Christmas and Easter stand as pillars--monumental events that transformed the world. While I adore Christmas because the symbolic décor and traditions point to God dwelling with us, Easter is equally my favorite holiday. Years ago, when my children were young, my family chose to incorporate a Passover Seder into our Easter traditions. Every year, the Seder reminds us in an amazingly profound and symbolic way of the hope we have in the Resurrection. Not only does the Seder commemorate God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from the ten plagues and the bondage of slavery in Egypt, but it also beautifully foreshadows the Messiah, our Great Deliverer, who redeemed us at Calvary. Now, through Messiah, we can escape the slavery of sin as well as experience the hope of eternal life.
While the entire Exodus story foreshadows the Messiah, specifically, the Seder plate provides a magnificent picture of Jesus with each element divinely pointing to Him:
Matzoh-an unleavened bread without yeast that is striped and pierced represents the bread eaten in haste by the Israelites. It also represents Messiah’s body and His sinless sacrifice (Luke 22:I9, Psalm 22:I6, and Isaiah 53:5).
Karpas--a green vegetable such as parsley dipped in salt water represents the hyssop dipped in lamb’s blood. It reminds us that the Redeemer provides new life with freedom from the bondage of sin. (Hyssop was also dipped in vinegar and given to Jesus to drink on the cross).
Maror--or “bitter herbs” such as horseradish represents the bitterness and sadness of the bondage of slavery, as well as a life without redemption from sin.
Charoset--a sweet mixture of apples, wine, nuts, and cinnamon not only represents the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks, but it also represents the sweetness of redemption through our Redeemer.
A roasted or hard-boiled egg--dipped in salt water represents mourning over the destruction of the Temple, as well as new life and the resurrection of Messiah.
The four cups of wine or grape juice--these Cups of Sanctification, Deliverance, Redemption and Restoration represent the blood of Christ. It was regarding the third cup of Redemption that Jesus said, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20).
Zeroa--a lamb’s shank bone that represents the tenth plague and the sacrificial lamb of salvation.
The Passover Lamb endures as the most powerful symbol of Messiah. When God decreed the tenth plague, the death of the first-born of every family, He also provided a way of salvation from this death--a lamb. Using a hyssop bush, the Israelites were to place the blood of a spotless male lamb on the doorposts and lintel. Then, when the Angel of Death saw the lamb’s blood on the top and both sides of the door with blood dripping on the ground, he would see the entrance was covered and so pass over them. By faith, the Israelites trusted in the lamb’s blood to save them; this blood when connected with invisible lines formed the outline of a cross. What an incredible picture of salvation in Messiah--He is our Passover Lamb (John I:29; I Corinthians 5:7); He is the Door of Salvation (John I0:9). Because of the Resurrection, He is our Hope (I Corinthians 5:20)!
Moreover, on the tenth day of the month of Nisan, the Israelites were to inspect their chosen lamb for spots and blemishes; then on the fourteenth day, they were to sacrifice that lamb, catch its blood in a basin, and then roast the entire lamb without breaking any bones (Exodus I2).
Once again, Jesus fulfilled all perfectly. On the tenth day of the month of Nisan at the Temple, a spotless lamb was chosen to be the Passover lamb for the nation of Israel. On the same day, Jesus, the true Lamb of God, entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; John I2: I-5). Then, a few days later when Passover began at six that evening, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples, instituting the New Covenant of communion before His arrest. All throughout that night, after enduring trials by the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and King Herod, Jesus was found to be innocent and blameless.
At the Temple at nine on Passover morning, the High Priest tied to a stake the perfect lamb that had been chosen as the nation’s sacrifice. Similarly, at nine o’clock on the fourteenth of Nisan, Jesus was nailed to the cross. Because the Passover meal had to be eaten before 6 o’clock that evening- the beginning of a new Hebrew day, thousands of Jews stood in line at the Temple to sacrifice their lambs by three o’clock.
Moreover, at the Temple at three o’clock each Passover afternoon, the High Priest sacrificed the Passover lamb for the entire nation of Israel while declaring, “It is finished.” It was three in the afternoon as Jesus breathed his last breaths on the cross, crying, “It is finished.” Then, with unbroken legs, He was taken from the cross and buried before six o’clock, the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. With His resurrection on the third day, which is also the Feast of First Fruits (I Corinthians I5: 20), we now have the hope of redemption, the hope of salvation, and the hope of eternal life.
All of the Old Testament perfectly points to and foreshadows Jesus (Luke 24:44). The more I learn about the depths of the Bible, the more I am amazed. Because of the Seder, Easter has an even sweeter meaning to me. Incorporating a Passover Seder or simply the elements of a Seder plate into Easter traditions can serve as a beautiful illustration of Passion Week and Resurrection Day, and it is a wonderful way to celebrate the hope we have in Messiah.
Meet the Author!
Nolene Niles, a member of Council Road for over thirty years, is a 7th grade English teacher at Yukon Middle School. She has been married to Troy for thirty-five years this May and has two boys, Landon and Tate, and will gain a new daughter, Kaitlin, in September. In her free time (summers), she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and most especially writing and creating Biblical curriculum for her class at school.
