November 27, 2025

Pesach 2016 "Passover" (Part A)

45 minutes

*This commentary was updated on April 2016. The archive version of my Passover commentary is here.

pdf

*Updated:

April 15, 2016

“ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el: ‘The

designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are

my designated times.” (Leviticus 23:1, 2)

פֶּ֖סַח Pesach - Season of our Deliverance

"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the

month, between sundown and complete darkness, comes Pesach for ADONAI."

(Leviticus 23:5)

Shabbat

notwithstanding, Pesach is the beginning of the biblical feasts of Leviticus

chapter 23. The actual feast known as Pesach spans three separate,

yet inextricably-linked feasts: Pesach, observed on the fourteenth day

of the Jewish month of Nisan, HaMatzah (Unleavened Bread), observed on

the fifteenth day of Nisan, and Bikkurim (Firstfruits), observed the day

after the Sabbath of HaMatzah.

Commentary

Contents:

Introduction and

English/Hebrew Liturgy (Exodus 13:1-16)

Are Isra’el and the Church

the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el?

Should Christians celebrate

Passover?

What does Paul mean when he says

to not let anyone judge us in regard to keeping the Sabbath?

What does the Bible say about

Christian liberty?

What does it mean to be circumcised

in Christ?

Introduction and English/Hebrew Liturgy (Exodus 13:1-16)

*As of April 2016 I have retired my original 2006

Passover commentary. It is currently available by written request only.

The

Festivals of the LORD are wonderful times of celebration, of joy, of worship, of

getting together with family, and of recognizing the Messianic redemption found

only in the Messiah Yeshua. Indeed, Paul (Sha'ul) writes in Romans 10:4

that the very goal of the Torah is the Messiah himself! This explains to

us that all of the Feasts of the LORD point to Christ and have their fullest

expression and meaning in him alone. Passover (Pesach) is no

exception. The Pesach story is quite well known, obviously among Jews,

but equally among many Gentile Christians these days as well. To be sure,

most Christians are familiar with the Seder dinner with its plate full of symbols

from the Passover story of Exodus. Also, your average Gentile believer in

Yeshua readily welcomes watching either The Ten Commandments movie (the one

with Charleton Heston), or at the very least the animated Prince of Egypt story

around this time of year in the Spring.

For

that reason, I do not wish to retell the story of the Exodus from Mitzrayim

(Egypt) here in this commentary (newly updated especially for Pesach

2016). Instead, I simply wish to open by reading a relevant passage out

of the book of Exodus so as to put us in the mindset of the events that formed

the first Passover thousands of years ago. This reading from both the

English and the Hebrew will also serve as the liturgy of my commentary.

After the scriptural recitation, I have decided to treat you all to a look

inside my weekly mailbag as a Torah Teacher. Instead of midrashing on the

Passover itself, and instead of a lengthy discussion on the challenging

chronology of the Passover week as recorded for us in the Synoptic gospels as

compared to that of John (see my older Passover commentary for that), I have

decided to present and answer five questions that are related to Passover,

Isra'el, the Church, Christian liberty, and even circumcision. To be

sure, the questions are real-life questions sent in by well-meaning readers

over the years, and by showing you all the answers, I hope to build you up in

Mashiach this Pesach season, as well as continue to serve the body of Jews and

Gentiles as a teacher of Torah.

For

this rendition of the Exodus story the English will be the New American

Standard (NAS) version of the Bible and the Hebrew will be the Biblia Hebraica

Stuttgartensia (BHS) as preserved in the Leningrad Codex:

Exodus 13:1 - NAS – Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Exodus 13:1 - BHS – וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה

לֵּאמֹֽר׃

Exodus 13:2 - NAS – "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the

first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast;

it belongs to Me."

Exodus 13:2 - BHS – קַדֶּשׁ־לִ֨י כָל־בְּכֹ֜ור פֶּ֤טֶר

כָּל־רֶ֙חֶם֙ בִּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בָּאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָ֑ה לִ֖י הֽוּא׃

Exodus 13:3 - NAS – Moses said to the people, "Remember

this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a

powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened

shall be eaten.

