I
can remember asking my Mom why we (Christians) and Jews were not together when
we both worship the same God. She had no
answer for that. I was left with this
and other questions for my entire life. About nine years ago I came to a clearer understanding. My walk as a Torah-observant believer in the
Messiah answers many questions I have had since childhood. It took about fifty years for me to really
examine what it is I believe and why.
That is a long time to think you understand something only to have a
complete change of your paradigm!
Because we observe Passover rather than Easter, I was asked to share my understanding of the Passover Seder at the church we used to attend. It has been a year since that presentation, and this is an article based on that proposal. (The final presentation was not this long).
The Last Supper: Was it a Seder?
The short answer is, No, the Last Supper was not a Seder! How could it be? It was the night before the Passover Lambs were presented at the Temple on the 14th of the First Month (Aviv). Although not a Seder, this ‘last supper’ was a covenant meal. It is one that has been rehearsed in every Jewish home since Abraham
shared bread and wine with the Melek tzadik.
You will notice that I use Hebrew names instead of those we learned in our English Bibles.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with
calling Yeshua the name that is written in our Bibles. But, instead of Jesus, I use,
Yeshua. I like using the Hebrew because
Yeshua has a meaning. It means Yah
Saves. Which brings me to another
language thing.
The Bible I still study from (among others) is the King
James version. Unfortunately, almost all
the sacred names were removed and swapped out for generic terms and titles. When you see GOD (all caps) or LORD (all caps)
it is usually a substitution for what is called the Tetragrammaton. The Letters in Hebrew are Yod Hey Vav
Hey. YHVH. That is the name the Father gave to Moses at
the burning bush. It means, ‘I
was, I am and I will be’…or ‘I am what I am.’
It loses a little in translation, but it sums up the one God and Father
of us all. The Eternal; our Creator.
Father
commanded us (House of Israel) to remember the Passover Feast forever. It is not just a curiosity or
retrospective of days gone by, or a tradition that those with a different
understanding participate in. It is miraculous and astonishing! Passover points to Yeshua!
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have remembered
Passover. They still do. They remember the first ‘Passover’ that
happened in Egypt when Moses was commissioned to lead the Israelites out of
paganism and bondage and to the promised land.
They remember the Exodus.
Jewish tradition for the re-telling of the
Passover has been in place for a very long time. I tried to find a date, but it
certainly was in place long before Yeshua was born. Since much of the text dates from the Second
Temple period, it was likely codified sometime between 520 BCE and 70 CE in
Judea.
Yeshua grew up with a retelling of the Exodus
story. The Israelites were commanded to
observe and remember the Passover forever. Yeshua, was and still is, a
Jew. He grew up in a Jewish home, was
circumcised on the 8th day after his birth, and taught in the
synagogues. The scriptures he learned
and taught from were what we call the Old Testament.
I prefer to think of our shared Bible as the Original
Covenant and the Renewed Covenant. If that seems to split hairs it is because a Testament is something that is in effect
after death. I believe that our Father
and his first-begotten son, Yeshua, are not dead, but eternal. Therefore, His Covenant with men is likewise
eternal. I disregard the blank page
between what we commonly call the Old and New Testaments. It is all one story. It is HIS story.
I am certain that many of the traditions and
the manner of the re-telling of the Exodus has changed over time. But, just for our understanding, let’s
imagine that this order of events was a yearly feast for Yeshua and his
disciples. I am certain that it was,
along with all the Feasts of YHVH.
The Haggadah!
A typical Jewish Seder consists of a written script,
matzah, bitter herbs, maror (sweet spiced apples) and four cups of wine. The Haggadah (that’s the script for the
retelling of the Exodus story) usually takes 3 or 4 hours…AND THEN! they get to
eat the meal!
The basic structure of the haggadah consists of three parts,
intertwined:
1: A festive meal with symbols and
traditions
2: Retelling the story of the Exodus (including
explanations of the symbolic meaning of some of the foods eaten)
3: Thanks and Praise to God with word and song!
We thank Him for saving us from slavery in
Egypt (and from repeated dangers of destruction throughout the generations). Thus,
it is very much like a private person’s thanksgiving meal with friends and
family after surviving some dangerous situation. [https://www.quora.com/Who-wrote-the-Haggadah]
Passover: Why is it significant for Christians?
