2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The story of Passover is one of God’s compassion and, at least initially, man’s obedience. EX 3: 7-8, “Then the Lord said, ‘I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings, and so I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of Egypt to a fertile and spacious land, one which is rich and fertile and in which the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and Hivites, and the Jebusites now live.” God’s consistency can also be seen when you compare this citation with GN 15: 18-21, “Then and there the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, ‘I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” The initial obedience of the Hebrews is seen in their willingness to follow God’s instructions regarding the sacrifice of a lamb or young goat, the eating of this animal, and the painting of its blood on the door-posts and lintels of their homes. They stood in readiness to leave at a moment’s notice after God exacted the tenth plague on the Egyptians, that of taking the lives of their first-born sons due to Pharaoh’s stubbornness in refusing the let the Jews leave bondage in their land.
All of this is the backdrop of the story which Jews and others who desire to do this revisit each year during the commemoration of the Passover. In modern times, a key way this story is revisited is participating in a Pesach (Passover) seder (special meal with traditional prayerful program). The word, seder, means “order” in Hebrew and suggests that there is an order of events which is followed. As a symbol of the freedom God granted the Jews formerly in bondage in Egypt, anyone can be chosen to lead the seder; it does not have to be a rabbi. It is most frequently the father of the family or, if the seder is held in a synagogue, the rabbi, but anyone who is capable of doing so can be the leader. At the head table there is always a platter which holds several key elements, each of which has a symbolic meaning. They are the marot (bitter herb, ususally horseradish), the charoset (a sweet mixture of apple, walnut, red wine, honey, & cinnamon), the lamb shank bone, the beitzah (a roasted egg), and the karpas (fresh greens, usually parsley, but sometimes celery or lettuce). The bitter herb is a reminder of the bitterness of life as a slave. This is most commonly a very hot horseradish that leaves little doubt of its properties when tasted. The charoset isn’t a very attractive dish, but its sweetness when tasted suggests the promise of a better world and is a reminder of the mortar that held the bricks the Jewish slaves were forced to make for use in building the structures ordered by their cruel Egyptian captors. The lamb shank bone represents God’s arm as described in EX 6: 6, “So tell the Israelites that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord; I will rescue you and set you free from your slavery to the Egyptians. I will raise my mighty arm to bring terrible punishment upon them, and I will save you.’ ” The roasted egg symbolizes the animal sacrifices brought to the temple in Jerusalem for each festival and also new life. One legend (midrash) from the Talmud, a book of rabbinical commentaries on the Law, draws the connection between the egg and the Jews. Just as the egg gets harder as it is cooked, so the Jewish people grew harder the more tyrants throughout history tried to weaken them. The fresh greens symbolizes a new life in nature and for the Jewish people when freed from bondage. These are dipped in salt water before being eaten, the salt water representing the tears shed by the Jews in their time of bondage.
A sweet red wine is served with the seder meal, as is unleavened bread. Our church has a shortened version of the Pesach seder each year, but the one I am going to discuss in this and the next message is the traditional one. The Kiddush, a prayer said over the wine, is said as follow: “Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth the fruit of the vine.” At four times in the program, the participants are asked to drink from their own cups of sweet red wine. A special cup is set out at an empty table setting left in the hopes that the prophet Elijah will come to announce the coming of the Messiah. Elijah also helps the poor; and in legends he appears at the last moment to save starving families. The rabbis said that the Messiah will come when there are no hungry people in the world. Each year at Passover, everyone carefully watches Elijah’s cup to see if he has come to drink the wine and bring us closer to a more generous world. The message of Passover is: we will all be free when we are willing to share with one another. The door is then opened and “Eliahu Ha-Navi” (Elijah, The Prophet) is sung to welcome him. The participants pour a little wine from their cups into Elijah’s cup-showing that the Messiah will come when each of us becomes a partner in bringing holiness to the world.
Matzo is unleavened bread that is in the form of flat, rectangular boards. At the head table are three boards of matzo wrapped in a napkin in three separate layers. This will figure into the program prominently. The middle layer is broken in half and one of its halves is hidden by the leader. Later, the children will search for this piece, which is called the afikomen, and will bargain with the leader for treats in the course of returning it. I’ll have more to say about that tomorrow. There are also plates with matzo on them at all the tables. The blessing that is said over the bread is as follows: “Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth the fruit of the earth.”
Understanding these Jewish customs helps us to know the roots of the Christian faith. Our Lord Jesus is a Jew, so we can have a better understanding of the culture in which He was raised and thus of Him. Listen to the words of RO 12:2 once again. “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and pleasing to Him and is perfect.” In different words, this is the same message God gave to the ancient Jews when He directed them out of Egypt and to celebrate the Passover.
PRAYER: O Lord, by looking back at the story of the Passover each year, You are asking us to understand the roots of our own faith and to allow You to reveal Your love and compassion for us. Your directions for us have been righteous and consistent throughout the entire span of mankind’s history. It has always been the same: when we obey You, we are blessed; when we refuse to obey You, we suffer negative consequences. That is because You want us to take a path that leads to eternal life and love us enough to make that path clear to us. We dedicate ourselves to listening for Your commands and obeying them, even if it means we must alter our lifestyles to do that. You deserve our eternal praise, worship, and adoration. In Christ’s name, amen.
Join me tomorrow for more about the Passover seder and how the Lord reveals Himself in it. In the meanwhile, take heart in knowing that He loves you more than you can imagine and never leaves you alone to suffer needlessly when you have faith in His Son. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn