How Often did the New Testament Church Keep the Passover?

Is there anywhere in the New Testament where clear instructions are given regarding how often the Passover ordinance should be observed? There is!

I Corinthians 5:7-8 sets the stage for later instructions from the apostle Paul that we will review momentarily. These verses state, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven…but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Here, in the New Testament, Paul plainly calls Christ the Passover and gives instructions to Christians to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread. In this same epistle, he gives further instructions about the Passover observance.

I Corinthians 11:23-28 is often misunderstood by people to be a license from Paul to observe the Passover as often as one wishes to do it. The phrase “as oft as you do it” is said by many to mean that Christians may take the bread and the wine as often as they choose! The proper explanation of these verses springs from I Cor 11:24. Notice that the Passover is a memorial, “a remembrance.” Memorials are observed on an annual basis. I Cor 11:26 shows that this memorial refers to “the Lord’s death,” which occurred on the Passover (remember, Christ is our Passover [I Cor. 5:7]). In ancient Israel, the Passover was always kept once a year. I Cor 11:28 shows that the Passover ceremony is preceded by careful self-examination—which could not logically be done every day or every week, even if a person did wish to do it this often.

I Corinthians 11:29 warns of Christians taking the Passover “unworthily.” And it can be taken improperly—or unworthily. Self-examination was tied to this warning (I Cor 11:28), just as was the issue of when it was taken (I Cor 11:23). Christians must properly discern the symbols that represent Christ’s sacrifice.

It should be clear by now that the New Testament Lord’s Supper is a direct continuation of the Old Testament Passover, except that different symbols, commemorating Jesus’ death, have replaced the slaying and eating of a young spring lamb. As we have seen, Christ is slain for us in place of a literal lamb. This ordinance should still be observed on the 14th of Abib. nowhere did god change this instruction! Recall that Christ readied His disciples for the Passover—“when the hour was come.” It was taken at the right time and on the right day. Certainly Christ never substituted this ceremony with the modern popular celebration of Easter. (Read our booklets The True Origin of Easter and Christ’s Resurrection Was Not on Sunday to learn more.)

Coming out of Egypt was a type of coming out of sin. The Passover memorialized God’s deliverance of Israel from sin. Christ’s sacrifice, through the New Testament ordinance of the bread and wine, does exactly the same thing for Christians today. Christ was seized, falsely accused and imprisoned, examined, tortured, beaten and crucified—to pay for and cover our sins—all in the following daylight portion of the exact same day of the month Abib! Scholars do not dispute this time sequence. Hence, this all occurred on the 14th of the month of Abib.

Remember, Christians copy the example of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 2:21)—and Christ set the example of keeping the Passover. Christians are commanded to keep it forever—as were the Israelites when God first instituted it. To observe it daily, weekly or monthly is to trivialize this deeply important and solemn annual occasion. The Passover was always intended to be a yearly memorial. Christ, as our Passover, was crucified at the time of the Passover—which is observed once a year. Men are never permitted to arbitrarily place Christ back on the cross, even symbolically, as often as they choose! This does not “glorify Christ”—it disobeys Him and dishonors His sacrifice. (Notice Hebrews 6:6.)

The Book of Acts Sets the New Testament Pattern

The book of Acts demonstrates which days the early Church observed. Notice Acts 20:6: “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread.” This was nearly thirty years after the death of Christ—and Luke is referencing the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Also, Acts 12:3 states, “Then were the days of unleavened bread.” Some focus on Ac 12:4, where a reference is found to Easter. The Bible does mention the word Easter here—or does it? This text bears careful examination. In Ac 12:1, Herod had begun to persecute the Church. This ended with the brutal death by sword of the apostle James, which so pleased the Jews that Peter was also imprisoned. The plan was to later deliver him to the Jews also. The stage is now set to properly read Ac 12:4. “And when he [Herod] had apprehended him [Peter], he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Is this reference New Testament proof for the observance of Easter?

Emphatically, no!

Although the New Testament is recorded in the Greek language, the word translated Easter is derived from the Hebrew word pecach (or pesach)! This word has only one possible meaning. It always means passover and can never mean easter! The Greek does not contain an equivalent word for Passover, so the equivalent word pascha was the only available word to reference the correct meaning—passover! As a side note, while researching my genealogy, I was surprised to learn that our family name is derived from this very word pascha—Passover.

Numerous other translations correctly render this verse using the word Passover instead of Easter. Consequently, the New Testament, when correctly translated, does not mention the celebration of Easter anywhere! The True Origin of Easter explains that this practice (Easter celebration) was directly condemned in the Old Testament.

Misreading the Term “Break Bread”

Now return to Acts 20:1-38. This is a remarkable account. Paul was visiting the Troas congregation immediately after the Days of Unleavened Bread. He spent an entire Sabbath preaching to the brethren and continued well into Saturday night—or the first day of the week. Leviticus 23:32 shows that God counts days from sundown to sundown, or “even[ing] unto even[ing].” The first day of the week started at sundown on Saturday evening. Some claim that Acts 20:7 refers to keeping the Lord’s Supper on Sunday morning because the term “break bread” was used. This is not true. Paul’s long preaching had left people hungry. It was midnight. They wanted to eat. This is why Ac 20:11 says those present “had broken bread and eaten.” This was an ordinary meal, not the observing of the Lord’s Supper. Other passages prove this.

Acts 2:46 speaks of the disciples who, “continuing daily…breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness.” The account shows that the brethren were doing this daily. Obviously, human beings do eat daily.

Further, Acts 27:34-35 explains, “Wherefore…take some meat…he took bread…and when he had broken it, he began to eat.” Finally, even Christ said, in Matthew 26:29, that He would not take the “Lord’s Supper” until after He had returned to earth in His kingdom. However, Luke 24:30, at a later time, shows Him to have sat “at meat,” or eating a meal, with the disciples. He broke bread and blessed it on that occasion. There are cultures today, particularly some Europeans, who still use the term “break bread” to mean the actual breaking of a certain type of bread as they eat a meal. This should now be clear.

A Time Set Apart

Herbert W. Armstrong concluded his booklet How often should we partake of THE LORD’S SUPPER? with this statement:

“Let us return to the faith once delivered. Let us humbly and obediently observe this solemn, sacred ordinance as we are commanded, and at the time set apart in the Bible, after sundown on the 14th of Abib, or Nisan, sacred Hebrew calendar.

“The first day of the new year begins near the spring equinox when the new moon usually is first visible to the naked eye at Jerusalem (not the United States). The Jewish calendar as used by Jews today is correct. But it must be remembered that ‘in the 14th day of the first month at even is the passover, and in the 15th day of the same month is the feast.’ The Jewish people no longer observe the Passover on the 14th. They observe the Feast—one night after the Passover, on the eve of 15th Abib. The ‘Lord’s supper’ or New Testament Passover should be observed after sunset on the evening before the Jewish people of today celebrate their feast.”