~ The Last Supper ~

      Now we come to the ‘Last Supper’ that our Saviour Yeshua HaMashiach ate with his disciples the night in which He was betrayed. Was it a Passover Seder? Was it a new ceremony that had no relationship to the traditional Passover Seder? Or was it changed from the traditional Passover to a ‘Christian Passover?’ These are legitimate questions that have plagued Believers for almost two thousand years, yet there are strong hints within the scriptures that indicate just exactly what it was. What follows is this writers opinion based on the scriptures and upon what is currently known about the customs of that time and place.

* When Was the Last Supper Held? *

      The first question that must be answered is, on which night was the Last Supper held?
      Most Believers agree that the Last Supper was held on the night portion of Nisan 14. (Remember that Hebrew days always begin at sunset, not at midnight.) A small number of Believers hold to the Last Supper being held on the night portion of Nisan 15, when the Jews would have been eating their Passover lambs. The answer to this question is found in the gospel of John. Notice which day it was when Yeshua was brought trial:

      “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.”
(John 18:28)

      The Passover lambs were slain at the Temple on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and were eaten after sundown which is the night portion of Nisan 15. Thus, if the Jews were afraid of going into the Praetorium lest they become ritually defiled and thereby be unable to eat the Passover, it stands to reason that this event must have taken place prior to Nisan 15.
      By that afternoon, Yeshua was hanging on the stake along with two malefactors. The Jews wanted the victims to die and have their bodies removed prior to sunset.

      “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
(John 19:31)

      The only possible ‘high day’ at this time was the First Day of Unleavened Bread, which always falls on Nisan 15. Therefore, the day Yeshua died on the stake had to be Nisan 14 the Passover Day, the very same day and hour when the Passover lambs were being slain at the Temple.

      “...For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
(I Cor. 5:7)

      “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29)

“‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!’”
(Rev. 5:12)

      Indeed, Yeshua is our Passover lamb, and He was slain at exactly the same time (the ninth hour = three p.m.) as the High Priest sacrificed the first Passover lamb for the entire nation of Israel. It is profoundly interesting to note that as the High Priest drew the knife across the throat of the lamb he was required to make a statement. This statement is exactly the same one that Yeshua made on the stake:

      “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
(John 19:30)

      Some have speculated that the year in which Yeshua was crucified the Jews were unable to sacrifice the Passover lambs because of the three hours of darkness, the earthquake and the rending of the Temple veil. While this is a distinct possibility, there are no historical records to indicate that this was the case.

* Was The Last Supper A Seder? *

      The next question that arises is whether the Last Supper was a Passover Seder or just a last night get together before Yeshua went away. All indications are that it was indeed a Passover Seder.
      How can we know this?

      (1) It is called a Passover:

      “Now on the first day (note added word) of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’
      “And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, ‘My time is at had; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”’
      “So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.”
(Matt. 26:17-19)

      “And His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.”
(Mark 14:16)

      “So they went and found it as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.”
(Luke 22:13)

      “Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’”
(Luke 22:15)

      (2) The meal was eaten in Jerusalem. Prior to this night, Yeshua had been making the two mile journey back to Bethany every night, where He was staying in the home of Simon the leper. However, the Passover lamb had to be consumed within the city limits of Jerusalem, therefore the lamb could not legally have been taken back to Bethany for the Seder. While one could hold a Seder in Bethany, the Passover lamb could not have been served there. This seems to indicate that a properly sacrificed Passover lamb was served at the Last Supper.

      “After two days it was the Passover ... And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper...”
(Mark 14:1,3)

      There is no way to prove one way or the other whether the Simon of Bethany was also the father of Judas the betrayer, but it is interesting to note that we are given the name of the father of Judas Iscariot:

      “He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.’
(John 6:71)

      (3) The meal was eaten in the evening. The customary time for the last meal of the day was before it be-came dark. Only on the Sabbath and the Festivals did the Jews eat after dark.

      “In the evening He came with the twelve.”
(Mark 14:17)

      (4) They reclined while eating the meal.

