Thursday, March 4, 2010

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Natszal: Preparing for Passover "the Passover Reveals Jesus Christ" (III)

The Rapture Series

Why Do you Believe? What Do you Believe? How Do You Believe? Who Do You Believe?

“Reason to Believe

Preparing for Passover

III

When is Passover in 2010?

Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March

and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.

Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day,

so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset of Monday, the 29th of March.

How the Passover Reveals Jesus Christ
by Rich Deem

Introduction

The festival of the Passover has been celebrated by Jews for thousands of years. It is the retelling of the great story of how God redeemed the Jewish nation from enslavement in Egypt.¹ The celebration itself was given to the Jews while they were still in Egypt.² The original celebration centered around the Passover lamb, which was sacrificed and its blood put over the doorposts as a sign of faith, so that the Lord passed over the houses of the Jews during the last plague poured out on the Egyptians - the killing of every firstborn.³ To a large degree, the Passover lamb has been eliminated from the Passover festival (with the only remnant being the roasted lamb shank bone).⁴ The New Testament says that Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.⁵ The Passover lamb was to be a "male without defect,"⁶ which is the same description given to Jesus.⁷ In addition, when the lamb was roasted and eaten, none of its bones were to be broken.⁸ This fact was also prophesized for the Messiah, whose bones were not to be broken.⁹ It was customary during crucifixion to break the leg bones of the person after a few hours in order to hasten their death. The only way a person could breathe when hanging on a cross was to push up with his legs, which was very exhausting. By breaking the legs, death followed soon by asphyxiation. However, in the case of Jesus, they broke the legs of the other two men, but did not break His, since He was already dead.¹⁰

Passover symbolism

Much of the symbolism of Jesus' last Passover week is lost to us because we are unaware of the customs of the time. For example, Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem five days before the lamb was killed in the temple as the Passover sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel. Five days before the lamb was to be sacrificed, it was chosen. Therefore, Jesus entered Jerusalem on lamb selection day as the lamb of God.¹¹ The people did not understand the significance of this, since they greeted Him with palm branches¹² and hailed Him as King,¹³ shouting "Hosanna,"¹⁴ which means "save us." However, they were not looking for a spiritual Savior, but a political savior. Palm branches were a symbol of freedom and defiance, since Simon Maccabeus had entered Jerusalem with that symbolism.¹⁵ Jesus' reaction was to weep,¹⁶ since He realized that they did not understand the Messiah's purpose in coming.

Passover sacrifice

Good Friday was the day of the Passover celebration and the day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. For the previous 1,200 years, the priest would blow the shophar (ram's horn) at 3:00 p.m. - the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel. On Good Friday at 3:00,¹⁷ when Jesus was being crucified, He said, "It is finished"¹⁸ - at the moment that the Passover lamb was sacrificed and the shophar was blown from the Temple. The sacrifice of the lamb of God was fulfilled at the hour that the symbolic animal sacrifice usually took place. At the same time, the veil of the Temple (a three-inch thick, several story high cloth that demarked the Holy of Holies¹⁹) tore from top to bottom²⁰ - representing a removal of the separation between God and man. Fifty days later, on the anniversary of the giving of the law (Pentecost), God left the earthly temple to inhabit those who call on the name of Jesus through His Holy Spirit.²¹

Burial

The festival of unleavened bread began Friday evening (at sunset). As part of the festival, the Jews would take some of the grain - the "first fruits" of their harvest - to the Temple to offer as a sacrifice. In so doing, they were offering God all they had and trusting Him to proved the rest of the harvest. It was at this point that Jesus was buried - planted in the ground - as He said right before His death.²² Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits of those raised from the dead in 1 Corinthians.²³ As such, Jesus represents the fulfillment of God's promise to provide the rest of the harvest - resurrection of those who follow the Messiah.

