Good Friday – Jesus celebrates the Passover
Series: Follow me | Bible text: Luke 22:19–20; Exodus 6:6–7
Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the day before his crucifixion. In doing so, he pointed some elements to himself. In doing so, he showed that he was the lamb that had to be sacrificed so that people could be set free. Just as the Jews remember the Exodus from Egypt on Passover, followers of Jesus remember the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday.
Jesus was a Jew and cultivated the traditions
This morning I want to take you with me to this laid table. Today we celebrate Good Friday. We remember that Jesus Christ was crucified and died. In addition to Good Friday, there are a number of other holidays, such as Easter, Pentecost and Christmas. The Jews also have many different holidays. However, Passover is the most important holiday. And on Passover, Good Friday and this great Jewish festival come together. The festivities last a total of seven days. It serves as a reminder of the exodus from Egypt. The Israelites lived in Egypt for four hundred years. They originally came there voluntarily, but were increasingly enslaved and suffered greatly as a result. However, God saw the suffering and pain and freed them from there. But before they left Egypt, they celebrated the first Passover. God gave them the following command to do so: «Tell the whole congregation of Israel: «On the tenth day of this month, everyone must choose a lamb for his family. […] There must be a one-year-oldäold, mäbe a male animal without faults - your köYou can take either a sheep or a goat. Keep the animals until the 14th day of the first month. Then all who belong to the congregation of Israel are to slaughter their lamb towards evening» » (Exodus 12:3–6 NLB).
This festival is celebrated by the Jews every year to this day and falls in March/April. Jesus also wanted to celebrate this festival with his disciples one last time. «Jesus said: «I have longed very much to celebrate this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins» » (Luke 22:15 NLB). Jesus was a Jewish man and teacher. A so-called rabbi. He was well versed in the traditions and had his own disciples around him, whom he moulded. He observed and celebrated the religious festivals. The Seder evening is the start of Passover. It is the evening when the family comes together. Fundamentally, the family is a very central place in Jewish tradition. On this evening, everyone is gathered around one table – from the children to the elderly. The Seder celebration is a reminder of what God has done for the Israelites. «The LORD said to him: «I have seen how my people are oppressed in Egypt. And I have heard their cries. I know how much they are suffering. I have come to deliver them from the power of the ÄEgyptians and rescue them from ÄEgyptülead into a beautifulöwide open country, a land of milk and honey üflyssen […]» » (Exodus 3:7–8 NLB). At the Seder celebration, the family comes together to remember the Exodus from Egypt. As we come to this table today, it is to remember that God is still in this business of «bringing out» today. He takes people out of where they are broken and leads them to where they are meant to be – in freedom. This morning I want to walk you through this feast. This is not a Jewish Passover, but a Messianic Passover. This means that there are always parallels to what Jesus Christ did on Good Friday.
Seder celebration
The Seder celebration usually lasts several hours. I will therefore only go into a few things in brief today. I will touch on some things briefly, but I will deliberately leave out certain things as they would go beyond the scope of this article. Candles are lit at the beginning. I asked a woman to do this. The candles have to be lit by a woman because the light of the world was born from the womb of a woman. Jesus Christ is this light: «[…] I am the light of the world. Those who follow me need not wander in darkness, for they will have the light that leads to life» (John 8:12 NLB). Afterwards, the father of the house takes over the leadership of the celebration.
The first goblet is used at the beginning. This is filled with grape juice or wine. There are a total of four goblets that are drunk at the Seder. These are chalices of joy. Behind these four cups lies the memory of how God led the Israelites out of Egypt. «Therefore say to the children of Israel, «I am the LORD, and I will deliver you from the burdens of Egypt. lead out and will release you from their bondage save and wants you redeem by an outstretched arm and by great judgements. And I will call you my people Accept I will be your God, and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt» (Exodus 6:6–7 SLT). The cups symbolise being brought out, salvation, redemption and acceptance. The cup can be drunk symbolically while standing. It is a sign of haste before the Israelites left Egypt. The first cup symbolises being brought out of slavery. The father of the house says the following blessing. «Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who chose Israel from all nations and through your covenant with Abraham set them apart and called them to be your witness. Blessed are you, Lord, that through your Son Jesus you have called us out of darkness into light and united us with the believers of your people Israel into one body, into one new man». In connection with this chalice, I would like to ask you a question. How are you? How burdened are you? What is bothering you? There is good news for you. God is still a God who leads people out of oppression – no matter what this looks like. You can turn to him and he will lead you out.
This is followed by a ritual washing of the hands. Then the first two elements on the Seder plate come into play: Peterli and salt water. The salt water symbolises the tears and sweat that the Jews shed in slavery. Salt water also symbolises the world separated from God. The parsley symbolises the hyssop plant. A bunch of it was dipped in the blood of the lamb and used to paint the doorposts. Anyone who was in a house with this symbol was spared by the angel of death – it saved the inhabitants from God’s punishment.
