Passover Seder for Believers in Jesus (“Yeshua”)… a Haggadah.

PASSOVER begins this Friday evening, April 15, 2022, on the Jewish calendar. Many Christians celebrate the holiday on the Thursday evening between Palm Sunday and Easter. A Passover Seder (pronounced SAY-der) is a meal and celebration that tells the story of the Exodus of the Jewish people from the bondage of Egypt and Pharoah. The Bible’s book of Exodus tells this story.

What follows is a Haggadah — or Story– that affirms Jesus as the Passover Lamb. Some may suggest it is misguided for Christ-followers to celebrate a Jewish holiday such as Passover. But I would say, Jesus is our Messiah. He was a Jew. This meal is likely the “Last Supper” He celebrated with the disciples in the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed, on the evening before Good Friday. It is very appropriate for believers in Jesus to celebrate the story of the Exodus, as it represents our own story of being in bondage to sin and death and our journey to freedom and life. In the days of Moses, life was given to people of faith by the blood of the lamb painted over the doorposts of houses. Today, we receive life by way of the blood of Jesus “painted” over the doorposts of our hearts.

This Haggadah was originally written for our family over twenty years ago, with input from various people including family friends who are Jewish. Note, most of the symbolic items have been a part of the Jewish tradition of Passover for centuries. Many were not a part of the tradition at the time of the “Upper Room” Passover. Our family added the red scarf/red ribbon as a way to visualize the doors of our hearts being painted with the blood of Jesus. Portions have been directly excerpted from the booklet “Passover Seder and Menu for an Observance by Christians” by Barbara Balzac Thompson, published by Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, © 1984.

Passover lasts for eight nights. Feel free to celebrate a Passover Seder any night, not just the first night. Make it work for your family. This is a great opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to join you. Because of social distancing, maybe you celebrate via Zoom or Skype.

Before you gather, you’ll need a few key ingredients for your table:

Two candlesticks in candle holders.

Wine or grape juice. You’ll be pouring four glasses for each participant, so be sure to have enough on hand for everyone.

Matzah bread. You’ll need at least three full-sized squares on a separate plate wrapped in a cloth or linen napkin. Plus, you’ll want enough for everyone to enjoy as much as they’d like.

The Seder Plate includes items that we’ll feature throughout the evening, including: a lamb shank (you can get this from the butcher at your local grocery store), a dollop of horseradish, a sprig of parsley, charoset (which is a mixture that includes chopped apples, honey, and cinnamon). You will also need in separate bowls/small plates enough horseradish, parsley, and charoset for everyone to enjoy at least a small taste.

For your table, you’ll need a bowl of fresh water (like a cereal bowl) and a smaller bowl (like a ramekin) of salt water (just enough salt to taste salty, maybe 1/2 teaspoon).

A red ribbon, scarf or piece of yarn, about three-to-four feet in length, for each participant.

You’ll also want to have prepared your main course of the evening meal, and keep it warm in the kitchen. You’ll take the first 30-45 minutes of the evening telling the story.

In most families, the father will read through the narrative. There are times when there is a responsive or group reading as well, so it is helpful for everyone to have their own copy, or a shared copy, of the “script” for the evening. Also, this is a very family-friendly event! Children are encouraged to participate. There is a specific place where they are to ask questions, but if you’d like, feel free to allow them to interrupt with queries and laughter. Our Seder is a time bathed in much grace. Sometimes we recline on the floor (more on that later). One year, we actually roasted a lamb on an open pit in the backyard. We often have coloring pages and snacks available for younger children. Feel free to be as creative as you like as you demonstrate your love for God’s plan of redemption in the life of your family.

WELCOME

Welcome in the name of Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah! Tonight we will celebrate Pesach (PAH-sach)… Passover. This is the celebration of the most incredible feast on the Jewish and Christian calendars. It intricately weaves a story of God’s power, faithfulness and love for mankind in both the Old and New Testaments. It was celebrated in the Ancient World, in Jesus’ time, and is still celebrated in traditional Jewish homes today.

