FINDING THE MESSIAH IN THE PASSOVER

 

       Today is the first day of Spring.  Easter Sunday is not far away.  My calendar tells me that the Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday, March 31st.

 

       I have been studying recently about the Passover, I would like to share with you some of the things I’ve learned.  Passover is a celebration of God’s deliverance of the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

 

       The observance of the Passover began with the birth of the Hebrew nation.  On the last night of their bondage when there appeared no token of deliverance.  God commanded them to prepare for an immediate release.  He had warned Pharaoh of the final judgment on the Egyptians & He directed the Hebrews to gather their families within their own dwellings.  They were to kill a lamb & sprinkle its blood on the lintels & door posts.  They were to eat the lamb roasted, with unleavened bread & bitter herbs.  They were to eat it with their loins girded, with their shoes on their feet, staff in hand & eaten with haste.

 

       And none of them were to go out of their houses until morning.  From Testimonies Vol. 6 pg. 195 “The Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians & when He seeth the blood on the lintel & on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door & will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.”

 

       At midnight all the first born of the Egyptians were slain.  The blood upon the lintel of the door symbolized the blood of Christ, who alone saved the first born of the Hebrews from the curse.  Anyone of the children of the Hebrews who was found in an Egyptian habitation was destroyed.

 

       The Passover is a type of foreshadowing of the greater redemption to come.  Everything about the ceremony is symbolic.  The Messiah can be seen in every aspect.

 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

 

       No leaven is to be consumed during Passover, nor in the seven days that follow.  No yeast or leaven of any kind is even allowed in the house during this time.  In preparation for Passover, a thorough housecleaning is undertaken to be certain there is not so much as a crumb of leavened bread (or leavened anything else) anywhere in the house.  Even the children become involved in this process, as parents deliberately hide crumbs of bread behind furniture, on bookcases, etc., for the children to find & bring to the head of the household for destruction by fire.

 

       Why so much concern about leaven?  On the surface, the eating of unleavened bread is a reminder of the haste with which the children of Israel left Egypt.  Pharaoh came to Moses in the middle of the night (when the plague struck) & pleaded with him to take his people & their livestock & get out of the country before the whole of Egypt was destroyed.  The Israelites had to mobilize quickly, & there was not time for bread to rise.  The Bible speaks of leaven as something that has to be got rid of absolutely during this time.  There is a deeper significance to “leaven”.  Bible scholars often see “leaven” in the Scripture as being a symbol of moral corruption, or sin.  If that is the case, the purging of the house symbolizes dealing with sin, & that, after all, is what Jesus came to do. (See Matt. 9:13)

 

Set up the table - Mention setting a place for Elijah.

Don’t for get the pillow.

 

Refer to insert - Order & symbols of Seder, Order of Passover 

The Passover Seder

 

       The Passover celebration itself centers around a ceremonial meal called a Seder, which consists of eating symbolic foods & drinking symbolic wine, interspersed with a  narrative of the Exodus, according to the Seder manual called the Haggadah (which means “narration”).  It is not a passive ceremony, but involves everyone present.  Passover is a time of celebration, so the table is set festively.  We now have our table set.  The first thing we need to do is light the candles.  The candles must be lit by a woman.  Few things in Judaism require a women to perform them, but a woman must light the candles  because it was by a women that the Light of the world came into the world & it was done w/o the involvement of a man.

 

       When everything is ready, a glass of wine is poured & the Kiddush recited.   Pour cup of juice. This cup is called the “Cup of Sanctification,” & signifies that everything is “in order” (the word “Seder” means “order” in Hebrew).  Drink the cup of grape juice.  On the table will be symbolic foods which will be eaten at the appropriate time as the story of the Exodus unfolds.  Within the Passover there are 3 symbols that shows that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

1.                Bitter herbs (root of horseradish) - a reminder of the bitter lives the Hebrew’s had in Egypt & all other        people who are slaves today.  To be eaten to bring tears to the eyes.  (Just by smelling - tears)

 

2.            Charoset (chopped apples, nuts & raisins, mixed with cinnamon & wine) - a reminder of the cement used to make bricks when the Hebrew’s were slaves.  Also used to remove the taste of the bitter herbs.

 

3.            A roasted shank bone of a lamb - a reminder of the offerings brought to the Temple in Jerusalem.  After the temple was destroyed, lambs were no longer sacrificed, so a shank bone is used to symbolize the slain lamb.

 

4.            Parsley or any green vegetable - a reminder of things that come to life each spring.

 

5.            Roasted egg - a symbol of life.

 

6.            Salt water - the first dipping is a reminder of the tears shed in Egypt & the second dipping symbolizes the     crossing of the Red Sea.

 

Mention Matzo cover - 3 compartments - place matzo in cover.

The three matzos suggest the Holy Trinity of Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  The head of the household take the middle matzo & breaks it in two & wraps in white linen & hides half of it!  This hidden matzo is called the afikomen; we’ll hear more about it later.  Do this now break matzo & wrap in linen & hide it behind the pillow.

 

       The youngest child present who is old enough to read will then ask “the Four Questions,” which he or she has memorized (often in Hebrew) ahead of time.  The gist of the questions is: 

Get Micah to read the questions.