Another element is located right in the centre. There are three matzos. This is unleavened bread without yeast. This symbolises the hectic departure from Egypt. The middle loaf is taken out and broken into two pieces of different sizes. The smaller one is put back and the larger one is wrapped in a napkin and put to one side to be hidden later. The children can then go and look for it later. The fact that there are three maces is a reference to the Trinity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The middle one stands for the promised Saviour, the Messiah. Jesus Christ is this promised Saviour and he gives his life on the cross.
This is followed by a question from the youngest child. «Why is this night different from all other nights?» This is followed by the story of the Exodus from Egypt. This is followed by the second cup. This symbolises salvation from hardship, from slavery. Here too, the father of the house pronounces a blessing. «Blessed are you, Lord our God, who rescued your people Israel from slavery, and that you tore us out of the bondage of failure and death and gave us new eternal life». The rest of the centre mace is now dipped into the salt water. This process is also described for Jesus. When Jesus Christ celebrated the feast with his followers, he made an announcement that someone would betray him and this is the sign. «He answered and said, «He who dips his hand in the bowl with me will betray me» » (Matthew 26:23 LUT). At this point in the meal, everyone dips a piece of the centre mace into the salt water and eats it.
Two other elements of the Seder plate are the bitter herbs, which are reminiscent of the bitterness of slavery, the beatings and the suffering in Egypt. The second is the so-called «charoset». It is reminiscent of the brown clay of Egypt, which the Israelites had to use to make bricks. The other matzos are now spread, topped and eaten with it. This is followed by a big dinner. Once again, two elements are embedded in it. The bone is a reminder of the lamb that was sacrificed so that the angel of death would pass by the house. No bone of this lamb may be broken. This is also the case with Jesus Christ. «But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs» (John 19:33 NLB). An egg is also eaten here. This symbolises the fragility of life and the temple. It also symbolises the hope of never-ending life and expresses the longing for the New Jerusalem. This egg is dipped in salt water before eating to symbolise that the new has not yet arrived.
Now it’s the children’s turn. They can now go and look for the hidden matzo. It is then broken and distributed to everyone present. Jesus Christ picks up at this point. «Then he took a loaf, and after thanking God for it, he broke it into pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, «This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me» » (Luke 22:19 NLB). He is saying that he is the fulfilment of what is being celebrated here. Jesus Christ is the lamb who was sacrificed so that death could not harm those who believe in him. «[…] For Christ, our Passover lamb, was sacrificed for us» (1 Corinthians 5:7 NLB). He is the Passover lamb. But God is about much more than liberation from oppression and suffering. It is about liberation from oppressive guilt, healing from everything that is broken in God’s creation. Ultimately, it is about reconciliation with God himself and the associated hope of a new, eternal life with God.
Then comes the third cup. This represents the redemption of the people by God. God redeemed the Israelites from slavery. Through his death on the cross, Jesus Christ redeemed his followers from everything that stands between people and God. The Bible calls what stands in between sin. Jesus Christ is now reinterpreting the second element of the Seder celebration. «After the meal, he took another cup of wine and said, «This wine is the sign of the new covenant – a covenant sealed with the blood that I will shed for you» » (Luke 22:20 NLB). For the Jews then and now, it is clear what the 3rd cup stands for. Namely for redemption. Jesus Christ claims this for himself. He is the lamb that must be sacrificed so that people can be reconciled with God and set free once and for all. He is the Saviour. The acceptance of this covenant is voluntary. Anyone who wishes may take it and experience salvation, liberation and hope through Jesus Christ. Finally comes the fourth cup. This symbolises that God accepts the people of Israel as his own. Through what Jesus Christ has done, God accepts all those who believe in him as his children. This makes them his property.
Good Friday and Easter are a sign that the Passover found its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Through him, people were redeemed. Just as the Jews remember the Exodus from Egypt on Passover, followers of Jesus remember the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. It is a reminder that followers of Jesus Christ have already been led out. They are redeemed. Therefore, their lives should also be characterised by living in this freedom.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Luke 22:7–22; Genesis 6:6–7
- Do you understand the meaning of the four cups from Exodus 6:6–7? What could this mean for you as a follower of Jesus?
- Which symbols of the Seder celebration resonate with you? Where do you notice a parallel between the state of the people of Israel and yourself?
- What does it mean when Jesus refers the breaking of the matzah (bread) in Luke 22:19 to himself?
- What does it say about Jesus Christ when he refers the third cup, which stands for redemption in Luke 22:20, to himself? What does this mean for me?
- Good Friday is a reminder of what Jesus Christ did. Do you live your life in this freedom, that you are a new person through him?
