To understand the Lord’s Passover and Messianic
celebration
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries:
Biblical precepts & Gospel music
My
friends, do you celebrate the Lord’s Passover? In Old Testament, the Lord
commanded Israelites to observe this ceremony. When children ask, “What does
this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to
the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our
homes when he struck down the Egyptians.” (Exodus12:26-27) In the Testament, Jesus did celebrate
the Passover. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples
came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to
eat the Passover?” Jesus replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell
him, “The Teacher says! My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the
Passover with my disciples at your house.” So the disciples did as Jesus had
directed them and prepared the Passover. (Matthew26:17-18)
The Lord’s Passover this event serves as a
beautiful illustration of the redemption Christ accomplished at Calvary
(John1:29; 1 Cor.5:7). The offering was
to be without blemish (Ex.12:5; 1Pet1:19). The lamb had to be killed. (EX.12:6
John12:24,27) .The blood had to be applied (Ex.12:7; Heb.9: 22). According to the Old Testament Exodus states
as follows,
1) “The animals you choose
must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or
the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all
the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they
are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they
eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with
bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the
fire-head, legs and
inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning…This is how you are to eat it:
with your cloak tucked into your belt, your staff in your hand. Eat it in
haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. (Exodus12:5-11)
2) “On that same night I will
pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals and I
will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses
where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague with touch you when I
strike Egypt.”(Exodus12:12-13)
3) “This is a day you are to
commemorate, for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival
to the Lord- a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made
without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever
eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be
cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one
on the seventh day. Do not work at all on these days, except to prepare food
for everyone to eat-that is all you may
do.” (Exodus12:14)
4) Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very
day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a
lasting ordinance for the generations
to come. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread. (Exodus12:17, 20)
5) Then Moses summoned all the
elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your
families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top
and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his
house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land or strike down the
Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will
pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your
houses and strike you down. (Exodus 12:21-22)
In this generation,
in order to celebrate Passover, there are types of food we prepare on the plate
as follows,
ü First, a shank bone (Lamb
bone) means arm. It symbolizes that God’s outreached arm to save his people.
ü Second, unleavened bread is
eaten at Passover. The Feast of Unleavened
Bread began on the evening of Passover and lasted for
seven days. On the first day homes were to be completely cleared of leaven (a
symbol of corruption an Evil, Lev.2:11;1 Cor.5:7-8) . Eat unleavened bread during those seven days.
Nothing with yeast is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen
anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son, I do this because of
what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt. This observance will be for
you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of
the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his
mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after
year. (Exodus 13:7)
ü Third, the egg (hetzah) is usually referred to as
"chagigah" (festival offering). it recalls two sacrifices: One killed
on 14th Nisan and eaten at the seder before the paschal lamb, the other slain
during the day of 15th Nisan, or possibly later that week, as a freewill
offering, each family bringing what it could afford to rejoice before the Lord
an to match God's bounty. Similar peace offerings were brought by pilgrims at
Pentecost and Tabernacles (Deuteronomy16:16-17). Why should an egg represent
such a sacrifice? it is a symbol both of mourning, and a symbol of the hope of
spiritual restoration and of resurrection. Jewry mourns the destruction of the
Temple. Christians mourn that our sins brought Jesus to death on the cross. In
another words, it is a sign of mourning and renewal after a Jewish funeral the
principle mourners eat an egg. We mourn for our Lord because we ourselves, Jews
and Gentiles, through our sins are responsible for His death. Now we rejoice
before Him who was resurrected; for we, dead to sin, may live forever with him.
ü Fourth, The bitter herb
ü Fifth, Horseradish,
ü Sixth, Salt water
symbolizes the blood of the first paschal lambs sprinkled on before the Exodus,
as well as tears shed by Israelite salves and Jesus' tears when he wept over
Jerusalem (Luke19:41) . We also recall Israel's baptism in the Sea of Reeds as
noted in Exodus14:22 and
ü Seventh, Parsley for Hyssop
as Exodus 12:22 say, "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the
blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with
the blood that is in the basin." Hyssop is a common plant of the
mint family. Because of its stiff branches and hairy leaves, it served well for
sprinkling. In addition to the Passover it was also used in the purifying of
lepers (Lev.14:2-7), the cleansing of a plague (Lev.14:49-52), and the sacrificing
of the red heifer.(Num.19:2-6)
ü Eighth, Charoset is a
mixture of fruit - spice wine -nuts eaten with the bitter herb; it symbolizes
clay or the mud from which Israel made bricks to build store - cities for
pharaoh.