The first Passover was not a celebration (see Exodus 12). It was a night of apprehension, fear, and expectation for the beginning of a new journey for the children of Israel. The Bible tells us that the Hebrews were to take the blood of a perfect lamb and paint it on their doorposts. By following this command, the Angel of Death who moved through Egypt that night would “pass over” their homes. But since the Angel of Death did not pass over Pharaoh’s house, and his firstborn son was taken from him, his hardened heart was finally softened and the next morning Pharaoh let the Hebrew slaves go free. This meal that we celebrate tonight, the Seder, is symbolic of the rush to leave Egypt and the bondage it represents.

We also celebrate the significance of Yeshua’s last meal, sometimes called the “Last Supper,” a traditional Passover meal, with His disciples in the Upper Room. There is a lot of symbolism between the Old Covenant meal and the New Covenant meal. We hope you’ll enjoy learning how Yeshua tied the two meals together… and how it is applicable to us all.

Tonight, we tell a story, the Haggadah (hah-gaw-DAH), of how the blood of a lamb saved the people of God in the Ancient times… and still saves today.

John 1:29: The next day, John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Reading: Luke 22:7-20. (This can be read by one of the children).

Let us celebrate the Passover together!

THE SEDER PLATE

Tonight we celebrate the Seder… the word Seder means “Order” and as we know, God is a God of order. The Seder is a celebration that usually takes place in homes… and at the center of the table at home is the Seder plate. It contains items that we’ll talk about tonight… unleavened bread or Matzah, bitter herbs, sweet apple mixture called the “Charoset” … parsley… a cup of saltwater and a lamb bone. As we tell the story tonight, the “Haggadah,” we encourage you to take in the sights and smells, tasting each ingredient and listening to every word… to hear and see and feel the truth of God’s love for us.

LIGHTING THE YOM TOV CANDLES

Like the Sabbath meal, tonight we light the Yom Tov, or the festival candles. There are two candles on the table… the candle of Creation and a candle of Redemption. For everything that God creates, He has a plan for redemption. The whole Passover story, both the Old Testament one and the New Testament one, is a story of this plan for our redemption.

Light is a symbol of God’s presence. In Him there is no darkness. Tonight is a special night for we will see first-hand that Yeshua, the Light of the world, is our true redemption.

In a traditional home, the woman of the household lights the Yom Tov candles… symbolic of Miriam, you know her as Mary, who was the human that God used to physically bring His Light into the world.

And for every item we talk about tonight, there is a prayer of blessing, for the Hebrews have a prayer for everything and give thanks for everything. So as we light the Yom Tov candles here is the blessing. (Traditionally, the mother of the host family will light the candles and say the prayer). In our home, one of us typically says the prayer in Hebrew and will all repeat it in English.

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam asher kidshanu B’mitzvo-tav v’tzivanu l’hadlik neir shel yom tov.

ALL:

Praised are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us through the commandments and the death and resurrection of Yeshua, our Messiah, the Light of the World and the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Praised are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe who commands us to light the festival lights.

SONG:

Shine, Jesus, Shine

Fill this place with the Father’s glory.

Blaze, Spirit, blaze. Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, River, flow. Flood the nations with grace and mercy.

Send forth your Word, Lord, and let there be light. (repeat).

(c) 1987, Make Way Music, Words and Music by Graham Kendrick.

KADDESH, THE CUP OF SANCTIFICATION

We’re going to drink four cups of wine, or grape juice, tonight. They represent four promises God gave to Moses in Exodus 6:6-7. (Pour the first cup for everyone to drink together).

The four promises were:

I WILL bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

I WILL free you from being slaves.

I WILL redeem you with an outstretched arm.

I WILL take you as My own people and I WILL be your God.

