Watchman on the Wall

Guest (Male): Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things.

Today Clayton Van Huss and Larry Stam will be discussing the truth of the Passover. We are less than a month away from our next Prophecy in the News Live event, Friday and Saturday, May 1st and 2nd, at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. You're invited to this free event featuring top Bible scholars, teachers, and researchers covering current events and end-times prophecy.

Registration is now open for this free two-day event. Visit swrc.com to sign up, or simply call 1-800-652-1144. Prophecy in the News Live at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, Friday and Saturday, May 1st and 2nd. Now, here's today's host, biblical archaeologist Clayton Van Huss.

Clayton Van Huss: I'm so glad that you joined us today to talk about the truth in the Passover. We're going to be talking about Christ in the Passover. I'm your host, Clayton Van Huss, and I am joined in the studio today by my good friend Larry Stam, Jewish believer in Jesus. Larry, welcome to the program.

Larry Stam: Clayton, it's a blessing to be with you and the audience today. I am a Jewish believer in Jesus. I'm actually the son of a Holocaust survivor. I'm a second-generation Holocaust survivor. My father, in 1939 in Bonn, Germany, had an SS agent who had served with my grandfather in World War I actually falsify papers enabling my father and his family to escape Nazi Germany in the spring of 1939.

They eventually made their way to Daytona Beach, Florida. I grew up in Florida in a reformed Jewish household, a liberal expression of Judaism. We didn't talk about Jesus in the synagogue, Clayton. But I always believed in God and believed that somehow He knew me and I was special in His eyes.

People began sharing the good news of Jesus with me in college. People were telling me, "Larry, Jesus died for your sins and rose again from the dead and that through faith in Him, you could be forgiven. You could be reconciled to God." I was like, "Absolutely not." But the Holy Spirit kept moving. People kept coming.

I started searching during my college years, and I came to faith when a man on an airplane in 1987 challenged me. We had a conversation. He said, "You're Jewish and you believe in God?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Why don't you ask the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if Jesus is the promised Messiah, and He'll show you the truth?" I did. A few months later, in December 1987, I prayed to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior. That was many years ago, and I'm eternally grateful for God for saving me.

That's a little bit about how I came to faith. I've had some wonderful opportunities in ministry. I was a missionary with Jews for Jesus for six years in the 2000s. I was on a church staff here in the Tri-Cities area for four years. The last 12 years, since September 2013, my wife Lori and I are doing Larry Stam Ministries. We are an equipping ministry. We exist to make the gospel of Jesus a confident topic of conversation for every Christian. If people want to learn more about our ministry and what we do, they can go to larrystam.org or they can go visit our Larry Stam Ministries Facebook page.

Clayton Van Huss: Good, because I know you've got a lot going on, especially this time of year. Because it's that time of year. It has come around, and of course, Christians, we're looking at Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. But also though for the Jewish people, this is an extremely important holiday, not just for the Jewish people, but for Christians and the very basis of our salvation. The idea, there's just so much to unpack here. I'm trying to get the words out, but I'm getting these little pieces that all go together to form the big picture. So let's talk about that today. Let's talk about Passover. What is Passover? And before we do that, why is it on a different day every year?

Larry Stam: Well, let's start with a simple question. I'll make the answer simple. The Jewish calendar, the Hebrew calendar, is lunar. We live with a Gregorian calendar. So every year now, Easter and Passover are mixed up, so they're on different days. But originally, Jesus was crucified on Passover and He rose again on First Fruits, and that occurs every year on the Jewish calendar.

But the Gregorian calendar, Easter is sometimes March, sometimes April. This year April, so it runs the gamut, and that's why the difference is a lunar calendar versus a Gregorian calendar. Passover is all about the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their homes.

When the Israelites were in bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt, if you remember and your audience remembers, Moses the deliverer, God commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go." Over and over and over, Pharaoh with a hard heart will say, "No, no, no." Plague after plague after plague will descend upon the Egyptians and the land.

Finally, the 10th plague, the death of the firstborn. God will command Moses and the Israelites, "Take the blood of an unblemished lamb without breaking any of its bones, apply its blood to the doorposts of their homes." And when the Angel of Death comes and sees the blood on the doorposts of the homes, to those people who in faith applied the blood to the doorposts of their homes, the Angel of Death would pass over. Hence, we get the name Passover. In Hebrew, we would say Pesah, the holiday which commemorates the time when death passed over the houses of Israel because of the blood, the blood of the lamb, the Passover lamb, which is a wonderful segue to us as we discuss the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, our Messiah and Lord Jesus.

