PESACH: The Feast of Passover

"And when I see the blood, I will pass over you"

The Passover feast commemorates the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt and the passing over of the angel of death from the houses of Israel who applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their house. The meal is set in an order by the Rabbis and has been this order for several thousand years. By the reading from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Yeshua (Jesus) was commemorating the Passover meal much the same as Jewish people do in there homes every year. The order of the service is read from the HaGadah (HA-g'DAH or also pronounced H'GAH'dah) which means “The Telling”. It tells the story of the exodus from Egypt by symbols.

There is a Seder plate which has a place for a lamb (shank bone) – the Passover sacrifice, an egg – the festival sacrifice, bitter herbs – “caused to serve with rigor” , green vegetable, Charoset (sweet salad of nuts, raisins, apples, wine and cinnamon) – because of it's similarity to the mortar used in ancient Egypt. 

A Seder in my "Upper Room"

When Yeshua celebrated the Passover with his disciples, it didn't look anything like the Leonardo de Vinci painting, where they are seated on chairs around a modern table. Rather, it was, most likely, a table that was U-shaped, called a Triclinium by the Romans and Greeks of His time.  There was a designated arrangement as to who sat where. The master of ceremony would be seated on the left side, probably the second seat in. The guest of honor would be seated to his right and then around the table was the other guests. The one seated at the last position on the right side (across from the master of ceremony was probably the servant's seat or lowest seat of honor). Based on the reading from John 13, we can make an educated guess as to who sat where.  

Taken from The World of the Bible Gardens Ein Karem, Jerusalem

by Jim Fleming & Biblical Resources

Artist Unknown

Even though John's Gospel did not call the Last Supper a Passover Meal, it was remembered as a reclining meal (the beloved disciple reclined against Jesus' chest to ask him who the betrayer was). Knowing the Roman custom of reclining on one's left elbow would cause readers to associate John with position #2. The host customarily shared his bowl with the guest of honor. That Jesus shared his bowl with Judas, place Judas in position #3. No wonder John says, "it was night" when the betrayer left having had Jesus reclining close to his chest all night. That Peter had to signal the beloved disciple (John) to inquire about the betrayer, indicates Peter was not seated near Jesus. Because Peter was the only disciple at first to refuse to let Jesus wash his feet, he may have been pictured reclining at position (#4), normally assigned to the one expected to wash the feet of the other guests.

Upper room seder my house

Now the Seder or Order which Yeshua and His disciples followed was not as elaborate as is the Seder used in traditional Judaism, today.  It was compiled less than a century later. But many elements were the same as today.  The Lamb, the bitter herbs, and the Matzo were a must.  However, just a few decades before, the Rabbis had included the Charoset and at some point before had included the four cups of wine. We know that Yeshua probably drank the four cups of wine that were used, as Luke indicates the first cup before supper and likewise the cup after supper... Luke 22:20.  The four cups of wine are linked to a passage in Exodus 6:6-7 "Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I AM the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a outstretched arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be a God" 

 The first cup of wine is called Kadesh, which means sanctification (called out, separated). The second cup is the cup of the ten plagues. The third cup of wine is the cup of Redemption. This cup comes after the supper. Luke indicates it was this cup Yeshua was drinking when He declared, "This cup is the New Covenant  in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:20  Finally, the last cup of wine is called the Hallel, which means praise. It is, in fact, the Hebrew root word for Hallelujah. The tradition of singing Psalm 113-118 is customary. We find, in Matthew 26:30 & Mark 14:26, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." This may well have been referring to Psalms 113-118 or even to 136 which is also read on Passover.

The most essential element of the Passover is not the cups of wine, rather it is unleavened bread (Matzah in Hebrew). It is made without yeast or any component that will cause the bread to rise. Therefore it is flat and dry like an American cracker or European biscuit. Matzah is pierced many times over to cook the bread even faster and not allowing any rising to occur. How well this brings to mind the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10, They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced..." 

[In the modern Seder three pieces of of matzah are placed in a three-part cloth bag called a matzah tash . Early in the service the middle piece of matzah is broken. Half is divided into large enough pieces for everyone at the table and eaten. The other half, called the afikoman, is hidden, to be found by children later and eaten by everyone as the last food of the meal. While in modern Judaism the three matzot (Plural for matzah in Hebrew) are taken as representing Priests, Levites and Israel, many scholars believe this ritual was added to the Seder service by Messianic Jews, (Jewish believers in Jesus) for whom the three matzot represent Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The second matzah - representing the Son, who called Himself the "bread of life" John 4:41;48) and who in the Matthew 26:26 says of the matzah, "This is My body" -- is broken for all and given to all (symbolically representing His death for all mankind). Yet there is a mystery, a hidden part, similar to the hidden afikoman: like the middle matzah at the Pesach meal, the Messiah appears twice in  history, in a first and second coming. All these symbolisms are hidden from non-Messianic Judaism. But like the afikoman, these truths about the Messiah will eventually be found. ] Excerpt taken from Jewish New Testament Commentary, David H. Stern, 1992, pg 80