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CrossWords
Following The Trail From Passover To The Cross
Pesach 2023

  1. Introduction

The actual day of Passover (the 14th of The first month of Nissan) is today. That’s not what it says on the calendar. 

The Hebrew or Biblical Calendar is maintained by the rabbis of the Pharisee party (who crucified Yeshua Jesus). So, after the temple was destroyed 40 years after Jesus died and rose again, and thousands upon thousands of Jews accepted Him as their Messiah, the rabbis began to adjust anything they could to shift the focus away from Him. 

The rabbis believe they have the right to change or disregard any scripture, because they believe God gave Moses something called the Oral Law, in addition to the commandments and the Torah. They say the Oral Law was given so the gentiles would not know everything that God said. And since they claim that it’s straight from God to them, they declare it greater than scripture.

So, on their calendar, they moved the day of Passover from the 14th of Nissan to the 15th (the next day). They acknowledge the original date, but say since they can’t sacrifice a pesach lamb, the Seder itself is Passover, which would have been held as the 15th began. But they clearly changed it to shift the focus away from Yeshua.

Which also changed the date of the Feast of Unleavened Bread by one day (from the 15th, which begins tonight to the 16th, which begins tomorrow night). 

That’s a huge deal because the first day of the Feast is a special Sabbath. Which is followed by the regular Friday/Saturday Sabbath. So, essentially Passover week has two back to back Sabbaths. Which is followed by Firstfruits on Sunday (3 days after Passover).

So, the biggest and most diabolical thing they did was to move up the start of Firstfruits to the day after the real Passover (This is the Passover Sabbath). It’s supposed to fall after the regular Friday night/Saturday Sabbath) so that Firstfruits always falls on a Sunday because that was when the third day after Passover occurred 2,000 years ago – the day Jesus rose again. 

By permanently changing it to one day after Passover (instead of three days) Jews never associate resurrection day with Firstfruits. It worked like a charm. 

Since you start counting the 50 days to Pentecost from Firstfruits, that also distracts Jews from the actual day of The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the new disciples and 3,000 Jews came to Yeshua Jesus launching the first church in Jerusalem. Mind you the new church was 100% Jewish at first, so many Jews followed Him, but not the leaders. 

Judas is actually the name Judah (the Jews) meaning God made it visible that His people, the tribe of Judah the Jews, betrayed Him with a kiss. 

And the Romans banned them from speaking the name of Yehovah about 60 years after the temple was destroyed but eventually the rabbis just decided they would permanently bar their people from speaking the Father’s name fulfilling Yeshua’s somewhat prophetic statement the no one can come to to father but through Jesus – so their rejection of Him eventually became the rejection of the Father as well. 

And speaking of Yeshua. His name was originally Yehoshua (Yehovah is salvation or Yehovah saved) which we translate as Joshua. After the Babylonian captivity around 500 years before Jesus they shortened all the names not removing the H and O which made it Yeshua. That name was one of the most popular names of the first century. But after the resurrection they changed that name alone back to Yehoshua to try to distract from Jesus being Jewish. Now they call him Yeshu and identify Him only as the founder of Christianity – not Jewish. 

And it just goes on and on like that.

But the point for us is that it is official Passover today. Meaning the day Yeshua Jesus died on the cross (that happened today beginning at 9am – and He died 6 hours later – at 3pm.) And His first night in the grave would be tonight (it was a Thursday 2,000 years ago) not a Friday. 

That mistake was a Roman Catholic one to distract from anything Jewish to be associated with Jesus – the Romans greatly hated the Jews and killed them as often as they could. It’s ironic the Roman Catholic Church also killed any Christian who celebrated Passover. 

So, while the Jews moved the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits, the Catholics moved Passover to permanently fall on Friday, when it actually occurred on a Thursday. Why?

They ignored the Passover Sabbath (as the evening of his burial identified in scripture) and confused it with the regular Friday night Sabbath, making it seem like He was crucified on Friday (and yet somehow still spent 3 nights in the grave (terrible math). But they did get Resurrection Day right so there’s that. 

This Passover teaching is called From Passover to the Cross: CrossWords. Highlighting the words of Passover that all point to the cross. Especially His last word and all that it means. 

We want to help you host a Home Seder tonight. If you go to the blog at victory.radio, there will be a brief video teaching by me (following 2 songs of worship) that will go live at 7pm.

There is a Seder preparation shopping list on the victory blog as well as a Haggadah (the order of the Seder) for Christians, and a link to that video all at victory dot blog.

It’s designed so that you can watch the video as an intro to your Seder. That’s what we are doing at The Church at War Hill tonight (there will be no live Wednesday night service on campus tonight). 

  1. From Covenant to Covenant

This teaching on Passover is titled CrossWords. No, it’s not a puzzle – Jesus was crucified on Passover, but He foreshadowed that day for two thousand years.

We are following that shadowy trail in search of the words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross – I call these CrossWords. And they include what I believe to be His final word from the cross in Hebrew.

Our 1st CrossWord is Covenant. It’s the New Covenant – the Final one in His own blood. 430 Years Before The Exodus In Egypt, God Made A Blood Covenant With Abraham Promising To Make Him Into A Great Nation And Bless All The Earth Through Him.

God Also Told Him That His Descendants Would Be Slaves In Egypt 430 Years. That’s The First Clue of What Passover is – It’s A Covenant – And God Marked That Day.

Let’s Go exactly 430 years into the Future in Egypt With Moses – It’s The Exodus – It’s Passover – They’re Packed Up…And Gone.

“At The End Of 430 Years, On That Very Day, All The Hosts Of Yehovah Went Out From The Land Of Egypt.” It Had Been Passover On God’s Calendar For 430 Years. And We Added a New Passover Covenant – Moses And The Law.

But during those 430 years between the Two Covenants – there were more stops on the road.

Nineteen years after God’s Covenant with Abraham, God visited Abraham (in the form of three men) and Sarah made a meal for them that featured lamb and unleavened bread. What date was it? Passover. God told him he would have a son in exactly one year.

One year later Isaac was born. What date was it? It was Passover again.

Fast forward 157 years It was nighttime as Jacob wrestled with God and was blessed and renamed Israel. As the sun came up Israel met his estranged brother Esau, and they reunited after 20 years apart. What date was it? It was Passover. God’s Covenant is attached to this day.

242 years later, exactly one year before the Exodus, Moses met God at the Burning Bush and sent him to Egypt. What date was it? It was Passover.

1 year later, at midnight, the last of the 10 plagues fell on Egypt as the first born were slain. Inside every Jewish home, they were eating a sacrificed lamb for the first time – on Passover.

