THE
LORD'S
TABLEIN THE
LIGHT
OF THE
PASSOVER
THE LORD'S TABLE
IN THE LIGHT
OF THE PASSOVERThe Jewish feast of Passover commands re-
spect of all enlightened people. It stands in
stately, majestic solitude as the oldest, contin-
uously observed religious holiday upon the
face of the earth. The Passover has been kept
every year for more than thirty-four centuries
-- not only in the land of Israel, but in the
countless lands where the Jews have lived
during their extended exile. The miraculous
longevity and perpetuation of Passover, in spite
of what can only be termed humanly insur-
mountable difficulties, can be traced to the
divine command,"And thou shalt shew thy son in that day,
saying, This is done because of that which
the Lord did unto me when I came forth out
of Egypt. ... Thou shalt therefore keep this
ordinance in his season from year to year"
(Ex. 13:8-10).Although Passover was a distinctly Jewish
holiday, it had transcended national boundaries
to become eternally and irrevocably entwined
with "biblical" Christianity.1
The Importance Of The Passover
For The ChristianThe spiritual clock was about to strike mid-
night. Mankind's darkest hour was approaching.
Thirty-three years earlier the "Day Star" had
made His appearance. The eternal Son of God
had stepped across the stars to be born in a
Jewish manger. He was David's greater Son; the
Lion of the tribe of Judah; the King of the Jews;
the Light of the world. His birth was miraculous;
His life sinless; His teaching flawless. The one
requisite for the establishing of His earthly
kingdom was repentance; that requisite was not
met. Now He would accomplish the supreme
purpose for His first advent. He would die for
the sins of the world. The direct light of the
visible presence of the Son of God would soon
flicker and fade. One desire still remained. In
the upper room, just outside the walls of Jeru-
salem, Jesus said to His disciples,"With desire I have desired to eat this
passover with you before I suffer:" (Lu.
22:15b).The Passover lamb was a suffering lamb --
but through that suffering, redemption was
provided for Jews enslaved by Pharaoh in
Egypt. In a matter of hours now, Jesus would
become the suffering Lamb -- He would die on
the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world.
That death would redeem men of faith from
enslavement to sin, Satan and this world. The
Lord received strength and encouragement
from observing the Passover before He became
the Passover. It served as a vivid reminder that
His death would not be in vain.
In the time of Christ, two days were acceptable
for the slaying of the Passover lamb. The priest-
hood required the additional time to accommo-
date the great crowds which gathered to observe
the feast. Even today, the first two days of
Passover hold special significance. Jesus doubt-2
less observed the Passover the first day and was
Himself the Passover on the second the day. The Apostle
Paul clearly established the relationship between
the Passover lamb and Christ's death as type
and anti-type, shadow and substance. To the
church at Corinth he wrote, "...Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us:" (1 Cor. 5:7). It is
impossible to exhaust all that was involved in
the vicarious, substitutionary death of the Son
of God, but an understanding of the Jewish feast
of Passover serves to give additional insight
into the lofty theological theme.
Two ordinances were given to the [local] Church:
believer's baptism and the Lord's Table. Baptism
is a once-and-for-all ordinance -- never to be
repeated. The Lord's Table is a recurring ordi-
nance, observed in most churches at least once a
month. Even a salient study of the Communion
reveals that it was from the Jewish Passover that
the Lord's Table was instituted (Mt. 26:26). The
Communion can be fully understood only in
the light of the Jewish Passover, out of which it
was instituted.Background Of The Passover There was only one Passover -- only one
occasion when the blood was applied to the
doorposts and lintels of believing homes --
only once that the angel of the Lord went
through Egypt to smite the firstborn where the
blood was not applied. Every succeeding Pass-
over was a memorial of that first occasion.
Passover falls on the fourteenth day of the
Hebrew month Nisan, corresponding to March/
April. Since the Hebrew calendar follows a
lunar year, its exact date changes on the English
calendar each year; however, it always occurs
near the Christian holiday of Easter. If it is
remembered that Jesus observed the Passover
and the next day was crucified, it becomes easy
to see why the two holidays coincide. Regret-
tably, at the Council of Nicene in 325 A.D., the
church, which had been commemorating the3
death and resurrection of Christ at Passover,
changed the date for observing the resurrection
to make it correspond with the pagan carnival
called Easter -- instead of the Jewish feast of
Passover.