The first cup is the Cup of Sanctification. In the Old Covenant, the Hebrews were saved by the blood of the lamb painted on the doorposts of their homes. In the New Covenant, we are sanctified by the blood of Yeshua painted on the wood of the executioner’s cross. It is no surprise that our Sanctification is so important to God that celebrating it is the first thing we do together. It is the first of four cups we drink. He has redeemed us… and He has set us apart, just as He set the Hebrews apart. He continues this work of sanctifying us throughout our lives. Tonight, we celebrate our freedom from sin and the bondage it represents. Let us lift our cup together and bless the name of the Lord! And when we raise our cup, let us do so with our right hand as it symbolizes strength and the right arm reminds us of our Messiah, our strength.

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam borey pri hagafen.

ALL:

Praised are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Take a drink of wine/grape juice.

URECHATZ, THE WASHING OF HANDS

The Urechatz is symbolic of the purification of the priests in the temple. And for us in the New Covenant, it can symbolize baptism and the washing away of our sins.

Let us consider what Yeshua did at the Passover meal. John 13 describes how he washed His disciple’s feet. Let me take you there… think of the dusty roads of the hills of Galilee or the desert rocky paths of Qumran. Think of the cobblestone streets in the old city of Jerusalem. Think about in the Ancient Days when the master would be gone on business for a day or several days, having traveled under the hot, sizzling Israeli sun, and coming home tired and worn out and feeling like his feet were going to fall off. And the slave, his servant, comes and meets him at the door with a towel and a basin of water to wash his feet. Oh, this is great comfort and soothing relief. He is the master and this is his due. And the other, his servant, his slave, his property… this is his position and he belongs to the master.

Now, Jesus is so incredible! HE takes that towel and that basin of water, and HE the Master, God in the flesh, God incarnate, God with ten fingers and two legs and two arms and two eyes and two ears and a mind and a heart that feels like we do… GOD took that towel and that basin of water and HE stooped down and washed the feet of His talmadim, His disciples. You may recall that that night Peter was the “designated servant” — for Jesus had told him in Luke 22 to go ahead and prepare the Passover meal. Some scholars have suggested that Peter sat at the first position around the table, the servant’s seat. So, he should have been the one to wash people’s feet as they entered the room. Knowing this, it’s easy to understand why Peter said, “NEVER! Never shall you wash my feet!” (John 13:8). You see, Jesus reversed the roles of the social norm of the Ancient Days. He did this often. Incredible!

So, to symbolize this, you are going to dip your hands in the bowl of water on your table – the larger one, it contains freshwater, the smaller one contains saltwater and we’ll talk about that next. Remember the promise of David in Psalm 24:3-4: “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart… he will receive blessing from the Lord.”

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam asher kidshanu B’mitzvo-tav v’tzivanu ahl natielat yah doyeim.

ALL:

Praised are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us through the commandments and the death and resurrection of Yeshua, and who has commanded us to wash our hands and our hearts tonight.

Dip your hands into the bowl of fresh water.

KARPAS, THE PARSLEY AND THE TEARS

The Parsley is the Karpas. It is fresh and it represents life!

But life in Egypt was a life of pain for the children of Israel… suffering, tears, turmoil. Together now, we will take a sprig of parsley and dip it into the bowl of saltwater, remembering that life is sometimes immersed in tears. May our gratitude for the blessings we enjoy today help to soften the pain of sorrow… and convert tears of mourning to tears of joy! (See Jeremiah 31:13). Just after the Passover meal, Jesus told His disciples that they would go through a time of mourning “in just a little while” while the rest of the world would celebrate their Messiah’s death. But He also promised that their grief will turn to joy. (John 16:20). We also remember the greatest tears shed, those of Yeshua in the Garden… tears like blood… tears of submission… tears that said, “not my will, but, Father, your will be done.”

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam borey pri hagafen.

ALL:

Praised are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

Take a sprig of parsley and dip into the saltwater and eat.

