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Why is this night different from all other nights?

“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you…So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations.” Exodus 12:13-14

On Friday, March 25, UIC ministry and HBF gathered at the Chicago center for a Jews for Jesus presentation on the Passover Seder, which celebrates the night God delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery. “Seder” is the Hebrew word for “order” and like many Jewish festivals it is full of rituals. However, we learned how each part of the Passover Seder points to Jesus Christ. The feast begins with the head of the family taking out the middle piece of unleavened bread from a three layer cloth. He holds up the bread saying “Afikomen” which means “that which comes later.” The piece of bread is put in a different cloth and hidden during the seder. We learned how the six items on seder plate. We started with a bitter green herb, representing the suffering endured to receive new life. We dipped it in bowls of salt water, which symbolized Jesus’ tears. Then we ate horseradish, which caused many people to shed tears of their own. There is also a sweet paste and roasted egg. And the last item on the plate was a roasted lamb bone.

During the Passover Seder, the Jew’s practice a tradition very similar to Communion. After drinking wine/grape juice the children of the family are told to look for the bread that was hidden. We learned that the bread, part of a three-in-one bag, symbolizes Jesus. Only one piece of bread was shown, it was broken, hidden, and brought forth. Our Lord Jesus is God incarnate; he was crucified, buried and raised on the third day! It was amazing to see how this Passover, which has been celebrated for 3,000 years, points to Jesus. “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast…” 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. This Easter, let us remember the suffering of Christ which brought us out of the bitterness of slavery and into the sweetness of new life.

Reported by Sarah Little