some thoughts on the purpose and value for christians learning about passover
One of Jesus’ last acts before His death was the celebration of Passover. (Luke 22:15) It was important enough to Him that, with only hours left before He gave His life on our behalf, He participated in this oldest of Jewish festivals. If for no other reason, we ought to desire to know about what was so important to our Lord.
But there are other reasons. Jesus led the Seder. It was there in the context of the historical Passover that our Savior revealed to His disciples – and to us – the mystery of God’s plan of redemption. It was there that He unveiled the full meaning of this familiar Jewish memorial in light of what was about to happen to Him and instituted its commemoration in His Church until He comes.
Since that Last Supper two thousand years ago, much misunderstanding has developed and become entrenched in the Church concerning aspects of that meal which we re-enact as the Lord’s Supper. Teachings such as transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and the “real presence” versus “memorial” argument testify to our difficulties in fully comprehending the meaning of the Passover symbols we utilize in our Communion services. When Jesus said, “This is My body” and “This is My blood”, He was making reference to them within the context of the Passover Seder and its deeper meaning and message. Since most Christians know little or nothing of the Passover celebration, it is little wonder that we have such struggles in understanding the “elements” which we have generally failed to consider in their original context.
God has often chosen to communicate to His people through symbols. Using symbols, He provokes our memories and illustrates spiritual truths. The sacrificial system, the bronze serpent, stones of remembrance, and the Passover celebration are all good examples, but the Passover is a unique, multi-sensory experience. It is commonly known that taste and smell are strong evokers of memory. Through the yearly observance of Passover, the people of God were given the opportunity to experience the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of God’s deliverance again and again in a very powerful way.
At the Last (Passover) Supper, Jesus led this ancient ritual meal in its proper context as a revelation of Himself, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and He instructed His disciples to “Do this in remembrance” of Him. In the Seder we hear, see, taste, and feel the truth of God’s love and the Gospel of grace in a singular way. We, too, have the opportunity to experience the bitterness of slavery to sin and the sweetness of God’s gracious deliverance through Christ our Savior through the powerful symbols that God Himself ordained in the time of Moses – symbols that always have pointed to Jesus, the Messiah.
In the Passover Seder, the believer will come to see Christ in a new and deeper way. He will understand the unity of the Scriptures as he never did before. He will be introduced to an event that will forever transform his future participation in the Lord’s Supper. Finally, he will share in a worship experience that our Lord is waiting to complete with us in Glory (Matthew 26:29). It is something not to be missed.