Exodus 13:3 - BHS – וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם

זָכֹ֞ור אֶת־הַיֹּ֤ום הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית

עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הֹוצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א

יֵאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ׃

Exodus 13:4 - NAS – "On this day in the month of Abib,

you are about to go forth.

Exodus 13:4 - BHS – הַיֹּ֖ום אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים

בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃

Exodus 13:5 - NAS – "It shall be when the LORD brings you

to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the

Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk

and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month.

Exodus 13:5 - BHS – וְהָיָ֣ה כִֽי־יְבִֽיאֲךָ֣ יְהוָ֡ה

אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽ֠כְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּ֨י וְהָאֱמֹרִ֜י וְהַחִוִּ֣י וְהַיְבוּסִ֗י

אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔ךְ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ

וְעָבַדְתָּ֛ אֶת־הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַזֶּֽה׃

Exodus 13:6 - NAS – "For seven days you shall eat

unleavened bread and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.

Exodus 13:6 - BHS – שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים תֹּאכַ֣ל

מַצֹּ֑ת וּבַיֹּום֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י חַ֖ג לַיהוָֽה׃

Exodus 13:7 - NAS – "Unleavened bread shall be eaten

throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor

shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.

Exodus 13:7 - BHS – מַצֹּות֙ יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת שִׁבְעַ֣ת

הַיָּמִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֨ה לְךָ֜ חָמֵ֗ץ וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ שְׂאֹ֖ר

בְּכָל־גְּבֻלֶֽךָ׃

Exodus 13:8 - NAS – "You shall tell your son on that day,

saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'

Exodus 13:8 - BHS – וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיֹּ֥ום

הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

Exodus 13:9 - NAS – "And it shall serve as a sign to you

on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead *, that the law of the LORD

may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of

Egypt.

Exodus 13:9 - BHS – וְהָיָה֩ לְךָ֨ לְאֹ֜ות עַל־יָדְךָ֗

וּלְזִכָּרֹון֙ בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ לְמַ֗עַן תִּהְיֶ֛ה תֹּורַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה בְּפִ֑יךָ

כִּ֚י בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה הֹוצִֽאֲךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

Exodus 13:10 - NAS – "Therefore, you shall keep this

ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

Exodus 13:10 - BHS – וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֛ אֶת־הַחֻקָּ֥ה

הַזֹּ֖את לְמֹועֲדָ֑הּ מִיָּמִ֖ים יָמִֽימָה׃ ס

Exodus 13:11 - NAS – "Now when the LORD brings you to the

land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to

you,

Exodus 13:11 - BHS – וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יְבִֽאֲךָ֤ יְהוָה֙

אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לְךָ֖ וְלַֽאֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ

וּנְתָנָ֖הּ לָֽךְ׃

Exodus 13:12 - NAS – you shall devote to the LORD the first

offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own;

the males belong to the LORD.

Exodus 13:12 - BHS – וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ֥ כָל־פֶּֽטֶר־רֶ֖חֶם

לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה וְכָל־פֶּ֣טֶר שֶׁ֣גֶר בְּהֵמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ הַזְּכָרִ֖ים

לַיהוָֽה׃

Exodus 13:13 - NAS – "But every first offspring of a

donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you

shall break its neck and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall

redeem.

Exodus 13:13 - BHS – וְכָל־פֶּ֤טֶר חֲמֹר֙ תִּפְדֶּ֣ה

בְשֶׂ֔ה וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִפְדֶּ֖ה וַעֲרַפְתֹּ֑ו וְכֹ֨ל בְּכֹ֥ור אָדָ֛ם בְּבָנֶ֖יךָ

תִּפְדֶּֽה׃

Exodus 13:14 - NAS – "And it shall be when your son asks

you in time to come saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a

powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

Exodus 13:14 - BHS – וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֥

בִנְךָ֛ מָחָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֣ר מַה־זֹּ֑את וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֗ד

הֹוצִיאָ֧נוּ יְהוָ֛ה מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃

Exodus 13:15 - NAS –

'It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go that the LORD

killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the

firstborn of beast. Therefore *, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first

offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

Exodus 13:15 - BHS – וַיְהִ֗י כִּֽי־הִקְשָׁ֣ה פַרְעֹה֮

לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ֒ וַיַּהֲרֹ֨ג יְהֹוָ֤ה כָּל־בְּכֹור֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם

מִבְּכֹ֥ר אָדָ֖ם וְעַד־בְּכֹ֣ור בְּהֵמָ֑ה עַל־כֵּן֩ אֲנִ֨י זֹבֵ֜חַ לַֽיהוָ֗ה

כָּל־פֶּ֤טֶר רֶ֙חֶם֙ הַזְּכָרִ֔ים וְכָל־בְּכֹ֥ור בָּנַ֖י אֶפְדֶּֽה׃

Exodus 13:16 - NAS –

"So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your

forehead *, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."

Exodus 13:16 - BHS – וְהָיָ֤ה לְאֹות֙

עַל־יָ֣דְכָ֔ה וּלְטֹוטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֑יךָ כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הֹוצִיאָ֥נוּ יְהוָ֖ה

מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ ס

That

will do it for our scripture reading in English and in Hebrew.

Okay,

are you ready to tackle some possibly debatable Jewish-Christian topics related

to Passover? I personally love a good Bible debate/discussion, as long as

the differing parties agree beforehand to keep things civil, professional, and

bathed in the love of Yeshua. For that reason, let us be careful to

invite the Ruach HaKodesh into our Q/A session, with the conviction that all things

should be done in order to exhort one another towards brotherly love and growth

in the Body, amen? I have laced the answers themselves with links

to eBible.com and their wonderful scriptural resources. In reality, all

of the questions and answers in this commentary can be found on the eBible.com

site itself; the questions were sent in by real people (they are not set-up

questions), and the answers are my own. Follow this link to read more

questions and answers that I personally have addressed:

https://ebible.com/users/492502/profile

believe this first question and answer—actually made of two separate questions—forms

the foundation towards appreciating the importance of the subsequent Passover

related questions and answers that will be presented in this commentary.

In my estimation, once we as Jews and Gentiles in Messiah begin to understand

our place within salvation and election history, we will subsequently have a

better chance at comprehending the oft-controversial topics of exactly who

should be following Torah, who should be keeping the Feasts, is the Torah

bondage, and what exactly the value of circumcision is from a biblical

perspective.

Are Isra’el and the Church the same thing? Does God still have a plan for Isra’el?

seems as if everyone has an opinion on “Who is Isra'el?” “Who is the Church?”

“Are they the same thing?” “Does God still have a plan for Isra'el?” I am no

different in that I also have a strongly-held opinion that drives my

understanding of my identity, my responsibility to God’s covenant, and my place

in God’s family.

one is perfected in his views. In truth, all of the differing views must

logically carry some weight of truth to them, so I greatly appreciate a forum

such as this where we can present our differing views in a Spirit of love and

mutual respect, even in the midst of our disagreements. We all need each other.

May God grant us grace as we continue to study his Word for greater and greater

insights from the text.

here is what I hold to. I will try to be succinct:

Short

Answers:

will answer the two questions head on and then attempt to substantiate my

answers from the text.

Are Isra'el and the Church the same thing?

Well…yes…and no. Isra'el exists on two levels: National Isra'el, and Remnant

Isra'el. The Church exists within Remnant Isra'el, and Remnant Isra'el exists

within National Isra'el. I will flesh this out with verses below…

Does God still have a plan for Isra'el?

Absolutely. Messiah is the head of Remnant Isra'el, and even though National

Isra'el doesn't have faith in Yeshua yet, nevertheless, God the Father is still

going to bring National Isra'el to her knees in repentance someday.

Longer

Answers:

Paul

sets up the Olive Tree example in Rom 11:11-24. In Rom 11:16, he teaches that

if the root is holy then the branches are holy. I take the Olive Tree to be the

family of Isra'el and the root to be the Patriarchs. The “holy” aspect is Paul

teaching the set-apartness of the Patriarchs from the rest of the world unto God,

making his offspring (all the tree’s branches) also set apart from the world

unto God.

