The Lord’s Passover Meal

Do we participate in the correct mindset?

In response to studying 1 Corinthian 11: 17 – 34.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul was addressing the mindset, heart and intentions the members of the Corinthian Church were approaching and participating in worship. In many respects my very own hometown of Gainesville is similar to Corinth. Although it wasn’t a college town like Greece’s Athens was then and like Gainesville is now, it placed a high premium on wisdom and Greek philosophy. Corinth contained twelve temples, with one temple housing worshipers of Aphrodite which fostered prostitution in the name of religion; we have churches on nearly every main street and our churches represent all belief systems from Christian, to Judaism, to Muslim, to Unitarian, to new age spiritualism. We also have our own prostitution shops within our county’s borders. There was a large theater and an amphitheater in Corinth like our UF football stadium; it’s hard to deny that UF is a “god” to many people be it the education and research or the Gator athletics. Corinth was on an isthmus so it was a major trade route while Gainesville is at the northern center of Florida, a large peninsula, with a major interstate (I-75) dissecting it. It was a corrupt place to live, so immoral that the Greek verb “to Corinthianize” came to mean the practice of sexual immorality. Although towns like New Orleans are probably more like Corinth than Gainesville is, we are similar so we can learn so much from Paul’s letter to one of his churches.

Paul, trained under the most respected Jewish Pharisee and teacher of the Law of that time, Gamaliel (Acts 5:34), and Paul being a member of the Sanhedrin himself from the tribe of Benjamin and having spent a lifetime studying the details of the Law and Traditions, would have known the very significance of the Passover meal, all its symbolism and its fulfillment in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension. His warning to the Corinthian church and its manner of celebration a portion of the Lord’s Passover meal, now called the Lord’s Supper, has even more weight. We can argue the fact that the Corinthians, many of whom were Gentile believers, probably didn’t know the details and symbolism of the Jewish Passover meal but, in 55 AD, the Corinthians were less than 30 years removed from the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. We can only assume that when Paul taught the Corinthian church how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, he would have taught the meaning of each element of the ceremonial meal. There is a tradition and a requirement that we are to know these things and pass that knowledge along to others, so truly we are not off the hook from our responsibilities either.

As stated in Halley’s Bible Handbook, the followers of the Way in Jerusalem had all of their possessions in common; they seemed to live more communally. That practice had stopped and now the Corinthians were instituting a Love Feast (potluck dinner) that followed the corporate worship with Communion – the Lord’s Supper. The wealthier members brought more food than the poor members of that church; it was supposed to be shared ecumenically. However, the cliques within the Corinthian church were strong and the wealthy would gather together eating their contributed food while the poor gathered sharing what each brought. Members drank wine to excess and soon the Love Feast became nothing more than the drunken revelries of the idol temples in town. There was no communal love in those Love Feasts, no sharing of God’s provisions with those that had little by those that had abundant. The members of the Corinthian church lost the significance of the Lord’s Supper. Paul reminds the Corinthians – and us – to pay attention to Jesus’ words at His final Passover meal and before we eat the bread and drink the cup, we should examine ourselves. (1 Corinthians 11:28, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Matthew 5:22-24)

In order to understand the significance of the Passover meal, place application on the section of that meal now called the Lord’s Supper (of which Jesus instructed us that when we gather and repeat that section of the meal to remember Him) and understand what Paul is calling us to do, we need to examine the Passover meal.

That first Passover meal took place the evening of the final and tenth plague God inflicted on the Egyptians when Moses was asking Pharaoh to let the Israelites go to worship the Lord God; Pharaoh was refusing so each plague increased in power of God’s ability and distinction of who was His and who wasn’t.

God told Moses that this last plague signaled a new beginning for the Israelites; “This is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” (Exodus 12:1-2) On the tenth day of that month (Nisan/March-April) each family was to select a year-old, male lamb or kid goat without blemish and take it home with them. On the 14th day of that month, the family was to slaughter the lamb or goat at twilight. The Israelites were to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and top of the (front) doorframe of the house where they would eat the lamb. The lamb was to remain whole – with legs, head and inner parts – and to be roasted over a fire, not boiled or raw. The entire lamb was to be consumed with nothing left at morning and they were to eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. If any lamb remained after the meal, they were to burn it so that nothing remained. The Israelites were to eat the meal in haste as if they were ready to dine and dash. If a lamb was too big for a small family to consume, several small families could join together to share in the lamb so that everyone had lamb, everyone consumed the meal in haste and nothing of the meal remained in the morning. While preparing it, no bones were to be broken of that lamb and if it was shared, it was cooked and eaten in one home. The smaller communal families had to sleep in the home that had the lamb’s blood on the doorframe. Those males sharing in the meal must be circumcised and only those who were Israelites or circumcised property such as slaves. No foreigners or temporary residents were to eat the meal.