All 430 years between Abraham and Moses – Passover was a significant day.

And God Said: Tell The Story Of The Exodus Every Year.
“On That Day Tell Your Son…What Yehovah Did For Me When I Came Out Of Egypt.’

And Exodus 12 Tells Us To: “Remember This Day [The Exodus] And Celebrate It Each Year As A Festival In My Honor.”

Our 2nd CrossWord is Remember – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

So – A Typical Jewish Passover Retells The Story Of The Exodus From Egypt – The Plagues… The Death Angel – The Unleavened Bread – The Red Sea – Etc.

But Then Came The Last Supper Passover – The Lamb of God Said “This Is My Body, Which Is Given Up For You. Do This To Remember Me.”

And Then Came The Cross And His Blood Poured Out – The Ultimate Sacrifice Died Once For All And Suddenly Those Living In The Land of The Shadow Of Passovers Past –The Light of Jesus Dawned.

The Passover Story Didn’t End or Go Away The Story Just Got More Powerful. From A Covenant With Abraham To A Covenant With Moses
To The New Covenant In His Blood Written On Our Heart – He’s Now On The Inside

1 Corinthians 11 “For Whenever You Eat This Bread And Drink This Cup,
You Proclaim Jesus’ Death Until He Comes.” So, What Is Our Part To Play? Eat A Meal – Tell His Story – And Remember Him.

For Me – Eating Bread And Drinking Wine/Juice Seems Like A Terrible Trade For What Jesus Did On The Cross. There Has To Be More To Our Part Than That. Why Does He Ask Us To Eat and Drink and Remember?

Listen To Jeremiah 3 “A Voice Was Heard On The Desolate Heights, Weeping And Supplications Of The Children Of Israel…They Have Forgotten Yehovah Their God.”

Jeremiah 18 “Because My People Have Forgotten Me…And They Have Caused Themselves To Stumble In Their Ways.”

In Luke 19 Jesus Prayed Over Jerusalem, “He Saw The City And Wept Over It, Saying, “If You Had Known, Even You, Especially In This Your Day, The Things That Make For Your Peace! But Now They Are Hidden From Your Eyes.” 

If You Don’t Remember – You Forget – And When You Forget – You Lose Your Peace & His Presence. And That’s Just What Happened To Passover In The Christian Church

Around 100 AD, John, The Last Apostle Died. In 155 AD, Polycarp, Bishop Of Smyrna And A Disciple Of John, Appealed To Pope Anicetus To Celebrate The Passover Just As Jesus And The Early Church Had. He Was Rejected.

At The Council Of Nicea, (325 AD) Constantine, As Emperor Of Rome, Established His Infamous ‘Easter Edict,’ Cursing And Cutting Off All Believers Who Would Dare Follow Any Traditions Of The Hated ‘Jews’. He Made Observing Any Jewish Tradition A Heresy Punishable By Persecution And Death.

From Then On, The Solar Julian Calendar Was Given Precedence Over The Hebrew Lunar Calendar Among The Christian Churches Of The Roman Empire.

  1. The Blood is a Sign

Our 3rd CrossWord is Sign (aleph vav tav) – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

Exodus 12 says, “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Yehovah. The blood will be a sign on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

The blood is the most important part of Passover, whether it’s in Egypt from a lamb, or on the cross the Lamb of God – only blood can deal with sin.

Here it says, the blood will be a sign – that word is [אוֹת (oth) ] – it means an agreement or token – in Hebrew it’s spelled Aleph-Vav-Tav [את]. The Aleph Tav “combined as a word”, occurs around 7,000 times in the Tanakh (Old Testament), most often as part of Covenant events where God is directly involved.

It’s often used in a grammatical way to point to the object of a sentence.
But mostly it’s used with the name of God (Yehovah), to indicate the presence of God, specifically intended to reveal the Messiah.

The addition of the vav between aleph and tav uniquely identifies this blood and sign with the Messiah – “the First and the Last” – the aleph and the tav.

Even though it’s a real lamb and the blood from that lamb – it speaks uniquely of the Messiah. And this tiny word you can’t notice in English is attached to every sign of every Covenant to show that it is prophetically pointing to the future Messiah.

It’s the same word God used with Noah when He made the rainbow as a token of His promise not to flood the earth again].

It’s the same word God used with Abraham about circumcision – it was a token of the Covenant.

It’s the same word He used with Moses when they first met at Sinai – the mountain was the token and promise that He would be with Moses in Egypt – and that He would bring all of Israel back to Sinai.

And it’s the same word He used for each of the plagues He sent upon Egypt – they were signs and wonders – [oth].

Exodus 13 lays out the command to keep the Feast of Pesach, “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what Yehovah did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that Yehovah’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yehovah has brought you out of Egypt.”

Our testimony about the blood of the Passover (Jesus) is the sign [אוֹת (oth)] or agreement that we keep by telling and Remembering – it requires our actions, our thoughts, and our words. Later when God tells us to sacrifice a lamb, this word (oth) reappears again – it’s a huge part of Passover.

The blood will be [our sign/token of agreement between Me and you] on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (the Hebrew root words are [pesach (to pass) ‘ă·lê·ḵhem (over)] (puh-sakh a-le-chem)].

We’re going to add 3 more CrossWords – that is words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross. Our 4th CrossWord is Blood – Our 5th CrossWord is Lamb – Our 6th CrossWord is Pesach.

Since Passover is an English word – we need to shine a light on the Hebrew behind it to reveal some precious truths to understand Passover.

Passover was an English word thought up by William Tyndale –  the first guy to translate the bible into English. Lots of words didn’t exist in the English language, so he had to invent brand-new words. Passover was his creation for pesach. And it works to a degree.

Probably a better picture of pesach is when Jesus looked down over Jerusalem and referred to Isaiah 31:5. “Like Birds Hovering Overhead, Yehovah Almighty Will Shield Jerusalem; He Will Shield It And Deliver It, He Will ‘Pesach’ It And Will Rescue It.” That’s A Very Different Concept Than Tyndale’s “Passover”.

Here’s Jesus Referring To That Verse, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, You Who Kill The Prophets And Stone Those Sent To You, How Often I Have Longed To Gather Your Children Together, As A Hen Gathers Her Chicks Under Her Wings, But You Were Not Willing.” Again – Very Different Concept Than Tyndale’s “Passover”.

And Ultimately – We Know That Jesus Is The Pesach – So “Passover” Doesn’t Do Him Justice. Let’s Dig A Little Deeper (next).
 