 

       1.     On all other nights we eat bread or matzo, but tonight only matzo. Why?

       2.     On all other nights we eat vegetables & herbs of all kinds, but tonight only bitter herbs.  Why?

       3.     On all other nights we do not dip vegetables even once, but tonight we dip twice.  Why?     

       4.     On all other nights we eat in an upright position, but tonight we recline at the table.  Why?

 

       The child’s questions are answered in the form of a series of reading from the Haggadah, in which everyone present can participate.  The symbolic foods are eaten as the events they symbolize are mentioned. Go back up & answer the “Four Questions”. The Ten Plagues are commemorated with the second cup of wine.  As each plague is named, each participant drops a drop of wine into the saucer.  This is to be a solemn reflection on God’s judgment, & not an occasion for gloating. (See Proverbs 24:17)

 

Pour a new cup/drop a drop of wine for each of the 10 plagues:

All participants chant in unison the plagues as each drop of wine is dropped.

       1. Blood          

              2. Frogs

                      3. Vermin

                             4. Beasts

                                    5. Cattle Disease

                                           6. Boils

                                                  7. Hail

                                                          8. Locusts

                                                                 9. Darkness

                                                                        10. Slaying of the First Born

 

Drink juice.

A piece of matzo is broken into small pieces & distributed to each participant.  Do this now. The matzo is blessed & eaten.

 

       After this, the Seder tray is removed, & the regular meal is served.  This is a large family feast, something like Thanksgiving (but of course, entirely kosher & without leaven!)  When there was still a temple in Jerusalem, this meal centered around the Paschal Lamb which had been sacrificed at twilight.  Now, however, the meat dish is more likely to be chicken or beef.  The original sacrificial Lamb is represented by the shank bone on the Seder tray.  A Hebrew scholar has said “Originally, the entire Paschal (Pas Shall)Lamb was consumed by the participants, who believed they become one with the lamb in a figurative communion”.  In other words, by consuming the lamb, the participant recognizes himself as the one who should have died, but the lamb was his substitute.  The New Testament  identifies Jesus with this sacrificial lamb as our ultimate substitutionary sacrifice.

 

       After the meal comes dessert, this is the hidden matzo or afikomen.  It is usually left to the children to find it, & once it is found, the head of the house may have to buy it back with money.  Have Micah find the afikomen.  The Seder cannot continue without it.  Once it is retrieved, a small piece is given to each participant. The matzo is blessed with the following words:  Baruch ata Adonai Elohenu, Melech ha-olam, ha motzi lechem min ha-aretz. which means, “Blessed art Thou, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

 It was at this point at the Last Supper which was Jesus’ Seder with His disciples, that Jesus took the bread, & blessed it, & gave it to his disciples saying, “This is my body which is broken for you.”  (Matt. 26:26).

 

 Do this now & eat the piece.

          The significance of the afikomen is startling in symbolizing Jesus as the Messiah.  The three matzos suggest the Holy Trinity of Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  The middle matzo would the be the Son (Jesus), whose body was broken (crucified), wrapped in white linen & hidden (buried) & found (resurrected), to the partaken of by all who will.

 

The matzo is a fitting picture, as it is:

       1.     Without leaven, signifying sinlessness,

       2.     Pierced with holes (John 19:37 - “they shall look on          him whom they pierced”)

       3.     Striped (Isaiah 53:5 - “By his stripes we are healed.”)

 

       After the afikomen comes the third cup of wine, (Pour cup of juice)  which is called the “Cup of Redemption.”  About this cup Jesus said “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sin.”  The traditional Jewish blessing for wine is then recited:   
Baruch ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam, boray peri hagafen, which means “Blessed art Thou, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.”  Jesus had earlier spoken of himself as the vine, & call his disciples “the branches.”  The fruit of the vine is all who believe in Him, & so become a part of His body.  Drink the cup of grape juice.

 

       The fourth cup of wine is called the “Cup of Praise,” or Elijah’s cup.  Pour cup of juice & Elijah’s cup.  You remember that we set a place for Elijah.  If Elijah should come it would be on this night in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the Lord.”  Jesus did not drink this fourth cup at His Seder.  When He drank the third cup He said “I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”  There is no more need to wait for Elijah to announce the Messiah.  Jesus had said that John the Baptist had already come in the spirit of Elijah (and Elijah himself had appeared on the night of the transfiguration), & the Messiah had already come.  But most Jews, (and most people in general) do not recognize these facts. 

 

The youngest child is sent to the door to see whether or not Elijah has come this year.  When the child does not find Elijah at the door, it is assumed that another year must pass before the Messiah will come, & so the head of the family will say “Next year in Jerusalem.” in hope that the Messiah will come next year & fully restore the kingdom & temple.

 

From Desire of Ages, pg., 652 & 653:

       Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies & their two great festivals.  He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, that He would thus bring to an end the system of types & ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed to His death.  As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice.  The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever, in all lands & through all ages. 

 

       The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.  God had directed that, year by year, as the children should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history should be repeated.  Thus the wonderful deliverance was to be kept fresh in the minds of all.  The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of Christ.  Till He shall come the second time in power & glory, this ordinance is to be celebrated.  It is the means by which His great work for us is to be celebrated.   

 

       The Gospels say in Matt. 26:30 that Jesus & the disciples went out to the Mount of Olives, after they had sung a hymn.   The word “hymn” has acquired the connotation of something rather solemn & plodding, but the word in Greek means “A song of praise to a god.” - a very positive idea.  In Jewish practice, Passover songs are joyful & festive, so it seems reasonable to imagine that the hymn Jesus & the disciples sang had a triumphant tone.  And well it should have, as the events of the next few days were to establish triumph over the power of death & sin, a deliverance far greater than even the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

 

“IF THE SON THEREFORE SHALL MAKE YOU FREE, YE SHALL BE FREE INDEED.’  JOHN 8:36