Visions of Messiah in the Seder
Passover Seder • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsA Hebraic Explanation of the historical and Biblical truths of Communion or the Pesach Seder Meal.
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Pesach Renewed
Pesach Renewed
The Seder is a traditional dinner taken by the Jewish people as part of Passover (Pesach). It is from the Seder that Christians derive what we today call Communion. Through the seasons of persecution and the influence of Orthodox Christianity, the Seder meal was reduced to a tiny cup of juice and a crumb of a wafer. In Luke 22:7-8 Jesus tells the disciples to go prepare the Seder, Pesach, Passover, Communion, or what we call the Lord’s Supper:
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”
In the Scripture Jesus makes reference to only the wine and bread but they would have eaten of the entire Passover meal. If Jesus had shown up and all they had prepared was some little cups of juice and crackers He would have looked at them like they were crazy.
The Hebrew word Seder means “order”. The order includes which foods are eaten when, what songs are sung and what prayers are prayed. We see this illustrated also in the order of the sacrifices and worship in the Tabernacle. Not only does the Seder meal have a specific order but going back to Genesis, God is a God of order. Creation had a specific order. When God gave the Tabernacle to Israel everything had a specific order. Order reveals to us the divine plan of God. It demonstrated His sovereign Will and purpose for our relationship to him, creation and our fellow man. Each item on the Seder plate has a significant historical meaning relating back to the Exodus. As well, each item is a foreshadow of the redemption of God’s people through the Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ.
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
As part of the Pesach meal there are seven items. Note that there are seven days of Creation; seven lights on the Menorah; and the seventh letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet is Zayin symbolized as a crowned Vav representing “yashar”, straight light from God to man or chozer a returning light. It also means understanding as well as a sword. But it is derived from the root meaning sustenance or nourishment. So how is nourishment or food related to the sword? The word bread, lechem, is contained in the Hebrew word for war, milchamah. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. The sword is used to divide the bread. The word for remembrance (zicharon: to make a permanent impression) begins with zayin. In Luke 22:19, as Jesus partakes of the Seder, Pesach, or Passover meal He declares, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Let us discover the prophecies of Jesus in the Seder as we partake in remembrance of Messiah. let it make a permanent impression that transforms our deepest and inner most being.
1. Karpas (A Spring Vegetable) The parsley is dipped into salt water and eaten. It symbolizes the hyssop that was dipped in the blood to spread over the doorpost of the homes of the children of God (Read Deuteronomy 11:18-21).
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
It reminds them of the tears shed in slavery. It reminds them of the miracle at the Red Sea. And it reminds them of the tears shed, the blood shed, the lives lost and the cost of their deliverance.
A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
Coincidental? I think not. As Christ hung on the cross, beaten, nailed, bleeding, and pierced, they took hyssop, dipped it in vinegar, and put it to his mouth to drink. The word vinegar in Hebrew is chamets meaning leavened, oppressed, grieved, blood stained, to take on pain or one’s wrath. Christ was the blood. He was the Law of God to be written on our hearts. He took on our sin, our grief, our pain, our sorrow. He took upon Himself the just wrath of God that should have been on us because of our sin.
2. Maror (Bitter Herbs)
They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
The bitter herbs, God commands to be eaten, were to remind them of a time when they could not worship Him, they could not offer sacrifices to Him, and that being separated from Him was more bitter than slavery itself. Today it reminds us that sin separates us from God and enslavement to sin and to be eternally separated from God is far worse than any trial or oppression in this life. But Christ freed us from the slavery of the hard task master of sin and redeemed us unto intimate relationship with the Father that we may have eternal life in His presence. Jesus said in John 8:34-36,
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
3. Charoset (Mixed Nuts) This is a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon (or spices). It represents the mortar the Israelites used in building during their slavery. Out of all the items on Seder, the Charoset is sweet to remind them of the hope of redemption. Psalm 130:7 declares,
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
And in the book of Titus it says,
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
4. Zeroa (Shank bone of a Lamb) It reminds us of the life of the innocent lamb given as a ransom for our sin. The lamb reminds us of the blood of the lamb that was shed to cover the door of the homes of God’s people. So that when death came they were instead delivered from the wrath of God’s judgment and given life (Exodus 12:1-13). In John 1:29, John the Baptist declares of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
And in Matthew 26:28 Jesus declares,
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
In Exodus 12:46 God commands that none of the lambs’ bones been broken. In John 19:33, the bones of the spotless lamb were left unbroken. John 19:33 and 36 declares, “For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled:’Not one of his bones will be broken.’”
