Passover and the Church: Is it Still Relevant? Remembering the Story That Still Defines Us

Cup of blessing over the wine.

COPYRIGHT 2026 elizabeth shulam

Every year, as spring arrives, the Jewish people gather around a table and retell a story that refuses to stay in the past. Passover is not treated as distant history. It is remembered as participation. The language itself makes that clear: “It is the passover of the Lord” (Exodus 12:11, NRSV).

Not was.

Is.

For many in the Church, Passover is acknowledged in passing, often as background to the crucifixion of Yeshua or the Lord's Supper. It is referenced, then set aside. Yet the New Testament does not treat Passover as a discarded framework. It leans into it, draws from it, and assumes its meaning continues to shape the life of believers.

So the question becomes unavoidable:

Why does Passover remain relevant in the life of the Church?

The answer begins in Exodus, but it does not end there.

In Exodus 12, Israel is still in Egypt, still under oppression, still waiting for deliverance. God gives specific instructions: a lamb without blemish, its blood applied to the doorposts, a meal eaten in readiness. This is not ritual for its own sake. It forms a people. It teaches them how to see themselves. They are no longer defined by Pharaoh’s system. They are marked by God’s intervention.

Passover establishes a rhythm of remembrance tied to identity. It anchors Israel in a story of redemption that is both historical and ongoing. When later generations ask, “What do you mean by this observance?” (Exodus 12:26, NRSV), the answer is not abstract. It is narrative: “It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt” (Exodus 12:27, NRSV).

The New Testament assumes this foundation.

When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he does not distance Gentile believers from Passover language. He draws them into it: “For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8, NRSV). That statement is often read symbolically, but Paul’s wording is grounded in practice and continuity. The festival remains meaningful. The imagery remains active.

Yeshua Himself situates His final meal within this context. In Luke 22, He speaks of His deep desire to eat the Passover with His disciples. The bread and the cup are not introduced in isolation. They are interpreted within an existing framework of redemption, covenant, and deliverance.

This is where the Church sometimes hesitates. Passover is seen as belonging to “them,” while Communion belongs to “us.” Yet the text does not support such a clean separation. The categories are inherited, not replaced.

Passover teaches the Church how to understand redemption as a process that involves memory, participation, and transformation.

It also reframes freedom.

In Exodus, freedom is not simply leaving Egypt. It involves learning a new way of living under God’s instruction. The journey moves from deliverance to formation. The same pattern appears in the New Testament. Redemption through Yeshua leads into a life shaped by the Spirit, marked by ongoing alignment with God’s purposes.

Passover gives language for that movement.

It reminds believers that redemption has a cost, that identity is formed through remembering, and that freedom carries direction. These are not abstract ideas. They show up in ordinary life. In the choices that break old patterns. In the willingness to walk differently.

There is also a relational dimension that should not be ignored.

Passover connects the Church to the Jewish roots of its faith in a way that is concrete rather than theoretical. It challenges the tendency to read Scripture as if it emerged detached from Israel. The story of redemption does not begin in the New Testament. It continues there.

This has implications for how the Church relates to the Jewish people today. Remembering Passover with humility can cultivate respect, gratitude, and a clearer understanding of shared Scripture. It can also guard against theological assumptions that erase or replace Israel’s ongoing role in God’s purposes.

In practical terms, engaging with Passover does not require complexity. It begins with awareness. It grows through learning. It deepens through participation, even in simple forms. A meal, a reading of Exodus, a conversation around the table. These are consistent with the way Scripture invites remembrance to function.

The Church does not need to become something else to honor Passover. It needs to recognize what it has always been connected to.

Passover remains relevant for the Church since it reveals the pattern of redemption that continues through Yeshua, shapes identity through remembrance, and anchors believers in the ongoing story of God’s faithfulness.

Ignoring it does not remove its significance. It just leaves part of the story unexplored.