Clayton Van Huss: That's right. We definitely have an historical background for this. We have a time when God prescribed this, and this is the first feast that He gives to His people. He tells them that this will be commemorated before the first Passover even happens. He tells them you're going to remember this.

That was of course they were in Egypt, they were in bondage, and this is just before the beginning of the Exodus from Egypt. It is when they will go to their wilderness wandering, they will go to Mount Sinai, the law, and then they will go into their land. We see down the road, we see echoes, not just echoes but maybe more solidly what Passover was leading towards. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about Passover as not just a remembrance, not just a celebration, but as prophecy, if you will.

Larry Stam: Yes, Clayton, exactly. We might say a signpost of sorts. If we go back to the book of Exodus chapter 12, the original Passover, God will command the Israelites to consume the Passover lamb. They also consume the bitter herbs, and God told them to eat unleavened bread. Why unleavened? Because they were in a hurry as they were leaving Egypt, right? They had to get out of there quick.

So those are the three foundational elements that we find in the initial Seder meal that are still foundational as we celebrate Passover around the world here in 2026. And we talked about the power of the blood. When God will establish a relationship with Israel and make that covenant at Mount Sinai in Exodus chapters 19 through 24, He will later give them the altar of sacrifice as the means of atonement.

Leviticus 17:11, the Bible says, "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I've given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for atonement is through the blood." Fast forward to the New Testament Gospel of John. John the Baptist will look at Yeshua, Jesus, and say in John chapter 1 verse 29, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

The writer to the book of Hebrews will write, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." That's Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22. And Paul will write about the power of the blood of Messiah in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7, where the Bible says, "In Him, in Christ or Messiah, in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace."

So there's the connection between the blood in the original Exodus and Passover and how it relates through the centuries, through millennia, to the person and work of Jesus. And we know as Christians that the blood is the power. The blood of Christ cleanses us of all sin. The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats only temporarily covered sin in the Old Testament economy. Now as we live under the New Covenant economy, putting our faith in Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, we are now cleansed through His blood.

Clayton Van Huss: Right. Hindsight is 20/20, they say. We can look back at something and see exactly what's going on. And when we look back at the words of John the Baptist and he says, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," we look back at that as Christians and we say, "Well, of course, Jesus is the Lamb of God, He takes away the sin because He dies for the sins of the world."

But this is the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry when he says this. When he says this, people are coming to John to be baptized, religious leaders are there because he talks to them, he addresses them. So we know that all sorts of people are there. And when he looks at Jesus and he says, "Look, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," did they understand that phrase? Did they understand those words to be in context of the Passover lamb?

Larry Stam: We remember as we think about studying the Bible, we understand the Bible was written to them, but it was also written for us through the generations who know the Lord. Contextually, you raise a really good question. I believe would have been some dissonance, because they would have understood the Lamb of God in the Passover context. But now John is associating the Lamb of God with Yeshua, Jesus.

And this is at the beginning of His earthly ministry. They don't know a whole lot about Jesus. They just see John the Baptist, who they were very familiar with, baptizing Christ in the Jordan River. And it's like, wow, this is mind-blowing. What did he say? And as we think about the gospel narrative, for example, when I'm teaching Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, I often point out to people that it's very important: What is the context for the New Testament revelation? It is obviously the Old Testament.

Remember when Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5, "I've not come to abolish the law and the prophets, I've come to fulfill." This is very important for us to understand. And my point is that regarding Passover, about one-third of the Gospel of John is in the context of the Passion Week of Passover. He's in Jerusalem. He's crucified on Passover.

The Upper Room Discourse, John chapter 13 through virtually the very end of the Gospel of John, is in the context of the Passion Week. So if we want to understand the gospel, if we want to understand the person and work of Christ, naturally we would want to understand and have some working understanding of the background of Passover. Passover is really important as we think about the person and work of Christ and the gospel message itself.

Clayton Van Huss: Yeah, absolutely. We've been talking with Larry Stam, Jewish believer in Jesus, about Passover and about Jesus in the Passover. Of course, Larry has produced materials on this, Larry teaches on this. You can see him at local churches, you can book him. But if you're interested in the DVD about the Passover, give us a call at 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144 or visit us online at swrc.com to get the "Walking Through the Jewish Holidays" DVD of Passover, Christ in the Passover.

We've been talking a little bit about the history of Passover with the Exodus. We've been talking a little bit about John the Baptist and of course the identification of Jesus in the New Testament as the Lamb of God, the Passover lamb. And then you were just talking about how we see during the Passion Week, the last week of the life of Jesus, it's all just built around this whole holiday of Passover. Why?