  1. Pesach and Shalam

Let’s Dig A Little Deeper behind the word Passover to the Hebrew Pesach. Pesach Contains Three Letters.

  • 1) Peh – It Means Word Or An Open Mouth, Specifically The Mouth Of God. Since Jesus was “The Word Made Flesh”, we could describe Peh as
    “The Spoken Word Of God”.
  • 2) Samech Means To Lean Upon Or Support. The Word “Semikhah” Describes How The High Priest Would Lay His Hands On The Head Of A Sacrificial Goat To Transfer Sin To It.

    And Also How He Would Anoint Or Consecrate Someone Into The Priesthood –     Again By Laying On His Hands.
  • 3) Cheth Means Change. Its Pictograph Is A Wall or a Boundary. If We Put Those Letters Together – What Does The Word Pesach Imply? 1) The Spoken Word Of God Is Leaning On (Or Even Pushing Down) A Wall To Bring Change. OR
    2) The Spoken Word Of God As High Priest Is Transferring Sin To Change A Wall Or Boundary.

    Since Jesus Is The Word Of God – The Great High Priest And The Pesach – The Lamb Of God Who Transferred The Sin Of All Mankind Unto Himself On The Cross To Destroy Its Power
    Then Maybe Something He Spoke On The Cross On Pesach Is The Heart Of Pesach.

What Were His Last Words – In English “It Is Finished.”
In Greek – It’s Tetelestai…Which Means It Is Finished.
But He Would Have Spoken In Hebrew Or Aramaic.

In Hebrew, The Phrase “It Is Finished” Is: Shalam

That’s Our 7th CrossWord – In fact, Shalam Is At The Core Of All CrossWords – that is words that relate to Passover which God used throughout history to point us to the Cross. Since Shalam was His Final Word From The Cross, It’s The Most Important One.

If Shalam sounds a little familiar it’s because Shalam Is The Root Of Shalom (peace). If You Think Of A Tree Shalam Is The Trunk – And Shalom Is A Branch. You Know Shalom – Here’s What Jesus Did With Shalam.

  • Shalam Means To Complete (As In “It Is Finished”).
  • Shalam Means Peace – But Peace Plus Much More.
  • Shalam Means To Be In A Covenant Of Peace.
    “This Cup Is The New Covenant In My Blood, Which Is Poured Out For You.”     This Covenant is A Better Deal than the blood of lambs or anything else – It’s His Blood.

    Isaiah 53 “But He Was Pierced For Our Transgressions, He Was Bruised For Our Iniquities; The Chastisement For Our Peace Was Upon Him, And By His Stripes We Are Healed.” It’s a Covenant of Peace With Power
  • Shalam Means To Restore, Be Safe, Secure, And Free From Fault. Jesus – The Pesach – Our Shalam – Did All of That For You and Me

The Tabernacle And The Temple Were Built For One Reason To Host God’s Holy Presence – Safely Behind The Veil Without Destroying The People – Who Were Not Holy.

When Jesus – The Lamb Of God – The Pesach – Said Shalam And Breathed His Last…That Spoken Word of God Forever Pushed Down And Changed The Wall And Boundary Between God And Man. The Veil Was Forever Removed.

He Made Us His Temple. And Brought Us Shalom – Peace – The Hope Of Intimacy.

  • Shalam Means To Pay A Debt Or A Vow (Our Debt Of Sin.)
    The Last Words He Sang At The Last Supper Were From Psalm 118
    “I Will Lift Up The Cup Of Salvation And Call On The Name Of Yehovah.
    I Will Fulfill My Vows To Yehovah Before All His People.
    Precious In The Sight Of Yehovah Is The Death Of His Saints…”

This idea of paying your debt of sin is really important because lots of people have been taught that  Colossians 2:14 says that Jesus abolished the law on the cross. For instance in the King James that verse reads, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
It’s assumed that handwriting refers to the written Law or Torah.

Modern translations do a better job with that verse. The ESV reads, “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

And this is the point – His last word from the cross – the “it is finished” or Shalam paid our debt of sin. Sinning puts you in debt to God. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and to give his life as a ransom.”

His life is the ransom payment in exchange for the lives of all those who sinned.
He erased the bill we owe. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), but God eliminated the record of sin-debt – He paid it in full with His death on the cross. 

Colossians 2 “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

  1. The Great Sabbath (The 10th Day – Part 1)

The real name of Palm Sunday is The Great Sabbath. While Palm Sunday has a nice ring, this day already has a famous name.

Two thousand years ago, the arrival of this day caused millions of men to flood the streets of Jerusalem to find a lamb for their family for the upcoming Pesach Feast.

They would find their lambs, and by their words and actions, they would also choose The Lamb of God that day. 

At the Eastern Gate, the crowd lined the path with giant palm leaves as Yeshua Jesus the Suffering Servant rode in on a donkey to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Only King David and the Judges had ever rode into town like that. So the throngs greeted Him with loud shouts from Psalm 118, which were written to welcome the Messiah, Judge, and King when He came to deliver them from their many oppressors.

It was, however, the beginning of His journey to the cross as their [pesach] offering. The palm leaves on the ground revealed their misunderstanding.

Palm leaves had always been part of the rituals of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall. The Torah specified it. They built their temporary shelters with them, waved them in the air to rejoice before God, and the priests in procession went round the altar singing from the Hallel: “Hosanna, O Lord, give us help, O Yehovah! Give prosperity!” It was their way of pleading for the Messiah to come and deliver Israel.

Our 8th CrossWord is Hallel – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

The Hallel (Psalm 113-118) are used throughout Passover. Had the priests or people paid attention, it would have been obvious that their Messiah was coming to suffer for them, not just liberate them. 

But since they lacked that understanding, they had no rituals for welcoming the Lamb of God, Who would come to take away the sin of the world.

Of course, they didn’t understand that their Redeemer would come once in the Springtime to suffer and die as the [pesach] lamb – and then He would come a second time mightily as Judge of the whole earth – this time in the Fall season of Tabernacles.

There can be no Passover on the fourteenth of Nissan without the singular task set aside for the tenth of Nissan. Exodus 12 says, “On the tenth of this month [Nissan] every man shall take for himself a lamb…Your lamb shall be without blemish.”

This was why Jesus the Messiah and sinless Lamb of God had to enter Jerusalem specifically on the 10th day of Nissan – the day the lambs were chosen by each family – to be their [pesach] offering four days later.

It was the day the first [pesach] lambs were selected in Egypt.
Then forty years after Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea, Joshua led the next generation out of the wilderness and crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land on the same day – the tenth of Nissan.