What do we know about Passover?
Turn to: Leviticus
23. In it, GOD (YHVH) gave instructions
to Moses about the Feasts. These are His
Feasts. The first Feast is a reminder of
the 4th commandment. Remember
the Sabbath day. Isn’t it marvelous that
he has one day a week on His appointment book for us to meet with Him and be
set-apart from the world? I could do a book just on this, the weekly
feast of YHVH, but I this is about Passover.
The second appointed time is Passover. This Feast is
observed once a year. He tells Moses how
to calculate when the LORD’s Passover was to begin. The 14th day of the first month,
at sundown, is Passover. Passover (as
all Hebrew days) begins at sundown and ends the following sundown. This reckoning of time messes with our
western counting of days, but that is how Father established time, sundown to
sundown, not midnight to midnight.
The New Year on the Biblical calendar is not
the one we use today. Our Gregorian
calendar was established in 1582.
Father’s calendar also differs from the one modern-day Jews
observe. The Biblical calendar was
changed when Israel was taken into captivity to Babylon. It is known as the Hillel II calendar. If you are interested in this topic, I can
recommend sources to study. But, for
now, let’s just understand that the new year for Feasts was established with
Moses in the wilderness, and is roughly coincident with Spring as understood
today.
Passover is an event.
It is a commemoration of when the obedient Israelites sacrificed the
lambs in Egypt. This was the sign, the
blood of the lambs swabbed on the lintels of their doorways, so that the
first-borns would not be killed in the final plague sent to Egypt. That’s where the name Passover comes from:
YHVH’s death decree would pass-over the households that had the sign of the
blood. Incidentally, I have recently learned that the Hebrew word for Passover
may be properly translated as Protection.
Pretty cool?
Feast of Unleavened Bread
After Passover, on the 15th , the week-long observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins. The first and the last day (the 15th
and 21st) are designated ‘High Sabbath’…in other words, a special
Sabbath of rest that doesn’t necessarily coincide with the weekly Sabbath. This is an important thing to understand, as
it helps us to determine when the crucifixion took place the year that Yeshua
went before Pontius Pilate.
Yeshua said that
there would be one sign, and one sign only, of his authenticity as the
Messiah. It is the sign of Jonah. [Matt 12:39-41, 16:4, Luke 11:30, 32]
When Yeshua said that he would be three days and three
nights in the earth (like Jonah’s 3 days/3 nights in the belly of the whale),
how is it that we believe he was crucified on a Friday and arose on Sunday? No matter how you calculate time, it is
impossible to get 3 days and 3 nights from Friday to Sunday. Why does that matter?
If this is a misunderstanding of the chronology of,
arguably, the most important event in human history, what else do we not understand? Is this one of the things that animates the
verse:
Jer_16:19 O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my
refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of
the earth and say: "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless
things in which there is no profit.”
Is our inherited understanding of the events of the
crucifixion one of those lies, or do we simply not understand the event in the
context of the time, place and culture Yeshua was born into? Can we pinpoint dates? Can we get a clearer picture of what happened
and why? Understanding the Feasts is a
huge piece of the puzzle.
Jewish Seder:
First: What kinds of things are typical in a ‘Jewish’
seder? Much of this information comes
from the book: A Christian Guide to the Biblical Feasts by David Wilber with
some insight from Rabbi David Fohrman of Aleph-Beta.org.
The basics are these:
The Exodus story is re-told each year. It is based on the scriptures: Exodus 13:3,
12:26-7 and 13:8]
The lessons learned from this are these:
· To
Stand on the Promises of God, especially the covenant given to Abraham
· God is
with his people in the midst of life’s trials
· Points
to a future Exodus
Seders are usually guided by the Haggadah. There are many to choose from, or you could just read the
story from the book of Exodus and discuss it!
You could even watch some videos (as an adjunct). Why not watch about the physical evidence of the Red Sea Crossing!? The Red Sea Crossing is one of several videos on this topic.
The seder is a special ceremony that is the kick-off to the
week of Unleavened Bread. It includes:
Karpas: Usually parsley that is dipped in salt water. It represents the growth of the Israelites
and God’s blessing on them as promised to Abraham. It is dipped in the salt water to remind us
of the tears of bondage and the rescue through the Red Sea.