How to celebrate Passover? The introduction as
follows,
Introduction
Four Cups of Promise
and a fifth
God heard…God
remembered…God saw…God cared (Exodus2:24-25) , so he made promises and said to
Moses: Therefore…Say to the children of Israel” :
I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
I will rescue you from
their bondage, and
I will redeem you with
an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
I will take you as My
people and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God
who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring
you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I
will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.(Exodus6:6-8)
In remembrance of these four
promises, we drink four cups of wine, for in the ancient world freed slaves
would be given ‘wine-bowls of freedom’
1.
I will bring you out – The cup of
sanctification (Kiddush) at the beginning of the seder
2.
I will rescue you- the cup of Teeling –forth, of
praise and of deliverance, taken after the singing of the first part
(Psalm113-114) of the Hallel before the main meal. Luke 22:17-18 refers to this
cup or, possibly, to the Kiddush cup
3.
I will redeem you- the cup of blessing
and Redemption, taken after the meal(Matthew 26:27, Mark14:23; Luke 22:20;1
Corinthians10:16)
4.
I will take you as My
people – the cup of completion taken towards the end of the seder. I will take
you as My people and be your God and you shall know that I am God. “ …no one can say that Jesus is Lord except
by the Holy Spirit”(ICorinthians12:3). WE remember that on the cross Jesus
said, “ I thirst, “ received wine and his atoning work completed, cried, it is
finished” (John19:28,30)
5.
Fifth cup is the cup of Elijah. A fifth cup used to be
taken, relating, perhaps to the promises concerning the Promised Land. When
Israel was exiled from the land, the cup was filled, but not drunk. It remained
on the table as a sign of God’s further messianic promise of renewal, : I will
send you Elijah the prophetLMalachi4:5) and of
other promises of restoration (Deuteronomh30:1-6) Legend declares the Elijah
visits every Jewish home at the seder and sips the cup. WE recall Jesus saying,
“Elijah has also come “(Mark9:13. This was certainly true in the person of John
the Baptist (Matthew11:14)
Preparation for the
last supper
Matthew 26:17-20 ;
Mark14:12-17; Luke22:7-13
On the first day of Unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover
lamb, his disciples came to Jesus saying, “where will you have us go and
prepare for you to eat the pesach, the paschal lamb? He sent two of his
disciples, peter and John, saying to them, “go and prepare the Passover (
paschal lamb) for us that we may eat it.” they said, “ where will you have us
get ready?” He said to them, “Go into the city(Jerusalem). When you have
entered, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him into
whatever house he enters and say to the householder, ‘the Rabbi says, “ My time
is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house; where is the guestroom
where I am to eat the paschal lamb with my disciples? “ He will show you a
large upper room, furnished and prepared. There make ready for us.”
Then they prepared the paschal lamb.
On the 10th Nisan, the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on
an ass, Peter and John selected a yearling first day of Unleavened Bread. They
made it ready for roasting, skewered with pomegranate wood thrust through from
mouth to buttocks. They would also have prepared the usual festival sacrifice
(chagigah)in accordance with Deuteronomy16:16-17)
Presumably they roasted the lamb wither in the roof-chamber of the house
or in one of the many ovens in the city’s open places made available for the
use of pilgrims.
At nightfall the festival day began. Jesus sat down, and the twelve
disciples with him. There was no immediate danger of arrest, for all Temple
officials would have been intent on observing the Passover meal ceremonies
themselves.
When toward the end of the meal the paschal lamb was set before Jesus,
he said to them, “with fervent desire I have desired to eat this (Paschal lamb)
with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it
is fulfilled in the kingdom of God”(Luke22:15-16). This may mean either
“Despite my great desire, I shall not eat the paschal lamb with you, “ or” this
is the last time I shall eat it with you.
Passover Haggadah ( A
Messianic Celebration)
Festival Lights
The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt because of the pious women of
that generation, considered to be more righteous than the men. It is therefore
a woman’s privilege to kindle Sabbath and festival lights in the home.
(The mother of the company lights the candles gives thanks and asks for
blessing on those present and all dear to her.)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sent Thy
Son, Thine Only Son, Y’shua the Messiah, to be the Light of the world and our
Pashal Lamb, that through Him we light live. Amen!
(Silent prayer)
Children’s blessing
(Father, or celebrant, blessing the children)
The Lord make thee like Ephraim and
like Peter, Andrew, John and the other disciples who truly followed Jesus.
(Then to the daughter)
The Lord make thee like Sarah,
Rebekah, Rachel and Leah and like Susannah, Joanna and the other faithful women
who ministered to Jesus.