The river parted for them as the waters had split for their fathers and mothers leaving Egypt. God’s plans were still right on time, even after a 40-year hiatus.
There are some important lessons for us to learn here.

A new day had arrived. They had stepped into the promises of God.
Joshua 5 tells us, “At that time Yehovah said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”

Why? None of those born in the wilderness had been circumcised – those who had were now dead because they had not obeyed. “So He raised up their sons in their place…And Yehovah said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”

What is the reproach of Egypt, and how can we avoid repeating their mistakes? Those whom God delivered from Egypt were circumcised in the flesh but refused to obey God with their hearts.

Instead, they acted like slaves or Egyptians (who were slaves to sin), so they were condemned to die in the desert. Their sons were also to bear their shame, and God refused to let them be circumcised until they crossed the Jordan in faith.

So the mass circumcision was God saying, “you are My people, and there is no path back to Egypt or their false gods.” 

The tenth of Nissan is about finding our identity in Him. It’s not about blaming our parents, family, upbringing, or life situations.
It’s about looking forward, moving forward, and becoming who God tells you to be because that is who you are.
 

  1. Choosing a Lamb (The 10th Day – Part 2)

One of the most remarkable aspects of this day is how God’s detailed commands for choosing a [pesach] lamb, unmistakably revealed Yeshua Jesus as the Lamb of God 1,500 years before He arrived.

It’s so subtle that it’s pretty easy to miss. “On the tenth of this month [Nissan], every man shall take for himself a lamb…your lamb shall be without blemish….”You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter him (אתוֹ) at twilight.”

Notice God’s subtle progression. First, it was “a lamb”. Then it changes; It’s now “your lamb”. But then, a truly profound shift occurred on the day of Passover. God now called all of Israel to “slaughter him (אתוֹ) at twilight.” Not a lamb or your lamb, but “Him” – as if there was only “One Lamb.” 

And guess what Hebrew word this is? This word “Him” (אתוֹ) in Hebrew is spelled Aleph-Tav [את] (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), with a Vav (ו) in the middle – which uniquely identifies this “Him” explicitly as “the First and the Last” – the Messiah Yeshua Jesus – the blood of the Covenant.

Our Next CrossWord is a repeat of Our 3rd CrossWord: Sign (aleph vav tav) – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

So, why was the [pesach] lamb selected four days before it could be sacrificed?
The 10th day was the first of four Inspection Days. For the remainder of the week, the lamb would be inspected by each family and the priests for any defects.

Likewise, Jesus would endure fierce tests and threats against His life as He proved Himself to be pure, holy, worthy, and blameless. Jesus lived among the people for over three years before His crucifixion. During these years and the four days before Passover, Jesus was thoroughly examined and proved Himself perfect, without defect.

Matthew says, “The whole crowd was amazed at His teaching…[the Pharisees and Herodians] were amazed at Him…Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no basis for a charge against this man…Peter declared Jesus “a lamb without blemish or defect.”

And He was more than just blemish-free. Yeshua Jesus also proved His standing as Messiah by performing countless miracles and providing a real-time example of deliverance. One week before His dramatic entrance into Jerusalem, He declared that He was “the resurrection and the life”, and then He raised Lazarus from the dead.

And Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies that uniquely identified the coming Messiah, even a relatively obscure one, with the raising of Lazarus,
“Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy.” It was this miracle that swelled the crowd for His triumphal entry.

“Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had performed this sign, went out to meet Him.” John 12

Luke added a visual, “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.”

So, Jesus was riding the donkey down the Mount of Olives toward the Eastern Gate and on this Great Sabbath, the crowds began to fulfill prophecies.

“They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that comes in the name of Yehovah!” Hosanna in the highest!” John 12

Were the words the people of Israel were singing and shouting significant? Yes! The whole scene was for several reasons. On the Great Sabbath, the High Priest (a Pharisee) would ride to Bethlehem Ephrata (where Passover lambs are born and raised), and He would get a lamb to sacrifice.

The priests in the temple would greet his return through the Eastern Gate with “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of Yehovah.” Yes, the same words.

Luke says, “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

The words they shouted come directly from Psalm 118 – part of the Hallel – the Psalms chanted throughout the Passover Feast and spoke uniquely of the coming Messiah. 

The name “Jesus” and “Hosanna” don’t seem related in English, but in Hebrew, [yēšūaʿ] and [hôšîʿâ-nā] share the same root: [yāšaʿ], which means to save, savior, and to bring salvation.

Our 9th CrossWord is Yasa (to save – it’s the heart of the name Hosanna and Yeshua) – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

So the two words are remarkably similar. One significant difference is that [hôšîʿâ-nā] includes the word [nā’], which is a plea, meaning “please, now”. So, [hôšîʿâ-nā] means please save us now! 

And with the overlapping meaning of “salvation” in both words, essentially, the people at the gate that day were pleading, “Yeshua, please save us”; and it could also be a declaration, “Yeshua will save us!” Why did they choose these words to shout?

In Ezekiel, the prophet watched as the glory of Yehovah left the Temple through the Eastern Gate and over to the Mount of Olives. Later, Ezekiel saw a vision that the glory of Yehovah would return to the Temple one day through “the gate facing east.”

The Jews in the First Century were waiting for the Messiah and expected Him to pass through the Eastern Gate when He came to rule. So, shouting [hôšîʿâ-nā] to Yeshua as He entered the Eastern Gate was an unmistakable declaration that they were declaring Him their Messiah.
 

  1. Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews

It’s 9:00 when they placed Jesus on the cross.

Pesach was always about the Son of God destroying sin and death for humanity. At the Passover in Egypt, the blood was put over the doorway, and down each side. Above for salvation, and on either side for protection. This is an amazing foreshadow of the sign they hung on the cross of Jesus.

The Romans wrote, Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The Hebrew words were: Yeshua Nazarene Melek (meh-lek) yᵊhûḏî (yeh-hoo-dee’).

Our 10th CrossWord is really a phrase Yeshua Nazarene Melek (meh-lek) yᵊhûḏî – These CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

Those words hung above His head enraged the Jewish leaders for a very good reason. In Hebrew, Yeshua is not just a name – it’s root means salvation – specifically it means Yehovah is salvation or Yehovah saves.

Nazarene (which comes from ne·tser (branch) was a Messianic title from Isaiah: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Melek (meh-lek) is King and yᵊhûḏî (yeh-hoo-dee’) is Jews.

But for the Pharisees and the religious Jews crucifying Jesus – the sign was blasphemous. It essentially said This is Salvation – the Messiah – King of the Jews.