Larry Stam: Because He's the Lamb of God. He's in Jerusalem for Passover. That's the reason He and the disciples are there. And He's going to offer Himself up as a one-time atoning sacrifice. Our great High Priest also is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, at least for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord.

So that's why they're there. It's the Jewish feast. In fact, it's interesting to note that in the Upper Room, Jesus will institute Communion. It's the Last Supper, and Jesus will take, now in the first century—we talked about Exodus 12 and the original elements that God commanded them to partake of, including the lamb, they were to consume unleavened bread and the bitter herbs.

Now fast forward many, many centuries later. Now in the first century, we see there were added traditions, and one of them were four cups. The first cup was called the Kiddush cup or the cup of sanctification. Then the second cup, the cup of plagues, to remember the plagues poured out upon the Egyptians. Now the third cup is the cup of redemption. The fourth cup would be the cup of joy, the cup of praise, the cup of Hallel.

But the third cup, the cup of redemption, is the cup that Jesus takes at the Last Supper in Matthew chapter 26 verse 28, and He will say, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood shed for many for the forgiveness of sins." So there is the connection between the blood of the lamb and Jesus, the Lamb of God, and our Communion. So as Christians, we need to understand a little bit about the relationship between Passover and the origin of our Communion service. Jesus instituted Passover—I mean instituted Communion, I should say—the bread and the blood, His body, His blood, at the Last Supper, and there is a powerful, powerful teaching moment that Jesus will employ there.

Clayton Van Huss: Yeah, absolutely. And there's so much to unpack here. I mean, we can't even begin to scratch the surface in this program. But this is not coincidence that this is all taking place at this time and that every one of these images is fulfilled. And there's one that I've never heard addressed, and in fact, it just entered my mind.

Jesus has just talked to His disciples and told them He's sending them out. Before He sent them out and He said, "Don't worry about yourselves, you'll be taken care of." And then He's going to send them out and He's like, "Make sure that you've got your your cloak and your sandals and your sword and all these things." I think back to the first Passover and God told the Israelites, "Get ready because you're leaving now."

He says, "You will eat this meal dressed and standing with your walking stick in your hand, you are ready to go." And so Jesus has just told His disciples, "You are ready, get ready to go." And He has this meal with him, and then within hours, minutes, He's arrested. He goes to the garden in prayer and He's arrested. And then of course we begin the sacrifice of the Lamb. We begin the crucifixion.

These are not accidents. These are not things that just kind of like, "Oh, wow, that's an interesting coincidence." This is God's plan. 3,400 years ago when the Israelites were in Egypt, God instituted this, told them to put the blood on the posts and the lintel, that 1,400 years after that that we would see this thing fulfilled, that on the day it gets fulfilled, the day that God says commemorate is the day it's fulfilled.

And I think as a believer in Jesus, I can't help but look at that. And then Jesus institutes for us the way that we are supposed to remember Him. How do you see this as anything other than supernatural?

Larry Stam: There are so many thoughts going through my mind. I will point your listeners to the fact that we have the "Walk Through the Jewish Holidays" Passover teaching where I unpack Christ in the Passover. I lay out a Passover table. I talk about the origin of Passover, what it is, and then I talk about the modern expression and a picture of Christ and His redemptive work. In all the symbols and elements, we see a picture of Christ's redemptive work there.

I also unpack the origin of Communion. But as you were talking, I was thinking about the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and the lintel. The two doorposts, the lintel. Thinking about Christ crucified, the Lamb of God bearing the sins of the world on the cross, both of His hands pierced, bleeding, His feet nailed. And there's a picture.

It's no coincidence. God is continuing to speak. There is power in the blood. There is power in the blood. Historically in Judaism, as we think about Passover, there's power in the blood. Growing up in a reformed Jewish synagogue, a liberal expression of Judaism, I never thought twice about the power of the blood.

As a Christian since 1987, I think often, perhaps not often enough, not as often as I ought to, there's power in the blood. Blood is the essence of life. God says the life of the flesh is in the blood. A life-for-a-life principle, the idea of substitution. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

And the thing is, when we think about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Clayton, that should be us. We're the one who should have our blood shed. We are the one who should die. And yet Jesus—the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, a powerful picture of the gospel, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Substitutionary atonement is communicated throughout the entire Old Testament, and we see a picture of substitution on the altar of sacrifice. And we see the powerful picture of substitution of the suffering servant, Jesus, on the cross at Calvary. And the connections go on and on.

