For His Glory

Christian Passover Haggadah 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 

Leader : We are entering into the Spring feast days, the Spring appointed times of the Lord. 

The Spring feast days are Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. 

Leviticus 23:5-11 establishes the Spring Feasts.  `These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.  `On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover.  `And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. `On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.  `But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.' '' And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: `When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.  `He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” 

This is the first fruits of the barley harvest.

The Passover Dinner is in reality the first meal of the 7 Day Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Jesus died during the time when the sacrificial lambs were killed.  That was before sunset.  At sunset, Passover ended and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began.  The Feast of First Fruits came 3 days into the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Jesus died on Passover and rose on the Feast of First Fruits.  

1 Corinthians 15:20:  "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."  Jesus is both the Passover Lamb and the first fruit of resurrection to eternal life. 

Let us begin our Passover by washing our hands. This act pictures spiritual cleansing and preparation. Let this act remind us of Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples reminding us that it is the sacrifice of the Cross that brings spiritual cleansing into our lives and prepares us for service for our king.

Explanation of Passover Display Elements: 

Passover Plate contains several items that illustrate the trials of Israel and their exodus out of slavery.  

  •Karpas:  the bitter vegetable:  represents the bitterness of Israel in Egyptian slavery.  Later we will dip it  into salt water to signify the tears of bitterness. For Christians it is a reminder of the bitterness and agony of a sinful life and an eternity separated from the presence of God. 

 •Haroset:  A mixture of fruits, honey and nuts symbolizing the mortar that the Israelite slaves used in building structures for Pharaoh. The name itself comes from the Hebrew word cheres or clay. As Christians the Haroset reminds us of the sweetness and stability of our covenant with God. 

•Zeroa:  In the Jewish Passover, a shank bone representing the sacrificial Passover lamb is placed on the tray.  As Christians, we place an edible cross on the plate to symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

•Beitzah: the hard-boiled egg represents the cycle of life. In Christ, we are continually moving toward a new beginning, toward the hope we have in Him. 

•Four cups represent the four promises the Lord made to Israel in Exodus 6:6-7:."Therefore say to the children of Israel: `I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, (sanctification) I will rescue you from their bondage,(deliverance) and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.(redemption) `I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.(the joy of full salvation). 

The four cups prophesy the ministry of Jesus. 

Jesus sanctifies us – “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:19). 

Jesus delivers us – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). 

Jesus redeems us – “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). 

Jesus is our joy – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). 

• The Afikomen: (leader takes a piece of matzah, breaks it into three pieces, places one piece in a napkin and hides it under the tablecloth or some other convenient place to be brought out later.  The other two pieces are broken and placed on the dining table to be eaten during the meal.) The three stacked pieces of matzah represent the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The middle piece, the Afikomen, is placed in a napkin and hidden.  While the Jews follow the ancient ritual of the Afikomen, most do not understand the prophetic significance.  The middle piece of matzah, wrapped and hidden, is a picture of the body of the Son of God, wrapped in grave clothes and hidden in a sealed cave. 

•Two candles:  to be lighted now by one of the women.

Lighting candles is a way to welcome Shabbat and make it a day of pleasure, as commanded by the Torah.

The act of lighting candles is also a symbol of the union and harmony between heaven and earth, and a way to express inner feelings.

Traditionally, women have been seen as the keepers of the household and are responsible for ensuring its spiritual and physical well-being.

Leader: (Blessing of the sabbath candles):  

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Sabbath. 

Oh Lord, our God, we praise You for bringing us once again to this season where we remember  our deliverance from worldly sin and into the promises contained in our covenant with You based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, our Messiah. 

We thank you for the lesson we see in the deliverance of your people from the slavery of Egypt.  Amen 

The candles are lighted.

Let us now bless the first cup, the cup of sanctification: 

In His High Priestly prayer recorded in John 17, our Lord prayed for us, “17:18-20.  "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” 

Lord, we praise You that through the sacrifice of Jesus, our Passover lamb, we can be sanctified and set apart for your service. Amen (drink the first cup.) 