Abraham

the “nourishing root” is the exemplar of faith for all of his “branches,” but

especially for the Remnant who live among the other “unsaved natural branches,”

and for the grafted in branches, because of his faith in the Promised Word of

the LORD (Gen 15:6). The root cannot be Yeshua (Jesus), because Paul teaches

elsewhere in this book that we cannot be separated from the love of God in

Messiah (Rom 8:38, 39), yet branches get broken off from this tree (Rom

11:17-21). Also, Paul warns the Gentile Christians not to suppose that they

support the root (Rom 11:18). This makes no sense if the root is Yeshua, for no

Christian in history has ever made such a supposition.

The

branches being broken off are some of the members of National Isra'el, whom God

prunes because of lack of faith in Yeshua (Rom 11:19, 20), in order to make way

for Gentile Christians who demonstrate faith in Yeshua. IMPORTANT: these “wild olive

branch” Gentiles are grafted among the Remnant of Isra'el, not into National

Isra'el. Notice Paul does NOT say how the Remnant came to be in the tree. That

is because, like Paul himself, they were born into their own Olive Tree.

Remnant Isra'el are natural branches that graduated to faith in Yeshua—also a

son of Abraham—making them the Remnant that still dwells in the same Olive Tree

as National Isra'el.

the pruning of natural branches (some of the unsaved Jews), Paul doesn't say

they are completely cut off from Isra'el, because if they, like believing Jews

and Gentiles, place their faith in Yeshua, they too can be grafted back into

their own Olive Tree, but this time it will be as Remnant Isra'el (Rom 11:23,

24). In fact, Paul goes even further to suggest that since the gospel is

essentially a culturally Hebrew concept engrained in the lives of the Hebrews

and transmitted through the Scriptures they revere, then it is more natural for

a Jew to believe in a Messiah than it is for a “wild olive branch” to believe

in him (read Rom 11:24 and catch the meaning of the “wild by nature,” and

“contrary to nature” illustrations).

Should Christians celebrate Passover?

The

short answer is “yes,” Christians should celebrate Passover. After all, Paul

explicitly tells us to in 1 Cor 5:8. He says, “Let us therefore celebrate the

festival…” and then he goes on to tell us how to celebrate it. But the point I

am making is that he actually TELLS us to keep it. Whoever says that the NT

doesn't command Gentile believers to keep parts of the Torah (Law) has

obviously missed this verse.

Granted,

the Passover as Traditional Judaism observes it down through the ages misses

the Messiah, and thus does not have to simply become the default model for our

own Messianic Passover observances. We can and should borrow traditions from

Judaism that honor HaShem (God) and uphold his laws, but we must be careful to

always take our final orders from the Master and the Apostolic Scriptures. This

means our Torah observance is going to necessarily differ from Traditional

Judaic Torah observance because we follow the True Rabbi named Yeshua (Jesus).

When in doubt, side with Scripture instead of with tradition. Don't just do

something just because it is Jewish.

Besides,

I believe the current LORD’s Supper is in fact a “mini Passover.” If my

postulation is true, then (albeit in drastically reduced form) most Christians

are already celebrating the Passover! They simply don't know they are

celebrating the Passover. To be sure, Yeshua’s last supper with his disciples

was a “fusion” of the traditional Passover with the institution of the LORD’s

Supper, right? Communion didn't replace Passover, or else Paul’s instructions

about celebrating the festival would make nonsense. Messianic Jews and Messianic

Gentiles are expected to incorporate the LORD’s Supper into the Mosaic Passover

in order to highlight what our Savior did for us on the cross.

Jews and Gentiles, Passover celebrates our freedom from Egypt (remember there

was a mixed multitude that came out of Egypt…(Ex 12:38) …mixed in terms of

ethnicities). The death of the lamb secured their escape from the Death Angel

and their escape from Egypt. All then came to the foot of Sinai and were

declared to be “Isra'el” by God (Ex 19:1-6). The exodus from Egypt as such

forms the antecedent theology to understand that each one of us was set free

from our own personal Egypt of sin and shame. Since the LORD’s Supper

celebrates the death (not his resurrection) of the Spotless Lamb, read Matt

26:28 and 1 Cor 11:26, and since Gentiles are grafted into Remnant Isra'el to

take their place alongside believing Jews, it only makes sense to put the Torah

Passover and the LORD’s Supper together as Paul no doubt did for his 1st

century communities.