Resurrection

Christian symbolism in the Passover occurs early in the Seder (the Passover dinner). Three matzahs are put together (representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The middle matzah is broken,²⁴ wrapped in a white cloth, and hidden, representing the death and burial of Jesus.²⁵ The matzah itself is designed to represent Jesus, since it is striped and pierced, which was prophesized by Isaiah, ²⁶ David,²⁷ and Zechariah.²⁸ Following the Seder meal, the "buried" matzah is "resurrected," which was foretold in the prophecies of David.²⁹

Christian communion

It was during a Passover seder³⁰ that Jesus proclaimed that the meal represented Himself and that He was instituting the New Covenant, which was foretold by Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.³¹ The celebration of this covenant has become the ordinance of communion in the Christian Church. At the end of the meal, Jesus took the unleavened bread, broke it, and said that it represented His body.³² Then He took the cup of wine, which would have been the third cup of the Seder - the cup of redemption. He said that it was the new covenant in His blood "poured out for you."³³ It is through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are declared clean before God, allowing those of us who choose to accept the pardon, to commune with Him - both now and forevermore through the eternal life He offers.

Conclusion

If you are a Christian, I encourage you to celebrate the Passover with your friends and neighbors. Our family has been doing this for the last six years and have used the celebration as a way of sharing the gospel of Christ in a fun and non-threatening manner. For more information on how you can celebrate your own Passover Seder, see the related pages below.

Cómo la Pascua Revela a Jesucristo

References

1. The entire story can be read in the book of Exodus

2. See Exodus chapter 12.

3. Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (Exodus 12:21-23)

4. The Passover lamb was still sacrificed in the first century, as indicated in the New testament - Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. (Luke 22:7)

5. Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36)
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14)
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. (Revelation 12:11)

6. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. (Exodus 12:5)

7. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

8. "It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. (Exodus 12:46)

9. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (Psalm 34:20)

10. The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs;... For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken." (John 19:32, 33, 36)

11. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

12. On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel." (John 12:12-13)
And most of the multitude spread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees, and spreading them in the road. (Matthew 21:8)

13. saying, "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38)
And the multitudes going before Him, and those who followed after were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)

14. And the multitudes going before Him, and those who followed after were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)
And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!" (Mark 11:9-10)

15. Simon Maccabeus entered the Akra at Jerusalem after its capture, “with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs: because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel” (1 Maccabees 13:51) (see also 2 Maccabees 10:7).

16. And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, (Luke 19:41)

17. And about the ninth hour [3:00 p.m.] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"... And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. (Matthew 27:46, 50) (see also Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:44-46)

18. When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

19. And behind the second veil, there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, (Hebrews 9:3)

20. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, (Matthew 27:51)
And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Mark 15:38)
the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:45)

21. Acts chapter 2.

22.

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Natszal: Preparing for Passover(II) "Christ in the Passover" (IIc)

The Rapture Series

Why Do you Believe? What Do you Believe? How Do You Believe? Who Do You Believe?

“Reason to Believe”

Preparing for Passover

II(C)

When is Passover in 2010?

Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March

and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.

Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day,

so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset of Monday, the 29th of March.

CHRIST IN THE PASSOVER

(C)

by Curt Sewell

TIMING OF EVENTS OF CRUCIFIXION WEEK

The chart below is my studied calculation of the sequence of events of that week. It's drawn to illustrate the differences between Jewish, Roman, and American timing methods, and to correlate and explain Scriptural applications.

1) On the chart below, the shaded areas represent hours of darkness; the open boxes represent daylight hours. Jewish days always begin and end at sunset -- the beginning of darkness. Remember the creation days in Genesis 1 -- they're called "the evening and the morning." To the Jew, evening meant the early hours of darkness. The phrase "between the evenings" meant daylight hours. Our present, non-Jewish, days always begin and end at midnight -- the middle of darkness.

2) Exodus12:6 says the Passover lamb should be kept penned up until Nisan 14, then killed "in the evening" (KJV) or "between the evenings" (Hebrew). This would be in the afternoon toward the end of Nisan 14. Josephus said this was done between the 9th and 11th hours of the day, that is, between 3 and 5 PM. This would be on our Thursday afternoon.

3) Exodus 12:7,8 says that, for that first Passover, they were to put the blood on the top and both sides of their doorways, then eat the flesh that night (during the first part of Nisan 15). Therefore the Last Supper must have been on Thursday night.

4) Exodus 12:12,29 says that God killed the first-born of all Egyptians at midnight that night (Nisan 15). Thus the actual Passover Day is Nisan 15 -- the day after the lamb was killed.

5) Jesus was arrested a few hours after His Last Supper (a Passover meal), was tried during the night, and was crucified at about 9 AM the next day. This was on Nisan 15 (Passover Day), which would be on our Friday. He was on the cross from 9 AM until 3 PM (see Mark 15:25,34).

6) The day He was crucified was a "day of preparation" for the Sabbath, that is, a Friday (see Mark 15:42). They had to put His body in a tomb quickly, before sundown, else it would be during the Sabbath, when burial was forbidden. This couldn't have been the day of preparation for the Passover, because Mark 14:12 says that's when the two disciples set up the upper room for the Passover feast.

7) Early in the morning after the Sabbath was past, on the first day of the week, that is Sunday, the women came to complete the burial anointing (see Mark 16:1). But He was not in the tomb -- He had risen from the dead!

8) Jews always counted a fraction of a day as one day. Thus He was in the grave for three days from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. The short portion of Friday, plus all of Saturday, plus part of Sunday added up to three days. These were Nisan 15, 16, and 17.

9) Exodus 12:3 says that the Passover lamb was to be selected on Nisan 10, and was to be kept penned or checked for blemishes until Nisan 14. This gives a good analogy for the date of Jesus's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, which was on the first day of the week, Sunday, Nisan 10
.
10) Some people disagree with this timing, pointing out phrases that said Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights, or that "after three days" (rather than "on the third day") He rose again. This writer recognizes an apparent conflict here, but feels the overall evidence favors the timing shown here. Another evidence is the conversation on the road to Emmaaus, in Luke 24:13,21. The KJV says clearly that this took place "on the third day," but the Jerusalem Bible (more faithful to the Hebrew text) says "two whole days have gone by since it happened."

11) In what year did this occur? Scholars are not quite agreed here. Rabbis have changed the way that Passover is calculated, partly so that it won't fall on a Friday, but apparently Passover did come on Friday in both A.D.30 and A.D.33. The Chronology History Research Institute gives a number of constraints that rule out A.D.33. They conclude that Jesus must have been crucified in A.D.30. This also fits in with the forty-year interval before the destruction of the Temple by Titus in A.D.70. But Grant Jeffrey, in Armageddan: Appointment With Destiny figures that Jesus was crucified in A.D.32. Other writers have suggested other dates, so that this writer just won't claim a particular ancient year.

The Bottom Line

No matter what is the correct calendar date, we should remember that the important thing is not the exact date on which Jesus hung on the cross, was buried, and then rose from the dead. The important thing is that He did, and thereby gave us the chance for everlasting life with God.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Considering the obvious importance of what we've described, the reader should consider this -- yes, Jesus was the true Passover Lamb of God, and He did truly die for the sins of the world, but have I followed through on this? Have I personally applied His blood to the "doorpost of my own heart?" Is He truly my Saviour? There's no other way for salvation, and all it takes is my heartfelt belief in Jesus Christ and what He did for me, together with a simple but sincere prayer of repentence for forgiveness and salvation; He's eagerly waiting. Are you ready?

Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Natzsal

(blogger)

Michael James Stone

Fair Use Notice

Last Call

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’

Jesus is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call Digest

Last Days of the Last Generation “Last Generation”

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

Natszal: Preparing for Passover (II) "Christ in the Passover" (IIB)

The Rapture Series

Why Do you Believe? What Do you Believe? How Do You Believe? Who Do You Believe?

“Reason to Believe”

Preparing for Passover

II(b)

When is Passover in 2010?

Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March

and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.

Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day,

so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset of Monday, the 29th of March.

CHRIST IN THE PASSOVER

(B)

by Curt Sewell

THE MODERN PASSOVER SEDER (or Order of Service).

Much of the material about the modern Passover Seder is abstracted from the book Christ in the Passover, by Ceil and Moishe Rosen, published by Moody Press, 1978, and distributed by Jews for Jesus, 60 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 94102.

Other good books on this subject are The Miracle of Passover and The Seven Feasts of Israel, by Zola Levitt. Levitt also has an excellent one-hour video called The Passover, that shows many of these same items and costumes, with good explanations. These are sold by Zola Levitt Ministries, P.O. Box 12268, Dallas, TX, 75225.

Don't look to a Temple or Synagogue for a Passover service; neither is it led by a priest or rabbi. Just as the first Passover was in the homes in Egypt, the modern service is held in homes, and is presided over by the head of the house, the grandfather or father. The woman of the house also has an important part.

The first preparation is a thorough house-cleaning by the hostess, and a ceremonial search (the Bedikat Chametz) for leaven by the host. (NOTE: In the Bible, leaven is usually a symbol of sin.) He uses a lighted candle, a wooden spoon, a feather and a napkin. When he finds the last bits of leavened bread, he wraps it in the napkin and says the Kal Hamira -- "Now I have rid my house of leaven." The napkin and its crumbs are burned. Paul must have had this in mind when he wrote, in I Corinthians 5:7,

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."

The normal dishes are all packed away, and a special set that's used only once a year is brought out. The hostess cooks a festive meal, but doesn't set it on the table until later in the service. The hostess begins the actual seder by lighting the candles and chanting a blessing. The table is set with several prescribed items, as follows:

1. The Seder Plate, a blue-enameled brass dish that has six compartments for the following foods:

A. The Zeroah, or shank bone of a lamb (no meat),
B.. The bytzah or haggigah, a hard-boiled egg roasted brown,
C. Three kinds of "bitter herbs" -- the chazereth (whole horseradish root), the maror (freshly ground horseradish), and the karpas (lettuce, parsley or celery),
D. The charoseth, a sweet mixture of chopped apples, nuts, raisins, cinnamon and wine.

2. A bowl of salt water.

NOTE: For the first 1500 years, they actually sacrificed a lamb, then ate its meat in the Passover meal. But when the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Roman Titus in A.D.70, proper sacrifices became impossible. Thus now the bone is placed on the plate as a memorial. The bitter herbs were to remind them of the misery their ancestors suffered; the charoseth represents the mortar they used in making bricks in Egypt; the salt water is a reminder of the water of the Red Sea and also of their tears. The egg was not there originally; it is a Babylonian symbol of fertility and may have started during their Babylonian captivity during the 6th century B.C.

3. There are also three matzohs (unleavened cracker-like wafers of bread, pierced and striped during baking). These are in a matzo tash, a square white silk bag having three sections.

4. The host has four wine goblets. Sometimes the other celebrants also have four, or sometimes their goblets are refilled several times instead. The four goblets represent the four verbs in Exodus 6:6,7, "I will bring you out; ... I will deliver you; ... I will redeem you; ... I will take you to be my people."

5. There is also an ornate book, the Haggadah, describing the service and containing the prayers. This was compiled in the 13th century A.D., from much earlier fragments.

6. Each chair has a pillow, and guests recline or sit comfortably (to show that they're not slaves).

The host wears a kitel, a long white robe-like outer garment, symbol of purity. On his head is the miter, a white silk crown-shaped headress. He chants the prayer of sanctification, or kiddush,

"Blessed are thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine."

Everyone drinks from the first wine-goblet, the "cup of sanctification."

The hostess brings in a small towel and bowl of water for ceremonial hand-washing, used several times in the service. (Do you remember that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper?)

The leader passes out bits of karpas to each person. They all chant,

"Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who created the fruit of the earth."

Everyone dips the karpas into salt water and eats it.

Now the leader takes the matzoh tash with its unity (the three matzohs). He removes the middle matzoh, breaks it in half, and hides or buries one half by wrapping it in a white napkin and placing it under a pillow, or under the table. The other half is replaced in the matzoh tash. The buried wafer is called the aphikomen. He doesn't explain why he does this. (There's a great deal of significance in this "burial," and its later "resurrection," especially for Christians. We'll explain it later.)

Four Questions

Now it's time for the traditional questions, chanted by the youngest child. Basically these ask, "Why is this night different from all others?"

Why do we eat matzohs?
Why must we have bitter herbs?
Why do we dip greens into salt water?
Why do we recline on pillows?

The leader then recites the history of the Hebrew nation, from Abraham to Moses. He tells about the slavery in Egypt, and God's deliverance. When he lists the ten plagues, everyone spills a drop of wine into a cup -- one for each plague. When the description is over, they all sing and clap a happy song, praising God. They recite Psalms 113 and 114 (the Hallel). Then they drink from the second wine-goblet (the cup of praise).

