#sedermeal — Lent — Founded on the Bible

Matthew 14:23-25 NLT

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

The Passover Seder or meal commemorates the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt.

Four Cups of Wine

Four cups of wine are served at this meal and each cup represents a promise in Exodus 6:6-7 (1).

I will bring you out from the burdens of the Egyptians
I will rid you of their bondage
I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with judgments
I will bring you into the land I swore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

First Cup of Wine

The first cup is called the kiddush or the cup of sanctification (1) because God raised Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. As the Israelites were separated from Egypt and all of its wicked practices and set apart for God, people of this new covenant will be separated from the world and its sinful practices and set apart for God.

Second Cup of Wine

The second cup is called the cup of deliverance (2). Every participant dips their finger into the cup and flicks a drop of wine on their plate. Each drop represented a plague. Nine of the ten plagues only affected the Egyptians. The tenth plague, the death of the first born, affected everyone. But the Israelites were spared because their door posts were marked with the blood of the Passover lamb in the shape of a cross. Jesus’ death on the cross gave us our deliverance. His blood delivered us from the bondage of every type of sin and from the effects of the sins of others.

Third Cup of Wine

The third cup is called the cup of redemption (3). Redemption means the action of being saved from evil. God raised Moses to save the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage of slavery and restore them to freedom. 1500 years later, God raised Jesus the Messiah to save His people from their sins and from the curse of the law and restore them to freedom. This is the cup that Jesus didn’t drink from in Matthew 14. Jesus declared to his disciples that it was His blood that would pay the price to spare and save us from the judgment of sin and evil. But, Jesus was already looking ahead into the future. He was disclosing to His disciples that the next time He drank wine from the cup of redemption, it would be during His future reign as Messiah. Revelation 11:15, “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord (Kingdom of God) and of His Christ (Messiah) and He will reign forever and ever" (parentheses added).

Fourth Cup of Wine

The fourth cup is the cup of praise or the Hallel (5). The Hallel are Psalms 113-118 and they were sung with this last cup of wine. Jesus and his disciples sang the Hallel on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Moses led the people to God so they could enter the Promised Land. Jesus led the people to His Father so they could enter into the family and the Kingdom of God.

The Empty Seat

There is a fifth cup set at an empty seat known as the cup of Elijah and no one drinks from it (4 & 5). Here the Jews wait for a man who will come in the spirit of Elijah. We know that Jesus identified that man as John the Baptist. This Passover ritual includes the opening of the front door and announcing the greeting, “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” It was necessary for John the Baptist to announce the first coming of the Messiah and it is necessary for Elijah to announce the second coming of the Messiah. How do we know when this takes place?

Two extraordinary signs will indicate that the second coming of the Messiah is near:

1) the hearts of the spiritual fathers are turned towards their spiritually lost children or congregation.

2) the congregation give up their rebellious ways and worship God.

Let’s Pray:

Father, I acknowledge the great price Jesus paid by shedding His blood for me. Thank you for sanctifying me, delivering me, and redeeming me. I will praise You forever for sending the Messiah, Jesus, to us. I will praise You in advance for His return. You may do with my life as You will. In Jesus Name, Amen.

References:

1.http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Pesach/Seder/Kadesh/kadesh.html

2.http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Pesach/Seder/Maggid/maggid.html

3.http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Pesach/Seder/Barech/barech.html

4.http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Pesach/Seder/Hallel/hallel.html

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGz3k37kDE

Mark 14:22 NLT

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”

The Passover Seder or meal commemorates the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt . Throughout this series, remember that symbolism is a powerful language tool, and this verse in Mark is filled with visual significance. Let’s deconstruct this passage for today’s reflection.

Striped and Pierced

In Exodus, the Israelites were told to hurriedly bake bread and be ready to travel at a moment’s notice. In response to this warning, they baked matzah bread. Matzah bread contains no yeast and is unleavened. The bread is rolled out and pierced with a fork so it will keep its flat shape and pack easily. It is baked on a hot grid so there are imprints of stripes on the entire surface (1 & 2).

Leaven is a symbol for sin, thus the removal of leaven symbolizes purity. The matzah is pierced and striped. All of these symbols point to Jesus who was pure without sin, nailed to a cross, pierced with nails and a lance, and brutally whipped forming stripes on his back (1 & 2).

Isaiah 53:5 KJV, “He was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we were healed.”

The Trinity

In the phase of the Seder where Jesus broke the bread, there would be a ‘matzot tosh’ or a bag on the table. This bag was sewn with three compartments, and each compartment contained a matzah. The Jewish rabbis teach that the matzot tosh symbolizes unity. Messianic Jews believe it is symbolic of the unity of the Triune Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (1).

Jesus, the Man of Affliction

As the Seder meal came to a close, the matzah in the middle compartment known as the ‘bread of affliction’, was removed from the bag and broken in half. The smaller of the two halves was then returned to the middle compartment of the matzot tosh. The middle matzah, the bread of affliction, points to Jesus, a man of sorrows or affliction (1 & 2).

Isaiah 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Burial Linen

The larger piece of the two halves was known as the ‘afikoman’ or the dessert, and was wrapped in a special linen and hidden. The wrapped afikoman is a symbol of Jesus' body wrapped in ceremonial death linens and the hiding of the afikoman represents His burial (1 & 2).

Resurrection

The meal could not be completed without the missing afikoman. Before the completion of the meal, someone found the afikoman, returned it to the table, and was given a reward. The afikoman was then gently unwrapped. The finding and unwrapping of the afikoman represents Jesus' miraculous resurrection from the dead (1 & 2).

The Church is the Body of Christ

Once the afikoman is unwrapped, each member at the Seder table is given a small piece the size of an olive (1 & 2). The partaking of the afikoman symbolizes the resurrected Jesus, Son of God, head of the church and we are all part of the Body of Christ. This is what Jesus meant when He declared, “This is My body broken for you.”

Remember

Keep in mind that every time the Godhead witnessed the celebration of the Passover, they were painfully reminded of what Jesus was to suffer in His body. This is why God's mercy is so great! At this Passover recorded in the book of Mark, Jesus shared with the disciples that it was now their turn to be conscious the suffering He was about to endure. Today, we are to remind ourselves when we take communion of the great price Jesus paid for our sins, our healing, and our redemption.

Let’s Pray:

Father, for millennium You have prepared us for Jesus’ coming. All of these rituals were purposeful and filled with depth and meaning. Every time You witnessed the Passover Seder, You were reminded of the sacrifice Jesus would make for us. Now, it is for us to remember the great sacrifice made by Jesus, the man of affliction, the Son of God, who was pierced and whipped on our behalf. Thank You for the gift of being a member of Your family, the body of Christ. You may do with my life as You will. In Jesus Name, Amen.

References:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGz3k37kDE

2.http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Pesach/Seder/Yachatz/yachatz.html

Lent Part 4- The Passover Seder Wine

The Passover Seder Bread