The Whole Story: A Life in God's Kingdom, Part FourSample

Family Devotional:

As we continue to participate in the Passover holiday, it is essential to remember the reason for such a time of recollection and praise. To better understand the celebration of Passover from the perspective of Israel, let’s take time to read the Torah Portions for a look into the foundation of the season.

Passover (Hebrew: פֶּסַח Pesach) commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which is in spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.

Daily Demonstration:

On this seventh day of the week leading to Jesus’ crucifixion, Pilate, under the influence of Jewish leaders, ordered there be placed a large stone at the entrance of Jesus’ tomb (see Matthew 27:57-66). In this way, they could make a mockery of the claims of resurrection made by Jesus during his ministry. In many ways, the Saturday before Resurrection Sunday seemed as though Jesus had lost. In today’s reading from Exodus, Moses wanted to see the glory of God, a sight that had the power to kill a human being. Jesus made the promise to his disciples that he would show himself to believers, as well (see John 14:21). Though they had forgotten this promise, the disciples were only hours away from an experience similar to Moses’ – the glory of God right in front of them. What does the glory of God look like to you? Take time to reflect on his glory today, as tomorrow will be a day of celebration.

Additional Resources:

• Celebration Church, Online Resources, The Table: A Passover Dinner Guide
• BibleProject, Podcast, God Series
• Torah Portions, Messianic Reading Plan, (Website: https://torahportions.ffoz.org/#horizontalTab2)