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
The Psalmist states in Psalm 34:18-20,
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
5. Beitzah (Roasted Hard Boiled Egg) Traditionally, the hard-boiled eggs were eaten by mourners. It is a reminder of the pain, grief, and sorrow that God must have felt when taking the life of the first born. It is a reminder of the loss of the temple. It is a symbol of the roasting of the sacrifice and the sorrow of the lose of the life of the sacrifice. In the New Testament it reminds us of the period of sorrow and grieving they felt as they lay the body of Jesus in the tomb.
6. Matzoh (Unleavened Bread) Unleavened bread is a flat bread made without yeast so that it does not rise. In the Passover meal it represented the haste in which Israel left Egypt and did not have time for the bread to rise. In Deuteronomy 16:3 God commands them to eat it during a week of feasting as a reminder of His delivering them from bondage. In fact, God calls it the “bread of affliction”. During the Passover meal three pieces of the matzoh bread are placed in a bag called the echad (one) which is used in the Shema(Hear Oh Israel the Lord thy God is one.) Jews often referred to the three as representing the generational covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also represents the three manifestations of God’s person the Father (Ha Av – the unseen piece) and the Holy Spirit (Ruach Ha Kodesh - the breath). During the meal one of the three is broken in half. One half is wrapped in a cloth and returned. This represents the Son (Ha Ben).
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Jews cannot explain why this is done or what it represents. During the meal the piece of matzoh that is wrapped in linen cloth is hidden for the children to find. Once the children look for it and find it, it is held as a ransom. As well, Christ was fully God yet fully man. He was broken for us, buried, sought out, resurrected, and His life was given as a ransom for many.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And of course, the matzoh bread must be prepared a certain way. It must be unleavened. Throughout Scripture leaven is used in reference to our sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us,
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And in John 6:48 Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”
I am the bread of life.
Blessing of the Bread- Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
7. The Cup of Elijah The Jews would have five cups at the Seder meal. The red wine was to remind them of the blood of the circumcision covenant and the blood of the paschal sacrificial lamb. During the Seder, only four cups are drunk. A fifth cup is typically reserved. In Genesis 40:11-13, when Joseph interprets the dream of the butler, the cup is mentioned four times. According to the Midrash, this is a prophecy of the liberation to come of Israel from Egypt. In Exodus 6:6-8, in God’s promise to deliver Israel there are four terms describing the redemption: 1.) I shall take you out; 2.) I shall rescue you; 3.) I shall redeem you; 4.) I shall bring you. Israel was delivered from four oppressions to include slavery, the murder of newborns, the drowning of Israelite boys in the Nile, and the hard labor. Throughout their history Israel was delivered from four oppressors and experienced four exiles to include Egyptian exile, Babylonian exile, Greek exile, and their current exile. But what about that fifth cup? In 2 Kings 2:11 the Prophet Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind and a fiery chariot. In Malachi 4:5-6 Elijah shall return, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” During the Seder meal, Jews leave a fifth cup called the “Cup of Elijah” (Kos Eliyahu) awaiting his return with the Messiah. As well, during the Seder, the children open a door welcoming him to come in and commune with them. In Revelations 3:20 Jesus says,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
In John 1:19-28, the Pharisees asked John the Baptizer if he was the Christ. He said no. Then they asked if he was Elijah and he said no because they believed Elijah would physically return as he had never died. But John points them to Jesus as the Messiah. In Matthew 11:14, Jesus speaks of John the Baptist as Elijah in the prophetic fulfillment of Malachi 3:1,
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
In John 1:29, speaking of Jesus, he declares,
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
In Psalms 16:5, the Psalmist declares,
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
In John 6:55-57 Jesus declares,
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
As Christians, we drink the fifth cup for the spirit of Elijah has come and Messiah has redeemed us by His blood.
8. Blessing of the Wine- Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who gave to us the way of salvation through the Messiah Yeshua, blessed be He. Amen. Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, asher natan lanu et derekh ha-yeshua’ bamashiach Yeshua, barukh hu. Amen.
The Seder meal is more than a tradition. More than a Jewish ceremony. The Passover meal is more than a little cup of juice and wafers. It is a foreshadow of the Fathers plan to redeem His people unto Himself in intimate relationship. It is a blueprint of God’s victory over sin and death. It is a vision of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is a picture of the finished work to set you free.
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Have you received this miracle of forgiveness and grace? Are you part of the redemptive and adoptive plan of God? Have you embraced the truth of the Seder meal, who is Jesus Christ, into your life? Are you daily living out that redemptive work that others might see and desire the salvation that Christ has brought you?