The Christian feast of Easter is intimately linked to Pesach and draws upon its Scriptural imagery to communicate the meaning that Christians attribute to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

According to the Gospels, Jesus made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate Pesach. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke describe a Pesach meal that Jesus celebrates with his disciples, interpreting the unleavened bread as his body which will be broken and the wine which he shares as the sign of the covenant. When celebrating the Eucharist – a central Christian ritual – Christians remember (recall) this meal of Jesus with his disciples.

Christians understand Jesus‘death and resurrection as inaugurating a profound spiritual liberation—from sin and the power of death. Just as the ancient Israelites were spared from death during the first Passover, Christians believe that Jesus‘rising from the dead has brought God’s forgiveness and renewal, and freed believers to live lives of faithfulness, hope and love.

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