(To each he gives also the Aaronic blessing)
The Lord bless thee,
and keep thee: The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto
thee: The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
(Nummbers6:24-26)
(Raise the first cup)
Throughout his life, Jesus would
have begun every Sabbath and festival day with an act of sanctification,
remembering his Father as Creator, Giver of Rest, and Redeemer, praising God
for wine that makes glad the heart of man and for bread that strengthens man’s
heart (Psalm104:15)
At the beginning of this evening we rededicate ourselves to God so that
during seder, hearts and minds seek to realize fully all we owe God for his
goodness and redeeming power and for the many ways God has belled his people.
Blessed be the Lord our
God, King of the Universe, who has given us gifts of grace, not through our
merits, but only because of his abounding love and mercy, and has called us to
proclaim good news of salvation for all who turn to him.
We thank him for giving us this Passover festival to remind us of our
deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and for showing love to all people by
sending Jesus into the world to save mankind from the slavery of sin (John8:34)
Blessed be the Lord who
cleanses and sanctifies us through the life, teaching and sacrifice of our Lord
Jesus the Messiah. Amen
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(Drink the first cup)
A general thanksgiving
This blessing is said often in the course of the year to mark the
initiation of something; for example, the beginning of a festival, on eating
any fruit for the first time in its season. Entering into possession of a new
home, on wearing new clothes for the first time. It is no surprise to find that
when we thank God for benefits, fruit has better flavor, clothing gives more
pleasure, and celebrations hold greater enjoyment. “Giving thanks always for
all things to God” (Ephesians5:20)
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast kept us alive and sustained us,
and brought us to this season.
(the company may wish to sing)
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice. Rejoice, Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice
(Celebrant may wash)
Karpas-Parsley for
Hyssop
(Did the parsley into the salt water and say :)
“And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in
the basin, and stike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in
the basin.”( Exodus 12:22a).
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Lord Universe, who creates the fruit of the ground.
The sprinkling of the blood ratifying God’s covenant with
Israel(Exodus24:8) served both as expiation for past faithlessness and as a
sign of renewal of trust. The Messiah is both the true paschal lamb
(1Corinthians5:7) and the sin sacrifice burned outside Israel’s camp
(Heb.13:11-13). Jesus, the Lamb of God,
the suffering Servant, suffered outside the city gate to expiate sin and
sanctify the people by His blood. He was also our Peace Offering, for while he
was on the cross, the other pesachim-the peace offerings of the festival
(sh’lamin)-were being sacrificed(John18:28). Y’shua is our peace; Jew and Gentile are united in
Him (Ephesians2:12-14)
Yachatz
(Break in two the middle cake of
Matzah, the Bread of Affliction. The
larger piece, the aphikoman, is to be wrapped in a cloth and hidden and will be
eaten at the end of the meal as we remember Jesus saying to his disciples, “Take
, eat,” The smaller portion which is eaten at the beginning of the meal is now
held up by the Celebrant who recites in Aramaic, Jesus’ mother tongue, the
traditional invitation )
Declaration and
Invitation
This is the Bread of
Affliction which our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry
come and eat. Let all who are in need come and celebrate the Passover. Many
today are enslaved by sin and many by oppressors. May all be made free through
Y’shua Ha-Mashiach.
(Replace the bread,
fill the second cup)
Four questions (Nah
Nishtanah)
(The youngest person present asks: )
1.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
Other nights we may eat either leavened or unleavened bread; this night only
unleavened?
2.
Other nights we may eat any kind of herbs; tonight we
must eat bitter herbs?
3.
Other nights we do not dip even once; tonight twice
parsley into salt water, and late on bitter herb into charoset?
4.
Other nights we eat sitting or reclining, as we
please; tonight we should all recline?
God asks us four questions
When at last we stand before the Almighty Judge, he will ask,
1.
Were you honest in business and labor? D
2.
Did you fix a time to study Torah, my Words of
instruction?
3.
Did you build up family life?
4.
Have you trusted in Salvation through the Messiah?
From shame to glory
(Maggid-Narration)
Formerly our ancestors served idols-Abraham’s father Terah did
(Joshua24:2-4) but God has brought us near to his service. Some of you, says
Paul to the Corinthians, “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you
were justified in the name of the Lord Y’shua and by the Spirit of our God.” (1
Corinthians6:11)
Blessed be He who
always keeps His promise, as He did to Abraham.
(Raise the cup in
remembrance of God’s faithfulness and say)
God’s faithfulness when enemies
conspired to blot us out in ages past preserved our ancestors and always fired our hearts when evil cast its
shadow. For the Holy One required
our lives at tyrants’ hands and save at last.
