This year the Seder is at nightfall on April 22nd
The prophetic fulfillment of this Holiday is clear. It is a time to thank God for our freedom, and that covers many types of freedoms. To be a free people, and to be free to worship God. But the word that summed up the true meaning of Pessah is "Redemption". Rabbi Saul (Paul) sums up this theme in his letter to the Corinthian Believers. He was addressing a moral problem within their membership. To solve this problem Saul draws upon a well-known analogy of Pessah.
"Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know the saying; it takes only a little chametz to leaven a whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old chametz, so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For your Pessah Lamb, the Messiah has been sacrificed. So let us celebrate the Seder, not with leftover charmetz, the charmetz of wickedness and evil, but with the matzah of purity and truth". (I-Corinthians 5:6-8)
Paul is telling Believers to celebrate Passover. To have a Seder (Passover Meal) that celebrates the deliverance from slavery and being a free people. To set aside this day to thank, praise and worship God. I don’t want to dwell on this too much but it was the Roman Catholic Church which declared that "to do so was far too Jewish," and they stopped the celebration of Passover in their "Church". That, however, created a great problem. What about the Resurrection, what would they do about the fact that all the early believers celebrated the Resurrection on the day of First Fruits? (Part of the Passover celebration)
Yeshua died on the Feast of Pessah, was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and rose on the Feast of First Fruits. Fifty days later the Holy Spirit was sent on the next successive holiday; Shavuot (Pentecost). This is what is referred to as the first advent. The first three holidays follow each other, in the first three days, (Pessah, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) and we celebrate them all within an 8 day period. We simply call it Passover (Pessah). But the Roman Catholic Church had a large dilemma, and they solved it with a bunch of Paganism brought in from Babylon, and called the Resurrection (First Fruits) "Easter". But enough of that for now. I want to just talk about Pessah so that you will understand it correctly.
Before going on, I want to make something clear; I am not suggesting that you must keep all the Jewish laws concerning Pessah. You have the freedom to adapt the preparation to a degree that you are comfortable with. Some may wish to celebrate more fully than others. It is well to note however that what I am saying is from God's Word. Therefore I know it pleases Him when His people reach out to Him in truth - as opposed to Paganism.
Prophetic Fulfillment
In a house there are many preparations required for the Seder. The house is cleaned from top to bottom. There is no bread or leaven left anywhere. After the first week of Nisan, the focus is entirely directed toward Pessah. After sundown on the fourteenth day of Nisan, a special ceremony called bedikat khameytz (the search for the leaven) takes place in the home. The last tiny bits of leaven are found and removed from the house then taken outside and burned.
This is interesting because the house had been previously cleaned, so the head of the house has to hide some small bits here and there in the house to be found. Then the head of the household takes a feather and a wooden spoon and a lighted candle. And the family begins searching for the final leaven. This is a great time to get the children involved. It’s like the game of hide-and-seek.
There are many spiritual lessons for Believers here. The leaven (sin) must be cleaned from our house (our hearts). To do this we must use the light of the candle (the Word of God) which illuminates our sin (Psalm 119:11). The most graphic emblem of all is the wooden spoon which holds the leaven, (this represents the wooden Cross which receives all of our sins and then carries them away). The believer, who walks with God and is filled with His Spirit, will discern many spiritual truths in this, and begin to realize why the Word tells us to celebrate the Seder (Pesach).
It is my belief that when a true Believer discovers any Biblical truth, and applies it to their life, doing so enriches them. So it is my prayer that you may experience a closer relationship with Messiah Yeshua our Passover Lamb in an intimate and practical way. Let us therefore celebrate the feast (I-Cor. 5:8)
So, after the preparation detailed above, we are ready to begin the festive feast of the Seder. It is full of wonderful spiritual truths for the Christian believer as well as the Jew. Hopefully, you will find a good Haggadah (booklet on how to hold a Seder) and begin a spiritual journey that will enrich your life and give you a deeper, closer walk with our Messiah.
Shalom and Hag Same’ach (Happy Holiday),
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Jerry Golden