Every spring, Easter arrives, bringing with it chocolate, rabbits, and eggs, along with familiar imagery for Christians: crosses, empty tombs, and, within the Christian tradition, the Last Supper, death and rebirth of Jesus Christ. However, beneath this celebration lies a much older story rooted in the Jewish observance of Passover (Pesach). Jesus did not create a new holiday; he participated in one that has been central to Jewish life for centuries.
The Last Supper was not a Christian innovation; it was a Jewish Passover meal. In 1st-century Jerusalem, Jewish pilgrims gathered in the city for Pesach, sharing lamb, matzah, and wine in homes or guest rooms. The Gospels describe Jesus doing precisely this with his disciples: reclining around a table, breaking unleavened bread, sharing wine, and singing hymns- all hallmarks of Second Temple era Passover customs.
During this meal, Jesus offered new interpretations of familiar symbols: bread became his body, and wine his blood. This was a moment of transformation, but it occurred within Judaism, not apart from it. Early Christians continued to celebrate Pascha (from Pesach), identifying Jesus’s death with the Passover lamb. Paul even referred to him as “our Passover sacrifice.”
Over time, the Church diverged from the Jewish calendar, especially after the 4th-century Council of Nicaea. However, the essence remained. The themes of liberation, sacrifice, and new life in the Easter story are impossible to grasp without Passover. Even today, some Christians hold educational Seders to honour Jesus’s Jewish context and learn more about it.
Easter began as a Jewish Passover.
The Last Supper was deeply rooted in Jewish ritual.
By recognising these shared origins, both communities can appreciate the depth of these inextricably linked traditions.
Chag Sameach & Happy Easter!
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