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 Finding Messiah in the PASSOVER by David W. Brown |
Passover is a celebration of freedom, in particular the celebration of God's deliverance of the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, but as we shall see, a Jew named Yeshua gave the celebration new significance. As you may recall from the story of the Exodus, the last of the ten plagues used to persuade Pharaoh to let the people go was the smiting of the firstborn. In the twelfth chapter of Exodus, the Israelites are instructed to sacrifice a perfect lamb, and smear its blood on their lintels and door posts. When the destroyer saw the blood, he would "Pass over" that house.
This is a type, or foreshadowing, of a greater redemption to come. To quote the Jewish scholar Philip Sigal: "This historic event became a theological paradigm that pointed to future redemption and took on cosmic proportions." (italics mine)
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 and 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 the which the children of Israel left Egypt. Pharaoh came to Moses in the middle of the night (when the plague struck) and pleaded with him to take his people and their livestock and get out of the country before the whole of Egypt was destroyed. The Israelites had to mobilize quickly, and there was no time for bread to rise. But is that sufficient reason for such a fuss as we've described above? The Bible speaks of leaven as something that has to be got rid of absolutely during this time. Is there some 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, and that, after all, is what Jesus came to do. (See Matthew 9:13)
The Passover celebration itself centers around a ceremonial meal called a Seder, which consists of eating symbolic foods and drinking symbolic wine, interspersed with a stylized narrative of the Exodus, according to the Seder liturgical 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. There are candles, which must be lit, by a woman, by nightfall. A special blessing is pronounced in connection with the lighting of the candles. (Here again we see something interesting; few things in Judaism require a woman to perform them, but it is a woman who lights the candles to get everything started. So it was necessary that the Savior of the world should be born of a woman, without the involvement of a man.)
When everything is ready, a glass of wine is poured and the Kiddush recited. This cup is called the "Cup of Sanctification," and signifies that everything is "in order" (the word "Seder" means "order" in Hebrew). On the table will be six symbolic foods which will be eaten at the appropriate time as the story of the Exodus unfolds. Also on the table are three matzos, wrapped in white linen. The head of the household takes the middle matzo and breaks it in two and hides half of it! This hidden matzo is called the afikomen; we'll hear more about it later.
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 in English is:
The child's questions are answered in the form of a series of readings from the Haggadah, in which everyone present can participate. The symbolic foods are eaten as the events they symbolize are mentioned. The Ten Plagues are commemorated with the second cup of wine. As each plague is named, each participant drops another drop of wine into the saucer. This is to be a solemn reflection on God's judgment, and not an occasion for gloating. (See Proverbs 24:17) (I might interject here that the Christian should not take any more pleasure in God's judgment than does God Himself, but rather pray that sinners should repent and be spared). A piece of matzo is broken into small pieces and distributed 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 in his Seder with his disciples that Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "This is my body which is broken for you." (Matthew 26:26).
After this, the Seder tray is removed, and the regular meal is served. This is a large family feast, something like Thanksgiving (but of course, entirely kosher and 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. To quote Sigal again: "Originally, the entire Paschal lamb was consumed by the participants, who became one with it in psychic or figurative communion, the lamb thus serving a vicarious expiatory purpose." 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 frequently identifies Jesus with this sacrificial lamb as our ultimate substitutionary sacrifice.
After the meal comes the hidden matzo or afikomen. It is usually left to the children to find it, and once it is found, the head of the house may have to buy it back with money. The Seder cannot continue without it. Once it is retrieved, a small piece is given to each participant. The wine goblets are filled, and grace after meals is recited. To one who has trusted in Jesus as Messiah , the significance of the afikomen is startling. The three matzot suggest the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The middle matzo would then be the Son (Jesus), whose body was broken (crucified) , wrapped in white linen and hidden (buried) and found (resurrected), to be partaken of by all who will. The matzo is a fitting picture, as it is:
After the afikomen comes the third cup of wine, which the Jews call 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 sins." 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, and called his disciples "the branches." The fruit of the vine is all who believe in him, and so become a part of his body.
The fourth cup of wine is called the "Cup of Praise," or Elijah's cup. In many homes, not only a cup of wine but a full place setting is left, in case Elijah the prophet should come, in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." The youngest child is sent to the door to see whether or not Elijah has come this year. 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 was no more need to wait for Elijah to announce 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), and Messiah had already come. But most Jews, (and most people in general) do not recognize these facts. When the child does not find Elijah at the door, it is assumed that another year must pass before Messiah can come, and so the head of the family will say "Next year in Jerusalem," in hope that Messiah will come next year and fully restore the kingdom-temple and all -- and Passover can be celebrated the way it used to be. What they are really looking for is the second coming of Messiah. When the time is right, he will return in triumph to establish his earthly kingdom as described in Revelation 20.
The Gospels say that Jesus and the disciples went out to the Mount of Olives, after they had sung a hymn (Matthew 26:30). The word "hymn" has acquired the connotation of something rather solemn and plodding, but Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines the Greek word as meaning "A song of praise to a god." - a very positive idea. In Jewish practice, Passover songs are joyful and festive, so it seems reasonable to imagine that the hymn Jesus and 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 and 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
