Liberty University’s Center for Judaic Studies held its annual Christ in the Passover event on March 23, which walked students through a traditional Passover, explaining its significance to Christians and how it points to Jesus as the Messiah.
The event included a presentation of the Seder, a biblical feast that retells the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
Stephen Katz, North American director of Jews for Jesus, hosted the event, emphasizing the importance of how this Old Testament tradition ties to Jesus and the Last Supper.
“A lot of Christians spend so much time in the New Testament that they neglect the old and don’t understand what’s there and what it has to do with their faith and their Lord,” Katz said. “I bring things like this to help them and pique students’ interest to dive in and enrich their own faith.”
Dr. Randall Price, director of the Center for Judaic studies, affirmed the need for believers to understand the background of their faith.
“Our Christian faith has Jewish roots,” Price said. “We really can’t understand the deepest levels of our faith or the text of the Bible without understanding the history of Israel and God’s promises to Israel, because the promises to us depend on being faithful on His promises to them.”
The Center for Judaic Studies, part of the Liberty University School of Religion, offers a biblical perspective of the Jewish mission. It educates people on the biblical covenants made with Israel and explains why the Jewish people are still God’s chosen people and how the church and Israel have distinct purposes in God’s plan.