As we know, that night God passed through Egypt killing the first born of everything from man to animal from wealthy to poor from free to prisoner. Whoever had the “blood of the lamb” on its doorframe, God “passed over” that home not killing anyone in that home. (Exodus 12)

It took a strong act of belief and trust in the Lord God, His promises, His power to follow this instruction because had the Lord God not fulfilled His promise, Pharaoh would have known who the rebellious people were because each home was painted with blood on its doorframe. But, our God is faithful, true and capable so He did what He said He would do and protected whom He said He would protect.

Over the centuries, the Passover meal evolved a bit to have an order for each item of the meal and that item and order meant something. There were the four cups of wine, two items of bitter herbs, unleavened bread and the Paschal lamb. The story of the Exodus was remembered and retold and the Hallel Hymns (Psalms 113-118) were recited or sung.

The four cups of wine were warm red wine, poured out and consumed at specific times during the meal for specific reasons. I am assuming that the wine was red and warmed so it symbolized the blood of the lamb painted on the doorframe that first Passover and sprinkled on the alter at all of the following Passover sacrifices. Blood is also one way to seal a covenant - the most significant way. The four cups were:
1. Kiddush = Blessing – Blessing before the meal
2. Deliverance, Praise – before meal consumed
3. Redemption – consumed after the meal
4. Consummation – consumed at the conclusion of the evening
Each cup had a prayer to be recited over it and each cup had a verb of God recited and associated with it. Those verbs were from Exodus 6:6-7.

1. Cup of Blessing – (prayer of sanctification) Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine and you, oh Lord our God, have given us festival days of joy, this feast of unleavened bread, the time of our deliverance in remembrance of the departure from Egypt. Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, who has kept us alive, sustain us and enable us to enjoy this season. (verb Exodus 6:6) “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” Reminds me of Jesus saying (Matthew 11:28-30) “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And the mention of King of the universe reminds me of the times Jesus acknowledges he is King of a kingdom. (Matthew 27:11)

2. Cup of Deliverance, Praise - (prayer of sanctification) Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine and you, oh Lord our God, have given us festival days of joy, this feast of unleavened bread, the time of our deliverance in remembrance of the departure from Egypt. Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, who has kept us alive, sustain us and enable us to enjoy this season. (verb Exodus 6:6) “I will free you from being slaves to them."

3. Cup of Redemption – (prayer) Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine and you, oh Lord our God, have given us festival days of joy, this feast of unleavened bread, the time of our deliverance in remembrance of the departure from Egypt. Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, who has kept us alive, sustain us and enable us to enjoy this season. (verb Exodus 6:6) “I will redeem you with outstretch arms and with mighty acts of judgment.” The outstretch arms points to the cross as the payment for redemption. For me, the mighty acts of judgement points to Revelation 19:11-16. The Cup of Redemption also has a place in the Jewish marriage negotiations. After the groom has negotiated the price for the bride, he brings a cup of wine – the Cup of Redemption – to his bride and says, “This cup I offer you, I love you. In offering this I offer you my life.” The bride can accept the cup and marriage proposal or decline it. If she accepts it, she sips it and says, “I accept your life and in return I give you mine.”

4. Cup of Consummation - (prayer) Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine and you, oh Lord our God, have given us festival days of joy, this feast of unleavened bread, the time of our deliverance in remembrance of the departure from Egypt. Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, who has kept us alive, sustain us and enable us to enjoy this season. (verb Exodus 6:7) “I will take you as my own people and I will be your God.” Points to Revelation 21:3 “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

The bitter herbs were eaten at two times during the Passover meal and both were a bit different. The first bitter herb was parsley or celery dipped in either salt water or vinegar. This represented the tears the Jewish people shed crying out to God while in bondage in Egypt. The second was horseradish dipped in a sweet mixture of apples, nuts and honey mashed like a paste. The horseradish (maror, mar = bitter) was to bring tears to the person’s eye when consumed. The paste was called charoset and symbolized the mortar the Jewish slaves used when laying the bricks in Egypt; the tears shed during the brutal work of building Egypt in slavery.

