One of the most special and exciting experiences I have had in over a year of lockdown was the fabulous Passover meal prepared by my wife Linda, which we were able to share with our ‘bubble’ friend.

Fresh revelations from the Seder

I am sure most readers are aware that Easter is actually the fulfilment of everything the Jewish Passover stands for. We had roast lamb, bitter herbs, matzah (unleavened) bread, and various sweet things – including a delicious chocolate mousse type pudding!

But before dinner, we participated in an elaborate Seder (order of service) which basically revolves around the goodness of God in rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. We used a Seder familiar to Jews, except that it also explained how Jesus fulfilled it in every way – it was written by an organisation called One for Israel, who are reaching out to Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land from their base near Tel Aviv.

Anyway, the whole experience made us realise afresh what a rich heritage we have, and I personally had quite a few new revelations, which is amazing in view of the fact I’ve been a Christian for nearly 50 years. There is so much treasure in knowing Christ that you can never really get to the bottom of it, or fully appreciate or even understand it all.

Passing over

The centrepiece, of course, is the roast lamb. The Jews of Moses’ time had to sacrifice a perfect male lamb and daub its blood on the doorframes and lintels of their homes to enable them to escape the tenth plague – the death of the first-born – which God brought on Egypt because Pharaoh refused to let his people go.

The angel of death would destroy the first-born of the land but would ‘pass over’ the homes of all who had marked their doors with the lamb’s blood. So although Moses was used as the human instrument of their freedom, it was really the blood that rescued the Israelites from slavery.

This is the perfect picture of the Jewish Messiah who was to come some 1,500 years later and to whom John the Baptist referred as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus becomes our Passover Lamb, rescuing us from slavery to sin and transferring us into the kingdom of light as we trust in his blood for our redemption.

As the Jews marked their doorposts with the lamb’s blood, we mark the ‘doorposts’ of our hearts with the blood of Jesus, which is also what is symbolised when we take the bread and wine of communion. It was, after all, the Passover that Jesus was celebrating with his disciples when the communion rite was first introduced.

Passover lambs

Passover lambs, by the way, were reared in Bethlehem (just outside Jerusalem), which is presumably why it was to these shepherds that the angels first announced the birth of Jesus 33 years before he became the ultimate Passover Lamb. And it was through the Sheep Gate that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey on what is now traditionally known as Palm Sunday.

Passover lambs were killed halfway through the afternoon on the first day of the feast – i.e. 3pm – when the high priest would ascend the altar, cut the throat of the sacrificial lamb and declare, “It is finished!” At that very moment, according to the New Testament writers, Jesus made precisely the same declaration – “It is finished!” (John 19:30) – and gave up his spirit.

The bread (matzah) is very important for Passover as it is unleavened (i.e. without yeast) and reminds us that the enslaved Israelites had to leave in a hurry (before Pharaoh changed his mind, which he did). As the dough doesn’t rise when being baked, you don’t have to wait long for it. But far more important is the fact that leaven, in Jewish tradition, represents sin – and Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was sinless.

Cups of wine

There are four cups of wine for the occasion – representing sanctification, judgment (or deliverance), redemption and completion (or praise). At the Last Supper, Jesus only drank the first three, explaining: “I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt 26:29). He is referring to what is known as the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’ when all believers will meet with the Lord for a great ‘wedding feast’ at his second coming – with Gentiles having been grafted (or adopted) into God’s Jewish family tree, symbolised by the olive tree and going all the way back to Abraham.

In giving thanks for the wine, we repeat (just as Jewish people do): “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.” In doing so, we are reminded of Jesus’ first miracle, when he turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, proving he was the Creator of the universe.

Three matzah pieces

One particularly significant section involves the placing of a matzah cracker Breaking matzahin each of three slots of a single bag – ‘three’ possibly representing the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but no-one seems sure. However, Christians see a clear picture of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – especially as the celebration’s leader is called upon to remove the middle matzah, break it in two and hide the larger of the broken pieces in a linen cloth for the children to search for later and reclaim.

The matzah is pierced with many holes, and the baking process has left it with a striped and bruised appearance, echoing Isaiah’s description of the Messiah’s suffering – “he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities” and “by his stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:5). And, of course, Jesus was wrapped in a linen cloth and buried, only to rise again on the third day.

He is not here; he has risen

A Jewish man called Thomas Graumann, who has recently written a book called Twice Rescued Child¹, was initially snatched from the Nazis before trusting in Jesus as his Saviour. He later became a missionary to the Philippines and once, during a brief stopover in Israel, he visited the tomb where many believe Jesus may have been buried. He looked inside and remembered the angel’s words: “He is not here; he has risen…” (Matt 28:6). A British army general I interviewed a few years ago had a similar experience there and subsequently became a committed Christian.

21 years ago this month, my late wife Irene died. She was a fervent believer and I well recall how, at her funeral six days later, I thought I would struggle on seeing her coffin, but distinctly heard the Lord say: “She is not here. She is risen!”

I read today of a man who found Christ in Wellington, New Zealand, 50 years ago. He referred to it as his ‘Passover moment’ – when he passed over from death to life. Passover is for everyone, and Jesus is the ‘door’ to eternal life. All that is needed on our part is to place our trust in him, marking the door of our hearts with the blood he shed for us at Passover!

Endnotes
1Published by SPCK in 2019