{"id":10796,"date":"2012-04-06T11:00:36","date_gmt":"2012-04-06T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=10796"},"modified":"2017-06-09T18:48:25","modified_gmt":"2017-06-10T01:48:25","slug":"passover-meal-meat-sacrificed-to-idols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/passover-meal-meat-sacrificed-to-idols\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Passover Meal include Meat Sacrificed to Idols?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Passover<\/p>\n

A reader recently sent in this question about whether or not Christians should celebrate Jewish feasts such as Passover.<\/p>\n

Some families in my church like to observe the Passover and other Jewish feasts. Is this okay?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have two responses:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Sure. Why not?<\/li>\n
  2. No. I do not recommend it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    (I should have been a politician\u2026)<\/p>\n

    It all depends on whether or not your Passover Meal includes meat that has been sacrificed to idols. If you are pretty sure your Passover Meal is \u201cidol meat\u201d free, you still might want to read on\u2026<\/p>\n

    It is Okay for Christians to Celebrate Passover<\/h2>\n

    My family and I do enjoy a Passover Meal (sometimes called the Seder). We have the horseradish, lettuce, salt water, unleavened bread, boiled eggs, lamb bone (though we use a chicken bone\u2026), and wine (the kids drink grape juice).<\/p>\n

    \"PassoverAnd we do most of the activities also. We put three pieces of Matzoh in a napkin, take out the center one out, break it, hide it, and let the kids find it. We go open the door for Elijah. We tell the story of the first Passover, and we read Scripture. It is a wonderful time, and the family looks forward to it every year.<\/p>\n

    Of course, we do something else during our Passover meal that you will not find in any Jewish Passover. We not only tell the story of the first Passover, but we also tell the story of the Last Supper with Jesus, and talk about how every element in the Passover meal pictures and represents Jesus Christ and what He did for us.<\/p>\n

    The Passover meal is full of rich symbolism about Jesus, as are all the Jewish feasts.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    So in this sense, I am fine with Christians celebrating Passover and the other Jewish feasts, especially if they take the time and effort to not just celebrate the feast, but to show how it reminds us of Jesus and points to what He did (or will do) for the world.<\/p>\n

    Now let\u2019s look at the other side of the coin.<\/p>\n

    It is Not Okay for Christians to Celebrate Passover<\/h2>\n

    The only time I would ever counsel Christians to not celebrate the Passover is when they think they have to, and think that all other Christians must celebrate it also.<\/p>\n

    And sadly, this sort of thinking is becoming increasingly prominent in some Christian circles and churches.<\/p>\n

    \"PassoverThere are numerous forms this argument takes, but one or more of these points are usually brought up:<\/p>\n