The Feasts of the Lord #4: Passover - Part 3 (Isaiah 53:1-12)

(This series of sermons is based on the work of Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. 1997)

The Passover Seder's Symbolism

Last Sunday, we examined the Passover Seder (order of service) and its elements. Today, we shall look at the symbolism of Jesus Christ found in the Seder. Remember, this was the order of service in the day of Christ! There has not been a twisting or changing of facts to make it fit the life and death of Jesus Christ.

The Passover is a picture of the Messiah found in many passages in the Old Testament. The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah -- over 700 years before Jesus died on the cross -- of God’s ultimate fulfillment of Passover: Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Read with me the words of Isaiah 53:1-12.

[Isaiah 53]
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.


Seating & Lighting the Candles
The family unit receiving the Passover meal is seated around a table. This is a picture that everyone has equal access to the meal. It was the custom of the day for the children to eat after the parents—especially after the head of the household. Yet, at this meal, the youngest is seated in a place of honor on the leader’s right.

This is a picture of Jesus dying for all. Everyone has the opportunity to feast at God’s table and fellowship with God.

The mother of the household is the one who lights the candles to begin the Passover Seder. This is also a break in tradition. In the ancient Jewish home, the wife was not customarily allowed to initiate a religious observance—it was the father’s duty. The exception was Passover.

This, I believe, is a picture of the Virgin Mary. She was blessed by God and was the first to receive the news that Messiah, her Son, would be born. The candles symbolized light—from the star of Bethlehem to the glory of God shining from Jesus at the transfiguration—Jesus was God’s light in the darkness of this world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

The First Cup—the Cup of Thanksgiving
If you will recall, there are 4 cups of wine taken during the Seder. These correspond to the four statements God made about Israel’s promised deliverance in Exodus 6:6-7:

“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”

The first cup corresponds to God’s saying, “I will bring you out.” Egypt is always a picture of sin in the Bible. This cup pictures that God calls each of us to leave our sin and turn to him. This picture is continued in the next element of the ceremony.

The Washing of Hands
As the first cup is a symbolism of God’s call, or the Spirit’s conviction, the washing of hands is a picture of repentance. This idea of ceremonial washing of the outside as a picture of a new direction in life on the inside can be seen in the ministry of John the Baptist. He was baptizing people as a sign of their repentance. Christians are baptized today as a symbol of Christ’s cleansing touch on their hearts.


The Green Vegetable
The green vegetable (Karpas) was eaten after it was dipped in salt water. The vegetable was green—a spring time vegetable. This pictures a new beginning--a new life. But that new life came with many tears. The Messiah shed his blood on the cross for our sins. It was physical, emotional, and spiritual agony that Jesus endured for each of us.

The Middle Matzah
Three matzahs (unleavened bread) are stacked on top of each other. They are placed in a linen bag (tash). The middle matzah is removed and broken in half. Half is replaced in the tash and the other half is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden. The hidden half is called the afikomen.

The symbolism here is obvious. One rabbinic school of thought says the three matzahs symbolize the priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. Another rabbinic school of thought says they represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But no explanation is ever given why the Levites or Isaac must be broken.

As Christians, the symbolism is easy. The three matzahs represent the Trinity. They are One (in one bag), yet three. The middle matzah is a picture of Jesus Christ. He was broken, crucified, for us. The typical matzah has small holes in it and stripes on it from the grill it was baked on. Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and by His stripes (beatings with a whip) we are healed (Isaiah 53).

The Four Questions
The youngest person at the table recites four questions regarding the meaning of Passover (Ex. 12:26). Each of us must examine the death of Jesus and what it means. We must seek and inquire of God. Only when we understand that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins will we accept and trust in Him as our Savior.

The Second Cup—the Cup of Freedom
The second cup is the one that emphasized God’s promise to “rescue you from bondage.” This is the cup of freedom. Christ’s death on the cross delivers us from the bondage of sin (Egypt).

As the cup is shared, the first half of the Hallel (praise) is recited. The Hallel is Psalms113-118. These are same Psalms chanted by the priests as the Passover lambs were publicly slain—again a picture of Jesus dying for our sins.

The Dipping of the Matzah
Remember that the matzah (unleavened bread) symbolizes sinlessness. Jesus was perfect, without sin.  The bread was dipped in horseradish and haroset (apple mixture). The bitter herb of horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of His death. The apple mixture symbolizes the sweetness of God’s deliverance from sin.

The Dinner
The main part of the dinner was the lamb. God commanded that everyone eat the lamb. Each of us must receive Christ, the Passover Lamb, into our hearts.

The Afikomen
After the meal, the broken piece of matzah that was wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden (the afikomen) is searched for by the children. When it is found, shouts of joy are heard and the child who finds it receives a special prize or reward.

Do I really need to explain this? If the middle matzah is a picture of God’s Son who was broken (crucified) for us, the afikomen is a picture of Jesus’ body in the tomb. It was wrapped in linen and hidden in the earth. On the third day, He arose from the grave! This is pictured by the children finding the afikomen and returning it to the table. It is brought back into the circle of fellowship. Everyone then eats a piece of it. Again, all of us must come to Christ on our own. When we come to the Risen Savior, we all receive the great reward of Heaven and eternal life. It was here that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.

The Third Cup—the Cup of Redemption
This is the cup that corresponds to God’s statement, “I will redeem you.”  To redeem means to “buy back.”

Remember, the first cup pictures the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding our sin. The second cup pictures our turning from our sin, our repentance. This third cup pictures our realization that Christ died on the cross to redeem us from our master—sin and death.

The Fourth Cup—the Cup of Acceptance
The fourth cup quickly follows the third. The fourth cup is the one Jesus said to His disciples at the institution of the Lord’s Supper that He would not drink until the Kingdom of God was fulfilled. The fourth cup is called the Cup of Acceptance. The fourth statement from Exodus 6:7 is God’s promise, “I will take you as my people.”  When we receive Christ as our Redeemer, we become a child of God.

John 1:12 says, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

The Closing Hymn
The last part of the service of was the singing of the latter half of the Hallel. Jesus sang Psalm 118:22-26 as He was leaving the Seder just a little while before His arrest and crucifixion. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 
Jesus was rejected by the majority of the nation. Yet, He is the Chief Cornerstone. He has ascended to heaven and will return one day. The nation of Israel will receive Him as Messiah on that day.

Conclusion
There is no question that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Scripture records it. History echoes it. Yet one final Passover question remains, and it is the most important of all:

 “Is He your Passover Lamb—have you placed your trust in the Messiah and His sacrifice as your only hope of heaven?”

   Even as the ancient Israelite was required to individually apply the blood to his door; so, too, today men and women must individually make a decision concerning the Lamb of God. There is still no deliverance without the Lamb.