What does Paul mean when he says to not let anyone judge us in regard to

keeping the Sabbath?

The

seventh day Sabbath is not the only Sabbath in the bible. Each of the

Feasts of Leviticus 23 is considered a Sabbath as well. When discussing

the question of whether Gentile Christians should celebrate Passover or not,

quite often Colossians 2:16 and 17 gets brought up in defense of why Passover

should not be used as a point of judgment towards Christians who do not

celebrate it like many Messianic Jews and a growing number of Messianic

Gentiles do. Truthfully, I do not think believers should be falsely

judging one another over any issue. However, we do have the

responsibility to admonish one another towards an ever growing relationship

with HaShem, through his Son Yeshua. Allow me to address this question

for us here in my Pesach commentary. I want to offer an explanation that

I don't hear too often in churches. Let me quote the verse in question:

“Therefore

let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard

to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to

come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col 2:16, 17)

Why

do we have to translate the verse as if Paul were telling these Messianic

Gentiles, “Don't let anyone (presumably Messianic Jews) judge you for NOT

keeping kosher, feasts and Sabbaths just like they do. Those things are just

shadows. You have the substance which is Christ…”? This interpretation does not

fit with historic accounts of who was judging whom, and why.

we back up into the chapter, we can gain a better context in which to work

from. We know from Col 2:6-15 that Paul is admonishing his readers about the

wonderful forensic realities that they now possess in Messiah. They have truly

been grafted into Isra'el (Rom 11), they have been brought near to God and to

the Commonwealth of Isra'el as fellow heirs and fellow citizens (Eph 2), and

they have received the more important circumcision—that of the heart (Col

2:11).

is in this context that Paul comforts his readers with the famous passage in

Col 2:16, 17. He tells them not to let anyone (outsiders, pagans, Jews and

Gentiles outside of Messiah, etc.) judge you for who you really are and what

you do in Yeshua (Jesus). You are the righteousness of God in Messiah! (read 2

Cor 5:21) Hallelujah!

Why

would Gentile outsiders be judging Paul’s readers? History shows that pagans

and Gentiles outside of Messiah would often judge Gentile Christians for no

longer attending the state required emperor celebrations with all their vile

lewdness, demon worship, blood rituals, nudity, sexual promiscuity, and

all-purpose pagan pageantry. That this judgment would eventually fall upon them

is a given and Paul challenges them to hold their ground and not return to the

former life of debauchery that they have been graciously rescued from.

However,

Scripture likewise attests that Gentiles attracted to Isra'el’s God and

Isra'el’s laws would attend the synagogue alongside Jews (read the numerous

accounts in the book of Acts). After coming to faith in the Jewish Messiah, it

was natural for these Messianic Gentile believers to begin walking out the

Torah just like their Messianic Jewish brothers were doing. However, the

unbelieving Jewish leaders would always become jealous and outraged that Paul

was teaching these Messianic Gentiles about their equality to Jews in Messiah.

Remember, the Judaisms of Paul’s day practiced a social class/caste system in

which Gentiles were not worthy to be counted as genuine covenant members in

Isra'el without going through a ceremony of the proselyte. Thus, in this

imbalanced view of covenant membership, the Torah was seen as a Jewish-only

document.

their eyes, the Gentiles had no right to keep the feasts of the Jews—even if

they believed in the Jewish Messiah (recall in Acts 15:5 that even some

believing Pharisees wanted these Gentile Christians to becomes Jews before they

could be received in the community). Paul came to set the record straight: in

Yeshua, the Messianic Gentiles have every right to keep kosher and keep the

Feasts just like Messianic Jews, since both constitute the Remnant of Isra'el.

So,

the verse should be interpreted as Paul telling these Messianic Gentiles,

“Don't worry if the unbelieving religious Jews judge you for KEEPING kosher,

Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbath observances—without becoming legally recognized

Jews first. You are grafted into Isra'el—as Gentiles—via your faith in the King

of Isra'el. In the end, you will most likely get kicked out of their synagogues

and out of their festive celebrations because you did not change your

ethnicity, but don't worry, those things are a shadow nonetheless. You have the

SUBSTANCE that those shadows point to—which is Messiah himself.”