YACHATZ, THE MATZAH

On the main table here, we have a stack of Matzah… unleavened bread. In the Ancient World leaven, or yeast (the ingredient that makes the bread rise) can symbolize sin. Tonight, we eat “sinless” bread.

One of the most significant traditions before Passover is for the wife and mother to go throughout the house in the days leading up to Pesach and remove every spec, every morsel of leaven. Even for the entire week of Passover, the family will not eat bread that rises.

I’m going to take three pieces of Matzah… and take the middle Matzah and break it… and take the piece of broken Matzah and put it here in the cloth… This is called the Afikomen (ahf-fee-KOH-man), and I’m going to hide it for dessert later. So, I need all the children to close their eyes as I hide the Afikomen. Okay?

(Hide the Afikomen and place the remaining broken piece of Matzah back in between the other two and place the stack back in front of the table host).

Can someone tell me why there are three pieces of Matzah? In the Old Covenant, they might represent the great Jewish Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But why break Isaac, represented by the middle Matzah? In the New Covenant, we can suggest that three Matzah represents God the Father, Yeshua God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The broken Matzah, called the Lechem Oni, is the Bread of Affliction as referenced in Deuteronomy 16:3, and it can symbolize the death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary.

MAH NISHTANAH, THE FOUR QUESTIONS

The children of Israel were preparing to leave the land of bondage… and oh, how this night is different from all the other nights… this meal is different than any other meal.

A child asks:

1. On all other nights, we eat bread OR matzah. On this night, why do we ONLY eat matzah?

The Answer:

Tonight we only eat the unleavened bread, because, as the children of Israel knew that they would be released from their captivity in the morning, the bread would not have time to rise. We remember their haste… and we eat the bread without yeast, without sin.

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

ALL:

Praised are you, oh Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth… the bread of life!

(Eat Matzah)

A child asks:

2. On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables. On this night, why do we ONLY eat bitter herbs?

The Answer:

Tonight we eat the bitter herbs, so that we might taste bitterness. It reminds us how bitter it was for the Hebrews to be enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt. The slavery to sin is just as bitter.

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam asher kidshanu bidevaro vetzivanu al akhilat maror.

ALL:

Praised are you, oh Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has set us apart by His Word and commands us to eat the bitter herbs.

(Eat horseradish on a Matzah)

A child asks:

3. On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once. On this night, why do we dip twice?

The Answer:

Tonight we dip twice during the course of the meal. The first time was with the Karpas, the parsley, as we tasted the tears of bitter circumstances. Now, we will dip in the Charoset, replacing the tears with the sweetness of the hope we have in God to free us from bondage and suffering. In the same way, the Hebrews were counting on God to free them from Pharaoh. And, oh, how sweet the freedom was going to be after hundreds of years of slavery. Some have suggested that the Chorset reminds us of the mortar used in the bricks that the Hebrews made. You might ask “if that’s the case then why is it sweet?” Well, it has been said that “even the bitterest of our toils becomes sweet when we know that our redemption is near.”

(Eat Charoset on a Matzah)

A child asks:

4. On all other nights we eat our meals sitting at the table OR reclining on the floor. On this night, why do we ONLY recline and sit on the floor? (Many families actually celebrate the Passover while sitting on the floor, with pillows, perhaps at a coffee height table. Feel free to try this for the whole meal, for a portion of the meal, or perhaps just for the “four questions” segment).

The Answer:

Tonight we sit on the floor and recline because in the Ancient Times this was a sign of freedom. Kings and royalty ate their meals leisurely while reclining. Slaves and servants stood. We are not rushed or hurried by what tomorrow brings as the Hebrews were on the first night of Passover. We are only slaves to grace and we demonstrate our sense of complete freedom by reclining during the meal.

THE SECOND CUP, THE CUP OF PLAGUES

(Refill your cup if you need to.)