      “And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.”
(Luke 22:14)

      While the other gospel accounts use the usual Greek term which means to sit down and eat a meal, Luke uses a different Greek word; anapipto (Strong’s #377) which means; “to fall back, i.e. Lie down, lean back.”
      Only at the Passover Seder did the Jews sit in a reclining position. This was the manner of the rich and powerful, those who were free men and citizens of Rome. On this night the Jews considered themselves to be free men, even though their nation was subject to the Roman Emperor.

      (5) Wine was served at the Last Supper. Only on Sabbath (if they could afford it) and on Festivals did the Jews drink wine with their meals.
      Also, it was not customary to recite an additional Brachah if a second or third cup of wine was poured during the course of a normal Sabbath or Festival meal. This was only done at the Passover Seder.

      “Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.
(Mark 14:23-24)

      This is obviously the same cup as is mentioned in Luke 22:

      “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
(Luke 22:20)

      This is definitely not the same cup over which Yeshua said a Brachah at the beginning of the meal. (See Luke 22:17 below.)

      (6) The normal way to begin a meal in a Jewish setting was to have the Brachah (blessing) for the wine and then the Brachah for the bread. Only at the Passover Seder was the blessing said only for the wine at the outset of the meal.

      “And when the hour had come, He sat down ... Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, ...“
(Luke 22:14,17)

      The Brachah for the bread comes later in the Passover ceremony.

      (7) While dipping of food was common in a normal Jewish meal, it was not required. However, dipping of food is of prime importance in the Passover Seder because it is done, not just once but, twice. This forms the basis for one of the four questions that is asked by the son; “On all other nights we are not required to dip even once, but on this night we dip twice?”
      Some very interesting things can be learned by knowing the Seder customs and applying them to the dipping incident. It was customary for the leader of the Seder to be seated at the table with people both to his right and to his left. it was customary for the eldest to sit to the left of the leader and the youngest to his right. When it came time to dip the food, the leader would share that honor with the eldest person who sat to his left. Since Yeshua dipped the sop with Judas, it can be safely assumed that Judas was the oldest of the twelve. Perhaps that is why he was entrusted with the money bag.
      On the other hand, when they reclined at the Passover meal they always reclined to the left. This meant that the person sitting to Yeshua’s right would have his head near Yeshua’s bosom. Since John finds himself in this position it can safely be assumed that John was the youngest of the disciples. Peter was probably sitting across the table from John and, in the din of the general conversation, was able to quietly ask John to ask Yeshua who the betrayer was. Yeshua was also able to answer quietly to John so that probably only Peter and John actually knew who Yeshua had fingered.

      (8) The Passover Seder is always ended with the singing of the Great Hallel, Psalm 136.

      “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
(Matt. 26:30)

      According to Jewish law all participants in the Passover were required to stay within the city limits of Jerusalem for the entire night. Normally, Gethsemane would be considered outside the city, as it was across the Kidron Valley, part way up the Mount of Olives to the east. However, during the Passover season the city limits were extended to include the western side of the Mount of Olives so that Gethsemane would be considered a part of the city of Jerusalem. Again we see Yeshua being very observant of all the Jewish laws and customs.

* A Legitimate Passover? *

      A question that has bothered almost every Believer is; how could Yeshua and His disciples hold a legitimate Passover Seder one night before the traditional Jewish one?
      The Passover lambs were killed ben ha arvaim (ben hah ar-vah-eem), which is usually translated as ‘evening’ or ‘twilight’ but literally means “between the two evenings.”
      The Jewish sages have always understood this phrase to mean the time of day that lies between when the sun first begins its decline (early afternoon to us) and when the sun is in rapid decline (late afternoon to us). Thus, “between the two evenings” is said to be mid-afternoon. This would put it at about the ninth hour (approximately three p.m.).
      There are two keys to a correct interpretation of this phrase. The first lies in the example of Yeshua’s death on the stake. He died at the precise time of day which the Jews interpreted to be “between the two evenings;” of this there can be no doubt.

      “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last.”
(Luke 23:44-46)

      Just as the High Priest was about to slay the Passover lamb which was symbolic for the entire nation of Israel, the real Passover Lamb died in its place on the stake. What a powerful testimony for the correctness of what the Jews were doing all of those centuries.
      The second key to the meaning of ben ha arvaim (between the two evenings) is found in the scriptures. Chapter 28 of Numbers deals with the daily sacrifices that were to be offered at the Temple. An offering was made in the ‘morning’ and another in the ‘evening.’