Every year Jewish families congregate around
a festive table on the first night of Passover, and
in the course of a picturesque ceremony called
the "Seder," parents perform the religious duty
of telling their children the story of the begin-
nings of their people and redemption from
Egypt. During the Seder, the head of the home
or master of ceremonies reclines on a pillow. In
Egypt, Jews were slaves and slaves were not
permitted to recline while eating. They ate
standing and then hastened about their master's
business. The reclining is a picturesque remind-
er that they are no longer slaves, but free men
-- redeemed from Egypt through the slain
lamb. It was that truth which the beloved
Apostle John portrayed when he put his head
on the Lord's bosom (Jn. 13:23).Original Elements On
The Passover TableOriginally, there were three elements on the
Passover table: the Passover lamb, the unleav-
ened bread and the bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8). The
lamb symbolized redemption. Every firstborn
in Egypt was under the judgment of God;
wherever the blood was not applied, the first-
born died. Spiritually, every man is "firstborn"
and under the judgment of God. Man must be
born again, or born a second time, to experience
God's redemption. The unleavened bread sym-
bolized sanctification. Leaven in the Bible speaks
of evil and error. Having been redeemed from
Egypt, the Jewish nation was to put away
"leaven" -- their former manner of life -- and
live a holy life unto the Lord. To the new nation
God said,"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the4
During Passover, leaven is scattered through-
out the house and then meticulously swept into
a dustpan and burned or thrown out of the
house. This is done to symbolize the discarding
of that which is unholy. The Apostle Paul had
this in mind when he penned the Epistle of
Romans. In chapters 1-5, Paul's writing are a
commentary on Passover -- how is man
redeemed? Then in chapters 6-8, he comments
on the unleavened bread -- how is that re-
deemed man now to live?
The bitter herbs are a reminder that the lot of
their forefathers had been harsh as slaves under
Pharaoh. Each member of the family partakes of
the bitter herbs until tears come to their eyes. In
so doing, they vicariously identify with their
forefathers who were slaves before God re-
deemed them through His mighty power.
According to the esteemed rabbi, Hillel, the
lamb, the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs
were the only elements on the Passover table
as late as 10 A.D. Additional elements, which
will be discussed below, were added after 70
A.D. Two events occurred between 10 A.D. and
70 A.D. to radically alter the Passover table:
First, the crucifixion of Christ about 30 A.D.;
and secondly, the destruction of the Temple by
the Romans in 70 A.D. Christ's death forever
altered the Passover -- no longer would an
animal sacrifice be efficacious; Christ had died
and the blood of bulls and goats could no longer
cover sins. The destruction of the Temple and
cessation of the priesthood made it impossible
to perpetuate the Passover as God had institut-
ed it.
Three choices were open to the Jewish people:
(1) accept Christ as the Passover Lamb; (2) dis-
continue the Passover observance; or (3) with-
out divine authorization, alter the Passover ob-
servance to meet the contemporary situation.
Regrettably, most of the nation followed the
latter course, and Judaism, which had its origin5
in God, became simply the creation of man.
How tragic and descriptive the words of the
Apostle Paul,"For they being ignorant of God's righteous-
ness, and going about to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God"
(Rom. 10:3).Clearly then, the additional elements added
to the Passover table cannot be considered pro-
phetic pointing toward Christ, since they were
added after His death. Rather, they are historic,
pointing backward to something that had already
occurred.Why additional Elements? A roasted egg and wine are new elements on
the table. The Passover lamb, no longer present,
is replaced by the shankbone of a lamb. The
unleavened bread is still on the table, but
arranged differently and has taken on new
meaning.
The rabbis suggest that the roasted egg com-
memorates the sacrifice that in Temple times
was offered on each festival. There is, however,
no justification for that identification. Rather, in
many heathen religions the "pasche" egg was
used to symbolize resurrection -- life from out
of the dead. From this heathen practice, the egg
found its way into the Easter holiday and onto
the Jewish Passover table. It speaks clearly and
uncompromisingly of the resurrected Passover
lamb.Drama Of The Matzo Perhaps the most dramatic spectacle on the
Jewish Passover table involves the unleavened
bread. Three pieces of matzo are placed one on
top of the other, separated by special napkins.
The center, or second piece of matzo is broken,
wrapped and hidden away. After drinking the
third glass of wine, called the "cup of blessing,"6
the children are sent out to locate the hidden
piece of matzo. When it is found, a reward is
given, there is much rejoicing, and everyone at
the table "must eat" from the broken piece of
matzo. Jewish authorities are hard pressed to
explain the significance of this drama.
