Seeing Jesus In The Seven Feasts Of Israel -Seeing Jesus In The Feast Of Passover-

Seeing Jesus In The Feast Of Passover

Scripture: Leviticus 23:4-5

Summary: How does the Passover observance point to Christ?

SERIES: Seeing Jesus In The Seven Feasts Of Israel 

PREACHER: The Rev. Lenin Kumar

 Date: 31 March 2019

Let us rise to our feet and together we read LEVITICUS 23:4-5 - 

“These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.”

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text in our hearing this morning.... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

You've heard it said, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Indeed, there are things we can grasp by means of a visual aid far easier than we can in any other way.

When God taught His covenant people, the Jews, He used visual aids. For over 400 years, they'd been slaves in Egypt. As slaves, they weren't privileged to learn how to read or write. It's likely the only one who could read or write was Moses, who had been educated in the home of Pharaoh. So God gave the people various laws and rituals to observe. Eventually, the Jews became one of the most educated people on earth. But for 1,500 years, they learned about God through visual aids. The Passover contains many spiritual lessons and symbols. However, we need to understand that Biblical symbols and types give us a shadow or basic outline of the truth that they represent, but they are not necessarily the exact image of what they represent.

But the Bible makes clear, these were to be shadows of a reality yet to come. Biblical types and symbols are shadows of the truths they represent. A shadow gives us the basic outline or profile of the real image. The time would come when they would put away these symbols and enter into the spiritual reality they portrayed. The transition from shadow to reality, was provided through the person of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." - Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV)

Now, this doesn't mean the visual aids given in the Old Testament are no longer valuable to us. Indeed, as we're able to now examine them with 20/20 hindsight, we not only see clear portrayals of Christ, but can be helped to learn significant truths about our Savior. That's why today, we're starting a series on seeing Jesus in the seven feasts of Israel. One of the clearest visual aids given the Jews was their religious holidays.

Leviticus 23 lists the seven feasts of Israel, and they are centered in the Lord Jesus. In this chapter, you find the phrase "unto the Lord." Jesus is at the center of it all. 

The seven Feasts of the Lord described in Leviticus 23 are:

1. The Feast of Passover (23:4-5)
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (23:6-8)
3. The Sheaf of the Firstfruits (23:9-14)
4. The Feast of Pentecost (23:15-21)
5. The Feast of Blowing of Trumpets (23:23-25)
6. The Day of Atonement (23:26-32)
7. The Feast of Tabernacles (23:33-44)

 
These seven feasts are called the Feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23:2), but in addition to these seven feasts, there are two other feasts that the Jews celebrate. The first is the Feast of Purim (Esther 9:20-32), in commemoration of the great deliverance that the Jews experienced from their enemy, Haman. 

 
It was named after Pur, meaning “a lot” and it was ordained
to be kept on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar.

The second feast is the Feast of Dedication, when the Maccabeans rededicated the Temple after it had been cleansed from the abomination of desolation offered by Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication in John 10:22-23: “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.”

 

Let's start with the Passover.

The Israelites were held as slaved in Egypt. They cried out to God, and God sent Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. But Pharaoh's wanted to keep the Israelites enslaved. So a series of 10 judgments came against Egypt, culminating with the death of every firstborn male child. As a result, Pharaoh let the Israelites go, then change his mind and pursued them with his armies into the Red Sea, where God destroyed them. But our focus is on how they escaped the judgment of having the death angel take their firstborn male child.The Lord instituted the Passover just prior to the tenth and final plague, the slaying of the firstborn.

In Exodus 12, God gave steps to be taken so they wouldn't be struck by the final plague. They were to select a year old male lamb without flaw or defect from the flock on the 10th of the month Nisan and keep it until the 14th. Many believe this was to allow time for the family to grow attached, so when it was killed, it wasn't just a lamb, it was their lamb. This made the sacrifice very personal. Then on the 14th, the lambs were killed and the blood applied to the doorpost of each home. The blood made it possible for God's judgment to "pass over" them. So God instituted the Passover as "a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:42).

Egypt represents the land of death. The Passover represents salvation by the blood of the lamb because the blood on the door posts of the Hebrew homes preserved their lives. The antidote for death is the shedding of the blood of the lamb. 

1. The practical significance of this feast for Israel.

The Passover involved a lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs; and would answer questions so the Exodus story could be passed to each generation. Several centuries before Christ, a traditionalized Passover service emerged, called the Seder, from the Hebrew word meaning "order." It prescribes the order of the Scripture readings, prayers, symbolic foods and songs. 

It's observed still today. This is the order:

The first cup - 

Four cups of wine are used to reflect the fourfold joy of redemption. The leader pours the first cup and recites the Kiddush, a prayer of sanctification. Jesus, as the leader of His disciples, said the Kiddush: "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks" (Luke 22:17).

First hand washing - 

A pitcher of water, bowl, and towel are given to each person. This is a symbolic act of purification. It's probably here that the Bible says Jesus "got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him" (John 13:4-5). This demonstrated that He was to become the suffering Servant, who would provide for their cleansing (Isa. 53).

The dipping of the karpas (green vegetable) - 

Usually a piece of lettuce or parsley, it's a reminder of the hyssop with which the door posts were smeared with the blood of the Passover lamb. It's dipped into a bowl of salt water, which is a reminder of the tears shed in Egypt and of the deliverance through the Red Sea.

 The breaking of bread - 

There are three pieces of unleavened bread on the table. The leader removes the middle one from the linen bag to break it in half. Half is put back and half is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden away in the house while the children cover their eyes.

The four questions - 

The youngest asks the questions: 

On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread; why on this night only unleavened bread? 

On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs; why on this night only bitter herbs? 

On all other nights we need not dip our herbs even once; why on this night must we dip them twice? 

On all other nights we eat either sitting up or reclining; why on this night do we all recline? 

Often they recline on the leader. John reclined on Jesus at their Passover: "One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him" (Jn. 13:23). John sat to the right of Jesus and was the youngest, so he asked the questions that night.

The second cup - 

The first part of the Hallel (Psalms 113-114) were sung. Then the second cup of wine is poured, and in response to the four questions, the leader recites the history of Israel up through to the great deliverance commemorated by the Passover. As the story unfolds, the symbolic elements are explained; and while telling the story, the leader dips his finger into the wine and lets it drop from his finger as he mentions each plague, to symbolize the suffering of the Egyptians under each plague. This symbolizes the fact that God takes no pleasure in judging the wicked. He shed tears as He judged the Egyptians. Can you imagine how Jesus felt at this point, with the drops of wine falling from His finger? He knew He was going to the cross to take the judgement of mankind upon Himself for this very reason. The cup is then drunk. This cup is called the cup of Haggadah, which means "explaining" or the cup of plagues.

The sop -

In preparation for the meal, hands are washed a second time. Then the remaining unleavened breads and the remainder of the one that was previously broken in half are broken into pieces and distributed to everyone. Each person eats a piece dipped in horseradish (a reminder of the bitterness of Egypt) and charosheth - an apple mixture. The latter would have sticks of cinnamon in it. This reminded them of the clay and the straw with which they had to make bricks.

It was here that Jesus foretold that one of the disciples would betray Him (John 13:21-27). Peter motioned to John who was reclining against Jesus to ask who Jesus meant. Jesus said it would be the one to whom He gave a dipped piece of matzah. Jesus dipped the matzah and gave it to Judas Iscariot.

The meal - 

Dinner is served. In Jesus' day, it would have consisted of roasted lamb, served with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

The afikomen - 

After the meal is a third and final hand washing. The children are sent out to find the broken half-matzah that was wrapped in linen. When they return, the one who found gets a reward. After a blessing, a piece of the afikomen is broken off and eaten by everyone as a reminder of the Passover lamb. This would be the moment when Jesus said "Take and eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26).

 

The third cup - 

After another prayer, everyone would drink from the cup of redemption. This would have been when Jesus said, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28).

The fourth cup - 

Called the cup of Hallel (praise), this would be the cup to which Jesus referred when He said, "I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom" (Matthew 26:29).

