Jesus kept the Passover from his childhood, and so it is perfectly natural for evangelical Christians to enter into the experience of his Last Seder.

However, there was a headline this week: Episcopalian bishop of Missouri bans Christian Passover seders in the diocese. The clergyman called the practice “deeply problematic” and warned that “it contributes to the objectification of our Jewish neighbors.”

I disagree! 

Celebrating the Passover is part of our Judeo-Christian heritage and helps us gain an understanding of the importance of the Hebraic roots of our faith.

The article published in The Times of Israel states, “For years, a growing number of Jews have issued the same public request ahead of Passover: Christians, please don’t hold your own seders glorifying Jesus.”

So now, some Christian clergy are passing that same message onto their followers. Last week, the Episcopal bishop of Missouri, the Rev. Deon K. Johnson, posted an open letter to his diocese stating that Christian seders are “banned” because they advance supersessionism, i.e. replacement theology.

Johnson explicitly forbade his parishioners from “hosting, holding or celebrating Christian seders.”

Hold on—all over the world there are already too many restrictions on religious freedom!  Passover is all about freedom. Christians must not deny the significance of the Passover nor be banned from holding a seder. At a time with Jews and Christians are forging strategic alliances, celebrating biblical holidays affirms the centrality of the Jewish people and also helps combat antisemitism!

The bishop’s ban goes against the entire tenor of Scripture. 

Jesus’s Last Seder became the universal table of the Lord. Our ministry this week hosted a Passover seder (photo above) during Holy Week here in Jerusalem, and nothing could have been more timely for Bible-believing Christians. 

Christianity cannot be understood apart from Judaism.

The Hebrew4Christians.com website explains why holding a Passover seder is an education for Christians and takes nothing away from the Jewish people. John Parsons, who writes the “Hebrew for Christians” website, posted the following beautiful explanation:

. . . the theme and message of Passover is timeless for understanding the Bible. . . .The meaning and substance of Passover, then, is essential to the life of the Christian, and to dismiss its significance is to risk missing the point of God’s redemption and salvation itself. The Apostle Paul used “Passover language” to describe our new life in Messiah by admonishing us to: “purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:7-8)

If my New Testament entreats me to keep the feast, why should I, or any other believer, be influenced by apostate churchmen who dishonor the Word of God?

Christine Darg is founder and presenter of www.JerusalemChannel.tv and can be reached at JerusalemChannel@icloud.com