Charoset: An apple chutney that represents the mortar that
was used when they were slaves making bricks in Egypt, and the sweetness of
God’s grace.
Maror: A Bitter Herb: usually horseradish. Symbolizes slavery and sin
Matzah: Unleavened Bread.
A reminder of leaving Egypt where there was not time to raise the bread
dough. Leaven is also a symbol of sin
(that which puffs us up!) A reminder
that God rescued and led the Israelites out from the bondage of slavery and
sin.
Ze’roa: Roasted Lamb Shank.
A bone on the plate represents the Passover sacrifice.
Wine/Grape Juice: Represents the Blood of Yeshua
There are FOUR cups based on 4 ‘I Will’ statements from the
Father.
#1 Cup of Sanctification: “I am the LORD, I WILL Bring You
Out from under the burdens of the Egyptians;”
#2 Cup of Deliverance: “I WILL Deliver you from slavery.”
#3 Cup of Redemption: “I WILL Redeem you with an
outstretched arm and great judgment.”
#4 Cup of Praise: “I WILL Take You to be MY People, and I
WILL BE YOUR GOD.”
An additional cup is often poured for Elijah as a reminder
that he will prepare the way for the Messiah (just as John the Baptist filled
this role). Usually one of the children
will be tasked to open the door in case this is the year he shows up.
There are additional traditions of candle-lighting and
hand-washing included at the seder.
One tradition that is usually a part of the seder involves
a special piece of Matzah called the Afikoman.
Not all seders handle this tradition in the same way. The one that is most common is for the leader
of the seder to take one of three pieces of matzah, break it in half (or
sometimes it is one matzah torn into thirds) and the largest piece is wrapped
in a covering and hidden somewhere in the house. Later the young children are tasked to search
out the location so that this special piece of matzah may be consumed for
dessert. It is likely that all seders
recognize the afikoman as a symbol of
the Messiah and Redeemer.
In Baghdad someone with the afikoman
used to leave the seder and return disguised as a traveler. The leader
would ask him, "Where are you from?" to which he would answer,
"Egypt," and "Where are you going?" to which he would
reply, "Jerusalem." In Djerba, the person conducting the seder
used to give the afikoman to one of the family, who tied it on his
shoulder and went to visit relatives and neighbors to forecast the coming of
the Messiah. [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-afikoman]
Those of us who grew up with the testimonies
of Yeshua’s disciples might see even more symbolism in the unleavened bread
that was broken, wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden until it was brought out
of its hiding place.
This seems an appropriate time to discuss Unleavened
Bread. Deuteronomy 16:3 says:
You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you
shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of
the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the
day when you came out of the land of Egypt.
The thing that we need to grasp is what kind of place Egypt
was. It was powerful. It (oddly enough) was a place of refuge. It sheltered the Israelites (and Yeshua when
the fled to Egypt after his birth) and provided them food in famine (see the story
of Joseph). It was the land of Moses’
birth. It was a society based on pagan
worship of many gods, all of whom were exposed as powerless and false by YHVH
when he brought the Ten Plagues. Each
plague addressed the Egyptian understanding the deities that controlled the
world. Each deity worshiped there was
brought to shame and exposed as useless against the true GOD.
So, Egypt is a mixed bag.
Only when the Israelites forgot the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and
became a part of their pagan culture did they become slaves to Pharaoh, and in
need of rescue. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
The Story of The Exodus
Do you remember reading about the Ten
Plagues? Do you understand the
significance of each one? The
over-arching agenda for the plagues was to convict the people of their
sin. To over-throw the man-made
authority of Pharaoh and free the Israelites from the bondage of Man and False
Religion and Paganism. He commanded us
to re-tell the Exodus story so we would not forget.
Here is the significance of each plague:
1: Nile River turned to blood. History: Pharaoh had ordered that all male
Hebrew children were to be thrown into the Nile. The plague addresses this genocide that was
hidden from sight and destroyed the Egyptians source of life.
2. Frogs: The Egyptian god of fertility was depicted as a
frog-headed deity.
3. Lice: Seb, god of the earth, was worshiped to bless the
earth with productivity and to protect from natural disasters.
4. Flies or beetles: The beetle or ‘lord of the flies’ was
Beelzebub and worshiped to prevent disease-infested flies.
