by Harry BuererPaul’s first epistle to the Corinthians seems to have been written immediately before or after the biblical festival of Passover. He mentions it a number of times in addressing his readers.
One reason for thinking that Paul was writing at Passover time is the explicit time frame that he mentions in chapter 16. He expresses a desire to visit Corinth after going through Macedonia. But he is currently in Ephesus, and he says, “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost…” (16:8). Pentecost, as you know, is the Greek term for the biblical festival of Shavuot, or Weeks, that comes fifty days after Passover.
There are also internal evidences that Paul had Passover on his mind when writing to the Corinthians. In chapter five he is discussing immorality within the congregation. He is comparing the sin with leaven/yeast in bread in that a little of it works its way through the whole batch, so they should get rid of the sin, like unleavened bread. “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” (5:7-8)
Even though Paul is interpreting the Passover bread and yeast in a somewhat allegorical sense, it’s clear that he expects his readers (mostly Gentiles) to observe the Passover and learn lessons about life from its symbolism.
Paul goes even deeper into discussing Passover in chapter 11 when he criticizes their actions during a recent Passover seder. In the traditional seder, there is a lot of liturgy to go through before the meal is served, and Paul criticizes the impatience of some (perhaps Gentiles) who go ahead and start eating the food before the proper time in the ceremony. He clarifies that the purpose of celebrating Passover is not to eat (you can do that at home) but to commemorate the things God has done.
He then goes into a review of Christ’s last Passover seder with his disciples as recorded in the gospels. On this occasion, Christ gives no hint that he intends to initiate a new ceremony. Instead, he is celebrating Passover with his disciples in the biblically prescribed manner. There is a lot of symbolism in the events of the seder that recall the deliverance from Egypt. Jesus is telling his disciples to apply this same symbolism to his passion and death which delivers from sin.
Jesus has already been compared to the Passover lamb by John at his baptism. (John 1:29) Now he compares himself to the Passover matzah, the unleavened bread. In the same way that the matzah is ceremonially broken at the seder, Jesus’ body is broken in death.
He uses the third cup (out of four), the cup of Redemption, to signify his blood to be shed on the cross to bring redemption from sin. As the blood of the lamb was spread on the doorpost of the house in Egypt so that God would not exact punishment on that household, so the shed blood of Jesus tells God to spare the believer from the punishment for sin that Jesus took, inaugurating the new covenant that is foreseen in Jeremiah 31.
Jesus then went on to instruct his disciples to continue to observe Passover until his return, but when they did it, to apply the symbolism to his suffering and death as well as to the deliverance from Egypt. “For whenever you eat this bread (the Passover matzah) and drink this cup (the third cup of Passover), you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (I Cor. 11:26)
It’s a shame that so many followers of Jesus have misapplied this passage to create a new ceremony that has no biblical warrant at all, and to dilute it by performing it monthly, weekly, or daily. Many of these same people ignore Passover entirely, and substitute other, man-made holidays for the ones God ordained.
It wasn’t an accident that the passion of Jesus took place during the Passover season; it was God’s perfect timing. And Paul urges his readers, Gentiles as well as Jews, to celebrate the Passover in commemoration of God’s gracious deliverance, both from Egypt, and its analog, the redemption of Christ on the cross.