The blessing of the Karpas—the bitter herb: Pass the bitter herb around the table each person is to receive a portion; dip yours in the salt water.  “Father, we thank you that the sacrifice of Jesus has delivered us from tears of the bitterness of sin and unforgiveness.  Create in each of us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us.” (Eat the karpas.) 

Please take a piece of matzah and top it with some of the charoset. This pictures the bitterness of the slavery in Egypt and the sweetness of freedom. It is a picture of the bitterness and anguish when we are enslaved in sin and the sweetness and joy in our lives when we accept salvation in Jesus Christ.

Exodus 12:1-20: “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: `On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. `And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. `Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. `Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.  `And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. `Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. `Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire its head with its legs and its entrails. `You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. `And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.  `For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. `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; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 

The price for sin has been paid.  Because of Jesus' shed blood, we are "passed over" from the eternal consequence of sin . On the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished” meaning that the debt has been paid in full.  Please take the cross at your plate, dip it in the horseradish take a bite of it as a reminder of the agony our Savior suffered at Calvary.  

The sun has set. Passover has been completed. It is time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.    In scripture, leavening pictures sin.  Leavening spreads throughout the dough and changes it chemically. In the same way, sin can permeate our body, mind and spirit changing us from the people God created us to be.

`So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. `Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. `On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat that only may be prepared by you. `So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.  `In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. `For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. `You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.' '' 

Take the second cup, the cup of deliverance. As we take this cup we thank God for our deliverance.  “Father, we are thankful that You do not lead us into temptation and that You willingly deliver us from evil.  You are our deliverance.  Just as You delivered Israel from the slavery of Egypt, in the atonement of Your Son, You deliver us from slavery to sin.  In You, sin no longer has mastery over us.  Amen. (Drink the second cup.) 

Please take a piece of the matzah.  The matzah is unleavened bread.   Passover is a time to purge the leavening from our lives just as spring cleaning purges the leavening from our homes.  On the day after He entered the city, Jesus went to His house, the temple.  He cleansed Temple of the leavening of sin by chasing out the moneychangers and declaring His Father’s house as a House of Prayer and not a den of thieves. 

In like manner, Passover is a time to cleanse our temples (our bodies) of sin through confession and repentance and to offer ourselves once again as a living sacrifice to our Lord. 

Deliverance brings purity into our lives.  It is time to drink the second cup.

Traditionally, Jews thank God for the meal after they have eaten.  We will follow this tradition this evening. 

Please remember that every time we eat together, we are coming into covenant with one another.  This is a family meal.  

Psalm 133 

1.  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 

 2.  It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 

 3.  It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing Life forevermore. 

Please enjoy your Passover meal as you fellowship with others. 

(After the meal.) 

Let us bless the third cup, the cup of redemption. 

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your provision of food and fellowship as we have gathered together around the table and as we look forward to the heavenly Marriage Supper of the Lamb. As we prepare to drink the third cup, the cup of redemption, we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives as the seal of our redemption in Jesus Christ. . We declare that our deliverance has come through the Jesus, our sacrificial lamb. We drink this cup in anticipation of our soon and coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  Hallelujah! Amen. Drink the third cup. 

What was accomplished during that Holy Week over 2,000 years ago? 

1. The death and resurrection of Jesus paid the price for our sin and allowed God to declare us pure, innocent, righteous, acceptable and forgiven. 

2. The death and resurrection of Jesus gave us access to God.  Remember that the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died.

3. The death and resurrection of Jesus set us free from the rule of evil powers. 

4. The death and resurrection of Jesus gave us victory. 

He is our salvation—Passover. 

He is our Righteousness—Unleavened Bread. 

He is our Resurrection—First Fruits. 

The Feasts of the Lord are all about Jesus. 

He is not here; He is risen.  Hallelujah! 

The Hallel—Psalms 113-118 are recited during Passover.  After the leader reads a selection, the people shout “Hallelujah!!!  

Our Hallel is based on portions from the Hallel psalms.  Please stand for the reading and response of the Hallel. 

The Hallel: 

 Leader:  Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! 

                Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore! 