What does the Bible say about Christian liberty?

One

of the central themes associated with Passover is freedom. Paul speaks

prominently of freedom in the book of Galatians. Although the bondage of

Galatians is not quite the same as the bondage we read about in the Passover

story, nevertheless, the topic of exclusive freedom in Christ is always a

worthwhile topic for discussion on and around the time of Passover. Let’s

start with Paul’s admonition in Galatians and work from there. “For

freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again

to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1)

What

exactly IS the slavery that Paul speaks of here? To be “in Messiah” is to be

truly free (recall Yeshua’s (Jesus’) declaration from John 8:36, “If the Son

therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (KJV). How is then that

these Galatian Gentiles wish to return to the slavery that marked their former

manner of life? Can’t they see that anything less than a complete commitment to

the true Gospel is not good news at all, and will eventually result in slavery?

is to be expected, historic Christianity interprets the slavery of verse one as

a return to Judaism, a return to living in the confines of Torah (Law)

observance, a return to Sabbaths, keeping kosher, keeping the Feasts, and of course,

circumcision. However, when we go back and study the historical and

sociological context of the book of Galatians more closely, we will discover

that the standard Christian interpretation of this verse does not fit with

Paul’s view of Torah, and most importantly, it does it follow from the

Scriptural view of Torah. The Torah is not bondage. However, if one places

their trust in ethnicity and/or Torah obedience, then that person is truly a

slave to their old nature—whether they know it or not.

The battle

lines were being drawn, not between the relevance of Torah vs. The relevance of

Yeshua. The lines were being drawn between the necessity of Jewish identity for

covenant inclusion vs. the necessity of falling on the mercy and grace of

Messiah for genuine covenant membership and forgiveness of sins. Paul doesn't

need to denigrate the Torah by calling it a yoke of slavery because that is not

the focus of the argument in the first place. As we shall see in the next verse

(needed to develop the context of verse one), circumcision is the fulcrum by

which membership into 1st century Isra'el was being weighed.

The

Galatian Gentiles were at the crossroads of decision. Would they invest their

faith in Jewish ethnicity? Or would they invest their faith in Jesus Christ—

the one who died and rose again? In Gal 2:21, the contest in the mind of the

Galatians used the verbiage of Christ vs. The Law. Here in Gal 5:2, the contest

uses the verbiage of Christ vs. Circumcision. After studying the Jewish

background to Paul’s life and knowing his propensity for carefully reasoned

arguments, it should be amply clear that Paul did not mean Torah observance

when he used the word “Law” in Gal 2:21. By the same token, it should be amply

clear that he does not simply mean physical circumcision when he uses the word

“circumcision” in Gal 5:2.

Conclusions:

Gal 5:1, 2 (as well as Gal 2:21 from earlier), Paul states that if the

Galatians wish to continue down the road constructed by those false

teachers—the road described by the 1st century Judaisms as “the law,” “under

the law,” works of the law,” and “circumcision,”—and reject the free offer of

genuine and lasting covenant membership into Isra'el as offered by God and

outlined in the TaNaKH (OT), then (using the language of Gal 5:1, 2) the work

done by Yeshua’s cross will indeed have no value for them at all.

Biblical

freedom does not mean free from Law. Again, knowing that Yeshua set us free

from sin, its proclivities, its bondage, and its ultimate penalty, helps us to

understand Paul’s teachings on this subject. The paradigm set by the Exodus

narrative teaches us that sin (bondage) prevents us from truly worshiping God

the way he deserves to be worshipped. Speaking for God, Moses said, “Let my

people go so that they may serve me!” Once Yeshua makes us alive in him and

sets us free indeed, we are then free to worship God properly without the fear

of condemnation or bondage to sin. This means we are free to walk into Torah

the way God intended it to be walked out: in imitation of Messiah, by the

Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father.

What does it mean to be circumcised in Christ?

This

last question and answer will close out our commentary on Jewish-Christian

Passover-related topics.

