April 22, 2005

Jesus is Our Passover (a time with Fred Klett)

This is Haven Today and this is a special Passover program. And joining us from Philadelphia and WFIL radio is a good friend of mine. He’s been on this program before, Reverend Fred Klett. And Fred welcome back to Haven Today.
FK: Thank you Charles. It’s good to be with you again.
CM: Well, it is Passover time. It’s the month of Nissan in the Hebrew calendar and if you are Jewish and you are being faithful, you can’t eat bagels right now, but you were telling me earlier you can’t eat Matzo balls. Why is that?
FK: Well, Passover begins the weeklong feast of unleavened bread when the Israelites remember how they had to leave Egypt in a hurry and didn’t have time for the bread to rise. So for the whole week you can’t have anything with leaven, so no bagels, certainly, but you can have matzo which is the unleavened bread. And you can make pancakes out of matzo; you can make matzo ball soup out of matzo.
CM: Especially if you’re sick.
FK: Yeah, matzo ball soup is also called, “Jewish Penicillin” so it’s good for what ails you, it’s also delicious. Of course it keeps within the strictures of not having leaven during that week as well.
CM: OK. Alright. Now, we’ve got a lot of people listening to Haven Today who are “Goyim” you can explain that a little bit to us, but I’m going to read a verse of scripture here from the New Testament. This is the Apostle Paul writing, it’s from 1 Corinthians 5, “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are,” and Fred this is the passage I want you to explain to us as we get started, “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.”

FK: Paul there is tapping into Jewish tradition and history. Leaven in the context of Passover symbolizes sin. We see Jesus use that same metaphor when he talked about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees and so on. Leaven is symbolic of sin in Passover. So in a Jewish home you get the leaven out of your house, collect it all up, clean everything have a spring cleaning and so on so that you prepare for the Passover. And Paul is picking up on that concept saying, “We need to purge out, turn away from sin and get it out of our lives. And come to the Lord, our Passover lamb and come to him with sincerity and truth. And he is the one who has been sacrificed as the Passover lamb for us, for our redemption. What’s interesting is in Jewish tradition, as was the first redemption out of Egypt, so will be the Messianic redemption. And of course, Jesus the Messiah came at the Passover to be sacrificed as the Passover lamb, to bring a new exodus from sin and death in order to come serve him.
CM: And since, of course, many of us may not know all the details of Passover or “Pesach”. Am I saying it correctly?

FK: “Pesach”
CM: Pesach, OK. Most Christians think that Passover is held at the same time as Easter, and sometimes that is true but –
FK: That’s right. Well, there is a formula for when Easter falls depends on if you’re in the Western Church or the Eastern Church. And the Western Church, I think it goes like this, it’s the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. And in the Eastern Church you add into that formula, “and always after Passover”, which I have to say, I think makes more sense to have in the context of Passover. This year is unusual. The Jewish calendar has a leap year adding an extra month and so Passover’s coming late this year, about a month after Western Easter but it’s corresponding to Eastern Orthodox Easter, so it’s actually April 24 is the first day of Passover, the evening of April 23 would begin it this year. And so usually they correspond, this year is a little unusual. By the way, you mentioned “Pesach” that is the Hebrew for Passover. You also mentioned another Hebrew word, “Goyim”. If you don’t know what Goyim means, you probably are one of them.
CM: You are one, yes.
FK: Because Goyim means “the nations, the Gentiles”. And it means anybody who’s not Jewish, you know. In the Jewish way of classifying people there are the Jews and then there are the Goyim, everybody who isn’t a Jew, so that’s what that word means.
CM: and in some contexts it’s not always meant nicely is it?
FK: Well, no it isn’t although in the Bible it says Abraham will become the father of many Goyim, many nations. And it says in the Psalms, “Praise the Lord all ye Goyim.” Praise the Lord all ye nations. So the hope of the Psalms and the prophets and even of the Torah, the books of Moses was that the nations would know Israel’s God all the Goyim would eventually come and say the God of Israel is the true God indeed.
CM: Reverend Fred Klett who is an evangelist to Jews is on with us on Haven Today and we’re going to catch some music here from the King of Kings group in Jerusalem and we’re going to worship the Lord for a moment, here on Haven Today.

