What Does Passover Mean?
Answer: Just before Jesus died, he had a Passover meal with his disciples. Passover is the special celebration Jews hold every year to remember when the Israelites left Egypt and started their trip to the Promised Land.
Moses had told Pharaoh that because he wouldn’t let the Jews go, all the firstborn boys would die.
But God told the Jews to put the blood of a lamb over the door and on the sides of the door so the angel of death would see the blood and pass over them and spare the Jewish children.
Today, Jews still celebrate Passover. Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) rather than Passover.
Key verse: “This yearly ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread’ will help you always remember today. It will remind you of the day when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
It is a law that you must celebrate this day every year, generation after generation.” (Exodus 12:17)
Related verses: Exodus 12:1-30; Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Related questions: Why did they want to have the Last Supper in the house of someone they didn’t know? Why did the disciples recline at the table to eat?
Note to parents: The Christian celebration of Communion comes from Jesus’ celebration of Passover. Just before Jesus died, he had a Passover meal with his disciples.
As they ate bread and wine, he told them that the bread was his body that would be broken for them and the wine was his blood that would be shed for them.
Jesus is our Lamb that was killed; because of his blood, we can have eternal life.
Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?
Answer: Judas turned against Jesus and betrayed him because Judas did not care about what Jesus had come to earth to do. Judas had hoped that Jesus would be a military leader and free the Jews from the Romans.
Also, Judas loved money, and the religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus offered Judas money to help them capture Jesus.
If Judas had been one of Jesus’ true disciples, he would not have betrayed him. Afterward, when he saw that Jesus was going to be killed, Judas was so upset at what he had done that he killed himself.
Key verses: Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests. Judas was one of the 12 apostles.
He asked, “How much will you pay me to get Jesus into your hands?” They gave him 30 silver coins to do the job. From that time on, Judas watched for a chance to turn Jesus over to them. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Related verses: Matthew 26:47-50; John 6:70-71; 12:4-6; 13:26-30; 18:2-5
Related question: Why did Judas kill himself?