The Jews might have thought they were in charge at the cross –
but God had set this up – especially the location – from the beginning of time.

Outside the Camp & The East Gate

  • Execution of a criminal in the time of Jesus was acknowledged as the criminal’s own “sin offering” for himself – instead of a substitute animal sacrifice.
    • So, criminals (as sin offerings) were executed “in the presence of God” just “outside the camp” (Numbers 15:35) near the Red Heifer altar. This was also the spot where Stephen was executed.
    • Since Jesus was counted as a criminal, He was taken to the summit of Olivet across the Kidron Valley. The Jews called it the Valley of Jehoshaphat where they believe God would judge all people for their sins. 
    • There Jesus died “as a sin offering”, not for himself, but for the sins of the world.
  • The Path East from the temple up the Mount of Olives to Bethany was a very common path and has lots of history. 
    • It may be where The Tree of Knowledge Of Good And Evil was. 
    • It was the path Adam and Eve would have walked to leave the Garden in banishment. 
    • It was the place a young boy named David buried Goliath’s head. So the spot of the great trophy became well known. Goliath was from Gath so the summit was call as Golgotha the place of the skull.
  • For Jesus to be crucified there brought extra meaning and irony fulfilling Genesis 3:15 “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”
  • The Shekinah glory of God left the temple (in Ezekiel) over this same path on the Mount of Olives
  • At the Feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Two Goats Are Sacrificed.

    • The blood of the first goat was placed on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.
    • The other, or “scapegoat” was released into the wilderness, signifying that our sins were not only covered, but also removed.
    • In the days of the Temple, this “scapegoat” was led through the Eastern Gate toward the Mount of Olives where it would disappear from view, as it fulfilled the removal of sins from the people.
  • This same spot was the location of the ascension of Jesus into heaven.

    • He ascended and disappeared in the same way as the “scapegoat” showing that our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west!
  • Where Jesus will return, split the mountain in two and where a river will flow from the altar.
     
  1. The Seder (Part 1 – Items Off The Plate)

The Tabernacle And The Temple Were Built For One Reason To Host God’s Holy Presence – Safely Behind The Veil Without Destroying The People – Who Were Not Holy.

When Jesus – The Lamb Of God – The Pesach – Said Shalam And Breathed His Last…The Veil Was Forever Removed. He Made Us His Temple And Brought Us Shalom – Peace – The Hope Of Intimacy.

And This Is Where The Seder Comes In – We Have An Invitation To Sit With Jesus Around A Dinner Table. Eating Foods That All Tell Stories About Jesus About What He’s Done For Us – And What He Means To Us.

That’s Why Everything You Hear, See, Taste, Touch, And Smell At A Passover Seder Is Haggadah Telling His Story. You Can Even Set A Place At The Table For Jesus!

On The Table Are The Seder Elements Mentioned in Scripture. They’re What We Use To Tell The Pesach Story Of Jesus. All The Seder Elements Are The Ancient Shadows.

  • The First Two Elements Are Things That Are Removed: 1) Leaven And  2) Work. 

    Our 11th CrossWord is Leaven – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross. 

  • First You Remove Leaven (Yeast/Bread). “For Seven Days You Are To Eat Bread Made Without Yeast. On The First Day Remove The Yeast From Your Houses…You Remove All Of It From Your House During The Day. Then That Evening You Eat The Passover Meal. So Leaven Is A Symbol That’s NOT Present, But That Fact Makes It VERY Present.

    Why Do We Remove The Leaven? Jesus Was Without Sin.
    But There’s More To That Shadow.     In Exodus 12 The Instructions For Passover Say, “Every Man Shall Take For Himself A Lamb…Without Blemish

    Jesus The Messiah Entered Jerusalem Before Pesach “He Made A Whip Out of Cords And Drove All From The Temple Courts…And Said, “Stop Turning My Father’s House Into A Market!” He Was Removing The Leaven.

    How Do We Apply This Today In Our Homes? We May Be The Only One Not Eating Leaven – Don’t get bogged down in the old letter of the law – you may not be able to remove leaven that belongs to others – the point is to remove the leaven in you.

     

  • Then You Remove Work (Sabbath Rest). The Day After Passover Is The Beginning Of The 7-Day Feast Of Unleavened Bread Represents Our Walk Thru Life. The First Day & The Last Day Are Sabbaths. What’s The Story?

Romans 1:17 For In The Gospel The Righteousness of God is Revealed A Righteousness That Is By Faith From First To Last…” We’re The Problem And Can’t Fix Ourselves. We Repent Of Our Sins (Leaven) And Rest In Him.

  • Next, We Add Something – Light – God’s Presence –

You Need Candles And A Lighter. The World Was Dark From Sin And Death. And Matthew 4:16 Tells Us The Good News, The People Living In Darkness Have Seen A Great Light; On Those Living In The Land Of The Shadow Of Death A Light Has Dawned.”

Our 12th CrossWord is Light – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross. 

Let’s Tell The Story Of When The Light Came In. “And In The Same Region [That Is Bethlehem Ephrata – Where Pesach Lambs Were Born] There Were Shepherds Out In The Field, Keeping Watch Over Their Flock By Night. And An Angel Of The Lord Appeared To Them…I Bring You Good News Of Great Joy That Will Be For All The People. For Unto You Is Born This Day In The City Of David A Savior, Who Is Christ The Lord.” The Pesach Lamb Arrived!

Every Sabbath, And Passover, A Woman Has The Honor Of Lighting The Festival Lights. Why? Eve Led The Human Race Into Sin, But God Chose Mary To Be The Mother Of Jesus Who Would Leave Heaven, Lay Down His Glory And Take On Flesh To Redeem Mankind. Eve Was The First To Fall – And The First To Be Redeemed. Passover Officially Begins When You Light The Candles.

  • Next Is The Basin & Towel
    The Pharisees Thought Obeying The Ceremonial Laws     Made Them Better Than Others     And Too Clean To Touch Unclean Hurting People. They Did Extravagant Washing Ceremonies In Front Of The People To Show How Clean They Were. 

    But The Ceremonial Washing Was Another Shadow Of The Messiah Who Loved Even Those Who Had Become Filthy, And His Touch Made Us All Clean.

    Jesus Got Up From The Meal …Poured Water Into A Basin And Began To Wash His Disciples’ Feet, Drying Them With The Towel That Was Wrapped Around Him.” He Even Washed The Feet of His Betrayer Judas.    Traditionally Washing The Hands Is

    Pouring Water Over Them Each 3 Times 

  1. The Seder (Part 2 – The Lamb)

After The Washing Of Hands – The Meal Begins.
The Three Center Pieces And Focus Of Passover Are:
The Seder Plate, The Three Matzah, And The Four Cups Of Wine Or Juice,

Let’s Start With The Seder Plate And The Lamb: Since the temple’s destruction, Jews don’t eat a pesach lamb (because there is no way to properly sacrifice it without a temple). Most Christians do eat lamb at Passover (repentance).

