| Passover |
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2011 CJFM Representative Passover Schedule Schedule a CJFM representative to speak at your church or event. Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Lord's rescue of the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery following 10 plagues leveled against their oppressors. It was instituted by the Lord as a perpetual holiday (Lev. 23:5) and continues to be celebrated by the Jewish people worldwide as a means of remembering their miraculous rescue by the Lord. Before the destruction of the Temple, the celebration of Pesach centered around the Korban Pesach, or the Passover sacrifice. Each family who was able would offer a young lamb for sacrifice at the Temple in the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan and eat it that night. After the Temple's destruction, the focus of Pesach became the Seder, or the ordered meal commemorating the events of the Exodus. In preparation for the Pesach Seder, one's house is cleaned and emptied of any chametz, or leaven—meaning any substance that can cause fermentation. The Seder meal itself is designed to tell of the story of the Exodus and does so using a text known as the Haggadah. The Haggadah separates the meal into 15 separate phases or components, mirroring the 15 Psalms of Ascent sung when going up the 15 steps in the Jerusalem Temple. The types of food eaten during the Seder evoke images and themes from the Exodus story. Some of these special foods include: bitter herbs bring to mind the bitterness of slavery, saltwater symbolizes the tears shed by the Jewish people while in bondage, charoset to mimic the mortar used to construct building for the Egyptians, and a lamb bone to commemorate the original paschal sacrificial offering. The matzah is said to have multiple meanings; it represents humility, being known as "poor man's bread;" it represents purity, being free of leaven; and it represents haste, as it bakes quickly and preserves well. An important part of the Seder is the afikoman. Towards the beginning of the Seder, during the part of the Seder known as the Yachatz, the leader breaks the matzah and hides part of it; this hidden portion is known as the afikoman. Traditionally, children are encouraged to search for the afikoman, with a special reward being given to those who find it. The Synoptic Gospels reveal that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, in which Jesus reveals the dual meaning of the meal. Where the Seder commemorates the redemption of God's people out of physical slavery, it also commemorates the redemption out of spiritual slavery to sin. Similar to the Paschal lamb, Jesus, who was observed for a period of time and found to be without blemish, was offered up as sacrifice to defeat the hold of death on those who believe. His blood institutes the New Covenant spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah. Jesus, like the matzah, was humble and without impurity, yet was bruised, pierced, and broken. He was hidden away in death, like the afrikoman, and brought back out into light and life, so that whoever finds Him may receive the sweetest reward. For more information on Passover, check out some of our resources at messianicspecialties.com.
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