      “‘The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening...’”
(Num. 28:3)

      Again, the word ‘evening’ is ben ha arvaim which literally translated is “between the two evenings.” The evening’ sacrifices were offered every afternoon beginning at the ninth hour (about three p.m.). For centuries it was done this way, and Yeshua never once in His entire ministry condemned that practice. He had a lot to say about how the leaders of both the Sadducees (Priests and Levites) and the Pharisees (Synagogue teachers) led their private lives and treated other people, but He never once condemned either Temple or Synagogue worship.

      “Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
(Col.2:16-17)

      The sacrifice of Messiah is the most important factor of the entire Passover season. Never forget that great truth. Whatever you do, do it in complete faith:

      “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
(Rom. 14:22-23)

      “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

      “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault...”
(Col. 2:12-15a)

      After twenty plus years of conditioning, it was very difficult for this writer to move away from a Nisan 14 observance of communion into the fullness of a complete Passover Seder on the 15th, as was celebrated since Egypt by the children of Israel. However, the experience has proved to be so much richer and fuller than communion could ever be, and as a result new understanding has been revealed. (New to this writer, that is. The information has always been there, but often times we ignore or overlook it because of our unwillingness to grow in grace and knowledge.)

      If the Passover Seder was not normally held on Nisan 14 then the original question must again be asked. How could Yeshua and His disciples keep a legitimate Passover Seder on Nisan 14? After all, Yeshua never sinned, He kept the law perfectly.

      “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
(II Cor. 5:21)

* Impending Death Theory *

      It is believed there was a practice in Temple worship, that allowed a person who was on the brink of death to hold a Passover Seder, complete with lamb, at anytime during the year. Certain conditions had to be met:

      Yeshua met all of these requirements, including the first.

      “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
(John 13:1)

      “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’”
(Matt. 26:2)

      Notice that John mentions the Last Supper was being held “before the feast of the Passover,” that is, before the regular time for the Passover meal, Nisan 15. This is another proof that the Last Supper was held one night early.
      Two hundred years later a great argument broke out among the Jewish sages as to whether the Passover could be legally kept on the night of Nisan 14, the assumption being that it could be kept at any other time of the year. Some argued that the only night it could not be kept was Nisan 14. Since this became a point of argument, it can be assumed that there were others who argued that it was permissible to do so.
      The essence of the argument is found in a set of books called the Tosefta (Toe-sehf-tah). Tosefta means additions’ in Hebrew. The Tosefta contains those writings of the Oral Torah which did not make it into the Mishnah (Meesh-nah).
      One must be trained to truly be able to read any of the ancient Jewish books correctly. Basically, they are law books and need to be approached with that in mind. Just as attorneys must be trained in the reading of our national, state and local laws; so a similar type of training is required to properly read the Jewish law books. This writer does not claim to have that training. However, after having studied this topic for several years, and having studied the Tosefta and Mishnah passages for several years, some things have become evident. If a Jewish writer presents an argument against something it means that someone else has argued for it, even though the other side may not be explicitly stated, otherwise the issue would not have been raised. Thus, by arguing against a slaughtering of the Passover lamb on Nisan 13, and it’s consumption on Nisan 14, they automatically indicate that at one time it was permissible to do so under the special circumstances of imminent death.
      Why would some of the Jews argue against a Nisan 14 Passover Seder? Because they knew that is when Yeshua held His last Passover Seder and they wanted the non-believing Jews to think that it was against Jewish law to do so, and thereby discredit Him before the people.
      It is this writer’s opinion that what Yeshua did on that evening of Nisan 14, was to exercise His legitimate right, under Jewish law, to hold a Passover Seder one night early, because He knew He was going to die the very next day as the ultimate Passover sacrifice for all the world. Three of the disciples took a chosen Passover lamb to the Temple and there performed the sacrifice according to Jewish law. Since the Passover sacrifice of the lamb is identical in every way to the Peace Offering, it was not unusual for people to appear on any day of the week with lambs for sacrifice. They were required to declare, prior to the sacrifice, what the sacrifice was for, whether a Peace Offering or a Passover Sacrifice. The Priests were obliged to perform the rite, assuming that the people were ritually clean and knew what they were doing. No Jew would ever consider bringing an improper offering to the Temple or to appear there in an unclean state. That would have been unthinkable and they might have expected to be struck dead on the spot if they did so.