(Replace the cup)
From slavery to
redemption
Our fathers went down to Egypt with only 70 persons (Deuteronomy10:22)
and there we became a great nation (Deuteronomy26:5). But the Egyptians
ill-treated us, afflicted us and laid heavy
bondage upon us (Deuteronomy26:6) at length the king of Egypt, perhaps
Ramses the Great, died, but the children of Israel still groaned under bondage.
They cried out and their cry under bondage came up to God (Exodus 2:23).
Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our
voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our
oppression.(Deuteronomy26:7). So God heard their groaning, and God remembered
His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob”(Exodus2:24). God saw the
children of Israel and knew their condition. He cared.
Moses the Levite, adopted son of an Egyptian princess, saw his people’s
burdens. In anger he slew a taskmaster who was beating a slave. Later on he
rebuked a Hebrew man who was smiting a fellow Hebrew. “Who made you a prince
and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Moses
fled to the land of Midian, for his deed was known and Pharaoh sought to slay
him (Exodus2:11-15).
Thus, thorns were associated with both this act of salvation and the
Messiah’s. When God appeared to Moses from the thorn bush, it was as if the
Shechinah (Holy Presence) wore a crown of thorns. The rabbis have seen this as
a sign of god’s sympathy:” “My people are steeped in sorrow and their suffering
has pierced my soul like a thorn”
When the suffering Messiah bore the crown of thorns, God again
proclaimed his continuing personal concern and sympathy for his people.
God’s Love and care are
universal
God cares for all peoples, not only for Israel. “The Lord is gracious
and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to
all, and His tender mercies are over all His works”(Psalm145:8-9) “Are you not
like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I
not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt; the Philistines form Caphtor, and
the Syriancs from Kir? (Amos9:7) “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor
oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt…you know the heart of
a stranger” (Exodus22:21;23:9)
God’s word teaches compassion toward one’s enemies. So when each plague
that afflicted the Egyptians is mentioned, a drop of wine from the newly poured
Cup of Thanksgiving is spilled, preferably into a small “plague saucer.” Thus
when we drink the cup, the joy or our deliverance is tempered by sorrow that
the Egyptians had to suffer because of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.
These are the Ten
Plagues
Which the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought on the Egyptians in Egypt:
(As each is named,
deposit a drop of wine into a saucer.)
1. Blood-Dam
2. Frogs-Ts’farday-ah
3. Gnats
(lice)-Kinnim
4. Scarab Beetles (Flies)- `Arov
5. Pestilence(diseased livestock)- Dayvayr
6. Boils-Sh’chin
7. Hail-Barad
8. Locusts-Arbay
9. Darkness-Choshech
10. Firstborn Slain-Makkat B’chorot
Yam Suph –The Red Sea
Isaiah reminds us of God’s promise: “ Then the Lord will be known to
Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day…the Lord of hosts shall
bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands,
and Israel My inheritance”(Isaih19:21-25). At least 60 times Ezekiel stresses
God’s determination that those who disobey his will, besides those who seek to
sever him, “shall know that I am the Lord.” Pharaoh himself survived. Today,
says a Midrash, he stands at the gate of hell to ask each tyrant passing
through, “why did you not profit by my example?”
The magnification of Egyptian disaster intends no more than to proclaim
God’s power to conquer all who oppose his will and refuse to reverence him. We
are not take pleasure in the humiliation of an oppressor. “do not rejoice when
your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.”(
Proverbs24:17)
All glory and power belong to God. Exodus 14:31 witnesses, “Thus Israel
saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the
Lord, only mention of Moses in the haggadah used in most Jewish homes. It
emphasizes that deliverance from Egypt was divine, not human. Freedom from the
slavery of sin, this also is God’s doing.
The unbroken Lamp –Bone
and the roasted Egg
This bone (z’roah) is a symbol of the paschal lamb slain in Egypt, its
blood sprinkled on the doorposts as a sign that God’s people trusted in him. It
recalls the Lamb of God himself (John1:29,36), no bone of whom was broken, who
died for our sins that we might have sterna life. The Messiah, our Paschal Lamb
and our Peace Offering, has been sacrificed for us (I Corinthians5:7;
Exodus12:7, 13,46;John19:31-36). How right to trust in God whose arm (z’roah) is stretched out to save his
people today as in day of old.
