Why the Jewish Calendar Matters...

...to believers

The following information was shared on my private social media site last week.  After the response I
received, I decided to formulate it into a blog post. The intention is to educate and challenge believers to dig deeper into Who God is, what He meant, what He expects, and what we as Christ followers need to do next now that we are accountable for what we know.

In years past, I've always enjoyed Holy Week. It is a week full of history and symbolism, reflecting on  Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His last supper, His mock trial, His scourging, His crucifixion, His death, and ultimately His resurrection.

But my studies have taught me there's more to the story. The Jewish calendar matters. And this year proves it more than ever.

My sister calls Easter "the Christmas of spring." Baskets, eggs, candy, gifts...either no mention of the cross or additions to the cross. Even churches promote these Easter things and call it outreach. It's as if the stark pain and suffering of Christ's death is too harsh and must be sugar coated (LITERALLY!!). We have been convinced that we must let our children have fun rather than teach them their need of a Savior.

Many don't realize the pagan roots of Easter (and Christmas). Did you know Easter comes from the word Ishtar (Ashtarte)? She is called the Queen of Heaven in the book of Jeremiah and worship of her invoked God's anger. "The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse My anger" (verse 7:18). She was worshiped as the goddess of fertility and reproduction. The symbols of fertility and reproduction??? Eggs! Rabbits!

Why do you suppose the two most poignant moments of creation - the Messiah's birth and death - have been blurred and twisted and mocked by the world? Could it be to divert our attention from the Truth? Could it be to deceive unbelievers? Or could it be to confuse the body of Christ?

This information is specifically for my Christian readers. I want to speak directly to your hearts. I want to remind you that Jesus is still Jewish so the Jewish things matter! We focus so much on Christians being an individual group from everyone else that we forget the first Christians were Jews. The biblical, God centered alternative to Easter is Passover. The feasts of the Lord will be celebrated even in the millennium. The enemy wants our attention off the things that matter and the more believers look like unbelievers in our practices, the more people are led astray.

When we stand before God and He says, "You heard that these things grieved me. You knew that they were things of the world, yet you did them anyway. Why?" Facing God and answering those questions is my burden. That's what started my studying of these things so many years ago. I'm not trying to condemn anyone, but educate. There is a responsibility in the knowing. There's a responsibility in the not knowing also, but once you know...you either decide to make changes or you intentionally decide to be like the world. There's no gray area, no justification of "what I mean by it is this" or "well God knows my heart." It doesn't matter what our intentions are. It matters what God thinks and says about the topic. And He wants us to know what He thinks and says about this topic!!!

In the midst of all this discussion about Easter, I wanted to tell you about the wonderful Jewish holiday of Purim. It has baskets and gifts and food; there's charity to the needy and neighborly love. There are even costumes! Purim, the celebration of the story of a real queen, a true queen - Queen Esther.  This year Purim was three days before Easter.  Her are links for more information.
http://m.chabad.org/…/aid/1362/jewish/Purim-How-To-Guide.htm
http://m.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Purim

All last week, I presented the information above about Easter, its origins, and its false ties to Christianity. But there's one final piece of information I want to offer you that I think will blow your mind.

My opening comments said that the Jewish calendar matters and this year proves it more than ever. So I'd like you to look at your calendar. Find a real hard copy, not your phone. On March 25th it should say Good Friday. This day is traditionally accepted as the date of the crucifixion of Christ. Then Sunday, March 27th will say Easter, which is traditionally accepted as the resurrection of Christ. Now turn your calendar to April 23rd. If your calendar is like mine, it says Passover. Biblically this is the date that the angel of death passed over the Jewish homes and the death of every first born occurred in Egypt. It is also biblically the day that Jesus was crucified. The first Passover was a foreshadowing of the second Passover (but that's another post). 

On the Jewish calendar, Passover is always the same date: Nisan 14. The day of the week can vary, but the date is the same. So why is this important?

Are you ready?

Because you can't have the Resurrection one month before the death happens.

Now do you see the problem with celebrating Easter as the resurrection? Besides being rooted in a pagan fertility goddess, the day doesn't align with the timetable of events!

I hold sacred the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I hold dear the price He paid for my sins. I carry the promise of hope in His resurrection. But I do it at the time it actually happened. Jewish tradition does not hold a person's birthday as important. At birth, a baby has accomplished nothing. What the Jewish culture does regard as important is the day a person dies. At that point, there is a life to look back on. This is why there is no exact date of Christ's birth. Outside of being the Messiah, as a Jewish child, His birth was not remarkable. It was His death - and resurrection - that was noteworthy. It is why we know that He died on April 3, 33AD, on the feast of Passover.  We also know He was resurrection on April 5, 33AD, which is Nisan 16, The Feast of Firstfruits.  (But that's for another post as well.)

I'll be celebrating the Savior's life, death, and resurrection in a few weeks. Now that you know, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the Savior appropriately.

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