Jewish Heritage Revival

One Heritage United by Messiah

Jesus and the Passover Seder

The Passover seder as we know it today is not exactly what would have occurred during our Messiah's last Passover.  However, there are many elements that are found in the Seder of today that did occur.  

The seder as we know it today was instituted after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.  Because the Temple was destroyed and our Jewish ancestors were dispersed throughout the nations, there were no means (and no Temple) to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem.  If you remember, Passover is one of the three pilgrimage feasts whereby people would travel to Jerusalem, because that was where the temple was.

The seder is simply a home service.  It is believed to have been started by Rabbi Gamaliel II towards the end of the first century.  The events of the Passover are recounted in what is called the Haggadah.  Haggadah simply means "telling". 

There is a preparation for the Seder which includes removing all leaven (chametz) from the home the night before.

"Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in thy quarters.  And you shall show your son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt." Exodus 13:7 - 8  

The preparation for our Messiah's last Passover can be found in Matthew, Mark and Luke -

"Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, when the passover must be killed.  And he sent Peter and John saying, "Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat"  And they said unto him, where wilt thou that we prepare?  And He said unto them, "Behold, when you enter into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters in.  And you shall say unto the good man of the house, the Master says unto thee, "Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?"  And he shall show you a large upper room furnished:  there make ready.  And they went, and found and they made ready the Passover.  Luke 22:7 - 13 

All feasts and Sabbaths commence with the lighting of the candles at sundown.

Prior to the seder, the leader or head of household will wash their hands and go around the table to assist the others in washing their hands.  Psalm 24:3 - 5 tells us:

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?  He that has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."

In addition to the washing of hands, Our Messiah washed his disciples feet after the meal.  The telling of this can be found in John 13:1 - 20

During the Passover meal, you will find at the center of the table the following items on display:

• Roasted Shank Bone of a Lamb
• Karpas (Parsley)
• Bitter Herbs (Maror)
• Charoset (mixture of apples, nuts and juice)
• Salt Water
• Hard Boiled Roasted Egg (not scriptural but added later on)
• Matzah
• Fruit of the Vine (Wine or Grape Juice)
• The cup for Elijah

We will now look at each item in detail and it's significance to the Passover and our Messiah. 

NOTE:  the order in which each item is presented in this article does not represent the order in which they are presented during the seder.

The Roasted Shank Bone of a Lamb:

The shank bone of a lamb represents the Passover lamb that was required, in Exodus 12:1 - 6:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, this month (Nisan) shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel saying, In the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.  And if the household be too little for a lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of souls; every man according to his eating shall make you count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats: And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

For believers in Messiah, the shank bone also represents our Messiah as our Passover Lamb that was slain for our sins and transgressions.

The Karpas and Salt Water:

The Karpas or green vegetable represents life created and sustained by God.  The salt water represents the tears shed as a result of a life of pain and suffering while in captivity.  The green vegetable is dipped into the salt water, representing a life that is sometimes lived in tears.

The Bitter Herbs:

The bitter herbs represent our ancestor's lives in bondage...made bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields by the Egyptians.

"But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.  And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour." Exodus 1:12 - 14

Charoset:

To this point, the tears and bitterness of our ancestors in bondage are remembered.  The Charoset is a sweet mixture of apples, nuts, honey and wine or grape juice that is used to remember how Israel toiled to make treasured cities for Pharaoh.  At this time we take a combination of the bitter herbs on matzah and dip it into the charoset.  This is to remind us that even the most bitter of circumstances can be sweetened by the hope of God.

It was at this time that our Messiah tells his disciples of His impending betrayal. It is recounted in Mark 14:18 - 20:

"And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said "Surely I say unto you, one of you which eats with me shall betray me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto Him one by one "Is it I?"  And He answered them, "It is one of the twelve, that dips with me in the dish."  

The Roasted Egg:

The roasted egg is not found in the original Passover celebration (as instituted by God), but was added later and is a result of Israel's Babylonian captivity.   Today, the roasted egg represents festival sacrifice as well as the two destructions of the temple in Jerusalem (586 BC and 70 AD).  

A warning!!!  The egg is also a symbol of fertility, as found during other pagan celebrations.  The enemy Lucifer is always very close at hand, attempting to destroy that which God has ordained and commanded.

