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| The Feast of the Passover
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Over the past 30 years, I have done hundreds of demonstrations of the Jewish Passover Seder for local churches and for home bible study groups. Most Christians do not really understand the incredible continuity running through the entirety of the Holy Writ from Genesis to Revelations. The Bible is not a divided book. The message of God’s Grace is evident from Genesis 3 to Revelations 21. The Tenach (Old Testament) points forward in time and the New Testament points backward….and they meet on Golgotha’s hill.
Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and his creation of the Israelite people. Passover is actually composed of two festivals, The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover (which is sometimes used to refer to the single day and sometimes to the entire span of both festivals). The Passover has been called the “crown jewel” of the Jewish feasts as within its rituals and symbolism is a perfect picture of God’s plan of salvation. There are seven major festivals (or feasts) mentioned in the Torah (Leviticus 23). The festival of Passover, known as Pesach, is the first of these festivals and begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April), marking the beginning of a seven day celebration that includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The focal point of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means "order," because of the fixed order of service), which is a time of rejoicing and celebration at the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished in the exodus.
Unlike the most Holy days of Christianity that are observed in Church, since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, Passover has been celebrated in the home with family and friends as they eat a meal together. It is customary to invite guests to share the Seder meal, especially newcomers to the community. The actual Seder meal in most Jewish homes is an elaborate feast, with food, games for the children, and plenty of time to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is not unusual for a Seder to last three to four hours.
The Seder involves everyone present since they all have a “Haggadah” (Heb: "telling," the printed order of service, reading, and songs) and are called to share in reading and singing the story. Passover is really more than a festival. It is an elaborate teaching experience, especially for the children. By using all of the senses, the Passover Seder tells the story of God’s grace in history and calls the participants to experience and share in the story as their own story.
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I usually begin this teaching with a prayer given both in the Hebrew and the English.
“Baruch ato Adoni, Eluheynu valuhay avu sanu, aluhay Aveco, aluhay Izrac, aluhay Avachom, aluhay Yeshua Hameshea, Melech Haw Olam.
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the father of Jesus the Messiah, King of the universe.”
So, Why should Christians study the Passover?
Answers:
1) It is what Jesus did. Jesus walked three times a year (75 miles roundtrip) from Galilee to Jerusalem for the feasts. Jesus considered this particular feast of such importance that He would celebrate it the night before his crucifixion and would use this feast to introduce a New Covenant between man and God purchased through His blood which would be shed upon the altar of the cross.
2) The Passover is a witness to the Jewish people. It is a great tragedy that the very people from which the Lord would spring forth from are almost all unsaved. Paul states that his desire and burden was to see the Jewish people come to know their Messiah.
(Romans 10:1) “Brethren, My hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.”
3) Most witnessing to the Jewish people is done by small or individual ministries rather than the church as a whole. One of the reasons of this is because most Christians don’t know enough about Judaism, from the Old Testament, to be able to share the gospel based upon a common ground. The knowledge of the Passover provides Christians with that common ground to share the good news of the Messiah in a ceremony that is familiar with every Jewish person.
4) The Passover is an insight into the very essence of Christianity …. “the sacrifice of the lamb.” The crucifixion was in many ways a repeat of the ritual sacrifices seen in the Old Testament. God had already shown that a lamb, without blemish, of the first year, from among the flock….was sufficient to cover the sins of an individual (Genesis 4:4), of a family (Genesis 8:20), of those in a house (Exodus 12:23), and of a nation ( Yom Kippur...Levitcus 16:34). John the Baptist declared, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
The Passover bridges time in that both the Jew and the gentile can say…”I was delivered from slavery by the blood of the lamb.”
5) And lastly, we will be celebrating in the Lords kingdom and this ceremony is just a taste….a foreshadow of the marriage supper of the lamb.
Preparation For The Passover. It doesn’t just happen!!
“On the 14th day of the first month at even, is the Lord’s Passover” (Leviticus 25:5)
Bedikat Hametz: In preparation for Passover, all chametz or leavened food (food with yeast) is removed from the house and cannot be eaten during the seven days of the Festival. The unleavened bread symbolizes the haste with which the Israelites had to flee from Egypt. Since they did not have time for the bread to rise in order to have provisions for the journey, they had to bake it without yeast (Ex 12:11, Deut 16:3). A game is played with the children, as they search through the house for leaven. The father hides crumbs on windowsills or counters. When the children find them, they yell out, “Leaven, leaven.” The father quickly comes and sweeps them onto a piece of paper and them throws them into the fire. In this we can see the doctrine of justification as Jesus became our sin-bearer…going through the fire of Gods wrath on our behalf. We can also see the doctrine of sanctification of being separated from sin and made holy through Jesus the Messiah.
