The Passover

This past Sunday was Resurrection Day, a day very important to all Christians.  On the previous Monday, April 25th at sundown, Passover began.  We like to celebrate the Biblical holidays with a Messianic, Christian perspective since all the holidays are a foreshadowing of Christ.

We didn't see it this year, but normally we watch Charlton Heston playing the role of Moses in "The Ten Commandments" around this time.  The show does a pretty good job of showing the Israelites in bondage in Egypt and of God hearing their cries and using Moses to deliver His people from Pharoah.  Who can forget, "Let my people go!!"?  A very interesting part of that show is the plagues and eventually Passover when the Angel of Death went through the land, taking the life of the firstborn male human or animal, unless, of course, there was the blood of the lamb on the doorpost.  Then the Angel of Death would "pass over" the home, leaving the firsborn male untouched. 

Each year we have a dinner celebration called a Passover Seder, which is a meal with special foods, practices and Scripture readings to remind us of two special true stories - how God delivered the Hebrew people and how Jesus died for our sins delivering us.

The reason we celebrate is from Exodus 12:14 "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."


Sonnier family celebrating Passover 2013

During the Passover Seder, there is a seder plate with special foods that symbolize part of the Passover story - a story of both physical and spiritual deliverance. 

Foods on the seder plate include:
Shank Bone of a lamb: symbolizes the lamb eaten before they fled Egypt, but also symbolizes Jesus, who is the Lamb of God-our Passover Lamb.
Matzah: made with no leaven to remind us that the Hebrews left Egypt in a hurry, but also symbolizes Jesus, the Bread of Life who is without sin.
Bitter Herbs: represents the bitterness of slavery, but also represents the bitterness of the crucifiction Jesus went through for our sins.
Haroset: a mixture of apples, nuts, grape juice, and cinnamon that represents the mortar used to build Egyptian cities and the sweetness of a better world and also symbolizes how the sweetness of Jesus can overcome bitter sin.
Karpas: symbolizes the new life for God's people.  The non-bitter vegetable is dipped into salt water representing the tears of slavery and the tears Christ shed over His people.

Below you can see the elements of the seder plate:


Passover Seder Plate

Here is the matzah.  Jesus was broken for us.  Note how the matzah is striped and pierced, just as Jesus was for us:

Matzah

The leader follows a program called The Haggadah which means "the telling" and all participants follow along with it, through special prayers, ceremonies, stories, and songs.  The Passover celebration especially centers around the children so they can hear about the things God has done for his people.

"And it shall come to pass, when you come into the land which the LORD will give you, according as He hath promised, that you shall keep this service.  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, 'what mean ye by this service?  That you shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses."  - Exodus 12:25-27

(I like the word smote.  We need to use that more in modern English!)

We also drink of four cups (well, really only 3) that represent:

The Cup of Sanctification
"I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."  Jesus sanctifies us.

The Cup of Deliverance
"I will rescue you from their bondage."  Jesus delivers us.

The Cup of Redemption
"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm."  Jesus redeems us.

The Cup of Praise
"I will take you as My people."  Jesus is our Joy!


Passover Haggadah

We read the Passover story and relate it to the story of Jesus.  The entire Passover story is a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ.  We especially celebrate Jesus being raised from the dead.  We rejoice in His victory over death and how he gave us eternal life if we believe and follow Him.


Tricia at the Passover Seder

At the end of the Seder, we always conclude by saying (or attempting to say):

L'Shanah HaBa'ah B'Yerushalayim, which means: Next year may we be in Jerusalem!  It is a special time for us and a meaningful family tradition.