Exodus. The Institution of Passover 12:1-28

Transcription

1 Exodus The Institution of Passover 12:1-28 This morning I want to look at Passover from three points of view. First,we will look at the initial passage that presents Passover in the context of the Exodus. Next, we will talk a little about how it is celebrated today by the Jew and how it differs from the Biblical form. Finally, we will talk about the celebration for the Hebrew Christian and how Passover pictures the work of the Messiah. After we finish these three studies we will go back to the passage in Exodus and continue the analysis of Passover from the text. IX The Institution of the Passover A Introduction Verses 1-11 B. The Modern Jewish Passover Ch.10:21-29 A Introduction: We should note that this section, dealing with the Passover, opens a new portion of Exodus. The first eleven chapters deal with the rise of Moses, the deliverer of the Hebrew. These next chapters, 12 through 14 deal with the deliverance from Egypt. And that deliverance comes through the shedding of blood. This is why Passover is a picture of the work of Christ in providing salvation. Here once again the Biblical principal is pointed out, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22b ESV). The first thing that must be kept in mind is Passover comes in the context of the final plague against Egypt. The purpose of the plague was first glorify the Lord and second to bring about the release Israel from her bondage allowing her to go to the land of Canaan. The nature of this plague is that it was intended to distinguish between the Israelite and the Egyptian; you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel (Exodus 11:7b ESV). nevertheless, it required an act of obedience to be saved. In other words, one was not saved by accident of birth, just as one does not find eternal salvation by being born into a Christian Home. One must accept the gift of salvation for himself, an act of obedience. The month here, Nisan, becomes the first month of the ecclesiastical year as opposed to Tisri (September) the first month of the civil year. As Pentecost is the birth of the Church, Nisan is the birth of the Hebrew as a nation. It is in this month that the Lord sends Moses to the Chil-

2 dren of Israel with instructions as to how they were to avoid the coming plague, the tenth, the death of the first born. First, the people were to get a little lamb, which was to serve as the basis of the offering up for their salvation. The lamb was to be perfect and a male. It could be taken from either the sheep or goat flock. Each family was to have their own lamb, though if they were too few in number, they could share with another small family. Notice the lamb was almost a pet in that it was to be kept with the family for four days before it was slaughtered and eaten. The real issue here though was the taking of the blood of the lamb and putting it on the door posts and frame. It was this sprinkled blood, when observed by the Lord, that would tell Him no one was to die in that home. Remember, if the Hebrew failed to sprinkle the blood then someone would die. Conversely, if an Egyptian did follow these instructions, then his family would also be protected. The other instructions spoke to the disposition of the animal. It was to be eaten by family members and there were to be no leftovers. Anything left was to be burned in the morning. Also the instructions were that the lamb was to be cooked only by roasting with fire. Finally, the lamb was to be eaten quickly because the people were to be prepared to flee from Egypt. This was the first Passover. This same feast was to be celebrated through all generations. Later the lambs were slain at the temple and this became the festival of deliverance for all the nation. It was this same feast the Lord was celebrating and which became The Last Supper. Communion came out of the elements of Passover, and just as Passover was a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, so Communion is a commemoration of our deliverance from Sin. We will see that the rest of this chapter, as well as the next, deals with both Passover and the consecration of the first born. These are clear pictures of God s plan for salvation as well as how Jesus worked out that plan. The application of this and latter passages is already easy to see, but I want to hold off until we finish looking at the different ways of observing the Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. B. The Modern Jewish Passover: The Passover today is still a remembrance of the freeing of Israel from Egypt. But keep in mind for many Jews the story of the Exodus is simply mythology. They do not believe in the literalness of God s working. The modern hope is that just as they had been a people of slaves and persecuted in the past they will be freed from persecution in the future. There is no one way the Jew understands and celebrates the Passover. There is no one way they follow the Scriptures, if they follow them at all. Let me read the introduction to The New Haggadah so you can see how much many of the modern Jews have lost. Haggadah means order of service and there are many versions reflecting the many approaches to the Passover Service. By the way, this Haggadah was written in 1941, in the midst of World War II and the Holocaust, which may explain the following: The appearance of the New Haggadah calls for a word of comment. Undoubtedly, many will ask, Why a New Haggadah; and what is new about it? We should like, therefore to say a word in answer. ) 94 (