The Matzah

The matzah is a bread baked without leaven or yeast.  It remains flat after it is baked. 

Other feasts and celebration typically have two loaves of bread for the meal.  The feast of Passover will have three matzahs on the table.  Two matzahs represent the showbread found in the temple.  The third matzah is added to remind us of the joyous nature of this feast, representing freedom.

God's representation of our Messiah as the bread of life, is perfectly portrayed by the unleavened bread.

As you can see for yourself - Pierced, Bruised and Stripes.

During the Seder, prior to the meal, the middle matzah is broken in two.  A piece is hidden by the leader or head of house (or stolen by the children).  This piece is called the Afikoman or desert matzah.  The seder cannot conclude until it is found.  There are various seder traditions, however the most common is the children hunt for the Afikoman.  Once found, it is in essence held for ransom and purchased back by the leader.  

God did the same thing for us...He paid the price for our sins, by purchasing back His Son from us for the ultimate price...His shed blood.

Once the Afikoman is purchased back, the meal can now conclude.  It is at this time that the Afikoman is broken and distributed amongst the participants.  The Afikoman is the last food that we eat at the Passover.  Looking back, it was to remind us of where Israel was - in bondage in Egypt:  And how God delivered them and set them free.  As believers in Messiah, we remember the broken body of the Lamb of God that has taken away the sins of the world.  Being the last thing we eat, at this meal, we can meditate and allow the taste of what God has done to linger.

It was also at this time, as found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke...

"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed it, broke it, and gave to them and said: "Take, eat this is my body."  Mark 14:22

"And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them saying "This is my body, which is given for you; this, do in remembrance of me". Luke 22:19

that what is known as communion was first commanded by our Lord.  It was during the Passover supper that Jesus reveals to His disciples the importance of this meal and how it relates to God's purpose in Him being here. 

Jesus took the matzah that is the Afikoman - (the last food eaten at Passover),  He breaks the matzah, gives thanks and distributes amongst His disciples to be His body, broken for us.  All who are there, partake in the first communion of our Lord. 

Paul states: "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:23 - 24

The Fruit of the Vine

The Sabbath meal as well as other feast meals consist of two glasses from the fruit of the vine (juice or wine).  The Passover meal adds two glasses to the meal feast.  The addition is similar to the addition of the extra matzah.  It is to set Passover apart from all other feasts and Sabbaths as the most important celebration.

Each cup of wine for the Passover meal offers a specific meaning.

Each cup is significant, however, there is one cup that has greater significance than the others.  The third cup, consumed after the meal - "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm" is the cup of redemption.  This is the cup that our Messiah spoke of:

Likewise also the cup after supper saying "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you" Luke 22:20

And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying - "Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."  Matthew 26:27 - 28

Through His death on the cross, he would redeem God's people as well as the nations of the world.

He would not partake in the third or forth cups in that as you can see by the meanings of each cup, our Messiah had not yet fulfilled the task at hand.

"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."  Matthew 26:29

Cup of Elijah

On the table there is a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah.  For non-believers in Messiah, it represents looking forward to the Messianic age.  Elijah did not see death but was ascended into heaven, in a chariot, and disappeared.  The account of Elijah's ascension can be found in 2 Kings 2:1 - 11. 

His return has been anticipated for centuries.   His name has been associated with the Messianic age.   The cup set aside for Elijah during the seder symbolizes that he is a welcomed guest.  During the seder, one of the children will be asked to open the door for Elijah.  This signifies a willingness and readiness of those present at the seder to bring the Messianic age into their lives and that it may come at any time.

An angel of the Lord appears to Zacharias, prior to the birth of John the Baptist and said to him:

"Fear not Zacharias for your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call him John.  And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  And many of the children of Israel shall turn to the Lord their God.  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:13 - 17

Even in the end times, Elijah will come before the Lord:

"Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."  Malachi 4:5 - 6

As believers, we are in the Messianic age, believing that our Lord satisfied God's requirement for the remission of sin.  We as believers are also looking forward, however, it is not for His coming, but rather for our Messiah's return.

I hope you have enjoyed our look into the Passover seder and how it relates to our Messiah.

1