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Passover and the SederSaturday, March 27, 2010
John 11:55-56 Jewish followers of Jesus continue to celebrate Passover, and they also celebrate Easter. In nearly all western languages (except English and German) the word for Easter derives from Pasach. The dates of each festival are usually very near each other. Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples the night before he was crucified. Three days later he was resurrected from the dead, and Easter recognizes and acclaims that moment in time. During the first two days Passover is celebrated with a holiday meal, a Seder (which means "order"). This meal follows steps laid out in a sacred book called the Haggadah. The Hebrews were slaves during the first half of the night, but free after midnight when Pharoah finally let them go. Seder participants recall their slavery by eating "poor man's bread," or "matzah" (bread that is unleavened), as well as "maror" (a bitter herb like horseradish) and "charoset" (mixture of chopped apples, nuts and sweet wine representing the mortar they used to cement bricks). They go on to celebrate their freedom with matzah again (free men must remain humble). They dip karpas ( a green vegetable or herb, perhaps celery or parsley) into salt water (tears they shed as slaves), and share the "beitzah" and "zeroah" (a hard-boiled egg and roasted lamb shankbone representing ancient sacrifice). As they eat, those around the Seder table drink four cups of wine to praise God's four expressions of deliverance in Exodus 6:6-7: "I will free you, I will deliver you, I will rescue you, I will take you as my own people." "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Children are rewarded for their answers as they learn about the roots of their religion. Everyone is reminded of God's constant presence. Jesus, very aware of his ancestry and the traditions of his people, took the opportunity of his last supper, his last Seder, to bless his disciples and then surrender himself to the forces taking him toward the cross, toward death, and toward new life. Want to try a Seder yourself? We aren't Jewish, but we've done it a couple of times, and loved it.*
With every bite of food I take, Lord, remind me of your tears, your blessing and your peace.
* Here are a couple of places to find ideas about doing a Seder meal: |
Passover (in Hebrew, the word is "pasach") begins this year at sundown on March 29 and continues for eight days (seven in Israel). It commemorates the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt, specifically when God commanded they paint their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. God's angel came at midnight to kill all first-born people and animals in Egypt, and the angel passed over any house marked by this blood. This was the last of ten plagues God sent to persuade Pharoah to let His people go free.