When people defy the will of God, they bring pain and suffering upon themselves. God’s law provides blessing and prosperity. To deny His Law and to do evil brings destruction. When Pharaoh defied the command of God to release the Jewish people, he invited curses upon himself and his people. With the second cup we remember each of the plagues that God used against Pharaoh to bring him to the point of releasing the Hebrews from slavery and bondage.

A full cup is the symbol of complete joy. Joy in God’s mighty deliverance to His children. Joy in life through Yeshua! But this is the Cup of Plagues. So, we are going to diminish the wine in our cups to give expression to our sorrow over the losses which each plague exacted.

How do we do that? We’re going to take our pinky finger and dip it into the cup for each plague and allow a drop of juice/wine to fall on our plate. Ready?

LEADER STARTS, ALL REPEAT:

Blood! Blood! Blood!

Frogs! Frogs! Frogs!

Gnats! Gnats! Gnats!

Wild Beasts! Wild Beasts! Wild Beasts!

Cattle Disease! Cattle Disease! Cattle Disease!

Boils! Boils! Boils!

Hail! Hail! Hail!

Locusts! Locusts! Locusts!

Darkness! Darkness! Darkness!

Death of the Firstborn! Death of the Firstborn! Death of the Firstborn!

“DAYENU, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!”

Great and numerous are the kindnesses which the Lord extended to the Jewish people. For each of His kind acts, we offer thanks and humble gratitude. Any one of these would have been sufficient to show His love for us, His compassion for His chosen people. How great God’s goodness is! We declare “Dayenu! It would have been enough!”

If the Lord had merely rescued us, but had not judged the Egyptians…

ALL: DAYENU! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!

If He had only destroyed their gods, but had not parted the Red Sea…

ALL: DAYENU! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!

If He had only drowned our enemies, but had not fed us with manna…

ALL: DAYENU! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!

If He had only led us through the desert, but had not given us the Shabbat, the Sabbath…

ALL: DAYENU! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!

If He had only given us the Torah, the Word of God, but not the land of Israel…

ALL: DAYENU! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH!

But, the Holy One, provided all of these blessings for our ancestors… and not only these but so many, many more!

ALL:

Praised are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe. You are our Jehovah Jireh, our provider, for you have, in your great love and mercy, supplied all our needs.

THE PASSOVER LAMB

Much could be said about the significance of the Passover Lamb and Yeshua, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The lamb shank on our Seder plate represents the Lamb of that first Passover whose blood saved the Children of Israel.

Think about the smell of a lamb with all sorts of spices being roasted over an open fire. That smell is a delight to the Father. It fills His senses with delight for us, His chosen ones… His children.

Exodus 12: 8, 11-13:

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with the bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn, both men and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (NIV)

You see, the Hebrews lived in a section of Egypt called Goshen. And for nine of the ten plagues, they were not affected, for they were geographically separated from the Egyptians. But the tenth plague would affect the entire land. So, they took the blood of a lamb, and as the text suggests, they painted the top of the doorpost, and the two side posts… effectively making a cross… to protect them from the angel of death. And like the children of Israel, when death comes to visit us, we who are Believers in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) the Lamb of God, death will pass over each one of us and we will have eternal life.

There is a red scarf on your chair for each one of you. As we now give thanks and eat our Passover meal together, we encourage you to wear this red cloth, reminding each of us of the blood of the Lamb, painted over the door of our home, and worn over the door of our hearts… and remember that the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua, was made to spare us all from the Angel of Death… to give us Life! John 10:10 reminds us, in the very words of Yeshua: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (MSG)

WE NOW EAT OUR PASSOVER MEAL TOGETHER

Pray for the meal and provide eating instructions.

THE AFIKOMEN, THE DESSERT

Our Seder meal tonight follows God’s plan for redemption. The first two cups of wine or juice we drank before the meal speak of God’s redeeming us from Egypt and the bondage it represents, through the blood of the lamb and God’s great acts of power!