Song: At the Name of Jesus (Yeshua)
Performed by: The King of Kings Group
The music from Jerusalem and we’ve got Fred Klett on with us from WFIL in Philadelphia today, Fred thank you so much for taking a few moments to visit with us here at the beginning of Passover. I think we need to talk a little bit about what this meaning is for Christians. Passover isn’t just a Jewish holiday or festival or special time, it has great significance for Christians too, doesn’t it?
FK: Absolutely Charles, as a matter of fact I would say Passover is a Christian holiday. In many countries, the word for Easter is Pesach, or Pasqua, or Pasha depending on where you come from. In Russian speaking areas you have to make a distinction between Jewish Passover and Christian Passover, they use the same name. For some reason in the West and in Germanic languages we use a different name, Easter, which has no relationship to anything Biblical.
CM: It has actually a pagan connotation doesn’t it?
FK: it is, just like all the days of the week are actually pagan names. But the Passover in other countries is actually called, Paque in French or a Pasqua, Pascua or Passah, so it’s related to the word Pesach.
CM: I started us out by reading a little verse out of 1 Corinthians 5 where it talks about Christ being our Passover lamb and that he has been sacrificed. Now, this has great meaning and it really has meaning for someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but it also has meaning now for us who are in Christ and this theme is through the scriptures and it’s through the New Testament too, isn’t it?
FK: Well, absolutely. As a matter of fact, the Passover redemption is a picture of what Jesus came to do. The judgment was falling on Egypt. God in his righteous wrath was bringing judgment on Egypt and he told the Israelites to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the doors of their homes. And when God would see the blood of the lamb he would pass over that home. Well, that’s a picture of the cross that Jesus came to be sacrificed to make a payment for our sins. So that as we receive what he has done for us, that is like putting the blood on the door and God’s anger passes over us. His anger fell on Jesus in our place so that his anger could pass over us and we could be delivered. So really, Passover is a Christian holiday. It’s the fulfillment of what began when the Israelites came out of Egypt and it’s the ultimate expression of the sacrifice of the lamb and then the resurrection which corresponds to the beginning of first fruits that was going on on the Sunday morning when Jesus rose. That was actually the beginning of the first fruits of the harvest that took place right on that particular day when Jesus rose from the dead, so it’s all connected and our faith as New Covenant believers really is the faith that Israel brought to its flowering.
CM: and really if we wanted a more accurate name of Easter, you’ve told me this before, we could actually call it “Messiah’s Passover” or maybe “Resurrection Sunday”, couldn’t we?
FK: Resurrection Sunday I like. I don’t have a big problem with Easter, but Resurrection Sunday certainly gets to the meaning and it talks about Jesus being the First Fruits of those who slept, which ties in to the idea of the First Fruits offering that occurred immediately after Passover on that Sunday when Jesus rose, that’s when they were dedicating the barley offering and waving sheaves of barley before the Lord as first fruits of the harvest. And of course, we know 7 weeks later at Pentecost then we had the first fruits coming in of the wheat harvest and the great outpouring of the Spirit and of the harvest and that was the first fruits of the Gospel there, at Pentecost. So you see how it’s all tied together with Passover, and unleavened bread and sin being out of our lives and the sacrifice, and then the first fruits of the resurrection and then the first fruits of believers coming in at Pentecost. It’s all tied in with Jewish holidays.
CM: Now, I know that every time we’ve had you on the air, we have some Jews who contact Haven Today after that. Some of them are angry, sometimes some of them are inquisitive. Fried, could you just speak to someone like that who’s not a believer in Yeshua. They are Jewish; they observe Passover, maybe from just a cultural perspective. Their family’s always done it, their forbearers did it. What would you say to them about this talking that we’re doing right now that Yeshua, or Christ is the Passover lamb?
FK: Well, I think there’s a very interesting tie-over. If you’re Jewish, you know on the Passover Seder plate you have symbolic foods. And one of the symbols there is the z'ruah, the shank bone of a lamb. You don’t eat lamb at Passover because there are no more sacrifices in Judaism, a lot of people would be surprised to know that, but you have the shank bone of a lamb there, on your Seder plate called z'ruah meaning the arm. What’s interesting is of course we know in Isaiah 53, that great passage 700 years before Jesus came in the Hebrew prophets, it spoke of one coming as the arm of the Lord. It says, “Who has believed our report and to whom has the z'ruah, the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And then it talks about one growing up and not having any particular beauty or stature and growing up as a root out of dry ground which is a picture of the Davidic dynasty popping up and then it talks about one dying as a Passover Lamb, and this one who dies dies for the sins of his people and rises again in Isaiah 53. This is a picture of the suffering Messiah who came to redeem his people as the ultimate Passover Lamb. So what I’d say is that pray to the God of Israel and keep an open mind and look at the scriptures. Read Isaiah 53 for yourself and see who you think it points to, because it certainly points to one dying and suffering as a sacrificed lamb to pay for sin and rising again. I believe it’s a very clear picture of what Jesus came to do.
CM: Wow. I remember one time this Jewish friend in Philadelphia who just was toying with the idea that Jesus or Yeshua could be Messiah, went to a rabbi and the rabbi said, “Whatever you do, don’t read Isaiah 53.” Well, of course the person, this Jewish friend then went out and read Isaiah 53 and at the end of reading that passage said, “This has to be Jesus!”
FK: Well, that’s a common experience, in fact our associate who works with us, Reverend Rick Anderson is from a very conservative Jewish background and that’s what happened to him exactly. He was told, “Don’t read that, whatever you do.” Of course then he was curious. And you know, it’s left out of the synagogue liturgy. I mean not everything is read in the synagogue, but that certainly is one of the passages that’s left out because it is so controversial and because it’s one that Christians so often go to and say, “Read this.” More Jewish people have come to faith reading Isaiah 53, I think than any other passage.
CM: Why don’t we do this, because somebody may be interested in your ministry, give us your web address so that they can go to it Fred, and then I’m going to ask you to pray.
FK: Well, our ministry is called CHAIM, CHAIM and the web address would be www.chaim.org, chaim.org. I’m also involved in planting a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America called Rock of Israel and you can just go to rockofisrael.com to find out about that. If there’s anything we can do to help, or provide some encouragement or help in sharing with your Jewish friends please do contact us. Or if maybe your church would like a Passover Seder next year, we do that as well.
CM: And Fred you’re actually doing a Seder there in Philadelphia this weekend, aren’t you?
FK: We have a Seder on April 23 in Northeast Philadelphia at 5:00. You can contact our office at 215-576-7325 if you’d like to come to that. We have quite a few openings for people to come. It’s a full catered meal and a Passover Seder I think people would enjoy that, something they can bring Jewish friends to. We also are involved in this congregational plant in Northeast Philadelphia both for Russian speakers and English speakers and there are services at 5:00 on Saturday nights for Russians and 7:00 for English speakers for Rock of Israel and again you can call our phone number 215-576-7325 for that or go to our website at rockofisrael.com or chaim.org to contact us. We certainly want to be a resource for Christians in the Philadelphia area who have a burden for reaching out to the Jewish friends. Or maybe you are looking for a fellowship and you’re not in a church currently and you’re a believer in Jesus as Messiah, whether you’re Jewish or Gentile, maybe you’re a Russian speaker or English speaker, we’d certainly like to be a resource for you.
CM: My friend Fred Klett, a Jewish evangelist in Philadelphia, would you here at this Passover lead us in prayer for someone who doesn’t know Yeshua, that they might meet him as the Messiah this Passover?
FK: Lord, we thank you, that you have brought to us the meaning of this feast. Lord, every year people ask, “What is the meaning of this feast?” as part of the liturgy of Passover, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Lord, we know that you brought One who would fulfill the lamb, who would become the Passover Lamb for all peoples, for all nations, for Israel and for the Goyim, that there would be one Passover Lamb for all time, that we might be liberated, not from Pharaoh, but from sin and from death and from the Evil One, our greater enemies, our bigger problems. And Lord, you brought liberation through the judgment of Jesus on the cross that our sins could be forgiven and we could be set free to worship you and serve you. And Lord, I pray for those now that might be listening and intrigued, that they would pray to you and say, “Lord, forgive my sins. I turn to you with all my heart and I receive what the Messiah’s done in paying for them.” Or Lord, perhaps if they’re not at that point they’d at least say, “God of Israel, guide me and lead me to the truth. Is Jesus indeed the Messiah?” And Lord, I pray that many would turn to you in the Jewish community and the Gentile community and be delivered and set free by the blood of the Passover Lamb that was shed so that judgment could pass over those who trust in him, for we pray this in Jesus name, amen.