A final song - 

The Passover ends with singing of the rest of the Hallel (Psalms 115-118). This is the "hymn" mentioned in Matthew 26:30.

2. The prophetic significance of this feast for Christians.

The most prophetic significance relates to the afikomen, which means, "the coming one," a clear reference to the Messiah. Why there three pieces of matzah? Because there are three members of the trinity. Why is the second piece broken in two with one part left with the other two matzahs while the other half is hidden? To symbolize that God the Son laid aside His deity and took on flesh. The half that remains represents deity He laid aside and the half hidden represents the humanity taken on. And God the Son, left glory to take on flesh only to be broken on the cross for our sins. Why is that part hidden and then brought back out? To symbolize our Savior's burial and resurrection! That's why Jesus waited until this portion was brought out to say, "this is my body." Of course, the third cup, the cup of redemption, symbolizes our Savior's blood that was shed for our redemption from sin.

3. The personal significance of this feast for me.

Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb! Both are examined during the month Nisan, between the 10th and 14th (Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the 10th and was betrayed by Judas on the 14th day of Nisan). The number “ten” represents the law or the Ten Commandments. The fact that the lamb is taken on the tenth day means that it was to fulfill the law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” The Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb and He fulfilled the law. 

Both are young males who were unblemished, as seen in Exodus 12:5, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.” Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, was without blemish or sin. He was the perfect sinless sacrifice for the sins of this world. 1 Peter 1:19 says, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”  

The sinless Lamb of God took our sins upon Himself. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Hebrews 4:15 shows us that Christ was tempted in every point just like we are, but He never sinned in any way: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for  him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

The bones of both were to remain unbroken, as seen in Exodus 12:46: “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” A broken leg is symbolic of disobedience. In olden  times, shepherds would break the legs of disobedient and wandering sheep so that they would not wander away any more.  

This was also prophetic of the Lord Jesus. Psalm 34:20 says, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” We read in John 19:33-36 that none of Jesus’ bones were broken: “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.” The Lord fulfilled every aspect of the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7; Rev. 5:6).

Invitation and the final challenge- Spiritual Lessons from the Passover

1. The Passover was celebrated in the first month. We experience the Passover at the beginning of our Christian walk when we are born-again.

2. The Passover lamb was chosen on the tenth day, which represents the law. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, fulfilled the law.

3. The Passover lamb had to be without blemish. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, was without blemish.

4. The Passover lamb could not have any broken bones, which are symbolic of disobedience. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, had none of His bones broken on the cross symbolizing that He was the obedient Lamb of God.

 5. The Passover lamb was inspected for four days. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, was inspected by four people and we will be inspected by four people or groups of people as well.

6. The whole congregation of Israel killed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day. The whole congregation of Israel crucified Jesus Christ.

7. The Israelites had to apply the blood of the lamb to their homes in order to be protected. We must apply the blood of Christ to our lives in order to be preserved from judgment.

8. The flesh of the lamb had to be roasted with fire and eaten by the Israelites. We must pass through fiery trials in order to partake of the Lord.

9. The Israelites had to eat the flesh of the lamb and unleavened bread, both of which represent the Word of God. Therefore, we must feed upon the Word of God.

10. The Israelites had to eat the Passover with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their hand because they were about to embark on a journey out of Egypt. As soon as we get saved, we must be prepared to leave the world and begin our spiritual journey.

11. The Israelites had to remove all leaven from their homes for the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As believers, we must begin removing all sin from our lives as soon as we get saved.

12. The Israelites had to dip hyssop, which represents purging and cleansing, into the blood of the Lamb. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.
 

Both were offered in the place of another. The blood of both were applied across wooden beams (The doorposts of houses and the beams of the cross). The blood of both does supernatural work for those who believe. Including you and me! Have you trusted Jesus as your Passover Lamb? Believe on Him!

Finally, the deliverance brought about by the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb was remembered by an observance as is the deliverance brought about by the sacrifice of Jesus. An observance we will participate in today. Let's celebrate Him!