The Significance of the Passover

Luke 22:14-21

Exodus 12:1-15 the commands for the celebration of the Passover (Pesach in Hebrew). There were three items required: lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread. \r
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Importance of the Passover to the believer:\r
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1. It is the beginning of a new life\r
Exodus 12:2 This month shall be the beginning of months - even as Jesus sacrifice is beginning of a new life\r
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2. Everyone must deal with the lamb\r
12:3 Every man shall take a lamb, even as everyone must account for their own sins\r
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3. The lamb was to be spotless\r
12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, even as the Lamb of God was sinless\r
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4. It is to be killed on the 14th of Nisan - at twilight.\r
There is a lot of controversy around this. Matthew, Mark, and Luke suggest that it was a Passover meal for the Last Supper - that would have meant that Jesus was killed on the 15th of Nisan (Friday). John suggests a non-Passover meal on Wednesday, with Jesus killed on Thursday, the 14th.\r
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5. Apply the blood\r
12:7 Apply the blood on the doorposts and the lintel. These would be the vertical sides and horizontal top of the door. The blood of Jesus was applied to the vertical and horizontal members of the cross, and we apply the blood to the doorway to our hearts - Jesus in Revelation 3 describes the heart in terms of a door that he wants to enter through. No one was to go out of the doors once the blood was applied until the danger of death had passed (vs 22).\r
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6. All the lamb was to be eaten, roasted, no bones broken\r
Roasted in fire, symbolizing God's judgment. All eaten, Jesus was enough for all sin, but just enough for all sin. No bones broken - this could symbolize the fact that Jesus gave up his life voluntarily, not "killed" by breaking of the legs which brought on asphyxiation. (Psalm 34:20, John 10:18 "I lay it down of my own accord")\r
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7. Remove leaven from the house\r
Leaven can represent sin, so removing sin is what the Lamb of God did (12:15)\r
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8. Bitter herbs\r
Represents the bitterness of their captivity in Egypt. Could also indicate the bitterness of the way Jesus was betrayed (dipped in sauce, given to Judas)\r
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9. Angel of death\r
When the Israelites did all this they were protected from the Angel of Death. 12:12. God's wrath is poured out on anyone who is not perfect (death). We can only avoid that wrath through the blood of the Lamb of God.,\r
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The "Seder" (Hebrew for "order") has been celebrated for 3,500 years and may the oldest ritual in the world.\r
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After Israel settled in the land and built a Temple the Passover became a pilgrimage festival where the people traveled to Jerusalem and sacrificed a lamb on the 14th of Nisan, then ate it on the 15th (just after sunset).\r
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(From Life Application Commentary) In the traditional Passover meal, the wine is served four times, symbolizing the four-part promise of redemption found in Exodus 6:6-7. (1) "I will bring you out"; (2) "I will rescue you from their bondage"; (3) "I will redeem you"; and (4) "I will take you as My people, and I will be your God" (NKJV).\r
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There was a traditional program for the meal. First would come a blessing of the festival and the wine, followed by drinking the first cup of wine (this also made the meal special because water was usually served with meals). Next, the food would be brought out. Then the youngest son would ask why this night was distinguished from others. The father would answer with the story of the Exodus and would point to each item on the table as he explained its symbolic significance (for example, bitter herbs symbolized the bitter bondage of slavery in Egypt). This would be followed by praise to God for past and future redemption (taken from the first part of the Hallel in Ps 113-114). Then the second cup of wine would be drunk. \r
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After the second cup, the bread would be blessed, broken, distributed, and then eaten with bitter herbs and a fruit-paste dish. \r
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This is sometimes referred to as "the hidden matzo" or afikomen. It is usually left to the children to find it, and once it is found, the head of the house may have to buy it back with money. The Seder cannot continue without it. Once it is retrieved, a small piece is given to each participant. The wine goblets are filled, and grace after meals is recited. To one who has trusted in Jesus as Messiah , the significance of the afikomen is startling. The three matzot suggest the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The middle matzo would then be the Son (Jesus), whose body was broken (crucified) , wrapped in white linen and hidden (buried) and found (resurrected), to be partaken of by all who will.\r
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This would be followed by eating the meal. The Passover meal included roasted lamb that had been sacrificed in the temple. At the end of the meal, the father would bless a third cup of wine, which would be followed by singing the second part of the Hallel (from Ps 115-118). A fourth cup of wine would conclude the meal.\r
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Jesus made the vow to abstain from wine before the fourth cup, which traditionally was drunk after the recitation of these words: "I will take you as My people, and I will be your God." Jesus reserved the drinking of this cup for the future restoration. This powerful scene is accented by Jesus' taking the third cup, saying, "I will redeem you," sharing the cup with the disciples, and then pledging that together they would finish this celebration in the kingdom of God (see also 14:15; Isa 25:6; Rev 3:20; 19:6-9). Because Jesus would be raised, so his followers will be raised. \r
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What can we learn from the Passover?\r
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1. It is a time of worship\r
After the commands in Exodus 12, the people "bowed their heads and worshipped." \r
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2. It is a concrete way to remember a very important event\r
It's not a ceremony in the sense that it actually does something, but it is a celebration as we call to mind what Jesus did for us using concrete items. It is like baptism, a physical representation of a spiritual act.\r
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3. God is a lot more complex and creative that we often give Him credit for\r
I'm sure there are things behind the symbols we have only begun to understand. God didn't have to do it this way, but it is but one more example of how wonderfully creative our Lord is at patterns and putting things together and making them all work so wonderfully - and He is in the process of that same creative energy in your life.\r
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Ephesians 1:15-23 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. ESV\r
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A modern Jewish Seder: http://chosenpeople.com/docs/GB/HelpingYou/Feasts/Passover/index.html\r
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Finding Christ in Passover:\r
http://www.amfi.org/passover.htm\r
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The Symbols of Passover from Jews for Jesus\r
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/1986_04/09Symbols\r
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A great page on the Passover\r
http://www.annieshomepage.com/passover.html\r
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Chronology of Jesus death \r
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Jesus#Day_of_death\r