(All say)
“Worthy is the Lamb who
was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and
glory and blessing!”(Revelation5:12)
The egg (chagigah) recalls the festival sacrifices brought at Passover,
Pentecost and Tabernacles by those, like Joseph, Mary and Jesus, who came on
pilgrimage to Jerusalem to rejoice before the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:16). It is
also a remembrance of the “chagigah of the 14th Nisan, another
roaster lamb or kid, which in the time of Jesus was eaten at the seder before
the paschal lamb. The Passover sh’lamim, peace
offerings- : chagigot of the 15th Nisan”- were being sacrificed while Jesus was on the cross.
These “peasachim” (John18:28) were
offered to make reconciliation for the house of Israel (Ezekiel45:15-17)
The egg is a symbol both of mourning and renewal. After a Jewish funeral
the principal mourners eat an egg. We mourn for our Lord because we ourselves,
Jews and Gentiles, through our sins are responsible for his death. Now we
rejoice before him who was resurrected; for we, dead to sin, may live forever
with him.
Unleavened Bread
(Point to the matzah
and say )
This unleavened bread reminds us that the deliverance of Israel from
Egypt came so swiftly-The Egyptians sent them out in haste –that there was no
time for the dough to rise and become leavened (Exodus12:33-34,39). It was such
bread that Jesus broke at the Last Supper. Its very appearance recalls the
stripes and blows he bore for us. To ensure that it did not become leavened
during baking, it was pierced in many places. He was pierced for us.
Therefore, purge out
the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For
indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”( 1 Corinthians5:7-8)
Jesus said, “for the
bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am
the bread of life”(John6:32-35).
Bitter Herb
(Point to the bitter
herb and say)
Bitter herbs recall the bitterness of slavery in Egypt, warning us
against the bitter slavery of sin; and they remind the heart burdened with its
own bitterness that, not being filled with God’s joy, makes the lord a
stranger. “Let all bitterness… be put away from you” (Ephesians4:31)” …looking
diligently…lest any root of bitterness
springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled”(Heb.12:15). “But
if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not
boast”(James3:14).
A garden invaded by horseradish cannot be cleansed merely by cutting off
the tops of the plants. Every piece of root must be eradicated. From a single
root many new shoots will spring. Similarly sin within us must be uprooted, not
merely topped.
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 have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and
grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn…in that day a fountain shall be
opened….for sin and for uncleanness.”(Zechariah12:10,13:1)
(A moment or two for meditation.)
While we consider the Passover symbols, God may be speaking to us
individually, asking whether we have fully and freely accepted his offer of
freedom at this Chag Haggeulah, Festival of Redemption. Have we, for example,
sprinkled metaphorically the Blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of our hearts
in the face of human and spiritual opposition, clearly trusting in God to
deliver us?
Now may be the time fully to receive God’s gift, freely to give God his
due. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your might”(Deuteronomy6:5) “ you shall worship the Lord your God,
and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew4:10)
“ set my spirit free” is a prayer to which we may gladly add “ Amen.
Blessed art Thou”
(Sing) Set my Spirit free, Lord,
that I may worship Thee
Set my Spirit free, that I may praise Thy name
Let all bondage go, let deliverance flow;
Set my spirit free, Lord, free to worship Thee
Remembering, Redemption
and Reflection through praise
Say, “God did it for
me”
Everyone should think of himself or herself as having personally gone
forth from Egypt because the Word declares, “And you shall tell your son in
that day, saying, “This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came
up from Egypt “(Exodus13:8)
God who redeemed us from slavery in Egypt redeemed us at another
Passover from the bondage of sin, so that each one of us may say, I keep this
feast because of that which the Lord did for me when he saved me at Calvary; my
old self was crucified with him, the sinful body destroyed, that I might be no
longer enslaved to sin; being dead to sin, alive to God in Y’shua the Messiah.
(Romans6:6-8,11)
So we praise Him
(Raise the Cup of
thanksgiving and say)
Therefore, we are bound
to thank, praise, glorify, extol and adore God who did all these wonders for
our ancestors and for us. God brought us forth…
Celebrant Company (congregation)
From slavery to
freedom
From anguish to
joy,
From mourning to festivity,
From darkness to great light,
From bondage to redemption.
Let us therefore sing to God a new song.
(All say)
Hallelujah!
(Sing)
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.
Hallel –Praise
Psalms 113 -114
At the end of the meal, with its climax of eating the aphikoman and of
drinking the Cup of Blessing, we conclude by rejoicing in the Halle, Psalms
113-118 this was probably the hymn which the disciples and Jesus sang before
they walked across the Kidron Balley to Gethsemane.