I do want to point your listeners not only to the DVD teaching where I talk about Christ in the Passover. I would point them to an excellent book by a gentleman named Moishe Rosen. It's called "Christ in the Passover." You can get it on Amazon. I point people to it all the time when I'm teaching at churches and at conferences. It's 100 pages or thereabouts. It's a wonderful primer on learning about Christ in the Passover and learning about the power and profundity of Passover from the origin of Passover in the book of Exodus all the way to the first century when Christ celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and originated Communion, instituted Communion, I should say, all the way to the 21st century and how Passover is celebrated around the world. A great book. It's simply called "Christ in the Passover" by Moishe Rosen. Great resource for people who want to learn more.

Clayton Van Huss: As Christians, we oftentimes look at Passover as a Jewish holiday. That's theirs. We have Easter, they got Passover. Should we be doing that?

Larry Stam: I think maybe the word "should" is not necessarily the right question. I think the answer is "could," and the answer is absolutely yes, we can. We're not obligated to observe the feast because we're living under the New Covenant.

The Mosaic Covenant in the book of Hebrews, comparing the New Covenants, the New Covenant is better, better, better. We get that. But we have the freedom. The Bible says, "Whatever you do, do as unto the Lord." We are free to celebrate Passover and any of the other feasts if they help us remember the person and work of Christ.

And I think it's wonderful because I present Christ in the Passover, I celebrate Passover meals with small groups and at churches. It's a wonderful time to remember and rejoice in the person and work of Christ. So to answer your question, can we celebrate the Passover as Christians? Absolutely, positively, yes.

Clayton Van Huss: And to be honest, that wasn't even my question. My question is, should I let this go? Should I understand this? Do I as a Christian, how does it behoove me to understand? Should I be able to take Easter and Passover and understand the correlation, what's going on?

Larry Stam: We see the sacrifice of the suffering servant, the Lamb of God at the crucifixion, and the resurrection Easter Sunday certainly the connection. He is broken. He is humiliated. He takes our sins. He bears our sins. And the third day He rises again in exaltation.

And we as Christians, we identify with both His death and His resurrection. And one of the ways we can identify with His death is by celebrating a Passover meal because it helps us once again. Whatever you do, do as unto the Lord. This is a great object lesson in celebrating the gospel of Jesus Christ through celebrating a Seder meal.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. To be able to view the crucifixion of Jesus, to view His death, His burial, and His resurrection through this lens, this cultural and historical and religious lens, of exactly of Passover, and to see the beautiful picture that God is painting.

And that's what you're doing here. Do you have any parting thoughts for us today as we consider Passover? Well, I would remind the audience, it's all about the Passover Lamb, Jesus. And once again, Jesus was born to die. He came to die for our sins and rise again the third day. And that through faith in Him, we can be reconciled to God and we can have a personal relationship with the creator.

And if you've not done that, I encourage you. Simply confess your sins to God. If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, confess your sins to God, put your trust in Jesus. If you have questions, contact us at swrc.com or call the phone number and we'd love to help you understand more about what it means to have a relationship with the living God through faith in the Lamb of God, Jesus.

Clayton Van Huss: Christ in the Passover. We've been talking with Larry Stam, Jewish believer in Jesus and teacher on the Feasts of Israel. You can find a copy of his DVD of "Christ in the Passover" here at swrc.com or you can give us a call at 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144. Larry, thank you so much for joining us today.

Larry Stam: Clayton, thank you so much for having me today.

Guest (Male): To continue your study and understanding of the Passover as well as other Jewish holidays, may I recommend the DVD "Walking Through the Jewish Feasts and Holidays" series with Larry Stam? These four DVDs look deeply into the Feast of Tabernacles, the holiday commemorating God's faithfulness to the Jewish people during their wilderness wandering, the Feast of Passover on the origin of Communion and its symbols and elements, Hanukkah, its meaning and importance to Christian life, and the celebration of Purim, which stands as a powerful testament that God is always at work.

"Walking Through the Jewish Holidays" with Larry Stam. Order these wonderful DVDs today when you call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144. You can also order online. Simply visit swrc.com. And make sure you check out "Jewish Roots of Christianity," the book by Larry Stam, a Jewish follower of Jesus. This book examines the religion of the Old Testament and in its ultimate fulfillment in the Messianic hope as detailed in page after page of the New Testament.

Friends, discovering your Jewish roots means discovering your biblical roots. Order "Jewish Roots of Christianity" today when you call 1-800-652-1144. Don't miss out on any of the important topics and information that is shared on Watchman on the Wall. Make sure you subscribe to our free email newsletter. Sign up today for the free email newsletter.

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Tomorrow author Carl Gallups will begin leading listeners on a unique pilgrimage to Golgotha, so be sure to tune in. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful listeners like you. To learn more, visit swrc.com.