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Day 34 The Passover Instituted
Commentary
The Lord told Moses that he would send the angle of death to kill the first-born sons of Egypt, including the first-born male off spring of all the cattle, sheep, and goats. Once again by killing the animals, God would symbolically slaughter the gods of Egypt.
But God gave the people of Israel a way to save their first-born sons. The Israelites were told to take a lamb without blemish, sacrifice it, spread its blood over their doorposts, and eat it as part of a sacred meal. As the angel of death passed through Egypt, it would pass over their houses, sparing their fist-born sons.
The instructions for the ceremonial feast were very specific. The Israelites would eat unleavened bread with no yeast because there would be no time for them to let it rise before Pharaoh himself would throw them out of Egypt. The lamb had to be roasted, not boiled. And the Israelites had to eat their feast with their traveling clothes on. Not only that but for the rest of time, the children of Israel were to observe a week-long Passover ever year, so that they would never forget what God had done for them.
The Passover was more than a deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The blood of the Passover lamb, sprinkled on the doorposts to save the first-born sons of Israel from immediate death, was a type of the blood of Christ, who by his blood saved us from eternal death. By celebrating the Passover every year, the People of God would be preparing themselves to understand the death of the Lamb of God.
As God had told Moses, the angel of death passed through Egypt, killing all the first-born sons and the first-born of all the cattle. But wherever the blood of the Passover lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts, the angel of death passed over that house.
After the angel of death visited Egypt, Pharaoh demanded that Moses and Aaron "Rise up, go forth from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.." So in the middle of the night hundreds of thousands of Israelites who had already packed what they could carry, followed Moses and began their march into the wilderness, where God himself led them with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.
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From my study of Passover (Pesach) and Eucharist
On the fourteenth of Nisan, if the first born son of the family is above thirteen, he is to fast in memory of the deliverance of the first born of the Israelites from the angel of death. That evening the men of the family attend synagogue before returning home for the Seder meal.
The “instruction manual” or steps for this meal is contained in the Haggadah which basically means “the telling.” It is called the telling because, after the Seder meal is over you will have been told and you will be expected to tell others, to pass the story on, so that no one ever forgets.
The oldest women of the family will light the candles at the beautifully set table and pronounce a blessing in Hebrew which translates to “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe who has made us holy by the Law, and has commanded us to kindle the festival lights.”
Maror and Chazeret: two types of bitter herbs such as horseradish and romaine lettuce
Charoset: a blending of apples, raisins, and honey to represent mortar
Karpas: vegetable other than the bitter herb usually parsley
Zeroah: roasted lamb bone symbolizing the sacrifice
Beitzah: roasted egg
During the Seder four cups of wine will be poured. Each cup will have its own name and meaning.
The first cup of wine, the cup of Sanctification, is poured. The oldest male of the family lifts their glass and pronounces a blessing in Hebrew which translates to “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.” This cup reminds the Jewish people that they are sanctified, are holy and set apart.
The oldest man then washes his hands three times in honor of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in preparation for the eating of the karpas, or parsley.
Now the maggid or story begins. This is the retelling of the Exodus story the flight from Egypt following the first Passover, Chapter 1:8 through Chapter 12:50. It is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of sons: the wise one, who wants all the details; the wicked one, who is uninterested; the simple one, who needs know only the basics; and the one unable to ask. This story is intertwined with the four questions, the theme of which is, “Why is it different?” These questions are traditionally asked to the young children at the Seder in an effort to arouse interest and curiosity while teaching ritual and history.
The second is “On all other nights we eat all other vegetables why tonight do we eat only bitter herbs?” Because this reminds us that for a time the Israelites were slaves and were forced to do hard labor, suffering bitterly. Everyone takes a piece of bitter vegetable from the Seder plate, dips it in salt water (representing tears shed as a result of slavery) and eats. The blessing is said, “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe who has set us apart by His word and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.”
