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Centuries before Jesus was led to Golgotha, God provided a picture of that event, a promise to His chosen people in the form of the Passover. He said it was to be an ordinance forever.

The lighting…

The lighting of the candles... Only the woman of the house may light the candles because she is the light of the home. Also, through a woman, through Mary came the Light of the World. The Light of the World is Jesus.... John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, even its lamp is the Lamb.

Matsah – unleavened bread, Exodus 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month, at evening.

Leaven signifies sin, removing all the leaven from the home signifies cleansing of sin. It is example of house cleaning, cleansing, making pure. The bread has stripes and is pierced. Of greater significance are the stripes Jesus wore and that he was pierced with the thorns and with a spear after He died on the cross. The unleavened bread signifies that God saves because Jesus bore the sin for us.

Maror – bitter herb (horseradish or romaine lettuce) Blessed God - fruit of the earth. The parsley is bitter and it is sin. The parsley is dipped in salt water. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. Eating the bitters signifies who we once were. Exodus 12:22 And take a bunch of hyssop and dip in the blood in the basin. And touch some of the blood in the basin to the lintel and on the two doorposts. And you shall not go out, anyone from the door of his house until morning. Luke 23:33 And when they came on the place being called Skull, they crucified Him… in his hands and feet nails pierced Him, the crown of thorns embedded in His head, He bled for us. Jesus bled from four places while alive, from the head from the hands and from his feet; and after death He bled from his side. The Jews did not kill Jesus. He carried the world’s sin upon Himself and left them all on the cross. Jesus said, “No one can take my life, I give it freely.” If Jesus had not died, the way would not have opened for the Gentiles.

Pesakh – roasted lamb bone – 38" target="_blank">John 12:38 so that the Word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he said, “Lord, who has believed our report? And the arm of the Lord, to whom was it revealed?" Isaiah 53:1 Who would have had faith in the word which has come to our ears, and to whom had the arm of the Lord been unveiled? The Arm of the Lord which symbolizes the destruction of the Temple. John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John explains that Jesus was speaking of His own body in vers 21.

The lamb – one year old completely unblemished. Stays in the home with the family for 4 days. Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem was on the first day of the week, and he stayed in Jerusalem four days before he was crucified. He was raised on the cross at the time of slaying of the lambs. When it is time to slay the lamb, it is brought to the father and he examines it and then declares the lamb perfect and unmarked. The lamb to be sacrificed must be unblemished and announced pure by the papa of the house. Jesus was pronounced free of fault by Pilot, Luke 23:4

Revelation 4:11 tells us that the LORD is worthy to receive all honor, glory and praise. No other was found to be worthy. The Lamb who was slain was found worthy. All things were created by Him and for His great pleasure.

Charoset – condiment made from apples, wine, cinnamon, nuts, from the Hebrew word for clay; symbolizes the mortar that Hebrew slaves used to build Egyptian building projects. The Charoset is sweet, and freedom from slavery is indeed sweet. Isaiah 41:25 I have raised up one from the north; and he shall come from the east; he will call on My name. And he shall come upon rulers as on mortar, and as a potter tramples clay. Jesus freed us from slavery to sin and death when He willingly died on the Cross and God raised Him from the dead in victory. Praise God, we have victory in Jesus.

Karpas – “greens” and “vegetable” and is meant to symbolize the backbreaking work of slavery. Over the years the Jews have done some juggling of the Hebrew letters and discovered that the letters of karpas can be arranged to spell perach samech. This is interesting because perach means back breaking, and samech means myriad 60, or 10,000 60s which is 600,000 which is the number of Hebrew males who left Egypt out of bondage heading toward the Promised Land.

Baytsah – the egg is not eaten but does hold a place on the Seder plate. The egg stands in place of one of the sacrificial offerings. Jesus died in our place. How much the Father loved us by sending Jesus who reminded earthly fathers how much they loved their own sons: Luke 11:12 And if he should ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? Jesus stood between us and the Angel of Death, He rose so that death would have no more sting, and sin would have no more strength.

Four cups of wine – most of my sources agree that the four cups of wine come from the promises made by God from Exodus 6:6-7 which are 1) Take you out of Egypt; 2) Remove you from slavery; 3) Redeem you with a demonstration of power; 4) Make you My nation. It is accepted that the tradition of four cups did not come about until the Roman occupation of Judah, and it was Roman custom to serve wine before dinner, during dinner and after dinner. It is written that the Rabbis of the time added the fourth cup, the kiddish cup, to sanctify God and His merciful deeds. In my own opinion, God needs no sanctification. There was argument at the time about a fifth cup, Elijah’s Cup which was to signify the promise of Messiah. Since the Jews do not believe Messiah has come, this cup is not drunk, but at the end of the meal, the children are urged to run to the door, open it and look to see if Elijah has come.

The Messiah has come. He came and gave Himself in our stead. He took all the world’s sins upon Himself and died so that we might live. Paul describes to us the new Passover Seder.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and giving thanks, He broke and said, Take, eat; this is My body which is broken on behalf of you; this do in remembrance of Me. 25 In the same way the cup also, after supping, saying, This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; as often as you drink, do this in remembrance of Me. (Luke 22:19,20 ) 26 For as often as you may eat this bread, and drink this cup, you solemnly proclaim the death of the Lord, until He shall come. 27 So that whoever should eat this bread, or drink the cup of the Lord, unworthily, that one will be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and let him drink of the cup; 29 for he eating and drinking unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

(This is the Easter column from 2010. I needed to repost it this year.)

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Keep Your Dreams to Yourself