1. A method of processing a breakpoint instruction in a packet classifier of a network processor having a plurality of processing modules, the method comprising: generating, by at least one of the plurality of processing modules, one or more tasks corresponding to each of a plurality of received packets; generating, by a scheduler of the packet classifier, a thread of one or more contexts for each task received by the packet classifier, wherein the thread corresponds to an order of instructions applied to the corresponding packet; executing each thread, by a multi-thread instruction engine of the packet classifier, by the steps of: fetching an instruction of the thread from an instruction memory of the packet classifier; determining whether a breakpoint mode of the network processor is enabled; if the breakpoint mode is enabled: determining whether a breakpoint indicator of the fetched instruction is set; if the breakpoint indicator of the fetched instruction is set: entering a breakpoint mode; otherwise, if the breakpoint indicator of the fetched instruction is not set: executing the fetched instruction; and wherein the breakpoint mode comprises: saving, by the multi-thread instruction engine, execution state data of the thread corresponding to the fetched instruction to a per-thread state memory; providing, by the multi-thread instruction engine to the scheduler, a thread status indicator corresponding to the thread; and placing, by the scheduler, the thread in a parked mode; and wherein the breakpoint mode comprises: requesting, by the scheduler, that the multi-thread instruction engine provide thread status indicators corresponding to other active threads of the multi-thread instruction engine; and placing, by the scheduler, the other active threads in the parked mode.