(1 Corinthians3:13) “Every man’s work shall be made manifest,
For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;
And the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
(1 Corinthians 5:7-8) “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; therefore let
us keep the feast, not with the old leaven of malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth.”
The house is trimmed in white, a symbol of righteousness as seen in Rev 19: 1-8… white linen, napkins, candles. The leader of the Seder (usually the Father in the home) wears a white “Yarmulke” and a special white “Talis” for the occasion. All this is symbolic of that the priesthood has come into the home (Rev 1:6), and also of the glorified Christ (Rev 1:12-16). Even the dishes are special.
In orthodox Jewish homes have four sets of dishes to keep kosher. One set for the separation of dairy productsand meat ..and the other sets that had never touched
leaven.
Hadlakat Ha-Nerot The Lighting of the Passover Candles
Women in Judaism participate in very little of the traditional formal ceremonies, but a woman must light the candles of the Passover. How fitting this is as the “Light of the world” would come not through the seed of man….but the seed of woman.
(Isaiah 7:14) “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
(Galations 4:4) “But when the fullness of time was come,God sent forth His Son, made of woman, made under the law”.
As the Seder begins and a woman lights the candles, thisprayer is said.
“Barch ato Adoni, Eluhaynu melech haw olam, asher v’kid shawnu b’mitz-vu-sawu visti vanu ver hadlick ner shalpeasch.”
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has commanded us to kindle the Passover lights.”
The Four Cups
The Seder is predominated by four cups of wine. Reading from
the Haggadah, “Four times in the course of the Seder, we shall
partake of the wine, a symbol of joy and thanksgiving. The four
cups represent the four-fold promise which the Lord made to
the Israelites in Egypt. In the following words, He assured them
that they would be freed from servitude. I will bring you forth, I
will deliver you, I will redeem you I will take you.
First Cup (Sanctification) (1 Corinthians 6:11) but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Second Cup (Deliverance) (Colossians 1:13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Third Cup (Redemption) (Galations 3:13) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
Fourth Cup (The cup of Joy/ Elisha’s Cup) (Matthew 26:29) But 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.
Kaddesh Sanctifying Prayer and the First Cup
The Kaddesh means “cleansing” and this prayer of
sanctification begins the Seder. The prayer can be quite long
in orthodox traditions and is said over the items and food on
the Passover table. Reading
from the Haggadah:
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, who hast chose us for thy
service from among the nations, exalting us by making us holy
through thy commandments. In love hast thou given us, O
Lord our God, Sabbaths for rest, holidays for joy and festivals
for gladness. Thou did give us this feast of unleavened bread,
the season of our freedom, in commemoration of our liberation
from Egypt. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hallowest Israel
and the festival.”
“Bauch ato Adoni, Eluhaynu meleck haw olam, she-he-che-yo-
noo, v’kee-ymo-noo, vhee-gee-o-noo, lazman hazeh.”
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who
hast kept us in life, who hast preserved us and hast enabled
us to reach this season.”
“Baruck ato Adoni, Eluhaynu meleck Haw Olam, boray paree agophen.”
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.”
Then they all Drink of the First Cup.
In teaching the Passover, I usually do not explain the Christian parallel of this incredible prayer until the end of the Seder.
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Let’s look at an explanation of some of the terminology and symbols.
afikoman: Greek, "dessert," in ancient times the last morsel of the paschal lamb, eaten at the end of the Passover meal. In modern times, it is represented by half of the middle Matzah in the ceremonial Seder dish, which, when broken off, is hidden until the end of the meal. Adapted from some Jewish traditions, it also symbolizes the Messiah who will come to restore all things. In Christian Seders, this becomes the symbol of Jesus the Messiah (Christ), and is used as the bread of the Eucharist.
beitzah: "roasted egg," in the Seder meal represents the burnt offerings brought to the Temple during festivals in ancient days; it also symbolizes the cycle of life, the endurance of God’s people and the hope for a future. Traditionally, a brown egg is used on the Seder plate, roasted in an oven until it turns dark. Vegetarians often use an avocado seed as a substitute for the egg on the Seder plate. While hard boiled eggs are often served as the first course of the Seder meal, like the zeroah the beitzah is not eaten since sacrifices are no longer offered.