Now, after the meal, we’ll focus on the resurrection of Yeshua and His looking forward to His second coming. This Passover Seder is a rehearsal of God’s complete redemptive plan.

Now, let’s talk about the Afikomen:

The word “Afikomen” means dessert… or “that which comes after.”  It is the last food eaten at our meal tonight. Remember when I hid the Afikomen earlier? It is time for the children to go and find it and bring it back to me.

(Children go and find Afikomen).

To the child who brings the Afikomen: Thank you! Here’s a small reward for finding it. (Leader gives the child a reward, perhaps $1 or $5).

It is said that in a traditional Seder meal, the child who finds the Afikomen remembers what happened last year and they will barter with the father concerning a price to be paid for the Afikomen. The father then gives the child a gift in the form of a down payment as his promise to the child who found the Afikomen. And he promises to make the rest of the payment at a later time. In the Jewish tradition, this is called The Promise of the Father. In this, we understand that God paid a great price for our redemption.

Now, what does the Afikomen represent? Remember how we took the middle Matzah out and broke it and wrapped it up in the cloth? And now it has been found again! This Matzah represents Jesus, Yeshua, the Bread of Life that was sent from heaven (John 6:35), broken by the cross, wrapped in a cloth, hidden or buried in a tomb … and now found again! Notice how the Matzah has stripes on it? Notice how it is has been pierced in the baking process in order to make it bake quickly? And notice the burn marks from the oven? As Isaiah 53 states: “He was pierced for our transgressions… and by His stripes we are healed.”

At the Last Supper, in Luke 22, Jesus said, “This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the Jewish tradition, the Passover cannot be completed without the Afikomen. Nor can our redemption be complete without Yeshua, the Bread of Life, our Messiah. (Give each person a piece of the matzah from the Afikomen.)

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

ALL:

Praised are you, oh Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who brings froth bread from the earth… the bread of life!

(Eat Matzah)

THE THIRD CUP, THE CUP OF REDEMPTION

(Refill cup as necessary.)

In the Ancient Days of the Old Covenant, the first cup after the Passover meal expressed gratitude for the freedom which the Lord God granted His people.

But again, during the Last Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus did something different. You see, it was the custom in the days of Jesus’ time that when a man desired to marry a woman, he went to her father and offered him a cup of wine, “take and drink” he would propose. If the woman’s father accepted the cup, it was his way of saying “yes, you may have my daughter’s hand in marriage.” And in the Jewish tradition, the groom-to-be would say at that time, “I’m going to go prepare a place for you and me to live. And when it is finished, I will come back and marry you.”

During this last formal meal together, Jesus offers bread as His body and then He offers His talmadim, His disciples, a cup and He says, “take and drink.” It was His way of saying “I want to marry you. You are my bride. Will you accept my proposal of marriage?” And His disciples accept, on behalf of us, the Church, His bride, by taking the cup and drinking. And do you see? This is where we get communion, the Lord’s Supper. Jesus says that He won’t drink the fruit of the vine again until the Kingdom of God comes (Luke 22). That will be when the Father tells the Son that He can go get His bride, the church… us! Oh, how Jesus loves us… passionately… as a bridegroom loves his bride! He demonstrated that passion throughout His ministry, but perhaps not so intimately as when He offered this Cup of Redemption to His closest companions, His talmadim, in a quiet upper room.

Jesus also notes in Luke 22:20 that this cup, is the “new covenant in my blood, poured out for you.” This is the first and only time Yeshua uses this phrase. But it is not new to the disciples. They would have likely remembered the prophecy from Jeremiah 31:31 (NIV):

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

Jesus IS the ‘new covenant’ Jeremiah is referring to! And God will no longer write his law on tablets of stone but on our hearts. Through Jesus, we have a heart-to-heart relationship with Abba, Father. God! We are his children. He will forgive our wickedness. Through the cup of Redemption.

