As Jewish people around the world celebrated the beginning of Passover last night (Wednesday, 8 April), never will the festival have had more resonance. Terrible plague and the angel of death passing over are currently all too real.
Lockdown means that singles, couples and older people confined to their homes will celebrate Passover in isolation instead of with the wider family circle. In Israel, the virus has infected more than 9,400 people and claimed over 70 lives so far, with the Orthodox community particularly affected and hospitals in ultra-Orthodox areas unable to take more intensive care patients. Orthodox Jews do not use technology on Shabbat (Saturday), but some families conducted an additional pre-sundown seder with family members via Zoom.1
Passover has taken place there under conditions almost like the first Passover (Ex 12). A curfew was enforced from 3pm on Wednesday until Thursday morning with no-one allowed to leave their home.2 In Exodus 12, to protect the Hebrews from the final ‘plague’ of the death of the firstborn, they were charged that: “None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning” (Ex 12:22).
Only in the safety of a home marked by the blood of a perfect lamb would God’s people be safe.
Outside Israel, the festival is repeated for a second night and so Jewish people around the world will be celebrating a second time as the sun sets on Maundy Thursday.
Pray for Jewish communities around the world - for their protection this Passover from this deadly plague. Pray for the ‘veil’ (2 Cor 3:16) to be lifted and the Messianic meaning of Passover, the shed blood of the Passover Lamb, to be truly understood.
References
1 Kershner, I. New York Times, 7 April 2020.
2 Ha’aretz, 8 April 2020.