* Teaching Seder Theory *

      Another opinion concerning the legitimacy of a Last Supper Seder involves the practice of Rabbis performing ‘teaching Seder’s’ prior to the traditional Nisan 15 Seder.
      According to this theory, it was common for these ‘teaching Seder’s’ to be held for the purpose of helping the pilgrims learn what was going to take place, what the symbols meant, and how they were to conduct themselves. Since many Jews from the Diaspora might only come to Jerusalem and the Temple one time in their entire life (usually at Passover), it was important that they be ritually clean and know what was going on.
      If this were the case with the Last Supper, then a Passover lamb would not have been sacrificed. This idea has some credence since Yeshua brought forth the new symbols of the bread being His body, and the wine being His blood, sacrificed for His disciples. In effect, Yeshua was ‘teaching’ His disciples about what the two most important Seder symbols meant in terms of the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant).

* The Wrong Day Theory *

      A very prevalent view in the Churches of God is that the correct time for the celebration of the Passover Seder always was at the beginning of Nisan 14 and that ‘the Jews’ changed the date without telling anyone they had done so. However, this would not be consistent with Jewish practice, since they are very good at recording all of their various disputes. Since no record exists concerning this particular dispute it is unlikely that it ever occurred.
      Support for a Nisan 14 Passover observance seems to be forthcoming from the fact that in Israel today there are a small group of native people who actually sacrifice Passover lambs just after sundown on Nisan 13 and consume them in a ceremonial meal that night (the beginning of Nisan 14). These people are descendants of the ancient Samaritans who lived between Judea and the Galil (Galilee region) in the days of Yeshua.
      Before rushing to embrace the Samaritan practice one should ask a few questions. From whence came the religion of these people? What did Yeshua have to say about their religious practices?
      The origins of the Samaritan religion go back to the days when the northern ten tribes, the house of Israel, were taken captive by the nation of Assyria in 722 BCE. Huge numbers of the population were transported to Assyria. A remnant of the people escaped to the southern kingdom, the house of Judah. A few others probably remained hidden in the land. The Assyrian king then transported other ethnic groups that he had captured, from their homelands into the area vacated by the house of Israel. They were a mixture of people and were pagan in their religious practice. They had a problem with wild animals coming into their villages, so they asked the king of Assyria to send them a priest from the house of Israel who could teach them the religion of the land so that they would be protected from the wild animals. This he did. (See II Kings 17 for the complete story:)
      The Samaritan religion was thus an amalgamation of the idolatry practiced by the house of Israel, the Samaritan’s former pagan practices in their previous land, and what they learned from the Torah. They actually accepted the Torah as their Bible, but did not accept the other books of the Hebrew scriptures. In this respect they were in agreement with the Saducees.

      The Samaritans actually built a Temple, on Mount Gerezim, which was an exact replica of the Temple in Jerusalem. This was done after the High Priest of God’s Temple in Jerusalem decided to marry the daughter of the king of Samaria. Since the Torah required the wives of the Priests to also be from the line of Aaron, this disqualified the man from holding the office. The King of Samaria then built a Temple on Mount Gerezim in Samaria and his new Levitical son-in-law became the High Priest of Samaria. The Samaritan Temple was destroyed by the Maccabees when they conquered Samaria about 150 years before the time of Yeshua. Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered the foundation of this Temple which will soon be open to the public.
      Should we follow the practice of the Samaritans? Read what Yeshua HaMashiach had to say to the Samaritan woman at the well and then decide for yourself:

      “‘You worship what you do not know we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.’”
(John 4:22)

      It is interesting to note that Yeshua did not support the worship of the Samaritans and yet used the example of the ‘Good Samaritan’ as how to show love to your neighbor. By the same token, Yeshua supported the religion of the Jews (both Temple and Synagogue) but condemned the hardness of their hearts and their unwillingness to look after those in need.

