (First Month on the Biblical Calendar)
- They interpreted it through the lens of Messiah.
These early Jewish Yeshua-believers were often called Nazarenes or Ebionites (a 1st–4th century Jewish-Christian sect) and their history of celebrating Passover dates back to the original disciples who commemorated the death and resurrection of the Messiah annually at the Passover Feast. The celebration was universally known as Pascha, the Greek/Aramaic word for Passover. The English word “Easter” did not exist in the 1st–3rd centuries and only appears later in Germanic languages.
WHAT IS MESSIANIC?
Acts 11:26 records that “the disciples were called Messianic first in Antioch.” This places the origin of the term firmly in the mid‑1st century CE. At its core, Messianic simply means “belonging to the Messiah.” The term Messianic comes from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ “Mashiach” meaning “Anointed One” or One set apart for a divine purpose or the Promised Redeemer. The Greek equivalent of “Mashiach” is Χριστός (Christos), which gives us the English word Christ and the term “Christian.” The term appears as “Christian” two more times in the English version of the New Testament.
WHAT DATE TO KEEP PASSOVER?
By the 2nd century, Gentile Christians were already debating among themselves how to calculate the date of Pascha. This is the famous Quartodeciman Controversy (Fourteenth Day Observer Controversy), where believers in Asia Minor held the feast on Nisan 14, regardless of what day of the week tit was; while others insisted it must be on a Sunday. Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–339 AD), often called the “Father of Church History,” was a 4th-century bishop, scholar, and historian. As a key figure in early Christianity he records that this debate was happening around 190 CE, and that the practice was even older — going back to Polycarp and possibly the apostles.
Polycarp was personally trained by John the Apostle, the same John who wrote the Gospel and Revelation. Polycarp served as the bishop (overseer) of the congregation in Smyrna, a major city in Roman Asia Minor. This means the “Christian” practice of observing the Passover Feast was already well‑established long before Nicaea.
The Council of Nicaea (325 CE), organized by the Roman Church, officially separated Pascha from Passover. They did not change the name to “Easter,” the word did not exist then; they standardized the date for celebrating the “Resurrection Feast” aka Passover. The council decided that the feast of the Resurrection must be kept on a Sunday only and it must be calculated independently of the Jewish Passover calendar which in essence is the Biblical Calendar created by GOD. This was meant to unify the Roman Empire’s churches, which were divided between those who kept Passover on Nisan 14, and others who celebrated the Resurrection on the following Sunday after Passover.
Both Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians were told to stop celebrating Passover on 14th of Nisan (First Month on the Biblical Calendar), the biblical date set by GOD in the scriptures. Jewish believers who continued celebrating Passover were marginalized. But that did not stop the small communities of Jewish Yeshua-believers who continued their Passover observance in the Middle East, Syria, North Africa and later in Europe. Their numbers were small, but the tradition survived.
The modern Messianic Jewish revival began in the 1960s–1970s, and with it came Messianic focused Passover Seders. This is when the practice became visible again on a large scale. But it was not new — it was a restoration of something ancient.
The core structure of the Passover Seder service is the same everywhere, but the order of service and emphasis can vary between Orthodox Judaism, the various sects of Judaism, Messianic Jewish communities, and even Christian congregations that honor Passover and the other Biblical Holy Days. The differences in the order of service for Passover are not random; they reflect different liturgical traditions, scripture readings and theological interpretations.
All the followers of the Messiah – Jew and Gentile in Judaism and Christianity; and everything in between all have one command from Yeshua; a command He gave to His followers at His Last Passover Seder in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. In a profound statement, Yeshua shifts the focus of Passover Feast from its ancient Mosaic observance to a New Covenant Messianic celebration!
The scripture says, “Also, taking a piece of matzah, he made the b’rakhah, (blessing) broke it, gave it to them and said, “This is My Body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of ME.” (Luke 22:19(CJB)
It is my most sincere prayer that all the followers of the Messiah would follow the instructions of Yeshua and the traditions of the early Jewish Yeshua-believers to honor and keep the Passover. Hopefully all believers will come to recognize that they have an appointment with God on Nisan 14th and that they are expected to come to the Father’s Table for sacred fellowship at the Appointed Time of the Passover Feast!
Summary of the Evidence
Historical Period | Evidence Type | Sources |
1st century | Biblical | Luke 22; Acts 12; Acts 20; 1 Cor 5 |
2nd–4th centuries | Early church writings | Epiphanius, Eusebius, Quartodeciman records |
Post‑Nicaea | Historical church records | Council of Nicaea documentation |
Modern era | Messianic Jewish organizations | Jews for Jesus, The Jewish Voice and The Ancient Way |
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