chametz: "leaven" or "yeast," the ingredient in bread that ferments and makes the bread "rise"by producing bubbles of gas in the dough. Its absence in Passover carries a dual symbolism. First, the use of unleavened bread symbolizes the haste with which the Israelites had to flee Egypt; second, it is often a symbol of corruption and sin, and so its removal symbolizes the freedom from sin that God brings.
charoset: derived from the Hebrew word for "clay," a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, honey, and wine which serves to sweeten the bitter herbs. Because of its appearance, it symbolizes the mud mixed with straw used by the slaves in Egyptian buildings. However, it’s sweetness symbolizes that the bitterness of slavery is tempered with the hope for a future. While the maror and matzah are biblical commands, the charoset was an element added by the rabbis.
haggadah; plural, haggadot: from a root which means "to tell," the printed booklet that contains the instructions or order or service, readings, and songs for the Passover Seder.
k’arah: a ceremonial Seder plate, sometimes very ornate, that contains places for the five symbolic elements of the Passover
Seder:
karpas (parsley), lamb bone, bitter herbs, egg, and charoset. On more elaborate plates, additional places are provided for other symbols, such as a place for a small bowl of salt water.
karpas: "green vegetable," garden greens, usually parsley, celery, lettuce, or other leafy green vegetable such as watercress used in the Seder meal. The greens are dipped in a small bowl of salt water, recalling the hyssop dipped for sprinkling on the door posts of Hebrew dwellings in preparation for the Exodus (Exodus 12:22).
maggid: "telling," the section of the Seder in which the story of exodus and Passover are recited in various ways.
maror: "bitter herb," traditionally a piece of horseradish root or romaine lettuce. A reminder of the bitterness of life in bondage, not only in Egypt, but everywhere. In the Seder meal, grated horseradish is usually used.
matzah; plural, matzot: "unleavened bread," dough made without yeast that bakes into a thin flat bread. Biblical tradition says that the Hebrews had to leave Egypt so quickly that they did not have time to let the bread rise so they made the dough without yeast or leaven. It is possible that they took the dough with them in kneading bowls and sun baked the bread on the hot rocks of the desert. There are various ways to transliterate this term. Today, Matzah is represented by flat cracker-like wafers. In the Passover Seder three Matzot are used, two representing the two loaves of bread that were placed in the Jerusalem Temple on festival days, plus an additional one for Passover.
pesach: "passover," used to refer to the entire Passover festival or more specifically to the Passover lamb. In the Seder, it refers to the roasted lamb shank bone that represents the sacrificial Passover lamb (Exodus 12:21-27).
seder: "order," refers both to the service of the Passover festival meal that follows a prescribed order, and to the entire festival meal itself.
zeroah: "arm," the roasted shank bone of a lamb that is symbolic of the Passover lamb, both the lambs that were killed in Egypt for the first Passover, but also for the sacrificial lambs offered in the Temple to commemorate Passover. Some Jews understand the bone also to symbolize the arm of God outstretched to help his people in times of trouble. Since there are no longer Temple sacrifices, no lamb or any other roasted meat is eaten at Passover. Some households use a chicken neck in place of the shank bone, and vegetarians often use beets to replace the shank bone on the seder plate, with the red beets and juice symbolizing the blood of the lamb that was used to mark the door posts of the houses.
This is Not exhaustive…but it should help………………
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Urchatz.. The Washing of hands
In preparation for the meal, there is a ceremonial hand washing This is not a sanitary action but is symbolic of the "clean hands" with which one comes before God (Psalm 24:3-4). This can be done only by the leader, with a brief explanation of the action, or can be done by all the participants. If time allows, this can be expanded into a communal activity, in which one person pours for another, thus emphasizing the humility and service to each other in community. It is also possible to incorporate a reading here from John 13:2-14, in which Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as a sign of humility. It is not included here in order to preserve the flow of the story without introducing specifically Christian elements at this point.
This first washing of the hands is none without a blessing in preparation for eating of the Karpas (Vegetable.. usually parsley or celery).
Karpas .. A vegetable (usually parsley) is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people; the salt water symbolizes the tears shed as a result of our slavery. Parsley is a good vegetable to use for this purpose, because when you shake off the salt water, it looks like tears. Once again all these symbols have a fulfillment in Christian doctrine and will be explained a little later in the Seder.