~ Activities on Nisan 14 ~

      If the Passover lamb was sacrificed on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and consumed after sundown on Nisan 15, the Holyday, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, why was Nisan 14 called, in scripture, the Passover?

      “‘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 (between the two evenings) 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.’”
(Lev. 23:4-8)

      The obvious reason is because this is the day on which the lamb is sacrificed, it is the sacrificial day, the preparation day to the First Day of Unleavened Bread. In fact, it is the greatest ‘preparation day’ of the entire year.

* Passover Preparation *

      It is important to understand some of the ancient customs that have become a part of the Passover season.
      The first act in preparing for Passover (in the generic sense) is to put all leavened products out of the home. At this season, leaven becomes a symbol for sin, the kind of sin that ‘puffs up.’

      “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
(I Cor. 5:6-8)

      This was not a new understanding that came forth from the pen of Paul. It was the traditional, ancient understanding of the Jewish people, that leaven represented sin and that, as leaven was put out of the home, sin must also be put out of the life of each individual. However, now there is one major difference. Believers have the sacrifice of Yeshua to take away their inner leaven (sin). Prior to the resurrection, the Jews could only look forward to the day when the ultimate Atonement would be made for them.
      So it was, in Yeshua’s time that the Jews began to clean their homes on Nisan 1, the beginning of the sacred year. They would wait until Nisan 1, because they never knew for sure if there would be an additional month added at the end of the twelfth month, Adar. If the barley was not yet headed out, they would wait an addition lunar cycle before proclaiming the month of Nisan, calling the additional month Adar II.
      On Nisan 10 the lambs were chosen by each family group. This is the very day that Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on the ass and was beseeched by the crowd chanting Hosanna (“save us now”).

      “Now when they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples; and He said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it,” and immediately he will send it here.’
      “So they went their way, found the colt tied by the door outside on the street and they loosed it ...
      “Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
            “‘Hosanna!
            Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!
            Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
            That comes in the name of the LORD!
            Hosanna in the highest!’”

      “And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.”
(Mark 11:1-4,7-11)

      Just as the Passover lamb was brought into each Jewish home and examined for the next four days to be sure that it was without blemish, so Yeshua (our Passover lamb) came to the Temple (His Father’s house) to be examined. Each day Yeshua returned to His Father’s house, and each day He was questioned by the Saducees and the Pharisees. In the end He was found to be without blemish and eligible to be our Passover Sacrifice.

* The Search For Leaven *

      As the Passover Seder approached, the house cleaning intensified. Then, as the evening portion of Nisan 14 approached, the woman of each home prepared for a special ritual called Bedikat Hametz (Beh-deekhat Hah-mehtz), the Search for Leaven. Ten pieces of leavened bread were hidden throughout the house. After sunset the father and the children would take a candle, a wooden spoon, a feather, and a linen bag. They would go throughout the house to find the ten pieces of leaven that were hidden. This represented the hidden ‘sin’ that each of us has stored away somewhere in our minds and hearts.
      As each piece of leaven was found it would be scraped from it’s resting place onto the wooden spoon with the feather. Then it was transferred into the linen bag. When all ten pieces had been found, the utensils were bound together and set aside for the night.
      The next morning was a busy day of preparation. Leaven could be eaten in the morning until the third hour (about nine a.m.). All leaven had to be removed from the home by the sixth hour (noon), although the Pharisees put a fence around the law by saying that it must be removed by the fifth hour (eleven a.m.).
      While the mother was finishing the house cleaning the father would take the linen bag containing the ten pieces of leaven, the feather, and the wooden spoon to the local synagogue where a bonfire had been started. After a brief prayer the entire package of sin was thrown into the fire to be consumed. The lulav from Succoth or the willows from Hoshana Rabbah (see Hebrew Roots issue 96-3) were used to light the fire. This ritual was called Bi-ur Hametz (Bee-oor Hahmehtz), the Burning of the Leaven.

