Why did we have a Seder?

I was thinking that it might be good to explain a little more about the Jewish Seder ceremony which was part of our Unit Celebration on Friday night ( see previous post ), and why we as Christians would see importance in it! First of all, the very fact that Jesus Christ was a Jew and celebrated these festivals during his life on earth is reason to explore them more deeply. But beyond that, 1 Corinthians 5:7 says " For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." What does that mean? To understand how Christ is the Passover lamb, we must understand the Jewish Passover celebration.

Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, and celebrates the deliverance of the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, from slavery in Egypt, and their establishment as a nation of people. The festival of Passover is a 7-day celebration that begins at sunset of the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan (read about the Jewish calendar here) - which falls in March or April.

Unlike the most Holy days of Christianity that are observed in Church, since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70 Passover has been celebrated in the home with family and friends as they eat a meal together. It is customary to invite guests to share the Seder meal, especially newcomers to the community. The actual Seder meal in most Jewish homes is an elaborate feast, with food, games for the children, and plenty of time to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is not unusual for a Seder to last three to four hours.

The Seder involves everyone present since they all have a Haggadah (Heb: "telling," the printed order of service, reading, and songs) and are called to share in reading and singing the story. While the father or grandfather is usually the leader of the service, others have roles as well. The mother of the home lights the festival candles that signal the beginning of Passover, the youngest child asks the four questions, the children help eliminate all

Chametz, leaven, from the house, search for the hidden Afikomen (a symbolic piece of Matzah, unleavened bread) and open the door for Elijah, the parents or the grandparents tell the story of the exodus, and various others are designated to read or lead certain portions of the service.

Passover is really more than a festival. It is an elaborate teaching experience, especially for the children, intended to call people to their identity as the People of God. By using all of the senses, the Passover Seder tells the story of God’s grace in history and calls the participants to experience and share in the story as their own story. Passover becomes more than simply a service or a time; it becomes a way to confess faith in the One who has acted in history, and for Jews expresses the hope that He will continue to act in bringing deliverance to all people everywhere.

(from Introduction to a Christian Seder )


This teaching aspect is very significant, and I'm afraid it is something we Christians do not take seriously enough. Every year, in the context of family togetherness and celebration, the essence of the Jewish faith and identity is repeated over and over to the next generation.
THIS is who we are. THIS is what God did. THIS is why we celebrate - to remember!

How often do our families gather together, and the grandparents and parents take the time to diligently teach our children what it means to be a Christian, why we celebrate Christmas and Easter and Pentecost and the Fourth of July and
Thanksgiving ( the GOD reasons!), the reasons why we DON'T celebrate Halloween in the same way as others in our community, what amazing things God has done for His people and through His people? It is so important to be deliberate in teaching and passing on our faith and values to our children, and not just hope that they "catch it" from living in our homes.

Up until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the central focus of the Passover was a perfect and unblemished lamb which each family sacrificed and ate as part of a sacred meal. In the book of Exodus, we read the Lord's commandment to the Israelites to mark the lintel and doorframes of their homes with the blood of this sacrificed lamb, to protect them from the 10th plague against Egypt, the death of the firstborn sons. Death would "pass over" the homes of the Israelites, which were marked by the blood of the lamb. Jesus Christ is God's first born son, perfect and without blemish. In God's perfect timing, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb, arrested and put to death during Passover.

John in his gospel noted that Jesus died at the same time that the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple (see John 19:14) and that like the Passover lambs, none of his bones were broken (the others being crucified had their leg bones broken by the Romans—John 19:32, 33, 36). The idea behind all this was that just as the Israelites were redeemed from Egyptian slavery by an unblemished lamb, now men could be freed from slavery to sin by the Messiah, the Lamb of God.

(from Passover - Why is this night different since Y'shua observed it? )

Death (eternal separation from God) passes over those who are marked by the blood of Jesus, meaning those who in their hearts have accepted him as their Saviour. The Israelites were not "automatically" spared from the judgement on the first born. They had to actively obey God by slaughtering that lamb and putting the blood on the doorframes of their homes. Likewise, Jesus's death doesn't "automatically" provide salvation for all people. We must do our part - actively proclaim him as our Lord and Saviour, and submit our lives to the authority of God. An interesting fact ~ if you act out the putting of blood on the lintel ( top ) of the door, and then the 2 sides of the doorframe as the Israelites did, you create a picture of the Cross.

You can read about more symbols of Christ in the Passover Seder here in "A Jewish Believer's Passover"

More info:

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/judaica/passover

http://www.egrc.net/articles/other/passover_resources.html

http://www.cresourcei.org/seder.html

http://biblicalholidays.com/Passover/messiah_in_passover.htm

I LOVE homeschooling. I would never have learned these things except for the opportunity to delve deeply into history and into God's Word with my children. Homeschooling is as much an education for parents as it is for children!

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