It is an honor to have you as a donor member! Share today. Yeshua's Thanksgiving DayDr. Stephen Phinney: On the eve of His crucifixion, Yeshua gathered with His disciples to celebrate what we might call His “Thanksgiving Day”—the Passover meal.
Listen to the podcast version: A MODERN VIEW OF PASSOVERThe Passover meal, rich with remembrance and prophetic fulfillment. In that upper room, He gave thanks not only for the bread and the cup, but for the covenant they represented: His body broken, His blood poured out for the redemption of many.It was a moment of sacred intimacy, where gratitude met sacrifice, and where Yeshua, knowing the suffering ahead, chose to anchor His disciples in the promise of deliverance. This was no ordinary feast—it was the fulfillment of centuries of longing, and the beginning of a new covenant sealed in love. Yeshua’s Last Supper and America’s Thanksgiving both mark sacred moments of remembrance born from sacrifice.At the Passover table, Yeshua gave thanks knowing His body would soon be broken for the redemption of mankind—a covenant meal rooted in deliverance. Similarly, the Pilgrims gathered in gratitude after enduring hardship, loss, and uncertainty, offering thanks to God for sustaining them in a new land. Both meals—one divine, one historical—reflect a posture of humility before God, a recognition that freedom and provision come through suffering, and a shared hope that future generations would walk in the light of that sacrifice. MY GRANDFATHER SAT AT THAT TABLE
Born in Plymouth Colony in 1638, Grandfather John Phinney Jr. was firmly rooted in the legacy of America’s founding families, later marrying the daughter of a Mayflower Compact signer. Though he arrived after the first Thanksgiving, his heritage was inseparably linked to that sacred moment in history—a moment that embodied the Pilgrims’ unwavering faith, sacrificial endurance, and covenantal vision for a God-honoring nation. His life came to reflect the very spirit of that legacy, so much so that he became a living portrait of early American perseverance—rightly remembered as “America’s Pilgrim.” His family’s presence at the original table marked more than survival; it signified a generational vow to trust in God’s provision and purpose in a new land. While I deeply honor the legacy of my Pilgrim forefathers and their courageous stand for faith and freedom, my truest gratitude flows from a far older table—the Last Supper, the Passover of Yeshua.It was there, in the upper room, that the Lamb of God gave thanks before offering Himself as the final sacrifice, sealing a new covenant with His own blood. That sacred meal wasn’t just a remembrance of deliverance from Egypt, but a prophetic unveiling of the ultimate redemption through the cross. So, while I cherish the heritage of America’s first Thanksgiving, it is the broken bread and poured-out cup of Messiah that anchors my soul in eternal thanksgiving. THE BLOODThe power of Yeshua’s spilled blood is the very heartbeat of our thanksgiving—it is the crimson thread that runs from the Passover lamb in Egypt to the Lamb of God at Calvary. At the Last Supper, Yeshua lifted the cup and declared it the blood of the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. His blood didn’t merely cover sin as in the old covenant—it cleansed it completely, once and for all. It broke the curse, silenced the accuser, and opened the way for intimacy with the Father. In His blood, we find healing, redemption, and eternal belonging. So, while we honor the sacrifices of our earthly forebears, it is the blood of Messiah that secures our true freedom and anchors our deepest gratitude. HIS BROKEN BODYYeshua’s broken body is the very foundation of our healing and reconciliation. At the Last Supper, when He took the bread and broke it, He wasn’t just observing tradition—He was revealing the cost of redemption. “This is my body, which is for you,” He said, pointing to the suffering He would soon endure on our behalf (1 Corinthians 11:24, ESV). His body was pierced, bruised, and crushed so that ours might be made whole—spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. Just as the unleavened bread of Passover symbolized purity and haste, Yeshua became the sinless offering, broken to deliver us from bondage. In every bite of that sacred remembrance, we taste the mercy that mends what sin has shattered. THE SLAIN LAMBAt the heart of Yeshua’s Last Supper stands the Slain Lamb of God—He who fulfilled the ancient shadow of Passover with His own body and blood. Just as the Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of a spotless lamb to be spared from death, so too does the blood of Yeshua, our perfect Lamb, mark the hearts of those who believe, securing eternal deliverance. In that upper room, He didn’t just share a meal—He revealed that He was the Lamb, soon to be slain, whose sacrifice would inaugurate a new covenant. The bread broken and the cup poured out were not mere symbols, but living declarations that the long-awaited Redeemer had come. This is the true feast of thanksgiving: not only for provision in a new land, but for redemption in a new Kingdom, purchased by the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. THE UPPER ROOMThe Upper Room holds profound historical and spiritual significance as the sacred space in Jerusalem where Yeshua shared His final Passover meal with His disciples—the Last Supper. Traditionally believed to be located on Mount Zion, this room became the setting for the institution of the New Covenant, where Yeshua broke bread and offered the cup, symbolizing His body and blood soon to be given for the redemption of mankind. Beyond that pivotal moment, the Upper Room also served as a place of prayer, unity, and divine encounter—where the disciples gathered after Yeshua’s ascension and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). It stands as a symbol of covenant, commissioning, and the birth of the early Church—a place where heaven touched earth and history was forever changed. THE INDWELLING LIFEAll of this—the Upper Room, the broken bread, the poured-out cup, the Slain Lamb—culminates in the most intimate invitation ever extended: that Yeshua Himself would come to dwell within all who are born again. The same Messiah who gave thanks at the Passover table, who offered His body and shed His blood for our redemption, now knocks at the door of every heart, longing to make His home within us (Revelation 3:20, ESV). Through the power of His Spirit, He transforms the believer into a living temple, no longer confined to an upper room or a sacred altar, but abiding within us—guiding, comforting, and empowering us to live in covenant relationship with the Father. This is the true miracle of thanksgiving: that the Lamb who was slain now lives in us, and we in Him, forever. THE CONNECTION TO AMERICA’S FREEDOMJust as Yeshua’s body was broken and His blood spilled to secure our eternal freedom and invite us to dwell in Him, so too did our forefathers sacrifice their bodies and shed their blood to establish a land where liberty could flourish. The Pilgrims, pioneers, and patriots endured suffering, loss, and hardship so that future generations might live in a nation rooted in faith and freedom. Their covenant with God and one another shouts out the greater covenant made at the cross—both marked by sacrifice, both offering a place to dwell in peace. As born-again believers, we live in dual citizenship: spiritually anchored in the Kingdom of Heaven through Messiah’s sacrifice and physically blessed to inhabit a land shaped by those who gave all to honor God and secure liberty. This is the reason I remain faithful to Christ and why I honor America’s Thanksgiving Day with such reverence.The broken body and spilled blood of Yeshua purchased my eternal freedom, and the sacrifices of our forefathers secured a land where that faith could be lived out without fear. Both altars—Calvary’s cross and Plymouth’s table—stand as monuments of covenant, gratitude, and costly liberty. My thanksgiving flows from the Lamb who gave all, and from those who followed Him into a new world, believing that freedom under God was worth every trial. In remembering both, I anchor my heart in the One who is faithful and give thanks for the heritage that allows me to worship Him freely. Beyond Empires | Lyrics Stephen Phinney | Vocalist Elijah Musika -Stephen Eschatological Studies | The End Times Chronicles is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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