      Meanwhile, another ritual was being observed. The firstborn son in each family was required to fast during the daylight hours of Nisan 14, Passover Day. This practice was to remember that God had spared the firstborn children of Israel on the Passover night in Egypt. This fast is called Ta-anit Bekhorim (Tah-ah-neet Behkh-ohr-eem) The Fast of the Firstborn. Sometimes the father of the family would also fast just in case his son did not.
      Once the house had been entirely cleared of leaven the family would gather for Bittul Hametz (Beet-tool Hah-mehtz), the Nullification. This was a prayer that was said to declare that to the best of their knowledge all leaven had been removed from the home, and if any unknown leaven still resided there to ask God to make it as though it did not exist.
      How many times have we as Believers asked God to forgive us of our sins, both known and unknown?

      The rest of the day was spent in preparation for the Passover Seder meal which was to be held after sundown. At the ninth hour (three p.m.) the father, along with other adults males who were to share the Passover Seder with the family, would be at the Temple for the ritual slaughter of the lamb. Upon returning they would build the fire (or perhaps others had already started the fire while they were gone) and roast the lamb. Meanwhile the women were busy preparing all of the necessary food items for the Seder meal, including unleavened bread, for it was required that everyone partake of unleavened bread at the Seder.
      The parallels between these activities and what was taking place in the life of Yeshua is quite astounding.

      The symbolism found in the Passover is so rich and full that one can hardly grasp all of it. We encourage every one of you to set your heart to study this symbolism and search out the marvelous truths that lie buried within the scriptures and within the ceremonies that accompany the Festivals. Your life will be richly blessed as a result, for your faith will increase by leaps and bounds as you come to understand the marvelous tapestry that God has woven into these days.

            DEW

~ Sources ~

Bacchiocchi, Samuele, God’s Festivals, In Scripture and History Part I, Biblical Perspectives, Berrien springs, MI, 1996.
Bloch, Abraham, P., The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies, Ktav Publishing House, inc., New York, 1980.
—‘The Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days, Ktav Publishing House, Inc., New York, 1978.
Coulter, Fred R., The Christian Passover, York Publishing, Hollister, CA, 1993.
Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G., A Passover Haggadah for Jewish Believers, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, CA, 1970.
Gaster, Theodor H., Festivals of the Jewish Year, William Sloan Associates, New York, 1963.
Good, Joseph, Passover Haggadah, Hatikva Ministries, Port Arthur, TX, 1991.
Goodman, Philip, The Passover Anthology, The Jewish Publication Society, PhiiadelphialJerusalem, 1993.
Green, Jay P., The Interlinear Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1985.
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Juster, Daniel, Jewish Roots, Daver Pub. Co., Gaithersburg, MD, 1986.
Kasden, Barney, God’s Appointed Times, Leder Messianic Publications, Baltimore, 1993.
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The Open Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1985.
Peterson, Galen, The Everiesting Tradtion, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 1995.
Stallings, Joseph, Redscovering Passover, Resource Publications, San Jose, 1988.
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Zimmerman, Martha, Celebrate the Feasts, Bethany House, Minneapolis, 1981.

 

The Number of
Redemption

      Gamatria is the study of numerical values in scripture. Unlike English, each letter of the Hebrew aleph-beth (ah-lehf beht) has a numerical value. Because of this characteristic every word in Hebrew also has a numerical value, the sum of it’s letters.
      There is some interesting gamatria associated with the Passover. At the end of the gospel of John there is an interesting story about the disciples going fishing. They went fishing all night on the Sea of Galilee, without catching anything. In the morning they looked and saw Yeshua standing on the shore but they did not know it was Him. He instructed them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. They did so and caught a large number of fish, so heavy they could not draw it into the boat, but had to drag the net full of fish onto the shore. When they counted the fish there were 153 of them.
      What is so significant about the number 153 that it should be included in this story? According to E.W. Bullinger, 153 is the gamatria of the phrase “sons of God” in Hebrew (bnai haElohim). Bullinger equated this phrase with ‘redemption.’
      Now Yacov Rambsel, author of Yeshua, The Hebrew Factor, has discovered that the Hebrew phrase ha Pesach (the Passover) has a gamatria of 153. Passover is the Festival of Redemption.

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