Finally, as we said earlier, the word “Pesach” which we translate “Passover” is literally translated “Protection.” Jesus, by not drinking this Cup of Redemption, forfeits God’s protection against the Angel of Death.

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam borey pri hagafen.

ALL:

Praised are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Take a drink from your cup of juice or wine.

ELIJAH THE PROPHET

There is a section of the Passover Seder that teaches us that before Messiah returns, Elijah will come (Malachi 4:5). The Messiah always has a forerunner, a preparer of the way. During the first coming of Yeshua, Jesus said in Matthew 17 that Elijah already came in the person of John the Baptist. Luke 1:17 explains that John is of the spirit and power of Elijah. And yet the Jews today don’t know that Jesus is Messiah, so they are still waiting… first for Elijah… then for Messiah.

So, in the homes of Jewish families today, at this time a young child opens the front door of the house, in effect, welcoming Elijah, and ultimately welcoming the Messiah.

Since we know that Jesus has already come, we have a child open the door, yet not for Elijah but for Jesus, as He will return again soon. He tells us in Revelation 22:12, “Look, I am coming soon!”

So we say:

ALL:

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus. Come!

THE FOURTH CUP, THE CUP OF PRAISE

(Refill your cup as necessary.)

Let us lift one more cup tonight, the Cup of Praise and let us give thanks to God… Again from Revelation 21, Jesus is not only the Passover Lamb, but He is the Tabernacle of God

I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:3-5, NLT)

Let us drink the Cup of Praise together!

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheynu Melekh ha’olam borey pri hagafen.

ALL:

Praised are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Take a drink from your cup of juice or wine.

THE HALLEL, PSALM 136

(Read the entire Psalm from a Bible. The leader reads the first portion of each verse, and the those around the table read the reply, “And His love endures forever!”)

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

ALL:

And His love endures forever!

THE FIFTH CUP, THE CUP OF WRATH

Some Biblical scholars have suggested a fifth cup… one that only Jesus drank… the Cup of Wrath. Malachi 4 and Joel 2 describe the “great and terrible” day when the Lord comes again. As Jesus prayed in the garden, following the Passover Meal, as recorded in Matthew 26:29, He asked: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” As we said earlier, Jesus did not drink the Cup of Redemption, the Cup of Protection… So He, by going to the Cross on our behalf, drank the cup of death. Death caused by our sin, the sins of the nations. And as He drinks this Cup, only He is able to bring salvation to the world.

He did it again! He took an ordinary moment… the whole evening… and turned it into a teaching moment for all eternity.

THE BLESSING OF AARON BY MOSES

(Numbers 6:24-26)

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord turn His face toward you all the days of your life

And give you His peace.

This concludes our Passover Seder. We end with this great wish… to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem.

ALL:

“NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!”

Lashanah haba’ah bi Yerushalayim!

DANCING!

Move the furniture out of the way and dance and celebrate the Life we have through Yeshua, the Passover Lamb!

THANK YOU

Thank you for joining us for this wonderful celebration of truth, redemption and a “looking forward” to our Messiah’s return.

We’d like to encourage you to take time during the coming days to read the whole story of Passover in Exodus. It is so powerful to see the compassion our Abba, Father has for His chosen people. For us! For you! Read through Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13 as well to see first-hand how Jesus celebrated with his disciples.

We are all called to live the Sh’ema, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and might, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Know that God desires us all to walk in relationship with Him and His son, Yeshua. It’s not a “religion.” It’s communing with Him daily. Praising Him first thing in the morning and continuing to do so until you fall fast asleep each night.

The Word is true. The prophecies are true. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament Law not to abolish it. Isn’t it amazing how the first Passover, celebrated at least 1500 years before Jesus celebrated it with His disciples, has such meaning now that we know Yeshua IS “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” ?

May you be blessed in your relationship with Yeshua!

(c) 2022. Rich Ronald.