There's more ceremonial washing and eating matzoh, bitter herbs and sweet charoseth. Now the hostess clears the table of the ceremonial items (but leaves the wine-goblets), and brings out the main dinner. This is a little like our big meals at Thanksgiving, etc. -- it contains whatever fancy dishes the family enjoys.

When the meal is finished, the hostess clears the dishes. Now it's time for the search for the aphikomen (the buried half- matzoh). This is done by the children, who make a game of it. Adults call out clues, "You're getting close," etc. (Of course, they all saw the host hide it, so the contest is only ritual.) The youngest is usually allowed to find it, and receives a gift.

The host breaks off olive-size pieces of matzoh from the aphikomen and distributes them to all. They each eat it, in a reverent manner. Sometimes there is a blessing, "In memory of the Passover sacrifice, eaten after one is sated."

(This is the point during the Last Supper at which Jesus broke the bread and passed bits to His disciples; however, Jesus added the significant words given in Luke 22:19),

"This is my body which is given for you."

The host now takes the third cup of wine, "the cup of redemption," or "the cup of blessing," and offers the main table grace blessing. (In Jewish tradition, the main blessing comes after the meal.) Then they all drink from the third cup.

At the Last Supper, this is the place referred to in Luke 22:20,

"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you'."

There is a fourth wine-goblet at the table, that hasn't been used until now. This is called "the cup of Elijah." There is also an empty chair, waiting for Elijah to come. This is done because of the promise contained at the end of the Old Testament, in Malachi 4:5,6 :

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Messianic expectations run very high among the Jewish people, especially at Passover time. The children of the house then make a ritual of going and looking closely at the cup, to see if Elijah has come and sipped some. One of the children goes to the door, opens it, and looks for Elijah. Everyone says, "Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the LORD!"

The host then leads in the recitation of the second part of the Hallel -- Psalms 115-118, then the Great Hallel, Psalm 136. Everyone drinks from the fourth cup of wine. After one more prayer of blessing (that contains the phrase "Next year in Jerusalem") the Passover celebration is finished.

MYSTERY OF THE APHIKOMEN

It's fascinating that this age-old Passover ceremony is rich in so many details, and each one has a deep significance. In response to the ritual questions, each one is explained in terms of its historical origin and meaning. And yet, one of the main features of the feast is not well understood by most Jewish participants. They refer to the three matzohs in the matzoh tash as the Unity; but there is no agreement on what is united. And no one seems to have any idea why the middle one is broken, buried, and later brought back up.

Some rabbis teach that these represent Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; others say they portray the unity of worship -- priests, Levites and congregation; still others say they stand for the crowns of learning, priesthood and kingship. But there's no explanation for breaking and hiding the middle one. Christians have a better explanation; it involves the "bread of heaven," spoken of in John 6:32-59.

A verse that is very holy to the Jews is the shemah of Deuteronomy 6:4-9,

"Hear, O Israel: the LORD thy God is one LORD. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children ... and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

That word "one" in the Hebrew is echad, meaning a composite oneness, not just the number one. It's the same word used in Genesis 2:24, where Adam and Eve are said to be "one flesh," and in Ezekiel 37 to describe the two sticks becoming one. Here it is describing the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit -- the three persons of the Godhead, acting as one.

This is the true meaning of the unity of the three matzohs in the matzoh tash. And which of these is the middle one? That is obviously God the Son -- Jesus the Messiah, our Lord. Let's see how He could be represented by a piece of unleavened bread. Read John 6:32-59. Verse 35 says,

And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

God subtly emphasized this truth in choosing the spot where His Son would be born. The meaning of the name "Bethlehem" is "house of bread." (By the way, the name "Nazareth" means "branch." That meaning clarifies the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1.)

But why isn't the sacrificed lamb still used? And how did matzohs come to prominence? Deuteronomy 12:11-14 says that people were not to offer sacrifices except at the location that God chose. Other scriptures make it clear that He chose the Temple site on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. When the Roman army, under Titus, destroyed the Temple in A.D.70, there was no more acceptable place for sacrifice of the lamb. That's why today's Passover meals don't include the meat of a lamb, merely a symbolic shank bone. The rabbis, in the second century A.D., instituted the use of matzohs to represent the sacrificed lamb. That practice still holds.