Celebrant Company
Blessed be the God of Israel who makes us rejoice with psalms of praise
Psalms 113
Praise, O servants of
the Lord Praise
the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of
the Lord From this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the
sun to its going down the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above
all nations and His glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord
our God, who dwells on high
Who humbles Himself to
behold the
things that are in the heavens and in the earth
He raises the poor out
of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
That He May seat him
with princes with
the princes of His people
He grants the barren
woman a home like a joyful mother of children.
(All say)
Hallelujah!
The
Cup of Thanksgiving (I
will deliverer you from bondage)
(Raise the second cup
and say)
Jesus took the cup and gave thanks and said, take this and divide it
among yourselves,; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke22:17-18)
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast redeemed Thy people from Egypt and hast entrusted to them the oracles of God, so that Jesus,
born as a Jew, be nurtured in the Scriptures that speak of him.
We thank Thee for the Passover, for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but
especially that Thou hast redeemed us to be thy children through Y’shua the
Messiah, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, through His
blood. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Redeemer of Israel. “I am the true vine” said
Jesus, “and My Father is the vinedresser” (john15:1-8). May we, the branches, abide
in him and bear much fruit.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(Drink second cup)
The Meal –Preparation,
prayer, and partaking
Washing (Rachatzah)
Wash your selves, make yourselves clean ( Isaiah1:16) Cleanse your
hands, you sinners “(James4:8) I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go
about your altar, O Lord”(Psalm26:6) Doing the work of a servant , Jesus arose,
girded himself with a towel, poured water, washed the disciples’ feet , wiped
them with the towel and sat down again.
He said, “ you call me Teacher Rabbi and Lord, and you say well, for so I am …I
have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to
you.”(John13:13,15)
(The celebrant in remembrance washes and dries the hands or feet of some
at the table.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our god, King of the Universe, who commands us
to be cleansed and to serve others; that all may lift up holy hands (I
Timothy2:8) without anger or quarreling, being at peace with one another.
(To participate in this act of personal consecration before eating at
the Lord’s Table, we all say)
AMEN
Grace before the Meal (
Motzee…Matzah)
Thanks for daily brad
and for the bread of affliction
Action- (Everyone receives a piece of
the upper wafer, over which we thank God for daily sustenance, and also a piece
of the remaining middle wafer, the Bread of Affliction, the Humble Bread,
representing the Messiah.) (The Celebrant may place the two pieces of matzah
–each broken into small portions one separate plate, one passed round the table
clockwise, the other in the opposite direction. On one of the plates there
should be a small dish of salt, a pinch of which is added by each person to the
matzah when the pieces are combined.”)
Expression -The uppermost wafer of
matzah, like the one at the base, reminds us of the manna that in the
wilderness sustained the Israelites with physical health, as our daily bread
sustains us. Yet man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from God. So together with the bread that meets our mortal needs, we
must take Living Bread, the Word become flesh, that our lives be maintained
spiritually in health here on earth, to prepare us for the rich life of the
world to come. That Bread enriches us in this life and prepares us to enjoy
life eternal. We recall God’s
covenant of salt with his people: it is a covenant of salt forever before the
Lord with you and your descendants with you”(Numbers18:19; Leviticus2:13).The words
with you are there to encourage parents and children to be united in the
service of God, incorruptibly throughout all generations, as members of “a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people,”(1Peter2:9)
Jesus said,
“You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew5:13) and “Have salt in yourselves, and
have peace.”(Mark9:50)
(Now we say the two blessings) 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 hast sanctified us by Thy commandment to eat unleavened bread.
(We eat two pieces of
matzah together and say)
Make
us Thy bread, Thou who hast created us from the dust of the earth; grant us heavenly grace that we, to Thy glory, may be
able to feed others with the riches of Thy
Word as well as with other necessities for their daily living.
(Put a piece of maror
into a teaspoon of charoset and say)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies
us by Thy commandment to
eat the bitter herb.
Sandwich
(Korech)
Action -(We each make a sandwich of matzah –the bottom wafer-with bitter
herb and possibly charoset, and we eat it without saying a special blessing.)
(This portion is often given by the celebrant to some dear one as a special
mark of affection. In general, a husband will give it with love and in wisdom
to his wife)
Meaning expression – When Jesus as a child sat learning in the Temple at
Passover, one of the rabbis who was impressed by the way he listened and asked
questions may have been Hillel. (died A.D.10). He established the custom of
combing bitter herbs an dmatzah with a piece of the paschal lamb to literally
fulfill the Scripture, “ with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall
eat it”(Exodus12:8; Numbers 9:11) As the paschal lamb was the last item eaten
at the seder, this combination emphasized the significance of the matzah
(specifically, the aphikoman) eaten with it. Moreover lamb being absent at the
festivities outside Jerusalem, the aphikoman took on much of the mystique
associated with the paschal lamb. Jesus had foretold destruction of the Temple
and the consequent end of Passover sacrifices. It was realistic for him then to
desire his followers to remember him in the breaking of bread in the future.
