Christ in the Passover
1 Corinthians 11:23-16
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Introduction: ¡§For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ¡§This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.¡¨ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ¡§This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.¡¨ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord¡¦s death until he comes.¡¨ (1 Cor. 11:23-26 NIV)
With those words the New Testament describes the origin of the on-going practice of the communion or the Lord¡¦s Supper. It began at a Jewish observance of the Passover. Communion has continued through the centuries as an important part of Christian worship. To appreciate the Passover is to better understand the meaning and significance of the Lord¡¦s Supper.
On the night before the cross, Jesus gathered his little family of disciples in an Upper Room to celebrate the Jewish Passover. As they entered, he washed their feet, a humble act of service that confused and bewildered them. During the evening, Jesus spoke of his imminent departure. He promised he would not leave his disciples alone, but would send another Helper, the Holy Spirit. He also shocked them with the prediction that one who sat at the table would betray him. As the Passover meal progressed, Judas dismissed himself to begin his act of treachery.
Because many the details of the Passover observance have changed through the centuries, we know only the general outline of a typical Passover observance in Jesus¡¦ day.
The Passover Background. Passover is an 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt recorded in the early chapters of Exodus. During a time of family gatherings and lavish meals called Seders, the story of Passover is retold. The Seder, with its special foods, songs, and customs, is the central event of the Passover celebration.
The Seder is steeped in long held traditions and customs. Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. All hametz is either eaten before Passover begins or "sold" to non-Jewish neighbors and friends. The rules surrounding Passover are strict. Only special foods, utensils, and dishware allowed.
The Passover includes a regular meal, traditionally lamb but in some modern Jewish families more often chicken or turkey. The feast also includes a Seder plate containing foods that have special meaning for this holiday. These are:
„X Matzos: Unleavened bread represents the bread that the Hebrews ate because there was not time for the bread to rise.
„X Haroseth: A mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represents the mortar the Jewish slaves used to assemble the Pharaoh’s bricks.
„X Salt water: representing the tears of the Jewish slaves.
„X Parsley: Symbolizing Springtime, it is dipped in salt water.
„X Roasted egg: Another symbol of Spring
„X Bitter herbs: Freshly grated horseradish reflects the bitter affliction of slavery.
„X A Shank Bone: from a lamb or in a contemporary Seder a large bone of the turkey or chicken that may be the main course. It is a reminder of the Passover lamb that was slain and whose blood was applied to the doorpost of the homes.
Four glasses of wine or fruit of the vine are poured and drank to represent the four stages of the exodus: Freedom, Blessing, Redemption, and Kingdom. A fifth cup of wine is poured but not drank and placed on the Seder table. This is the Cup of Elijah, an offering for the Prophet Elijah who the Old Testament said would herald the coming of the Messiah. During the Seder the door to the home is opened to invite the prophet Elijah in.
Children play a prominent role in the Passover Seder. The ceremony teaches them the history of the Jewish people, the power of God to deliver his people, and the importance of faith in God. This emphasis on children came in the very first Passover. The Lord said, ¡§When your children ask you, ¡¥What does this ceremony mean?¡¦ then tell them, ¡§It is the Passover of the Lord¡¨ (Exodus 12:26-27).
At the Seder it is the youngest child at the table that asks four questions at Passover:
„X First, how is this night different from all other nights?
„X Why do we eat only matzos or unleavened bread?
„X Why do we eat bitter herbs at our Seder?
„X At our Seder we dip the parsley in salt water and we dip into the bitter herbs and into the apple and nuts. Why do we dip our foods?
Today we will observe the Passover Seder in an abbreviated form. All that we will do and most of what we say are authentic parts of a Passover Seder. For the sake of time, we will simply leave out some of the parts that tend to repeat themselves. We will also note the points at which special events took place during the Last Supper. As we celebrate the Passover, we will also participate in the Acts of Remembrance first instituted by Jesus on the night before he was crucified.
The Seder Ceremony
The ceremony begins when the father/leader calls the mother to light the special candles. ¡§Let the daughter of Zion come forward and kindle the festival lights. As these lights are lit in Jewish homes throughout the world, we usher in the Passover of the Lord.¡¨
As she lights the candles, she says, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctifies us with His commandments and commands us to light the holiday candles.¡¨
The father then lifts the first cup (referred to as the cup of freedom) and says, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has chosen us from amongst all peoples and hast sanctified us with Your commandments. For You have chosen us from amongst all peoples and have given us an inheritance. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, Who sanctifies Israel and the festival days.¡¨
The leader uses a bowl of water to wash his hands to symbolize the cleansing of the people or sanctification as they prepare to come before the Lord. He dries with a towel and passes the water and towel to the other guests.
It may have been at this point that Jesus laid aside his outer garment, placed a towel around his waist and washed his disciples¡¦ feet.
He then directs everyone to dip the parsley in the salt water. Before everyone partakes, he says, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the Fruit of the Ground.¡¨
Attention now turns to the unleavened bread. The leader explains, ¡§This bread is the bread of affliction and deprivation which our fathers ate in the land of their bondage. And yet, it is life and sustenance. It represents the hope and the promise of salvation. All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are in need, let them come and share the Passover with us.