3 The age-old struggle between those who cherish freedom and those who would deny it to their fellow-men has become more embittered than ever. In that struggle the Jews are deeply involved. They have a great stake in the ultimate victory of the cause of freedom. In all previous generations Jews derived their faith in that ultimate victory from their tradition and their religious heritage and particularly from the epic of the Exodus. For centuries, it was to the Pesah Haggadah that Jews turned whenever they suffered oppression and injustice. The Exodus of the Israelites from ancient Egypt was a constant assurance that they too, would be delivered from tyranny. They believed that just as God had liberated Israel from Pharaoh, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, so would He redeem Israel from the tragedy of the galut. Times have changed. We live in a new world; we are confronted with new conditions. But the problem is still the same. That problem is: how, in the face of setbacks and despite the demagogic appeals of false prophets, to keep alive in men the love of freedom, and their faith in it. That is why the Pesah Haggadah has assumed once again a major role in the lives of Jews. It has a message that is fraught with power and beauty. It needs only to be transposed into a new key into the key of modern thought, modern experiences, and modern idiom. The language and the concepts of the ancient rite need to be revised so that they go straight to the minds and hearts of the men and women of today. To that extent, this Haggadah is new. We have retrained the traditional framework, with its archaic charm, but we have filled it in with the living, compelling content of present-day idealism and aspiration. We have prepared a text which enunciates the essential message of Pesah clearly and unmistakably. We have steadily kept in mind the needs of the young American Jew, and we have striven to offer him such gems of Rabbinic fancy, such readings, responses, poems, and songs, as would stir in him that devotion to freedom which our forefathers gained from the Pesah Haggadah of tradition. 1 What is obviously missing from this introduction? It is clear the focus here has completely lost the intent of Moses. What this celebration is about is God and His gift of Freedom. For many Jews Freedom has become the god, whether it be Hitler, who may have been the underlying fear in this specific Haggadah, or men, as may be the case in a feminist Haggadah. But what is clear is for most of Judaism, the meaning of Passover has been lost and it has been relegated to the mythology of our people, a cultural tradition, to be applied in any way we want because it is myth. Now I would like to go through some of the elements that make up the Passover service and make a few note as to where elements have changed from the Biblical service. Many of the elements of the service are unchanged from Jesus time and are celebrated in the same way whither one is an Orthodox Jew or a Hebrew Christian/Messianic Jew. As you can see the Seder table is made up of a number of elements that serve a symbolic function. I will read from the Haggadah already mentioned as to what their meanings are: THE SEDER TABLE The Seder table should be arranged as attractively as possible. It is customary to decorate it with flowers, lighted candles and embroidered mazzah covers, designed especially for use on this occasion. These mazzah covers are generally divided into three sections. The traditional Seder table includes a number of symbolic objects, which are placed together on a Seder plate, or on an ordinary platter in front of the person who leads the service. The complete Seder setting should include the following: 1 Kaplan, Mordecai M., ed. and Eugene Kohn and Ira Eisenstein for the Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, ) 95 (