5. Disease on Livestock: Hathor and Apis were sacred
cattle/gods, worshiped as gods of fertility, reproduction and as protectors
from plagues, diseases and accidents.
6. Festering Sores (Boils): Against Typhon, the evil-eye
god, worshiped to avert plagues.
7. Hail and Lightning: Isis (Protection) and Osiris (fire
and lightning god), were gods of the atmosphere, worshiped to protect against
storms and natural catastrophes
8. Locusts: Seraphis, the insect god: Worshiped in the hope
of being protected from locusts.
9. Darkness: Ra, the sun-god. The premier god over the sun, warmth, light
and fruitfulness.
10. Death of First-born of man and animals: Ptah, the god
of life. This plague basically attacks
ALL the gods of Egypt, the final demonstration that YHVH is the only GOD of
redemption and salvation. The Only True
and Living God.
Within these plagues, which I hope you will read about
yourself, YHVH demonstrated that He was completely in command of not only the
elements, but of Time as well.
When Pharaoh finally releases the slaves, they went out
with riches that were given to them by the Egyptians, and in haste, leaving not
a hoof behind. This fulfilled the
promises made to Abraham.
The definitive demonstration of YHVH was at the parting of
the Red Sea. Did you watch the video?
After all these miracles that led the Israelites out of
bondage to Pharaoh, they were given the terms of the Covenant at Mt.
Sinai. Summarized by the Ten
Commandments.
That, my friends, is a summary of the events and what is
discussed, celebrated and remembered every year by those who observe Passover.
Well, that is all very nice, I suppose. But what has it to do with Christians today?
What if I were to tell you that all the events that led up
to the crucifixion were pre-figured within the traditions and Feasts for
centuries before Yeshua walked the earth?
Are you ready for a paradigm shift?
Paradigm Shift!
Paul wrote:
Col 2:16-17 Therefore, do not
let anyone pass judgment on you in matters of food or drink, or in respect to a
festival or new moon or Shabbat.
These are a foreshadowing of things to come, but the
reality is Messiah. (TLV)
When we understand to whom Paul wrote these words, the
message becomes clear. The new converts
and followers of Yeshua were coming out of paganism. Paul was not condemning the Hebrew
observances of Feasts, New Moons or Shabbat!
Heaven forbid! But, for new believers, all their
former friends were certainly accusatory for them changing their diet to
Biblically clean food, and observing all of the Feasts, Calendar dates and
Weekly Sabbath that was ordained by God!
They were not of the world anymore!
But, Paul says that ALL these things are foreshadows of
good things to come! They all foreshadow
Messiah!
Need more proof?
Palm Sunday: Yeshua
entered the gates of Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This fulfilled prophesy and occurred on the
same date that the Passover Lamb was selected (the 10th day of Aviv). According to instruction, the lambs were
selected and brought into the house four days before Passover. They were inspected and had to be declared
faultless four times.
It was tradition for the Levites and Priests and people to
line the thoroughfare with waving palms and shouts of Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the name of
YHVH!
Did you think that this was a random assembly of people who
just happened to be in Jerusalem? They
were expecting the sacrificial Lamb that would be offered on Passover for all
the people. The lamb was brought in from
the flocks that were specifically raised for the sacrifices. Guess where they were from? Bethlehem!
On that specific year, Yeshua rode in just ahead of the
lamb! The lamb was led in by the High Priest,
but he was not a legitimate High Priest because it was a political appointment. John the Baptist was the legitimate High
Priest, but he was in hidden away until the time was right to declare the way
of the Lord.
All the people knew that John was the true High Priest! That’s why
they went to listen to him and be baptized by him. For all they knew, he was the Messiah. The people even asked him if he was, because
they knew when and from what family line the Messiah would come. Instead, he laid hands on Yeshua and
conferred upon him the duties of the High Priest, and he still holds that
position today at the right hand of YHVH.
You’ll note when you read your gospel accounts that Yeshua
was ‘inspected’ and declared to be without fault four times. Once for every ‘day’ that the lamb was to be
examined.
This is more than just a
story. It is not a myth. Yeshua knew ahead of time that he was to be
crucified on the same day as the Passover sacrifice. So, what happened?