The third question is “On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once yet tonight why do we dip them twice? Because from the tears of the faithful and the prayers of His people, God listens, and in His mercy rains down blessings on His people. Now everyone takes a piece of the bitter herbs, and dips it into the Chazeret, a sweet mixture of apples, honey, raisins that when mashed together resembles the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks without straw for the Pharaoh. This symbolizes the sweetness and bitterness of God’s people.
The fourth question is “On all other nights we eat sitting, but tonight we eat reclining, why is this so? Because the Israelites on the night of the first Passover ate standing ready to flee, tonight in honor of Moses and his people and the freedom that they brought us by God’s intercession, we eat reclining and take the rest that they could not.
The maggid culminates with the ten plagues God finally sends to Egypt. Each plague punishes a god of the Egyptians. As each plague is named, each person dips their finger into their cup of wine and wipes the drop on their plate. Symbolizing the spilling of a drop of blood for each plague.
Dam (Blood) All the water in Egypt was changed to blood
Tzfardeyah (Frogs) An infestation of frogs sprang up in Egypt
Kinim (Lice) Egypt was afflicted by lice
Arov (Swarms of Flies) An infestation of flies sprang up in Egypt
Dever (Blight or pestilence) Killed of all Egyptian livestock
Shichin (Boils) The Egyptians were afflicted by an epidemic of boils
Barad (Hail) Large heavy hail rained down on Egypt
Areh (Locusts) Swarms destroy crops in Egypt
Choshech (Darkness) Egypt is covered in darkness
The Second Cup: Judgment
To protect the Israelites from the tenth plague, God gave Moses the details of the first Passover ritual, and commanded that they make this a perpetual institution on this day every year. “On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb…The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish….You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight….They shall take some of its blood and apply it [with a bunch of hyssop Ex 12:22] to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb…That same night they shall eat it roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs….This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first-born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt – I, the Lord!” (Exodus 12:2-12)
As the maggid concludes everyone drinks the second cup of wine and sings the first part of the Hallel or Psalms 112 and 113.
Finally the main dinner meal is eaten. There is no particular requirement regarding what should be eaten but there can be no leaven. It may begin with the hard-boiled egg that is on the Seder plate. Eggs represent new life, as the Israelites are now free from slavery. After the meal the Afikoman which was hidden earlier is discovered symbolizing that Moses who was hidden has come forth and redeemed his people. This is the last food that is eaten at the Seder.
The third cup of wine is poured and the Grace after Meals is recited. The cup is consumed in the reclining position. Then the great Hallel psalms 114 – 118 are sung.
The Passover is finished it is complete, now you have been told and now you must tell others.
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A Daily Defense
Day 34 Whom Did Jesus Pray To?
CHALLENGE: “On various occasions in the Gospels, Jesus prays (e.g., Matt. 26:36; Luke 3:21; John 11:41). If Jesus was God, this makes no sense. How could he pray to himself?”
DEFENSE: He wasn’t praying to himself. He was praying to his Father. People do talk to themselves from time to time, but this is not what Jesus was doing. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God, but they are distinct, divine persons. The doctrine of the Trinity is that there is one God in three persons. Consequently, it was natural for Jesus as one divine person to speak to his Father as another divine person—at least after Jesus became incarnate as a man and took on human modes of communication.
By praying, he was not giving the Father information that the Father did not already have. The same is true of us when we pray, as Jesus pointed out (Matt. 6:8). Prayer is not about giving God information, but about relating to him in a way suited to human nature (see Day 3).
Having taken on human nature, it was natural for Jesus to relate to God in this manner. In doing so, he also set an example for us. The passages in which Jesus prays are useful for showing the error of certain heresies that misunderstand the Trinity.
In the third century, a priest named Sabellius taught that there is only one person in the Godhead, and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct persons but modes in which that single, divine person acts. In the ancient Church, this view was known as Sabellianism or modalism.
In the twentieth century, a similar view came to be taught in certain Pentecostal circles. “Oneness Pentecostals” hold to a “oneness doctrine,” which agrees with Sabellianism that there is only a single, divine person in the Godhead. The passages in which Jesus prays to the Father show the error of these views, since they illustrate the fact that the two are distinct persons and thus that there is more than one person in the Godhead.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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