“After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,” (John 2:12-13)

Jesus shifts the location of His ministry to the city of Capernaum for a few days and then heads toward Jerusalem for the annual observance of the Passover.

John calls this feast “The Jews’ Passover.” I believe he does this for two reasons. First of all, the Gentile proselytes and those living among the Jews were not required to observe this festival. The feast commemorates the night when the angel went through Egypt killing all of the first born in each house. However, the angel “passed over” the houses who had the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. This was the same evening that God delivered the Jews from their bondage in Egypt. Therefore, only natural Jews were required to remember their deliverance.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly, John refers to the Passover in this way because, at the time he wrote this gospel, God had done away with the official sanction to carryout this feast every year. Jesus observed the last Passover meal with His disciples the same night that He instituted the new observance of the Lord’s Supper or communion.

No one is required to continue the observance of this Feast of Unleavened Bread because the true Passover Lamb has been offered once and need not be offered unto God again. Jesus is our Lamb!

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:" (1st Corinthians 5:7)