Date of Celebration: sunset of April 19 - sunset of April 26/27, 2008
Jesus celebrated
the Seder with His disciples. Join us as we take a quick tour
through parts of a traditional Passover seder and highlight
those points that are especially meaningful to believers in
Jesus.
The removal of leaven
Before the beginning of the Passover, all leaven, which is a
symbol of sin (1 Cor. 5:6-8), must be removed from the Jewish
home. The house is cleaned from top to bottom and anything
containing leaven is removed. Then, the evening before the
Passover, the father of the house takes the traditional cleaning
implements: a feather, a wooden spoon, and a bag, and searches
the house for any specks of leaven which might have been missed
(my mother used to leave it on top of the refrigerator so my
father shouldn't spend all night hunting!).
Washing the hands
Once the leaven is removed, the family sits around the table and
ceremonially washes their hands with a special laver and towel.
Jesus also took part in this tradition, but rather than wash his
hands, he got up from the table and washed the feet of his
disciples, giving us an unparalleled lesson in humility (John
13:2-17).
Lighting the candles
Once the house and the participants are ceremonially clean, the
Passover seder can begin. The woman of the house says a blessing
and lights the Passover candles. It is appropriate that the
woman brings light into the home, because it was through the
woman that the light of the world, Messiah Jesus, came into the
world (Gen. 3:15).
Haggadah
Haggadah means "the telling" - the telling of the story of
Passover. The story is told in response to four questions asked
by the children: why is this night different from all other
nights? The father proceeds to tell the story of the Exodus from
Egypt, reading from a book called "The Haggadah" and using
symbols and object lessons in order to keep the attention of the
little ones.
The first cup of wine
The seder begins with a blessing recited over the first of four cups of
wine: "Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast
created the fruit of the vine." Jesus himself blessed the first cup in
Luke 22:17-18.
The second cup of wine
The second cup is to remind us of the Ten Plagues and the suffering of
the Egyptians when they hardened their heart to the Lord. In order not
to rejoice over the suffering of our enemies (Prov. 24:17), we spill a
drop of wine (which is a symbol of joy) as we recite each of the Ten
Plagues, thus remembering that our joy is diminished at the suffering of
others.
Afikomen
A very curious tradition now takes place. At the table is a bag with
three compartments and three pieces of motza. The middle piece of motza
is taken out, broken, and half is put back into the bag. The other half
is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden, to be taken out later, after
the meal.
The seder plate
The rabbis have devised a series of object lessons to keep the attention
of the little ones during the Passover seder. These items are tasted by
each person, as each is instructed to feel as if they themselves had
taken part in the flight from Egypt.
Karpas - greens
The first item taken is the karpas, or greens (usually parsley), which
is a symbol of life. The parsley is dipped in salt water, a symbol of
tears, and eaten, to remind us that life for our ancestors was immersed
in tears.
Beitzah - egg
A roasted egg is on the seder plate to bring to mind the roasted daily
temple sacrifice that no longer can be offered because the temple no
longer stands. In the very midst of the Passover Seder, the Jewish
people are reminded that they have no sacrifice to make them righteous
before God.
Shankbone of the Lamb
In every Jewish home, on every seder plate, is a bare shankbone of a
lamb. In the book of Exodus, Jewish firstborns were spared from the
Angel of Death by applying the blood of a spotless, innocent lamb
applied to the doorpost of their homes as God brought the people from
slavery into freedom. Today, we believe Jesus is that perfect Passover
Lamb, and when we apply His blood to the doorposts of our heart, we too
go from death into life, from slavery to sin into the freedom of being a
redeemed child of God. As John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus coming
towards him, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" (John 1:29)
The Meal
Ah, even through the wonders of modern technology, we still cannot bring
you the most memorable part of the Passover... the meal, just like
grandma used to make! Just picture it: steaming hot chicken soup with
huge, fluffy motza balls; some motza; slices of pungent, home-made
gefilte fish with just-ground make-you-cry horseradish; more motza;
chopped liver (with lots of schmaltz and crunchy fried onions) on a bed
of lettuce; more motza; enough delectable green salad to feed a colony
of hungry rabbits; more motza; more crispy fried onions on the side;
more motza... and that's just the appetizer!
Next comes the meal... can you smell it? Tender, sweet brisket with
cabbage; more motza; home made flanken; stewed chicken, roasted chicken,
broiled chicken, boiled chicken, sautéed chicken, baked chicken; more
motza; a whole roasted turkey; more motza; fresh-cut green beans with
onions; more motza; carrot and prune tzimmes; more motza; sweet potato
and raisin tzimmes; more motza; home-made mashed potatoes swimming in
butter; more motza... and we haven't even gotten through the appetizer!
Did you save room for dessert??? Well, you will have to wait, because
now it's time go on with the seder!
Third Cup
The third cup of wine is taken after the meal. It is the cup of
redemption, which reminds us of the shed blood of the innocent Lamb
which brought our redemption from Egypt. We see that Jesus took the
third cup in Luke 22:20 and 1 Corinthians 11:25, "In the same way, after
supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my
blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'" This was
not just any cup, it was the cup of redemption from slavery into
freedom. This is our communion cup.
Fourth Cup
The fourth cup is the Cup of Hallel. Hallel in Hebrew means "praise,"
and we see in the beautiful High Priestly Prayer of John 17, that Jesus
took time to praise and thank the Lord at the end of the Passover Seder,
his last supper. The spotless Passover Lamb had praise on his lips as he
went to his death.
Elijah's Cup
A place setting remains empty for Elijah the prophet, the honored guest
at every Passover table. The Jewish people expect Elijah to come at
Passover and announce the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). So a
place is set, a cup is filled with wine, and hearts are expectant for
Elijah to come and announce the Good News. At the end of the seder meal,
a child is sent to the door to open it and see if Elijah is there. Every
year, the child returns, disappointed, and the wine is poured out
without being touched. My people wait and hope for Messiah - they do not
realize that Messiah has already come. But those of us who believe in
Yeshua know that He is the one the prophets spoke of. He is the
spotless, unblemished Passover Lamb, whose body was broken for us, whose
blood was shed, and who now lives to distribute His life to all of us
who apply His blood to the doorpost of our hearts and have passed from
death into His eternal life.
