The passion of Passover

I am sure March 2020 is part of a time reference that few of us will ever forget. It seemed to be the onset of a season of fear, chaos, shifting sands and mercurial narratives. It was that chaotic spring when our family discovered something beautiful to stand on. It was the first time we had a Passover/Pesach Seder (or meal). The Hebrew language and culture has long been a fascination of mine for years, and about 10 years ago we were guests of a Passover Seder on Maundy Thursday at our church. For the last five years, I had wanted to have a Passover meal in our home, but had no idea what that looked like or even why I felt so very drawn to do so! I am just so thankful that I finally acquiesced to that still small voice and jumped in with both feet, simply fueled by how clueless I truly was about it.

We knew that Passover was to commemorate the deliverance of Israel – His chosen people – and that a mixed multitude of others also left in a hurry that night of the last plague, walking into the wilderness with Moses and a God that they knew little about. We knew that it was prophetic and that our Savior became the sacrificial lamb, whose blood wiped out the need for any further animal sacrifices and he delivered us once more from slavery.

What we didn't know was that in the Passover meal, many practice a prophetic tradition called "hiding the afikomen." In the midst of the table, three pieces of matzah (unleavened bread) are covered with a cloth. "Unleavened" means without yeast, which is a symbol of sin in the Scriptures. It has to be unleavened, because at dusk, Passover ends and a 7-day feast called the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, and Israel is told to feast upon the bread that is without leaven/sin. Beautiful, isn't it?

Back to the afikomen...you take the middle piece of flat matzah bread, which happens to be pierced and "bruised-looking," and you break it. Half is returned to the table and you "hide" the broken piece, wrapped in white linen somewhere in your home for your guests to find. Whoever finds the broken matzah- the pierced, bruised, unleavened (sinless) bread, receives a special treasure!

I was hooked! It seemed to depict our need to "find" the Messiah. There are other symbols of the meal, like the four cups of wine; sanctification, deliverance, redemption and praise again seemed to echo His ministry and His soon return. WOW. How did we not celebrate this before?

I mentioned my enthusiasm to a fellow homeschooling momma, who happened to be in charge of the area homeschool library. She quickly lent me a book, in which I discovered that Passover was just ONE of the Spring Feasts. Feasts that both our Savior honored His entire life and then ultimately fulfilled their prophetic pictures with His death, burial, and resurrection.

On Passover, He was slain as our lamb, giving over his spirit quite probably at the same time as the other lambs were slain, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It would have to be before sunset because the next Feast, Unleavened Bread, was a High Sabbath/Shabbat and no work could be done after sunset. Hence, if ya wanna feast, ya gotta bring the meat in to cook!

He was then placed in the tomb, symbolizing putting away "sin" from the land, as the people had also done their "spring cleaning" and removed all the old yeast/leaven from their homes.

At the end of the weekly Shabbat, He resurrected and fulfilled the feast – the First Fruits offering as he brought himself, and maybe others (as many graves opened at the time of his death and people were walking about! Hello, zombie apocalypse!) before the Throne of our Heavenly Father as the first fruits of the resurrection. We then celebrate the giving of the Spirit 50 days after this in a feast we know as Pentecost that Israel celebrated for generations as Shavuot. This was when they agreed to keep all of the Commandments and entered into a Covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

So, yes. Now my family is pretty passionate about Passover. In fact, we are mad about all the moedim (the Biblical holy days) which also includes four more feasts in the fall! Feasts that many believe will be fulfilled upon our Messiah's return. Simply amazing! Hallelujah!