The broken piece of matzo is called the
"afikomen." Jewish scholarship suggests, "This
word may be connected with a Greek term
having something to do with aftermeal enter-
tainment or dessert." Factually, to rabbinic con-
sternation, the three pieces of matzo speak of
the triune God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The center piece depicts the Messiah (Christ).
This piece of matzo is taken out from between
the other two pieces -- "broken" because His
body was broken -- "wrapped" because His
body was wrapped in preparation for the grave
-- "hidden" from view because He lay three
days unseen in the tomb. The "afikomen" is
always brought forth after the third glass of
wine because He arose on the third day. The
broken piece of matzo then takes the place of
the Passover lamb, and everyone must
partake of it. Inexplicably, "afikomen" is the
only Greek word in the Seder ceremony. It
simply means -- "I came" (second aorist of the
verb "ikneomai").
Interestingly enough, a great many traditions
have evolved concerning the "afikomen," al-
most all suggesting a supernatural element.
Worthy of note is the fact that presently Moroc-
can Jews save a piece of the "afikomen" through-
out the year. When taking a sea voyage, they
carry it aboard ship, convinced that throwing a
piece of the "afikomen" into a storm will still the
waters. It is not difficult to see the source of such
a tradition. Jesus spoke and stilled the waters on
the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee.Christ Protrayed In
The Jewish Passover"How," it may be questioned, "did so much
7
which points to Christ find its way into the
Passover observance?" The answer is really not
complex. With the destruction of the Temple
and the cessation of the priesthood, it was no
longer possible for Jews to observe the Passover
as they had for more than 1,400 years. Not only
was their Temple destroyed and their priest-
hood temporarily terminated, but they were
scattered throughout the world. Among these
scattered Jews were some who were Hebrew
Christians; men and women who had seen in
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, their Messiah -- the
One who alone fulfilled the Old Testament
messianic prophecy.The Lord's Table Instituted These early Hebrew Christians introduced
New Testament truth into the Jewish Passover.
The penetrating words of the Lord during the
last Passover could never be erased from their
minds and hearts."And as they were eating, Jesus took bread,
and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body" (Mt. 26:26).This is precisely what the Jews do with the
"afikomen." According to the rabbis, that broken
piece of matzo takes the place of the Passover
lamb, and must be eaten by everyone present."And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For
this is my blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of
sins" (Mt. 26:27-28).The wine on the Passover table was used as a
symbol of His blood soon to be shed. It is for this
reason that the rabbis unknowingly insist there
must be wine and this it must be red. This was
the New Covenant, and convenants were always
confirmed with blood."But I say unto you, I will not drink hence-8
it new with you in my Father's kingdom"
(Mt. 26:29).Four cups of wine are consumed during the
Jewish Passover. The fourth cup is the "cup of
anticipation." Jesus was saying that He would
not drink it then (He had been rejected), but
would drink it when He comes back again to
establish His kingdom at the end of the Tribula-
tion when He will be warmly received (Zech.
12:10)."And when they had sung an hymn, they
went out into the mount of Olives" (Mt.
26:30).The hymn which the disciples sang, and Jews
continue to sing at Passover even to this day is
the "Hallel," which is composed of Psalms 113-
118, with special emphasis placed on Psalm
118:22-24 where, referring to Christ and Israel,
the Psalmist says,"The stone [Christ] which the builders
[Israel] refused is become the head stone
of the corner" (Ps. 118:22).But perhaps even more amazingly, referring to
His imminent crucifixion, Jesus sang,"This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps.
118:24).Israel celebrated the Passover, but she ex-
periences no redemption. She has on her Pass-
over table the shankbone of a lamb, but no lamb.
For nineteen centuries the "afikomen" has yearly
cried out, "I came." What greater irony and
tragedy than this -- religious Jews continue to
await the coming of Him who already came. The
words of the Saviour echo through the corridors
of time to the twentieth century:"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are9
gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not! Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate. For I say unto you,
Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall
say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord" (Mt. 23:37-39).It was from the Jewish Passover that Jesus
instituted the Lord's Table, and in the observance
of that Table, the Passover finds its perfect
consummation. The simplistic words of John
the Baptist are the most sublime ever uttered.
Referring to Jesus, he said,"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29).Christ died once and for all -- the just for the
unjust. Men of faith, both Jew and Gentile, find
in Him alone the wellspring of eternal life.10
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