When

the Temple stood and sacrifices were a reality, the Torah commands regarding

Passover required Jewish and Gentile males to be physically circumcised in

order to eat of the meat of lambs slaughtered on the altar (cf. Ex 12:48,

49). This meant that if an uncircumcised Gentile believer lived in

ancient Isra'el and was keeping the Passover in his local area because he was

unable to make the journey to Jerusalem to slaughter a lamb, then this physical

circumcision commandment was not as relevant for him because he would not be

eating meat from lambs slaughtered in the Temple anyway. To be sure, even

though he may not have been physically circumcised, he knew from reading Paul's

letters that he was circumcised in Messiah, and that it was this heart

circumcision that was of primary importance anyway. So let us talk about

this heart circumcision. What exactly is it and what is its significance?

The

short answer is that to be circumcised in Christ means one is saved, taking the

word “circumcision” here to refer to “circumcision of the heart, indicative of

genuine faith in Yeshua (Jesus).” To be sure, a few verses later we read,” For

what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him

as righteousness.”” (Rom 4:3) Circumcision implies cutting something away,

whether it is physical foreskin, or spiritual unbelief. Circumcised in Christ

means unbelief has been cut away from the heart so that one sees Messiah by

faith, and such faith saves him.

Background

needed to understand and appreciate the context of Romans 4; and to substantiate

my answer:

The

term “circumcision” in Paul’s day quite often implied Jewish identity by

context. The entire chapter of Romans 4 is Paul’s exposition to combat the 1st

century mistaken notion that Jews and only Jews were genuine covenant members

in Isra'el. Recall that Jewish males were circumcised as eight-day-old baby

boys (Lev 12:3). In effect, according to common Jewish reasoning, they were

“born with covenant status.”

The

reason circumcision gets brought into Paul’s discussions so prominently (Rom

2:25-29; Rom 3:1; 1 Cor 7:18, 19 Gal 2:12; Gal 5:2-11; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:11;

Philippians 3:3; Titus 1:10) is because by the 1st century, Isra'el was using

the term circumcision more as a sociological term that referred to Jewish

status, than as a covenant sign that pointed to the Abrahamic promise of Gen

17:9-14. In the eyes of these “ethnocentric” Jews, circumcision was the sign

that guaranteed them covenant status and salvation (Acts 15:1).

if a Gentile wished to join Isra'el, a man-made ceremony of the proselyte was

prescribed, in which one could ostensibly change their ethnicity and become

Jewish. And because the same prevailing Jewish views believed the Torah to be a

Jewish-only document, once a person earned their Jewish status, the Torah became

their covenant possession and responsibility.

know this is the correct understanding of these opening verses because of

Paul’s line of reasoning later on down in the passage in Rom 4:9, 10

“Is

this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For

we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it

counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not

after, but before he was circumcised.”

If I

were to paraphrase these two verses and insert the implied historical,

grammatical, and sociological meanings, they would sound something like this:

“Is

this blessing, that those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are

covered because the LORD will not count his sin—in a word, salvation, only for

those with legal Jewish status, or also for those who are not Jews, that is the

Gentiles? For we state with certainty that salvation was counted by God to

Abraham as righteousness in Gen 15:6 and the Scriptures are definitely

reliable. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he became

Jewish? It was not after, but before he became Jewish.”

The

notion of “Jewish-only Isra'el,” and a “Jewish-only Torah” is also corroborated

from reading the surviving, non-inspired Pharisaic writings from before and

after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, namely, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the

Talmud and other rabbinic writings, etc. They indeed help us to better

understanding the historical, grammatical, and sociological background to our own

inspired Apostolic Writings (viz, the NT).

Lastly,

“circumcised in Christ” does not necessarily mean that physical circumcision is

no longer valuable. For what does Paul say?

Rom

2:25

“For

circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law,

your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.”

Rom

3:1, 2

“Then

what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every

way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

(End

of questions and answers)

“Chag Pesach Sah-meach!”

(Happy Festival of Passover!)

For

further study, read: Ex. 12:21-51, Num. 28:16-25, Josh. 3:5-7, 5:2-6:1. 6:27;

Is. 52:13-53:12; Mt. 26-28; Mk. 14-16; Luke 22-24; John 13-21; 1 Cor. 5:6-8

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By Torah Teacher Ariel ben-Lyman HaNaviy

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