Some Jews put a Roasted Lamb Bone on the seder plate as a reminder of the Temple Sacrifice and the first Passover Lamb – Since the lamb, and even the shank bone, make the real religious Jews think of the possibility that Yeshua might actually be the Messiah, many now use a chicken leg bone.

What do the Jews do with no temple and no blood to deal with their sin? Since they can’t put their hope in the blood of the sacrifice, they focus on obeying the law (they believe that the oral law is just as holy as the written).

They now disregard the need for and mediator: They say they have No need for Moses (because they have the law itself directly from God) and they say they have no need for the Messiah, the lamb, or bone, or mediator (because they have the law directly from God).

The reason celebrating the Passover is so important is that it reveals the need for the blood, for forgiveness, for the Messiah. The Law can bring us to Yeshua Jesus, but it can’t replace Him or His blood.

As Christians Eating The Lamb Reminds Us of Yeshua – The Real Pesach Lamb – So We Eat It To Celebrate Him. We Purchase Lamb From A Restaurant That Serves Gyros – (It’s Usually A Combination Of Lamb/Cow).
As Jesus Suffered On The Cross The Pesach Lambs Were Killed In Three Consecutive Waves.

Because Of The Great Number Of Lambs To Be Slaughtered, The Afternoon Daily Offering Was Performed Early So The Slaughter Of The Pesach Lamb Could Be Performed During The Ninth Hour (3:00 PM).

So, The Six Hours Jesus Spent On The Cross Was Also While The Perpetual Sacrifice (The Tamid) Were Offered. The Tamid Was Sacrificed Every Morning And Evening As A Perpetual Sacrifice – To Act As A Continual Offering.

So As Jesus Was Dying, He Was Also Becoming Our Tamid The Offering Continually Covering Sin & Bringing Fellowship.

All Of The Pesach Lambs Were Killed, And Their Blood Applied To The Altar. The Dead Lambs Were Hung On Hooks, Forearms Unintentionally Spread In A Crucifixion Pose As They Were Skinned And Prepared For Roasting.

When The 9th Hour Arrived, A Long Blast Of The Shofar Signaled The Levites To Begin Chanting The Hallel (Ps 113-118). Their Voices Joined Thousands Of Pilgrims Filling Jerusalem. As Jesus Was Dying, He Would Have Heard Them Chanting:

“The Cords Of Death Entangled Me, And Straits Of Sheol Have Found Me, Distress And Sorrow I Find. Then I Called On The Name Of Yehovah. Return To Your Rest, My Soul, For Yehovah Has Been Good To You.

For You Have Delivered My Soul From Death, My Eyes From Tears, My Feet From Stumbling, That I May Walk Before Yehovah In The Land Of The Living…Yehovah Is My Strength And My Song; He Has Become My Salvation. I Will Not Die But Live, And Will Proclaim What Yehovah Has Done. Yehovah Has Chastened Me Severely, But He Has Not Given Me Over To Death…The Stone The Builders Rejected Has Become The Cornerstone; Yehovah Has Done This, And It Is Marvelous In Our Eyes. This Is The Day Yehovah Has Made; We Rejoice And Are Glad In It.”

It Was The 9th Hour – As The Blood From Pesach Lambs Drained Down Through Channels All Around The Altar – Yeshua’s Strength And Blood Drained Out Onto The Ground.

He Cried Out To His Father & Breathed Out His Last Breath
And The Lamb Of God – Yeshua Jesus Died.

This Is A Good Time in The Seder To Give Thanks And Eat Some Of The Lamb.

 

  1. The Seder (Part 3 – The Plate)
  • The Bitter HerbsThe Most Common Is Fresh

    Horse Radish. It Recalls The Bitterness Of Slavery To Sin. It Is Grated By Hand By The Father Till He Begins To Cry.

Fresh Horse Radish Is Sweet Then Slowly Heats You Up. Like Sin – Which Often Tastes Sweet At First, Then Bitter.

  • Charoset [Ha-Row-Set] Means Clay.Charoset

    Is A Delicious Blend Of Chopped Apples & Nuts Mixed With Honey, Wine/Juice, And Cinnamon. Some People Turn It To Mush To Look More Like Mortar.

It Represents The Bricks And Mortar The Israelites Were Forced To Make Under Pharaoh’s Taskmasters. We Taste The Sweetness Of God’s Forgiveness From Sin. It’s What Jesus Dips His “Piece Of Bread” Into & Gives To Judas.

  • Salt Is A Seder Item Which Comes From A Torah Command.

It’s In Mark 9, “For Everyone Will Be Seasoned With Fire, And Every Sacrifice Will Be Seasoned With Salt. Salt Is Good, But If The Salt Loses Its Flavor, How Will You Season It? Have Salt In Yourselves And Have Peace With One Another.” Saltshakers Are Used – A Pinch Is Added To All Matzah. Also A Small Bowl of Salt Water is Used For Dipping.

Salt Symbolizes: The Tears Shed From A Life Of Slavery To Sin – The Red Sea – And Baptism. The Salt Reminds Us To Pray And Ask God For Help Because He Promised To Hear Us And Help Us! “The Israelites Groaned In Their Slavery And Cried Out…God Heard Their Groaning And He Remembered His Promise With Abraham, With Isaac And With Jacob.” Exodus 22.

  • A Green Vegetable (Cucumber Or Parsley)

You Dip It In The Salt  Water And Eat It. It Represents The Hyssop Branches Used To Apply The Blood Onto The Doorposts. Green Is A Symbol Of Life And Springtime And Represents Prayer Which Covers Us With The Blood.

  • A Roasted Egg You May Be Wondering How The Last Supper Could Take Place Before The Pesach Lambs Were Slain. What Did They Eat Instead? They Would Have Eaten The Hagigah Peace Offering.

    It’s Considered Holy Just Like The Regular Pesach Lambs Because They Are Slaughtered For That Reason. Whenever Extra Meat Was Needed, The Hagigah Was Used.

    It Was Divided Three Ways: Some To God, Some To The Priest, And The Rest For The Person To Fellowship With His Family, Friends, & God. So, The First Night Passover Seder Is Also About Peace And Fellowship With God.