The bread that was eaten was without a leavening agent and was merely flour and water. It was worked continually to keep it from rising then formed into flat wafers or discs and baked. The bread was unleavened because it was to represent a sinless body with leaven being sin - ego, puffed up, arrogant, pride, selfish. The unleavened bread would last longer and not spoil as fast, was lighter and easier to carry for a journey. (Again, I think of Jesus saying His yoke is light and easy.) Today the bread is called Matzah. There were three pieces of unleavened bread, stacked one on top of the other. The middle bread is broken in half with the smaller piece returned to the middle of the stack. The other half is wrapped in a linen napkin, hidden to be set aside for the end of the meal. That piece is called the Afikomen. Children or the younger guests were encouraged to find the Afikomen and bring it back to the meal to receive a redemption price. Consider these elements and think on their meaning. Three pieces of unleavened bread. The middle piece is broken in half, wrapped in a cloth and hidden to be found. In this stack of bread we see the Trinity of God, Christ's death "broken for you", wrapped and buried, hidden to be found. (John 6:33, 53, 41, 48 and 51 “I am the bread of life…”)

The lamb requirements did not change from the time of the Exodus until Jesus through to the destruction of the temple. The lamb was selected on the 10th of Nisan, must have been a one-year male lamb without blemish. During Jesus’ time, it was to be from the flocks of Bethlehem. (Bethlehem means “the house of bread”). The family brought the lamb home and it lived with the family for 4 days which allowed the family to care for the lamb. That time most likely brought the family close to the lamb as we are with a pet so to take the lamb four days later and sacrifice it as a sin offering must have been difficult for all involved. The lamb was brought to the tabernacle or temple the day before the Passover meal to be sacrificed. The family would lay their hands on the lamb to symbolize the transferring of their sins to an innocent substitute. The priests would line up between the sacrificial court area and the alter, each held a gold or silver cup that had a rounded bottom so the cup could not be placed down to rest keeping the blood from coagulating. The animal was sliced with a knife and the priest caught the blood with one of the cups. When it was full, he passed the cup to the priest who passed it down the line until the final priest poured the blood on the alter as atonement for the sin. During the killing of the lamb, the priests would recite the Hallel Hymns Psalms 113-118. The animals were sacrificed after 2:00 to 3:00 PM in the afternoon. (Jesus hung on the cross from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM when He gave up His Spirit and died.)

The lamb was hung up on hooks, skinned, and its fat portions (kidneys and such) were removed for a burnt offering to God. Its intestines (entrails) were removed and taken out of the city to be burned. The lamb was placed in a vessel to carry home and salted. At twilight the family roasted the lamb over a fire careful not to break any bones.

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The flogging during Roman times was horrific. The person was stretched around a pole and tied to it exposing his back to the soldier who would whip him. A leather tassel whip with it ends embedded with sharp objects like bits of bone was laid across a person's back. Then the soldier would pull the whip back off of the person as the sharp objects would tear the flesh off of the person. This reminds me of the Paschal lamb being skinned.
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No one who was not circumcised could partake in eating the lamb. No one who was unclean could eat the Passover meal which meant anyone who touched a dead animal (outside of the lamb), handled a corpse, a person with a disease or ailment that is considered unclean or a woman having a menstrual cycle. Unclean people had to wait until the 14th day of the second month to celebrate the Passover giving those people who were able 30 days (a moon’s cycle) to become ceremonially clean.

During Jesus’ time and for His final Passover, He arrived on what we call Palm Sunday; this was really the 10th of Nisan – Lamb Selection Day. So the “Lamb of God” from “the flock of Bethlehem” entered Jerusalem on Lamb Selection Day (John 1:29, Rev 5:6). Later that week, He directs His disciples to prepare the room where they will eat the Passover meal; by now they would have had the lamb in their possession. On the 13th of Nisan, the room would have been cleaned of all leavening and leavened bread. At night, they would have taken a wooden spoon, a feather and a lit candle and searched for any crumbs of leaven. The host Disciple would have said, “All leaven that is in my possession that which I have seen and that which I have not seen, be it null, be it accounted as dust to the earth.”

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I once heard it taught and cannot find it, that Jesus and the Disciples had their Passover meal on the Thursday because that was according to the lunar calendar of which the Essenes followed. It would have been the most accurate day for the Passover according to following God’s commands. The general Jewish population celebrated the meal on Friday. Consequently, Jesus was crucified, hung on the cross and died just as the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple for the generally practiced Preparation Day.