The paschal sacrifice which could be offered only be dwellers in or pilgrims to
Jerusalem was soon to cease. When Jerusalem fell, lamb was no longer eaten at
the seder. With aphikoman alone we can remember the Lamb, our Messiah.
As they ate the chagigah, Jesus said, “One of you will betray me.”
Reclining close to his breast, a disciple asked, “Lord, who is it?” “it is he
to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it,” replied Jesus,
and gave it to Judas Iscariot, “ what you do , do quickly,” Jesus said.
(John13:21-27)
When
we are tempted to do wrong, the opportunity to repent is often only momentary
before our hearts harden and evil takes possession of them. Had Judas seized
that moment, he would have gone to the priests, saying,” I will not shed innocent blood.” But allowing Satan
to remain dominant within him, the most needs of the disciples received
chagigah, maror and matzah, dipped as a love-token in the dish by Jesus.
Immediately he went out into the dark night. Although too late after the
betrayal to repent, stirred by remorse, Judas declared to the priests, “ I have
sinned by betraying innocent blood”(Matthew27:3-4)
So
it seems that Judas was not present with the disciples as they ate the paschal
lamb. Nor was he present as Jesus distributed the aphikoman and after supper
blessed the Cup of Blessing and Redemption. Possible Judas had arranged to
partake of paschal lamb with the Temple officers whom he led afterwards to
Gethsemane.
Jesus
had showed his erring disciple that he still love him. This action reinforced
his previous reply to Peter’s question, “ how often shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him?” (Matthew18:21-35) . it also illustrated his
commands, “love one another”(John15:12), “ Love your enemies….do good to those
who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you”(Matthew5:44).
Agape (as the meal
reaches its climax)
We prepare to come close to the Lord at his table.
The table in one’s home takes the place of the altar that once stood in
the sanctuary. This, at which we now sit, is the table before the Lord(Ezekiel41:22)
when the Lord’s friends meet, they have the opportunity of seeing God is each
other’s eyes and in selfless fellowship.
Who are the Lord’s friends? “ You are My friends,” said Jesus, “ If you
do whatever I command you” (John15:14) “ This is My commandment, that you LOVE
ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”(John15:12)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have
loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another”(John13:34-35)
How often we have failed God! Jesus knocks on the door; we have to open.
Sometimes he seems hidden; we have to search. He provides a lamp for our feet;
the illumination avails nothing, if we do not walk with him. While you have the
light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things
Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them’ (John12:36)
Jesus was hidden from the people; they didn’t believe. Some, who did
believe, did not confess it out of fear. “Nevertheless even among the rulers
many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they love the praise of men
more than the praise of God’(John12:42-43)
Hidden ( Tsaphoon)
(Fill the third cup)
(The aphikoman is searched for
and found. The cloth in which it has been wrapped is placed before the
Celebrant. Fill the third cup, the
Cup of Blessing and Redemption.)
(The celebrant takes the
aphikoman from its wrapping and says)
“For this commandment
which I command you today, it is not too mysterious (hidden) for you, nor is it
far off. It is not in heaven…Nor is it beyond the sea… But the word is very
near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it”
(Deuteronomy30:11-14) . May we do the will
of our Father in heaven, who gives us the Heavenly Bread that once was hidden,
but now is revealed?
A grace of Thanksgiving
(Break the bread) Celebrant taking the
aphikoman
Let us bless the Lord. Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good
thing. Blessed is the one who trusts the Lord. The Lord will give strength to
this people; the Lord will bless his people with peace (wholeness).
(Psalms34:10, 40:4,29:11)
(Celebrant taking the
aphikoman says:)
The night he was delivered up, Jesus
took bread and gave thanks.
Company (congregation)
say:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the
Universe, who feedest the whole world with goodness, grace, lovingkindness, and
tender mercy; who givest bread to all flesh, for Thy loving kindness is ever
enduring.
Blessed
be God our Father, who promised to send His people Israel a Redeemer to plead
their Cause, to make an end to sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity and to
bring in everlasting righteousness by anointing the Most Holy, our Redeemer and
Savior, Amen.
Celebrant says:
Our Father, we thank you for sending us Jesus the Messiah, Y’shua ha
–Mashiach, who broke bread (break the aphikoman)
and give it to his disciples (Distribute the
pieces on a plate to the company.)
