The Passover Seder is truly incredible. Utterly laden with pictures of Christ beyond the scope of this tract to expound, there have been Jews converted simply by the realization of them. This annual feast commanded by God was given as a reminder of past events and a shadow of things to come. The Lord’s supper was the substance of this shadow, which in itself foreshadows the wedding feast of the lamb.
In the Passover, a lamb is to be slain in the doorway of the home with its blood to be put on the lintels and door posts. We see in this a lamb slain between two crosses.
We also have the matzah tosh, a piece of linen with three pockets in which three loaves of matzah bread are placed with a fold over the opening, all together representing unity. (The God we serve is triune and whenever the trinity is mentioned in Scripture it goes Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
The middle loaf is taken out (never the first nor the last). This bread in its preparation has been bruised and pierced (as our Lord was for our iniquity).
It is then broken.Half is placed back in the matzah tosh, and the other half is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden. (Jesus was hidden three days in the heart of the earth). Later in the evening the children go to find it and bring it to the patriarch who gives them a coin or token (our Lord was bought for a price). This bread is called the Afikomen, which means “I have come.” It is then partaken of by all. (This is the same bread of which Jesus said, “This is My body which is broken for you.”)
After the meal, Jesus took the third cup of the evening, which is the cup of salvation, and declared, “This is the cup of the new covenant in My blood.” After this He said, “I will not partake of it again until it finds fulfillment in My kingdom.” Jesus also said, “Do this as often as you drink it unto My remembrance” (luke22:14-23). Interestingly the Greek in this passage uses emou which is a personal possessive- my, and the word remembrance is anamnesis, literally- not amnesia or reminder. So then, Jesus Christ is saying that when we partake of this meal we are enacting a reminder to Him. Much like when God put the rainbow in the clouds he did it to remind Himself of the covenant He made with the earth.
It may make you wonder, if Christ instituted this with His disciples in a Passover fulfillment context; are we given any evidence of how they later understood to follow it; and are we ever given any liberty to change it as we see fit?
(1cor11:23-34) For nearly 300 years it was celebrated as a full meal in accord with the original apostles example and epistles (1cor11:2, 2ths2:15) before it was reduced to only the two main elements and stripped of its fulfillment context and eschatological overtones. It is now widely practiced as a somber remembrance of His death. But why should we mourn? He is no longer dead! He said to celebrate His death until He comes. We are to celebrate with a feast, looking forward to the wedding banquet of the lamb.
In 1cor11 Paul is rebuking believers for the unworthy manner in which they have been eating the Lord’s supper. Paul deals with two major offences-some getting drunk at the Lord’s table and others going home hungry. Clearly then at this time it was a full meal. Some may say that a viable option to avoid this situation is the reduction of the feast to a symbolic ordinance. Though this may solve the drunkenness problem, all then would go home hungry. Paul’s conclusion however is to keep the feast and wait for one another, wait for the saints at the Lord’s table. If you don’t think you can wait, eat at home first.
You may also want to reference the following: Exo12, Exo18:12, Exo24:9-11, Mat26:26-30, Act20:7, Jude12, Rev3:20
My Family
(Husband speaking)
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