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On the 14th of Nisan, the meal was prepared and something to this order would have occurred. The guests would have arrived and the host would have directed a servant to wash the guests’ feet. The host Disciple did not have a servant to wash the feet nor did he or any of the Disciples take the task on himself; as the youngest, it would have fallen to John to do. Eventually as a learning opportunity, Jesus washes everyone's feet demonstrating why He came – to serve and do God’s Will - so we would know how to serve as God has called us.

The seating order would have been set with the head of the family, in this case Jesus, seated at the head of the table. The guests would have wrapped around the table in the order of oldest to youngest or most important to least important. We know John was the youngest so that’s why he was seated to one side of Jesus; why John rested his head on Jesus' chest. (John 13:22-25) We know the Judas dipped his bread with Jesus, so Judas had to have been seated on the other side of Jesus. Judas was either the most important or the oldest guest. Either conclusion of Judas gives me pause to think.

Prior to sitting at the table, the first hand washing would have occurred. The table would be set with a cup for wine, warmed red wine, one plate, and the food – unleavened bread stacked, the bitter herbs, the salt water, the charoseth mixture and the lamb. The first cup of wine would have been poured, the prayer of sanctification said and the action of God declared.

Next, Jesus and Judas would have taken the parsley and dipped it twice into the salt water. They would have passed the bitter herbs to all around the table and together they would have consumed those bitter herbs symbolizing the tears shed in captivity and slavery. The table would have been cleared of all food to heighten the story. The youngest – in this case John – would have asked three questions:

1. Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat leavened bread or unleavened bread but this night only unleavened bread?
2. On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs, but this night only bitter herbs. Why do we dip the herbs twice?
3. On all other nights, we eat meat roasted, stewed or boiled but this night why only roasted?

The father or head of the house – in this case probably Jesus – would have recounted the story of Abraham to Moses, the Exodus, the giving of the Law and the establishment of the Passover meal. They would have recited or sung the first half of the Hallel Hymns Psalm 113-114. This is Deuteronomy 6:4-9 in action.

The food would have been returned to the table after this and the second cup of wine poured, the cup of Deliverance. The prayer of sanctification said and the second action of God declared. The second hand washing would have occurred. Then they would have prayed over the unleavened bread. “Blessed are you, oh Lord our God, King of the universe who sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to eat unleavened bread."

Jesus would have turned to Judas (the oldest or guest of honor) and broken his bread, then they both would have dipped together in the charoseth and bitter herbs (horseradish) eating together. Judas would have then turned to the person beside him repeating the process and so on around the table until John would have broken Jesus’ bread. After this part of the meal, Judas leaves. He leaves having tasted bitterness and not tasted Deliverance and Redemption.

Now the meal would have been eaten and the second cup of wine drunk. After the meal, the third cup of wine would have been poured, the cup pf Redemption, and the sanctification prayer said with the third action of God declared.

This is when the Afikomen would have been found, brought back to the table, broken into pieces the size of an olive for everyone to share. Jesus would have said those famous words here:

“Take and eat; this is My body.” (This specific piece of bread in the ceremony symbolizes my body - my life - given to redeem you.)

Then Jesus takes up the third cup, the cup of Redemption, and says:

“Drink from it all of you. This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (This specific cup of wine symbolizes my blood - my life - given to redeem you.)

Jesus now sings the psalms 115-118 while walking to the Mount of Olives crossing the Kidron Valley heading to the Garden of Gethsemane with a heavy heart. He will drink the fourth cup, the cup of Consummation, at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in God’s Kingdom when all is fulfilled.

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I heard it taught once that during the ceremonies where animals were sacrificed at the temple - especially during Passover - that the blood of the animals would flow like a stream through the Kidron Valley. The Kidron Valley is between the Temple and the Mount of Olives. Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley, over or through the stream of flowing blood en route to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. If this flowing blood story is true, then what did Jesus think as He crossed that valley en route to His time of anguish and fervent prayer?

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This means that Jesus did drink the third cup after stating “I will redeem you with outstretch arms and with mighty acts of judgment.” The cup also meant the wedding proposal cup of Redemption meaning, “This cup I offer you, I love you. In offering this I offer you my life.”

When we drink the cup of communion, we as the bride are stating, “I accept your life and in return I give you mine.”