After the temple was destroyed in 70 AD the Jews placed a Lamb Shank Bone On The Plate To Represent The Pesach Lamb, and they Put A Roasted Egg On The Plate To Represent The Hagigah Offering.
Its Burnt, Sometimes Cracked Shell Is A Reminder Of Sacrificial Offerings.

  • The Three Matzah

“That Same Night They Are To Eat The Lamb Roasted Over The Fire, Along With Bitter Herbs, And Bread Made Without Yeast…”

These Are Stacked Together Near The Leader. Covered By A White Cloth Or in A White Pouch (With Three Compartments). These Are A Picture Of The Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

  • The Top Matzah Represents The Father
    The Top Matzah Is Never Removed & Never Used. Why? We Know The Son (The Middle Matzah) Left Heaven And Came To Earth To Take On Flesh;
  • And The Holy Spirit (The Bottom Matzah) Came To Earth On Pentecost To Baptize And Fill Us.
  • The Top Matzah (Representing The Father) Remains Because None Of His Roles Included Coming To Earth. 
  1. The Seder (Part 4 – Matzahs)

The Middle Matzah Represents The Son – Yeshua Jesus
Rabbis Have An Interesting Code For Matzah:
It Must Be Without Leaven – Jesus Was Found Blameless.
It Must Have Stripes – Jesus Was Whipped / Striped
It Must Be Pierced – Jesus Was Pierced.

Isaiah 53:5 Is Pretty Resounding, “But He Was Pierced For Our Transgressions, He Was Bruised For Our Iniquities; The Chastisement For Our Peace Was Upon Him, And By His Stripes We Are Healed.”

Zech 12, They Will Look On Me Whom They Pierced. Yes, They Will Mourn For Him As One Mourns For His Only Son, And Grieve For Him As One Grieves For A Firstborn.” 

After The Washing Of Hands, The Middle Matzah Is Removed And Broken.
The Larger Piece Is Wrapped In The White Cloth & Hidden. It’s Called The Afikoman.

Our 13th CrossWord is Afikomen – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross. And this is one of the most profound of our CrossWords.

Later The Youngest Person At The Seder Searches And Bring It Back To The Table. The One Who Finds It Receives A Great Reward, Because Finding Jesus Is A Great Reward.

Afikoman Is The Only Greek Word In The Seder, And They Think It Means “He Is Coming”. As In Isaiah 40, “Prepare The Way For Yehovah, Make Straight Paths For Him.”

It’s A Compelling Type & Shadow Of Christ: Here’s Why:

  • We Single Out This Piece Because Jesus Was Foreordained To Die For Us And Left Heaven For That Very Reason.
  • We Break It Because He Was Broken For Us.
  • We Hide It In The White Cloth Because He Was Buried With Our Sin.
  • We Bring The Afikomen Out Later & Remove The Cloth Because He Rose Again
    And Left Behind His White Burial Garments.
  • We Do This Before The 3rd Cup Of Wine Because He Was Three Days In The Grave.
  • And We Will Eat It Because You Must Accept Jesus Into Your Life To Be Saved.

Once The Afikomen Is Found, It’s Broken, And A Piece Is Handed Out To Everyone.
At The Last Supper This Is When Jesus “Took Bread: And When He Had Given Thanks, He Broke it, And Said, Take, Eat: This is My Body, Which is Broken For You: This Do in Remembrance Of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11

Ironically, Jews Who Reject Yeshua As Their Messiah Still Have Come To Honor And Remember The Pesach That’s Not On The Seder Plate By Eating The Afikoman In Its Stead.

The Bottom Matzah Represents The Holy Spirit
This Matza Had A Very Significant Role At The Last Supper.

The Bottom Matzah Is Used By Jesus In John 13, “This Is To Fulfill This Passage Of Scripture: ‘He Who Shared My Bread Has Turned Against Me”…“One Of You Is Going To Betray Me.”

When Peter And John Quietly Asked Who It Was, “Jesus Answered, “It Is The One To Whom I Will Give This Piece Of Bread When I Have Dipped It In The Dish.” Then, Dipping The Piece Of Bread, He Gave It To Judas…As Soon As Judas Took The Bread, Satan Entered Into Him…And He Went Out.”

The Bottom Matzah Is Broken And Handed Out And It’s Used By Each Person To Make Their Sop.

2 Ways: You Put Lamb Onto A Piece Of The Matzah And You Dip It Into The Bitter Herbs And Sweet Charoset.
OR You Put Lamb, Charoset, And Bitter Herbs Between Two Small Pieces Of Matzah (Making It Into A Sandwich).

But It’s Not For You. You Don’t Eat It – You Give It Away. The Sop Expresses Your Heart Toward The One You Choose.
You Can Make It Either More Bitter Or Extra Sweet And It Will Carry That As A Message.

The Sop Is A Picture Of Our Lives – There’s The Meat And Bread of Life: Which Sustains Us And The Bitter And The Sweet That Shapes Us. To Give It To Someone Is Saying I Accept You Bitter And Sweet – For Better And Worse.

You Give Your Sop To A Close Friend Or Family Member They Are Usually Sitting Beside You In That Relationship. That’s Why John Could Lean Onto Jesus To Ask Him Who The Traitor Was.

Jesus Gave His Sop To Judas Knowing His Heart Filled With Betrayal – Not Love Or Friendship. Normally The Sop Would Have Been Given To One Of His Closest Friends: (Peter, James, Or John).

Charoset Represents The Bondage Of Slavery. It Was Clear Judas’ Heart Was Fully In Bondage To Sin. So Jesus Told Him “What You Are About To Do, Do Quickly.”

The Lesson Of The Bottom Matzah (The Holy Spirit): When The Holy Spirit Filled Us, He Enabled Us To Love And Walk In His Many Gifts.

Just As We Add Several Ingredients To Create The Sop, God Brings Others Into Our Life, With Their Words And Their Actions – That Both Bless And Hurt Us.
Jesus Was A Friend – Not An Accuser – The Sop Teaches Us To Ask For Grace To Learn To Love, Extend Grace, And Forgive.

 

  1. The Seder (Part 5 – The Cup)

Our 14th CrossWord is The Cup – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

The Four Cups Of Wine Or Juice Each Cup Has A Special Time And Place In The Seder.

The Wine/Juice is Mixed With Water Each Time. Pour A Small Amount Of Wine Into Your Cup Then Add Some Water To It.

You Don’t Fill Your Cup All The Way Up You Drink Everything In The Cup Four Separate Times. Emptying The Cups Symbolizes Our Joy Is Full.

