A new meaning to Communion

Last year, around this time, my bible study had a teaching on the Jewish passover holiday. We actually took part in the seder dinner, something I hope every christian has a chance to do at least once. I’ve never looked at communion the same since, nor even of Jesus, and just the intricasies of God’s planning. It just amazes me, every bit of it. I know this is just dry words on a page, but i hope it can speak to others like it has to me.

The roots of passover started back with the enslavement of the Isrealites in Egypt (as seen in exodus). God delivered His people from slavery through ten plagues, the tenth of which was the death of the firstborn of every household throughout the land. God told his people to obtain a lamb without blemish, take some of its blood and put it on the doorposts so that the angel will pass by and spare that household. The lamb was then to be roasted and eaten, without any of its bones to be broken. Jesus, again and again is proclaimed as the “Lamb of God.” The Passover lamb was to be a “male without defect,” which is the same description given to Jesus. In addition, when the lamb was roasted and eaten, none of its bones were to be broken. This fact was also prophesized for the Messiah, whose bones were not to be broken. It was customary during crucifixion to break the leg bones of the person after a few hours in order to hasten their death. The only way a person could breathe when hanging on a cross was to push up with his legs, which was very exhausting. By breaking the legs, death followed soon by asphyxiation. However, in the case of Jesus, they broke the legs of the other two men, but did not break His, since He was already dead.

A traditional passover dinner is called the ’seder’ dinner. There is a TON of symbolism in the seder dinner, but the ones that really hit me, are the Four Cups, that represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6-7: “I will bring out,” “I will deliver,” “I will redeem,” and “I will take.” and one of seven symbolic foods, the ‘matzo’, which is the unleavened bread (leaven has tons of its own significance regarding the exodus, and the tradition of clearing the whole house of leaven during this holiday, etc, but one way it was described to me, is that leaven is like an imperfection, and having unleavened bread is bread with no imperfections in it. The matzo has to be made a particular way, with holes pierced in it, and stripes on it, and no leaven/yeast whatsoever. there are three matzo for the meal.

A (VERY) quick run through of the seder dinner:
1. A blessing is said, and the first cup of wine: Gods promise that “I will bring out”
2. washing of hands
3. the vegetable dipped in salt water (remembering the tears shed by their enslaved ancestors)
4. the breaking of the middle matzo, half of which is wrapped in a white linen and hidden for a time (until after the meal is over), the other half is returned to the other two matzo.
5. the Magid, or telling, of the history of the passover, from slavery to freedom (exodus)
6. an invitation to take part in the seder…. the matzo are uncovered, and an invitation ‘ to all who are hungry or needy’ to join in the seder.
7. the four questions… recited by the youngest in the family, mainly asking “why is this night different from all other nights?” and the answer.
8. drinking the second cup, God’s promise “I will deliver”
9. eat the 2 1/2 matzo,”While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread (matzo), broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying take and eat, this is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” the bitter herb, and the main course: hard boiled egg, fish, roast meat, etc.
10. after the supper the third cup of wine is taken… God’s promise “I will redeem”…. this third cup is on that has become our communion. “Again after supper, he took the cup and gave it to his disciples saying take and drink, this is my blood shed for you. do this in remembrance of me.”
fourth cup (cup of elijah) God’s promise “I will take”)
11. song of praise
12. fourth cup (the cup of elijah) is taken.
After the dinner is over, the children play the game of finding the remaining half matzo which was hidden earlier.

Note that this tradition has been going on every year since the days of moses. Way before jesus showed up. Even since the exodus, Jesus has been foretold in so many ways, especially in this holiday.
The three matzo: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. the very nature of the bread is identical to Jesus; without blemish, was pierced, striped, and broken, gone away for a time, and resurrected. during the meal, Jesus says of the Matzo “this is my body, broken for you.” after super, the third cup, the ‘cup of redemption’ “this is my blood, shed for you”.
the matzo and the third cup of the seder dinner has become our communion.

There are other traditions surrounding passover than just the dinner itself. Five days before the lamb was to be sacrificed, it was chosen. Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem five days before the lamb was killed in the temple as the Passover sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel. Therefore, Jesus entered Jerusalem on lamb selection day as the lamb of God. The people did not understand the significance of this, since they greeted Him with palm branches and hailed Him as King, shouting “Hosanna,” which means “save us.” However, they were not looking for a spiritual Savior, but a political savior. Palm branches were a symbol of freedom and defiance, since Simon Maccabeus had entered Jerusalem with that symbolism. Jesus’ reaction was to weep, since He realized that they did not understand the Messiah’s purpose in coming.

Good Friday was the day of the Passover celebration and the day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. For the previous 1,200 years, the priest would blow the shophar (ram’s horn) at 3:00 p.m. – the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel. On Good Friday at 3:00, when Jesus was being crucified, He said, “It is finished” – at the moment that the Passover lamb was sacrificed and the shophar was blown from the Temple. The sacrifice of the lamb of God was fulfilled at the hour that the symbolic animal sacrifice usually took place. At the same time, the veil of the Temple (a three-inch thick, several story high cloth that demarked the Holy of Holies) tore from top to bottom – representing a removal of the separation between God and man. Fifty days later, on the anniversary of the giving of the law (Pentecost), God left the earthly temple to inhabit those who call on the name of Jesus through His Holy Spirit.

Like I said, the parallels are seemingly unending, but this is about where my knowledge of it all ends. crazy awesome stuff, no doubt about it.