These three matzos are wrapped together in a white linen cloth. The rabbis recognize that the three matzos represent a mysterious unity, three in one. We who are believers in the Messiah can easily see the significance, a perfect picture of the trinity of God. (Removing the middle matzah) Jewish folk who have become followers of Jesus the Messiah say that only then did they come to understand the meaning of the matzah. They note that it is striped pointing to Isaiah¡¦s words, ¡§But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed.¡¨ They see in the small holes a references to Zechariah , ¡§And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, .....¡¨
The leader breaks the middle matzah in half. This is called the afikomen, a Greek word meaning "that which comes last". It is wrapped in a white linen, as our broken Messiah was wrapped for the tomb. He then instructs the children to cover their eyes while he hides the afikomen. Later the children will try to find it.
A child asks the four questions of the Passover. As the leader answers the questions, he tells the story of the Passover. At appropriate points, the family recites parts of the story. The leader explains, ¡§In every generation, each individual is bound to regard himself as if he had gone forth from Egypt. Thus, it was not our fathers alone whom the Most Holy redeemed, but us also did He redeem with them. Therefore, we are bound to thank and reverence Him Who performed for our fathers and for us all these miracles. He brought us forth from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to festivity, from servitude to redemption.¡¨
The leader takes the second cup, called the cup of blessing. He reminds the family of the abundant favors the Lord performed for ancient Israel and for us. During this part of the Seder, the family recites THE DAYENU. The title comes from a Hebrew expression that means ¡§It would have been enough!¡¨ The leader declares a series of statements. After each the family responds, ¡§It would have been enough!¡¨
LEADER:
Had the Lord brought us forth from Egypt -- Response: It would have been enough!
Had He divided the Red Sea to let us pass through Response: IWHBE!
Then supplied our needs for forty years Response: IWHBE!
Brought us to the Land He promised to Israel Response: IWHBE!
And consecrated the Temple He allowed us to build. Response: IWHBE!
As each person is directed to drink of the cup of blessing, the leader prays, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us with His commandments and commands us to wash the hands. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctifies us with His commandments and commands us to eat unleavened bread. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctifies us with His commandments and commands us to eat bitter herbs.¡¨
When the leader explains the suffering of the Hebrew people, he calls attention to the bitter herbs/horseradish and the apple-nut mixture. The bitter herbs symbolized the suffering of slavery in Egypt; the apple-nut mixture the bricks the Hebrew people were forced to make for Pharoah. Each person dips a piece of matzah in the horseradish and eats; and then apple-nut mixture.
It was possibly here that Judas dipped at the same time as Jesus, thus signaling his role as betrayer. He then departs to fulfill his act of treachery.
Here the Seder meal would be served.
After the meal, the children are instructed to search for the Afikomen, the half of the middle matzah that was hidden. He then takes it, breaks and distributes it saying, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.¡¨
It was here that Jesus commented upon his broken body, blessed the bread, and passed it among his disciples saying, ¡§This do in remembrance of me.¡¨ ALL PARTAKE OF THE BREAD.
The leader says, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who feeds the whole world with Thy goodness. With grace, kindness and mercy, You give food to every creature. May He Who is most merciful make us all worthy to behold the days of the Messiah. May He Who causes peace to reign in the heavens, cause peace to descend upon us and upon all Israel, and let us all say: Amen. ALL: Amen.
The leader takes the third cup, the cup of redemption. ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord Our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.¡¨
It was here that Jesus spoke of his blood poured out for the remission of sins, blessed the cup, and asked his disciples to drink saying, ¡§Do this in remembrance of me.¡¨
The child who found the afikomen is instructed to open a door for Elijah the prophet who will herald the coming of the Messiah. The leader prays, ¡§Pour out Thy wrath upon those who do not acknowledge You and upon the kingdoms who will not invoke Your name, for they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling. Pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.¡¨ The fourth and final cup is drank. It is the cup of the kingdom. A psalm is sung traditionally from Psalm 115-118. Psalm 115: Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 117: Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.¡¨
This was perhaps the hymn that Jesus and his men sang as they left the upper room and headed for the Garden of the Gethsemane and the final events before the cross.
The leader draws the Seder to a close saying, ¡§Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, for the fruit of the vine, for the produce of the field, for that good, desirable and spacious land which You have promised our fathers to inherit, to eat its fruit and satisfied with goodness. Have mercy, O Lord our God upon us, upon Thy people Israel, upon Thy city Jerusalem, on Zion the residence of Thy glory. Rebuild Jerusalem speedily in our days. Thou, O Lord, art good and beneficent toward all, therefore, do we give thanks for the land and for the fruit of the vine.¡¨
Concluded is the Passover Seder according to its law and custom. As we have lived to celebrate it, may we live to celebrate it again.
In a traditional Jewish household, the Seder concludes with the shout in unison ¡§Next Year in Jerusalem!¡¨ This plea reflects the hope that the Kingdom would be restored to Israel with Jerusalem as the capital.
As followers of Jesus the Messiah, we celebrate the Lord¡¦s Supper with hope as well. It is not the restoration of an earthly kingdom that we anticipate as much as it is the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who has already come to redeem us through his death on the cross. We look with hope to his second coming, this time in glory and power. He comes to bring his kingdom and take us to be with him forever. So we end our Seder saying together as the Bible ends, ¡§Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.¡¨
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