This is the very reason why Paul is outraged at the lackadaisical approach the Corinthian church was taking towards the Lord’s Supper, their Love Feast, their brothers and sisters in the faith and towards their God.

This is why we are to examine ourselves when we approach God, being truthful about who we are, confessing to God and asking for forgiveness. This is why we are to examine ourselves to make sure we don’t have something against our brother or sister nor does that person have something against us. This is why when we approach the Lord’s Supper in a lackadaisical way we eat and drink judgment upon ourselves. It's time to take the Lord's Supper seriously during worship. It's time to have the right heart for this act of worship.

While studying this section of 1 Corinthians, I was finishing a book from Ravi Zacharias when Ravi mentions the role of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea in the burial Jesus’ body. It made me think about them. Here are two men that are part of Jewish leadership. Joseph was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin – the council of 14 – and he did not consent to the crucifixion of Jesus. He was from Arimathea in Judah and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and also a member of the Jewish ruling council – the Sanhedrin. He went to Jesus at night to study with Him. Both men took amazing risks to go to Pilate, request the body and to bury Jesus. First, touching the dead body made them unclean and unable to partake in the Passover meal. Their absence from the meal as the leaders of their households would have been obvious and alarming. Jesus was taken from the cross on Preparation Day when people prepared (sacrificed and roasted) their lambs. The men would have had fifty pounds of spices and linen strips to wrap Jesus. They were wrapping the Afikomen and placing Him in a tomb – “hiding Him until later.”

What went through their heads as they held the mutilated, unrecognizable body of the man they came to respect and follow? Did they wash the body or was it so damaged that washing Jesus would have been useless. They would have tenderly wrapped Jesus in linen strips of cloth tucking spices in so that as Jesus’ body decomposed, the smell might be lessened by the spices. Did they cry? Were they in such shock? Were they sick to their stomachs? Did they place Him lovingly in the tomb tucking Him in as a parent tucks a child in at night? Or were they on autopilot due to the shock?

When they went home, they would have had to burn their clothes because they were unclean and most likely stained with Jesus’ blood. They would have had to wait until the 14th day of the second month to eat their Passover meal. Did Joseph recall Isaiah 53:6-9 with a special emphasis on verse 9 – “… and with the rich in His death.” How did they explain to people why they missed the Passover meal and what made them unclean? They risked loosing their wealth, position in the Sanhedrin and Jewish society and being considered "dead" by their community.

However, Jesus was alive and walking the earth resurrected by the 14th day of the second month. I wonder if Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and Joseph when they celebrated the Passover meal then. And what did the Passover meal mean to the men after the resurrection? (Nicodemua, Joseph and the Disciples)

I confess that I do not approach the Lord's Supper as I should and hope to remember the significance of the elements of the supper, what Jesus said and did so that I will approach the communion as a bride who says, "I accept your life and offer you mine" and not eat and drink judgment upon myself.

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I recently heard Ravi Zacharias teach on various beliefs, how those beliefs are one dimensional and how God many times will show how He transcends all time to be the God that was (in the past), the God that is (in the present) and the God that is to come (in the future). Ravi says a traditionalist is someone who is always living in the past basing his/her existence on the traditions of the past. Now knowing the past is important because without knowledge of the past we will repeat the errors of the past but, we should not live completely in the past. The existentialist lives for the moment. For that person, living in the here and now is all there is; you cannot change the past and you don't know for certain what the future brings. Now it's important to live in the present so that you live grateful for each moment but, living completely in the present means you are not learning from the past nor preparing for the future. The Utopian lives for the future striving for the ideal society. That person may never experience Utopia but, he is living for it. Now it's good to have your eyes on the future so as you progress through life you are thinking about the implications of your actions on those coming after you but, living completely in the future means you are not appreciating the gift of today's life nor ensuring that you're learning from the past to make better future decisions.

Ravi said when Jesus broke the bread (the Afikomen), at the last supper, and instructed his disciples to eat the bread and drink the cup of wine (the cup of redemption), Jesus linked the past, present and future together in a definition of Himself. The bread and cup - its meanings were from the past and part of tradition, "do this in remembrance of me," - stated the present so that each time you partook in communion, you remembered Jesus in the present, and that He won't partake in the fruit of the vine until everything symbolized in the Passover becomes fulfilled in the future. In that moment of the Lord's last Passover meal, He stated He is the God of the past, the present and the future in those actions and words of the Passover meal.

I thought that was a great revelation to share.

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