Yachatz… The breaking of the Matza
At this point the Father of the Passover (or the leader) picks up the Matza cover containing three pieces of Matza. The three pieces separate and yet under the cover together. In this we see the trinity of the one God. The Father, the Son and the Spirit. The center piece, the Son, is removed. It is broken, wrapped in white linen or placed a special cover. This piece is called the “Afikoman”.. the dessert. The children cover their eyes while the Father hides the Afikoman. While he buries it. If during the Seder. A child finds the Afikoman, it must be redeemed in silver.
Like children with their eyes closed, the disciples really did not understand, when Jesus told them He would have to leave soon. And when they came to the empty tomb their first reaction was, “Where is my Lord? What have you done with Him?” It was after He had risen that suddenly all these symbols of a ceremony that had done every year of their lives…moved from their heads…to their hearts. More detail on this will be given near the end of the Seder.
Mageed… The Story
Mageed means the story and begins with the invitation…the “Ha-lahma-anya”…”this is the bread of affliction”. Spoken in Arabic traditionally, as they believed that was the language of the Jews spoken in that era. But if fact, at the time of the first Passover, the language spoken was Egyption, Hebrew..or a mixture of those language that had developed during the 400 year captivity. Much as Yiddish formed in Europe as a unique blend of both Hebrew and German. It wasn’t till much later that Arabic became a common language. It was the common language of Jesus. In His great pain and anguish on the cross, Jesus would speak in the language of His childhood…Arabic, when He said, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me”. “Eli Eli Lama sabach thani”, as prophecied in Psalm 22.
Reading from the Haggadah: “Lo, this is the bread of affliction, the humble and simple bread which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let anyone who is hungry join us at this Seder, and let him partake of what we have to share.
This is amazingly similar to the invitation to communion!
(More coming in Feast of Passover No.2)
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Posted by journeyman on 2008-08-13 04:44:48 | Rating: | Views: 124
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I can hardly wait to see No. 2. An incredible ceremony.
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Posted by Unamuno
on 2008-08-13 04:53:57
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I being of no-faith am deeply impressed with the ceremonies and traditions put into your faith's requirements in order to believe in God.
I have much faith in GOD and I put no faith in man and religion.
I do so because all religion is all corrupt.
I mean by that; all religions have put the rules of their particular faith ahead of the faith in their belief in GOD, and in order to believe in GOD you must first follow the written rules.
I believe in GOD.
I read no book nor perform no ceremony in order to prove my faith unto HIM.
HE lives in me and I in HIM.
HIS words and directions for life live within me, and as long as I keep true unto my own belief's I will sit upon HIS lap in heaven.
Not by his side because I am HIS son and HE will embrace me in heaven.
I do not condem you who choose to follow organized religion, but I do turn my eyes from those of you who would hide behind religion in order to condem those who do not belive in your faith.
AND THIS EVERY ORGANIZED RELIGION DOES!!
Thank you for sharing the ceremonies of your faith.
I celebrate GOD within me where he lives.
May I ask a question?
If I may will you write me and tell me what you believe to "speak in tougnes"
is refering to ?
jwcj
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Posted by jwcj
on 2008-08-13 07:30:03
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Actually, my faith does not require any ceremony at all. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) The purpose of this lesson is to show Gods message of grace, forgiveness and love shown down through the ages..as symbolized in the Passover Seder. It shows a continuity in history, symbology and prophesy..over an incrdible span of time, cultures and people. I don't believe in God because of what I do. The life I live is because I believe in God. Paul wrote: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."(Galations 2L20) As a Christian I am not in slavery to rules and ordinaces, but in Christ I have freedom to live as I was created. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galations 5:1)
If you would like information on the "Gifts of the Spirit",specifically the Gift of Tongues...I can send something to you. Have a GREAT Day. God Bless.
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Posted by journeyman
on 2008-08-13 11:36:29
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jwcj, Look up on my blog on "Spiritual Gifts" for any additional information. I almost forgot I had written that study on this site. Have a nice day!!
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Posted by journeyman
on 2008-08-13 22:19:31
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Thank you for sharing I have a sincere heart and Love for Israel
Shalom
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Posted by Christianthoughts
on 2008-08-14 05:11:09
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this is awesome, journeyman. a perfect way to relate and minister to the non-messianic Jewish population.you have also given me more insight into a revelation regarding "salt" that the Lord gave me which i've been puzzling over for some time now. thank you for all the time and work you have put into this research and posting. i'll no doubt enjoy the
"saves" you have waiting at the end of the teaching! loveandblessings!
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Posted by paperlily
on 2008-08-26 12:50:11
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