4 1. THREE MAZZOT: placed separately in the sections of the special mazzah cover, or in the folds of an ordinary napkin. Two of these mazzot symbolize the two loves of bread over which the usual benediction is pronounced on Sabbaths and festivals. The third mazzah emphasizes the role of the mazzah in the Pesah ritual. 2. A ROASTED SHANK BONE: to commemorate the paschal sacrifice which our ancestors brought to the Temple on Pesah, in ancient times. 3. A ROASTED EGG: to symbolize the haggigah or festival sacrifice, which was always brought to the Temple on festive occasions, and which, on Pesah, supplemented the paschal lamb. 4. BITTER HERBS: to symbolize the bitterness of Israel s bondage in Egypt. Horse radish is usually used. 5. HAROSET: to symbolize the mortar which the Israelites used in building the treasure cities for Pharaoh. The harosed is a mixture of grated apples, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and a little wine. 6. PARSLEY, LETTUCE, WATERCRESS, or any other green herb, and a dish of salt water, into which it is to be dipped before it is eaten. These greens symbolize the coming of Spring, and suggest the perpetual renewal of life, and, hence, the ever-sustaining hope of human redemption. 7. FOUR CUPS OF WINE: to be offered during the Seder service; one at Kiddus, one following the recital of the first part of the Hallel, one after Grace, and one at the conclusion of the Seder. These four cups symbolize the four-fold promise of redemption which, according to the Bible, God pledged to Israel: I will bring you forth, (EXOD. 6:6); I will deliver you, (ibid.); I will redeem you, (ibid.); and I will take you, (EXOD. 6:7). 8. CUP OF ELIJAH: A special cup in the center of the table, known as the Cup of Elijah. This Cup of Elijah remains unfilled until the conclusion of the meal, when it is filled, and left untouched. As a symbol of freedom, a cushioned armchair is provided for each person at the table. 2 The main function of the service should be to remember what the Lord did for His people in the freeing them from the burdens under which they were placed in Egypt, (although as already noted the focus is often radically different). The service can go for four or five hours and included a meal with traditional foods. One of the major changes from Biblical times is the absence of the lamb from the meal. With the destruction of the Temple there was no longer a way to have the lamb slain properly. Just as there is no lamb at the Seder table, there is no longer a lamb available for the sin of the people. Of course one is no longer needed as Christ became the sacrifice for all times. Unfortunately most of the Jewish people do not realize this. The service is broken down into a number of elements. These are the same for the Jewish and the Hebrew Christian celebrant. The difference is that for the Hebrew Christian the focus is on New Testament passages that show how the Messiah fulfilled the symbols of the Seder. The first section is lighting the candles by the woman of the house, the invocation and the blessing of the first cup of wine. As each section of the Seder is observed the meaning is explained, this is obviously the significant difference between the Jewish and Hebrew Christian service. Additional sections are added if the Passover falls on the Sabbath. The next section includes the ritual washing of the hands and the explanation of the elements of parsley, the afikomen (middle matzoth) and its blessing as well as the introduction to the story of Passover. For the Jew the washing was very important, it spoke of ritual cleanliness. 2 Ibid., p. ix - xii. ) 96 (

5 Jesus talked about the fact that the leaders in His day were concerned with the washing of the outside but on the inside they were like the whitewashed tomb. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people s bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27 ESV). (pick up random sections from pg. 8-13) As we will see when we go on to the next sections of Scripture, the Passover was instituted for the entire family. Just as the woman opens the Seder the youngest son (in some homes today child) also has a part, the asking of the four questions. The four questions open the telling of the story of the Exodus. Included in this section are elements for the children, such as the account of the four type of children. Included in this section would be responsive readings from different sections of Scripture and the singing of songs which may vary depending on the Haggadah and the family, but should include Dayenu. The next section includes the reading (or singing) of psalms, remember this is very similar to the service as Jesus would have celebrated it with the disciples. There are blessings over the elements of the second cup (the cup of praise), the washing of hands, the matzos (God s provision), the bitter herbs ( a remembrance of affliction) and the Hillel sandwich. Now would come the most important part of the evening dinner. With the completion of dinner we move into the next section which includes the recovery of the broken piece of the middle mazzah, the afikomen. The child that finds it would receive a prize. Then the third cup is filled, the cup of thanksgiving for the meal. The Jew should be looking for the coming of Elijah who heralds the coming of the Messiah. It is obvious that in many homes this would simply be part of Seder tradition without any reality, but a vacant place is set for him and at this point someone goes to the door to see if he has arrived. The cup of Elijah is pointed out. The fourth cup is filled and the responsive reading of Scripture continues. This leads to the service s conclusion, more songs and the statement of what should be the desire of all Jews May the coming year witness the rebuilding of Zion and the redemption of Israel. Next year in Jerusalem for the prayer should be to celebrate the Passover in the city of David. As you can see the Seder is filled with the elements that should remind the people of God s blessing, but to a great extent it has become and empty time, a time to remember the myths of the people, a time for the children, an empty time. How sad that after all the Lord has done for my people that they have lost all that the relationship had meant. Next time we will relook at the Seder from the Hebrew Christian view point and see just how Christ had fulfilled all the elements. We will see how meaningful it can truly be if one really understands what it all means. (Continue reading in Chapter 12 and 13.) Just remember as you read these passages that God ordained all that we see here so that we can see the work of Messiah. ) 97 (

6 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16 ESV). ) 98 (

7 Exodus The Institution of Passover 12:1-28 IX The Institution of the Passover A Introduction Verses 1-11 B. The Modern Jewish Passover Ch.10:21-29 A Introduction: (Hebrews 9:22b; Exodus 11:7b) B. The Modern Jewish Passover: (Matthew 23:27)

8 Next time: (1 Corinthians 10:16)