Now we can see why the middle matzoh is broken during the Passover, then hidden or buried. Jesus's body was broken for us, He died, and was buried. But He didn't stay dead -- He came back to life, came out of the tomb! That is represented by bringing out that matzoh later in the ceremony. It is then broken into pieces, and passed out to each person. And this is the exact spot during the Last Supper, when Jesus said,

"This is my body which is given for you."

The the very next item in the service is drinking from the wine-goblet known as the "Cup of Redemption." That's when Jesus said,

"This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

This is why we can say with confidence that Jesus is actually the central character in the Passover Seder. And, if that's not enough, let's look at the way His death, burial and resurrection fits the timing of the first three of the Seven Feasts of Israel. He was killed on Passover Day, was buried for three days during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and rose from the dead on the day of FirstFruits.

In John 1:29 John the Baptist announced Jesus's approach by shouting,

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

And Paul, in I Corinthians 15:20, said,

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfuits of them that slept."

Natzsal

(blogger)

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: WHY GOD CRIPPLES (pt2) -Chuck Smith

WHY GOD CRIPPLES (pt2)

In the story of Jacob, God not only inflicts pain, but actually cripples a man He loves.

People often ask why God allows a person to be permanently crippled. In order to fully

understand this, we need to take a closer look at Jacob’s story. Look first at Jacob himself. His name means Heel-catcher in Hebrew. He was the second-born of a set of twins.

Because he took hold of his brother’s heel just after he emerged from the womb, his parents called him “Heelcatcher.” This later came to mean supplanter, or “one who overtakes someone by catching his heel.” And that, surely, was the story of Jacob’s life.

He was a shrewd, cunning man who had no qualms about cleverly taking advantage of any situation. Jacob was the kind of fellow no one liked to do business with, because he always managed to give everyone else the short end of any deal.

If he met someone in the desert, dehydrated and dying of thirst, he was the type of person who would be happy to give him a drink from his canteen…for a price, of course!

Look at his relationship with his older brother Esau, who had the birthright. Jacob wanted his brother’s birthright and watched for an opportunity to get it. He waited until a day when his brother Esau had been out hunting, and had come home famished and weary.

Jacob was cooking a stew and Esau smelled the delicious aroma of the stew and asked Jacob to give some of it to him. Jacob said that he could certainly have a bowl of stew, if he would trade his birthright for it.

Esau was hungry and tired and so he agreed to trade his birthright for just a bowl of stew.

That’s the kind of person Jacob was: a supplanter.

He took full advantage of his brother’s weakened condition and got the birthright in an unfair trade.

Jacob finally fled his home, fearing Esau’s wrath for taking the birthright and the blessing away from him. He traveled to the home of his uncle Laban in Haran. He fell in love with his cousin Rachel and wanted to marry her but he lacked the money for a dowry.

When Laban asked Jacob what he’d like to receive as wages for his labor, Jacob offered to work for seven years to earn the chance to marry Rachel.

Uncle Laban okayed this plan, and it seemed that Jacob was finally settling down, and turning from his devious, scheming ways.

But Jacob had not counted on the craftiness of Laban, who proved to be just as conniving as Jacob had ever been.

Jacob worked diligently for the seven years of their agreement.

The day of the wedding came and there was a great feast of celebration that lasted far into the night. It was dark when Jacob went to his tent, saw his veiled bride, and consummated his marriage.

In the morning, when he turned to gaze at his beautiful wife Rachel, he saw that

Laban had substituted Leah, Rachel’s older, ugly sister in her place.

Jacob stormed from the tent and questioned his uncle, angrily demanding to know what had happened. He had served for Rachel and received Leah, and he was very upset.

His uncle explained that the custom of the land dictated that a younger sister cannot marry until her older sister is wed. He told Jacob to work for another seven years, then he could marry Rachel too.

Jacob served the next seven years, married Rachel and stayed on with Laban because the uncle found that God had blessed him with Jacob’s services. They established a regular

wage for Jacob, but within about six years, Jacob had gained greater and stronger flocks than his uncle.

(Continued)