He declares that he wishes to celebrate the Passover Feast
with his disciples. They were to find an
upper room for their shared supper the night before the lambs were slaughtered
on the Temple Mount. It was the last
meal he shared with his ‘family.’ In it,
he took the time to teach them one more thing.
He taught them that the bread and wine of the shared covenant meal were
symbolic of his flesh and blood.
He was renewing the covenant with YHVH, in his own
blood. Willingly giving himself for the
redemption of his kinsmen. Our Kinsman Redeemer!
It wasn’t a seder;
it was a shared supper. A covenant meal! He broke the bread (it was leavened bread)
and when Judas left the upper room, the ‘leaven’ left the room as well. Yeshua told them he would not drink of the wine
that night, nor again until he shared it with them all at the marriage supper
of the Lamb.
What else happened that night? He washes the feet of the disciples. It seems likely, although it is not stated
specifically, that this followed a mikveh (baptism or
immersion). Mikveh pools are everywhere
around the land of Israel, and especially around the Temple Mount. Mikveh was not a one-time ritual. It is part of Jewish life and is certainly
done at all special events, especially when a new chapter of life is about to
happen.
Then, he went to pray in the garden. He asked for the cup to be removed, but only
if it was the will of the Father. By
these actions he showed his love, obedience and servant's heart.
After his arrest, he was questioned and tortured and crucified. He quoted from Psalms; teaching until the end for those with ears to
hear. And when he died, he declared ‘It
is finished.’ This happened at the same
time that the acting High Priest declared the same words on the Temple Mount,
when the final lamb was killed.
He was placed in the tomb.
And, if we believe what he said about having to be in the earth for 3
days and 3 nights, we must find another day other than Friday. The gospel writers say that he was already
gone from the tomb on Sunday (the first day).
He is Lord of the Sabbath! I
believe he arose on the Sabbath, exactly 72 hours after he was laid in the
tomb. That means he could not have been
crucified on a Friday.
Clues to help Date the Crucifixion
We have clues as to the timing of events when we understand
that the ‘Sabbath’ days during Passover and Unleavened Bread were not
necessarily on the 7th day, or the weekly Sabbath. The women who wanted to dress his body with
spices for burial were limited by the weekly Sabbath. They shopped for spices on Friday during the
day; and rested from Friday night to Saturday night. The earliest they could come to complete
their task was ‘early’ Sunday (the first day of the week), but he was already
gone.
Another clue we get from the text is the strange exchange
he has with Mary who doesn’t recognize him and mistakes him for the
gardener. When he says her name she
rushes to grab his feet, but he tells her she must not because he had not yet
ascended to His Father. Yet, later he
invites the disciples to touch his hands and feet. Why?
First Fruits
Another Feast that coincides with Passover and Unleavened
Bread is First Fruits. The priests
bundled shocks of barley together just prior to the festival week and left them
in the field until the first day of the week following Passover. On that year, First Fruits occurred on the
same Sunday that Mary found Yeshua in the garden. As his first act as High Priest, he was to
ascend to the Father and present the First Fruits (just as the Priests
harvested the barley to present to the Father at the appointed time).
Do you remember that many graves were opened when the
earthquake happened at the crucifixion?
Graves were opened and people rose from the dead and were seen by
many. Perhaps these were the first
fruits that Yeshua presented to the Father.
Either that, or he presented himself as the first fruits of the
resurrection. Either way, he had a job
to do, and just as the High Priest at the Temple remained in the heart of the
Temple Mount until First Fruits, no one could touch him until the harvest was
presented in the Temple.
Once that was finished, he returned and walked with his
disciples for forty days.
Forty Days after the Resurrection
This parallels the forty days that Moses spent on the
Mountain. And ten days after Yeshua’s
final ascension, the fiftieth day arrived.
He told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem. It was to be another appointed Feast of
YHVH. You call it Pentecost (fifty!). In the Bible it is called Shavuot and it is
the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at
Mount Sinai. It is one of the three commanded Feasts where believers assemble in Jerusalem!
Yeshua
fulfilled all the Spring Feasts.
Passover and Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Shavuot!
There are only the Fall Feasts yet to be fulfilled: Yom
Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Atonement) and Sukkot (the Feast of
Tabernacles). Hallelujah!
This is why we celebrate Passover and the rest of the
Feasts. They proclaim YHVH’s plan of
salvation for us until he returns.
