March 2013

Passover (Pesach)

Passover begins on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan (March 25, 2013). The primary observances of Passover are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. The command to observe Passover continuously is found in Exodus 12:14.

Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.

In the first Passover, God commanded each Hebrew household in Egypt to sacrifice a perfect yearling lamb and sprinkle the blood on the lintels and the doorposts. The “Angel of Death” then passed over the houses which were protected by the blood of the lamb, but where there was no blood, the first born was slain. This account is found in Exodus 11.

Passover is actually two celebrations. The first is Ḥag ha-Pesaḥ, or the Feast of the Passover, and that name derives from a passage in the Book of Exodus (34:25). The other celebration is called Ḥag ha-Matsot or the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. The Hebrew slaves were in too much of a hurry to allow their bread to rise before it was baked when Pharaoh relented and let them leave Egypt.

Modern Passover observances include the removal of chametz (leaven) from the homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt did not have time to let their bread rise. Leaven is also a biblical symbol for sin. Consequently, matzo or unleavened bread is eaten during the feast.

The Passover celebration is marked by an important ritual known as the Seder. The word Seder means “set order.” Rabbinic Judaism is a liturgical religion; therefore, everything follows a “set order.” To follow the “set-order” or Passover Seder, 19 specific ceremonies are practiced. The Seder is celebrated on the first night of Passover in Israel and on the second night outside Israel. The ritual of the Seder surrounds a joyous meal.

The Haggadah (telling) is read or chanted while various symbolic dishes are served. The Haggadah is a book containing the traditional collection of hymns, stories, and poems recited in obedience to the command for parents to tell their children of God’s mighty deeds in delivering the people from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 13:8).

The traditional parts of the Seder feast tell the story of what God has done. They include the six traditional items on a Seder Plate as follows:

• Maror and chazeret — Bitter herbs such as horseradish, symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the Egyptian slavery.
• Charoset — A sweet, brown mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. This dish is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples or dates, cinnamon, and sweet red wine. While Charoset recalls the hard labor of slavery, it also tastes delicious. Consequently the symbol means “God’s kindness made slavery bearable.”
  
• Karpas — A vegetable such as parsley or celery, which is dipped into salt water. Green is a symbol of spring and of youthfulness. The salt water recalls the waters of the Red Sea that were miraculously divided, allowing Israel to pass through the sea and escape Pharaoh’s army. The full symbol means “in the springtime of our nationhood God saved us and redeemed us by bringing us through the waters of the Red Sea.”
• Z’roa — Also called Zeroah, a lamb shank bone, symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. Since the destruction of the Temple, the z’roa serves as a visual reminder of the Pesach sacrifice.
• Beitzah — A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and the inability to offer any kind of sacrifices in honor of Passover.
• Matzot — The seventh symbolic item on the Seder table is a plate of three whole matzot (plural; matzah, singular), which are stacked and separated from each other by cloths or napkins. The middle matzah will be broken and half of it put inside a linen napkin. It will then be hidden away to be retrieved after the meal. When it is wrapped in the napkin this piece of matzah is called the Afikomen. The top piece of matzah and other half of the middle matzah will be used for the hamotzi (blessing over bread), and the bottom matzah will be used for the korech or Hillel sandwich.
  
  

Another significant element in the Passover observance are the five cups of wine. Each cup recalls one of the five statements of deliverance found in the Passover account (Ex. 6:6-8):

1. “I will bring you out …”
2. “I will rid you of all their bondage.”
3. “I will redeem you …”
4. “I will take you to me for a people, …”
5. “I will bring you into the Land …”

Consequently, four toasts are offered to God thanking Him for His deliverance: 1) the Cup of Thanksgiving, 2) the Cup of Plagues, 3) the Cup of Redemption, and 4) the Cup of Praise. Offering the fifth cup awaits the appearance of Elijah the Prophet to precede the coming of the Messiah.

Messianic Significance

The traditional Jewish Passover observance is highly significant for those who believe in the Messiahship of Yeshua (Jesus). Yeshua observed the traditional order of the Passover (the Seder) during the meal commonly known as the Last Supper (Matt. 26:17-29). The Last Supper was a traditional, orthodox Passover Seder. The person and work of Yeshua are portrayed throughout the Seder in symbolic form. The most significant ceremony found in the Seder is the origin of the ordinance of Communion.

During the Last Supper, His last Passover Seder, Yeshua exercised Messianic authority by transforming a ceremony that was culture-bound to Israel and turning it into a ceremony that, today, is celebrated by Believers from every tongue and tribe and people and nation. During the Passover Seder, He came to the third toast of thanksgiving offered to God. The third cup is associated with the third “I will” statement found in the Exodus story: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgments.” Traditionally, the Third Cup is raised to thank God for physical redemption from slavery in Egypt. Instead, Yeshua transforms the Third Cup into a symbol of spiritual redemption from slavery to sin. He associates the cup with the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The essence of the New Covenant is spiritual redemption from sin. His actions and words are recorded in Luke 22:20: “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’” The Cup of the Redemption now becomes the Cup of Communion we all enjoy today.

In like manner He transformed the symbolism of the Unleavened Bread (matzo). During the Seder He specifically identified the matzo with His body. The matzo is an adequate symbol of the body of the Messiah for five reasons:

1. It is made without leaven which is a symbol of sin. Likewise, Yeshua was sinless.
2. It is made without salt. A rich man could afford to flavor his matzo with salt, but a poor man could not. In the same manner, Yeshua was a poverty-stricken carpenter.
3. The matzo is striped from hot, swift baking. Likewise, His body was striped by means of the Roman whip.
4. The matzo is pierced to prevent rising. Similarly, His body was pierced by the Roman nails in His hands and feet and the Roman spear thrust in his side.
5. Finally, during the Seder the matzo is broken. This action dramatizes His death on the cross when His soul was torn away from His body.

Again, Yeshua exercised Messianic authority by transforming a ceremony that is culture bound to Israel and turning it into an ordinance all Believers can embrace. The matzo becomes the bread of communion that we celebrate today.

Observing the origin of the ordinance of Communion and contemplating its meaning is surely a good reason for Believers today to celebrate the Festival of Passover.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.