Song: Isaiah 53
Performed by: Marty Goetz
What a blessing, how very appropriate, here as Passover is beginning to have the Jewish believer in Yeshua, Marty Goetz singing from his “Love of God” CD and that’s of course, musically, Isaiah 53. Marty I know has been just blessing people here on Haven Today. He was on the program a few weeks ago and we’ve been sharing his music with you, and if you didn’t get his album, we have it for you still, there on our home page, haventoday.org, or you can call us in a moment at 1-800-65-HAVEN. I want to especially thank Fred Klett in Philadelphia for being on the program with us today and explaining a little bit about the Passover and what it means and how Jesus Christ can be your Passover because he is the Lamb of God. Now, earlier on our weekday program this week we had John Stott who made Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”. There are only 2 people that I know of that are Christians on that list and we had an exclusive interview with John Stott. He doesn’t grant interviews, but we got one with him anyway and the program’s called, “Why I am a Christian”. You can go to haventoday.org and under our “Archives” section you can listen to that program if you didn’t get to hear it earlier. And also, if you go to haventoday.org, you will see John Stott’s book, “Why I am a Christian”. It is a perfect book for someone who doesn’t believe and in particular it’s good for a student. Haventoday.org, or call us. If you’d like to minister the Gospel in a simple form to someone who could understand it, but by a brilliant theologian, just call us at 1-800-65-HAVEN and get a copy of “Why I am a Christian”. I’m Charles Morris. Thanks for being with me and Fred Klett. Would you come back again next time when Yeshua, Jesus Christ will be lifted up the risen Messiah, here on Haven Today.