Pesach, or Passover, is steeped in biblical history, practice and significance. It is one of the three Feasts for which Jewish men are told to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread following it are a time of remembering God’s deliverance, ceasing from labor and experiencing refreshment. Modern-day celebrations include families and friends gathering not only to share in the Passover Seder but also for traveling, visiting and recreation.
The Passover recorded in the book of Exodus was a very different event. The enslaved, work-weary members of each Jewish household sheltered inside their home that night. They’d shut the door as soon as they’d followed the Lord’s protective mandate to apply the blood of a lamb on their doorframe. Each family in their own home gathered around the table and ate their Passover meal together – while outside, the death angel passed through with one final plague in judgment on Egypt.
This year’s Passover bears eerie yet profound similarities to that long-ago event. All over Israel – in fact, throughout the world – Jewish people will celebrate this Passover limited to their homes. Absent of the usual guests and extended family, members of their households alone will sit around their Seder tables. It will be a very different observance of this familiar Feast.
This, of course, is due to the coronavirus and ensuing mandates that so many nations and cities have established ordering people to “stay home” or “shelter in place.” Virtually all the world will be behind closed doors on Passover, waiting for the threat of death to pass.
Imagine how meaningful this must be for the Jewish people, especially those in the Land of Israel. In a time typically characterized by great celebration and fellowship, this confinement offers an opportunity for a deeper reflection than perhaps ever before on what their ancestors experienced.
Here are a few ways we can pray for the Jewish people during this year’s unique version of a familiar annual event. Please pray for:
- Jewish people to reflect on the meaning of Passover and receive revelation of Yeshua (Jesus) as the Lamb of God
- Believers who will be spending extra time this Passover under the same roof as unsaved household members, that they will be bold in sharing their faith and drawing parallels with the stories of deliverance and redemption found in the book of Exodus and the Gospels
- Believers in Israel and around the world to reach out to Jewish family and friends by phone and online to share the hope of salvation during Passover and this time of isolation
- Jewish people searching for an online Passover experience to encounter live-streamed Messianic Passover Seders and other resources that will point them to Jesus as their deliverer and the way to the Father
- Heart-felt conversations – spurred by any challenges of this time, such as fear, isolation or sickness – to arise about life, death and salvation through God’s appointed sacrifice Yeshua
- Special protection upon the elderly, frail and desperate, as well as front-line caregivers, that God would be merciful, spare lives, and bring about new life through the Good News
Let’s pray:
Father, we are in an unprecedented season for our generation, but You are still the God of miracles. We have heard of Your fame and renown, as in Your deliverance of Your people at Passover. Oh, Lord, renew Your miracles and wonders today, through the healing of nations and individuals, and the spreading of Your Good News worldwide. May revelation of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, as the Lamb of God and Savior spread globally, bringing revival and many, many Jewish people and their neighbors to salvation. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Get the Passover Infographic
This enlightening infographic will teach you the meaning of the Passover seder plate, the elements to include and the significance behind them.