He said to them, “Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you do
this in remembrance of Me” (Mark14:22; Luke22:19) Feed on him in your hearts by
faith with thanksgiving.
(All eat, and say)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (IICorinthians9:15)
(Keep silence awhile, then sing)
Bind us together, Lord,
bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together, Lord, bind us
together, Lord, bind us together with love.
(Celebrant say)
The God of all the families of Israel has declared: “I have loved you
with an everlasting love…” (Jeremiah31:3b). God’s love has been poured into our
hearts. Therefore let us love the Lord our God with heart, soul and might, and
love one another as Y’shua has commanded.
The Peace of the Lord be always
with you and between us.
The Cup of blessing and redemption (I will redeem you with
an outstretched arm.)
After the meal, lest the Redeemer be
forgotten, Jesus took the Cup of Blessing, recalling the third of God’s
promises to enslaved Israel.
(Raise the third cup and say)
Reaffirming what he had said over the
cup before supper, Jesus declared, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this
fruit of the vines from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in
My Father’s kingdom (Matthew26:29).
And with authority he said to them, “For this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins “(Matthew26:28). “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1Corinthians11:25) Giving thanks, the Messiah said:
(All say)
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. I will lift up the cup of salvation (Y’shua
) and call on the Lord’s name.
(Celebrant say)
Remember that Y’shua’s blood was shed
for us to preserve us for everlasting life. Let us be thankful.
(We drink the cup – (third
cup)
For as often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He come” (1
Corinthians11:26) “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion
of the blood of Christ? Is it not the communion of the body of Christ?(1
Corinthians10:16).
We have partaken of the aphikoman,
remembering the One who was to come, has already come and will come again.
Christian and Jew have a belief in common, yet with this difference: The Torah
–true Jew believes the Messiah is to come; the Torah-based Christian, that he
is to come again.
(Fill
the fourth cup-the Cup of Completion. Fill also a fifth cup, from which we
shall not drink)
The Cup of Completion (fourth cup)
Jesus had said, “I will no
longer drink of the fruit of the wine until that day when I drink it new in the
kingdom of God (Mark14:25). Let us think of him now at Gethdsemane, praying
alone from his sleepy disciples, saying as he knelt, “Father, if it is your
will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be
done.”(Luke22:42, Mark14:36). An angel appeared, strengthening him, still he
agonized, his sweat like great drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke22:43-44).Finally,
the ordeal was accepted, victory won. Later, when soldiers came for him, he
would say, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given
Me?”(John18:11). At Calvary, atonement was made.
Then Judas appeared with a
band of Temple police supported by Roman soldiers. With a kiss he betrayed.
When Jesus then pronounced the ineffable name of God (“I Am He” John18:5-6),
all fell to the ground. Jesus had power to escape, but submitted to arrest ad
was bound and interrogated. At the prompting of the chief priests he was
brought the next day before Pontius Pilate, who was unwilling to face the one
who is truth. Pilate was guilty of murder and treason against one whom he should
have acknowledged as his king. Having declared Y’shua innocent, he had him
flogged and crucified as a criminal. The dramatic gesture of washing his hands
actually did nothing to cleanse Pilate.
Before crucifixion, Jesus
refused wine mingled with myrrh which was given him to drink(Mark 15:23). On
the cross, towards the end, Jesus cried, “I thirst!” with a sprig of hyssop,
which can serve as a reminder that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin
(1 John1:7), Exodus12:21-23) His work of atonement completed, he cried, “It is
finished!” and commended his pirit into the hands of the Father.
Y’shua breathed his last.
The Lord of the Sabbath rested on the Sabbath. He rose on the first day of the
week; He lives again and is alive today!
The Cup of Completion of sorrow, Death and victory
(taking fourth cup )
All lift the fourth cup and
say
“I will take you as My
people and I will be your God”(Exodus6:7).
(We bless again with the
blessing that has been on Jesus’ lips:)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our
God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(All drink)
The paschal seder is done,
its customs and laws fulfilled; grant grace that we, each one, may do as Thou
hast willed. O pure One, enthroned above, Raise up the low, make free; replant
on Zion in love Thy vine –branch, nigh to thee
Fulfill, O Lord, the desires
and requests of Thy servants as is best for us; and grant us in this world
knowledge of Thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting.
And He said to me, “It is
done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of
the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My
son.”(Reve.ation21:6-7)
Again we remember God’s
promise in Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their
minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be
My people.(Exodus6:7)
Next year in Jerusalem built
anew and in our days the New Jerusalem.
And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there
was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself
will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from
their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there
shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away”(Revelation21:1-4)
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The
Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