Each Person Needs Two Cups

  • One For Wine/Juice (It Should Be Empty At The Beginning)
  • One Is For Water (It Should Be Full)

Why Is The Wine & Water Mixed in The Cup? John 19 Tells Us, “One Of The Soldiers Pierced Jesus’ Side With A Spear, Bringing A Sudden Flow Of Blood And Water.”

Our 15th CrossWord is Water – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

The First Cup (Kiddush – Be Holy)
God Is Holy – And We Can’t Be Close To Him In Our Sin. The Penalty For Sin Is Death. Only He Could Defeat Sin And Death To Make Us Holy. Jesus Died For Us So We Can Be Close To God.

This Cup Corresponds To The Verse: “I Am Yehovah, And I Will Bring You Out From Under The Yoke Of The Egyptians.”

The Second Cup (I Will Free You) It Is The Cup Of Plagues & Iniquity
Our 16th CrossWord is Plagues – these CrossWords are words relating to Passover that He used to point us to the Cross.

This Cup Corresponds To The Verse: “I Will Free You From Being Slaves To Them.” (Ex 6)
Exodus 12:12 Says “I Will Bring Judgment On All The gods of Egypt. I Am Yehovah.”

Each Person Dips Their Little Finger Into The Juice And Lets A Drop Fall Onto Their Plate For Each Plague. And Everyone Says Name Of The Plague Together. It’s A Reminder To Even Pray For Our Enemies.

Plagues That God Brought Upon “The gods” Of Egypt: Blood…Frogs…Lice…Swarms Of Insects…Cattle Disease…Boils…Hail… Locusts…Darkness…And: The Death Of The Firstborn – This is The Most Significant

Pharaoh Was Considered A god In Egypt So The Death Of His Firstborn Son Was Considered The Death Of The Son Of God.

This was the First Plague to Require The Israelites to Do Something.
Each Family Had To Sacrifice A Lamb Which Was A Big Deal.

The Egyptians Worshiped Aries. So Slaughtering Hundreds of Thousands of Their Ram god and Smearing Its Blood On Their Doorposts Required Courage. According To Moses In Exodus 8, Stoning Was The Penalty. It’s A Picture Of Salvation – Saved By Grace Thru Faith – We Have A Role To Play

The Third Cup Is The Cup Of Redemption & Blessing

This Cup Corresponds To The Verse: “I Will Redeem You”.
If The Afikoman Is His Body, Then The Third Cup Is His Blood.
“He Took The Cup Saying, “This Cup Is The New Covenant In My Blood, Which Is Poured Out For You.” Luke 22

The Fourth Cup Is The Cup Of Praise & Restoration

This Cup Corresponds To The Verse, “I Will Take You To Be My People.” The Price Of That Commitment Was His Life. It Was At This Point Jesus Set His Face Toward The Cross To Make A Lost And Sinful World – His People.

Mark 14 Says, “When They Had Sung A Hymn, They Went Out To The Mount Of Olives…” That “Hymn” Was Psalm 118. Some Of Those Words:
“The Lord Is My Strength And Song, And He Has Become My Salvation.
I Shall Not Die, But Live And Declare The Works Of The Lord.
 

  1. Guilty Of The Body And Blood Of The Lord

This meal is prophetic. Earth looks different than heaven – Shadows and types look different.

In Egypt they ate the lamb. In Jerusalem they did not bite or eat Jesus –
They received His Spirit. In eternity we eat this meal again at our wedding with Him.

This meal hasn’t really been about Egypt for 2000 years. It has always been about the Spirit and the Bride. Outside the doors in Egypt what was happening? The Death angel (Jesus – or a proxy) was killing millions.

In eternity the death “angel” is Jesus on a white horse (with us) who will kill millions. Blood will run four feet deep – Eating this meal is prophesying that day. Communion is dangerous because it’s part of the Passover meal.

This meal represents the salvation and judgment of mankind – It’s prophetic. You shouldn’t be afraid of communion or Passover, but you do need to understand what it is.

1 Cor 11 says “…the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new Covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” [He said to take eat, do this, this do – it’s His idea]. But we all know how this verse ends…

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” Should we be scared to do this?

Notice that it doesn’t say we can be unworthy to eat it. It says, “in an unworthy manner“. It’s not speaking of us being unqualified or unfit to receive it. It’s speaking to the manner in which we receive it.

We receive the bread and wine in a proper manner when we do it with a deep sense of our sinfulness, the understanding of our need of a Savior, and with real and living faith that Jesus is our Redeemer.

God gave the original Passover commands which Paul was addressing. Notice the theme that was repeated over and over:

  • Eat only unleavened bread.
  • Remove leaven from your houses.
  • No leaven shall be found in your houses.
  • Whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off.
  • Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;
    for by strength of hand Yehovah brought you out of this place.
  • No leavened bread shall be eaten.

The point of Passover and Communion is that we are unworthy.

We have to admit that to even be at the table to eat it.
Jesus is the only one who was ever unleavened.
He lived unleavened, died unleavened, and rose again unleavened.

We participate in his death with Him, are buried with Him, and raised to new life with Him (but it’s His life in us now). He removed our leaven – our sin.
So when He is in us – we are unleavened. His presence kills leaven. 

Notice this progression: “On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.” Relationship with Him begins with repentance.

Back to the verse: “For seven days (every week) no leaven shall be found in your houses.” The Feast is 7 days because that represents our new life in Him – sin can’t get re-attached – we can’t go back to live in Egypt.

Now, let’s shine a bright light on the last part of the verse. “Since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off.” Now that may sound like a threat – but it’s not a threat – it’s a geographic reality – You can visit Egypt (that is, sin – it’s not a good idea – because we tend to like to stay there). But you can’t live in Egypt anymore. Sin can’t be your home. 

We are accountable to leave Egypt whenever we find ourselves back there.

And we have to return to His table (we can’t just try to eat this meal in Egypt again). 

Several things were never apart of the Passover again – blood on the door – you stay inside till morning – and you eat it in haste. And this is what Paul is talking about. 

To try to eat this meal in Egypt – in sin – is to what? “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” You would have to put blood back on the door – with no intention of being delivered by it.

You would be crucifying Jesus (like the Romans and Pharisees did) not to be saved by Him but because you love your sin, which He is shining His light on to reveal. And Matthew 6 becomes true of you, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” 

We are accountable to leave Egypt, whenever we find ourselves back there. And we have to return to His table To eat His bread and drink His wine
because His presence kills leaven – sin and death.

Psalm 51 is the roadmap: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight… Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit… 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”

Do that and Remember Jesus – and you will experience pesach and true communion.

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Posted by Ray Haynes