Passover mysteries

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20 (RSV)

The Passover holiday memorializes the Israelites’ exodus from slavery, which is also called the Feast of Unleavened bread. Jesus celebrated a Passover Seder feast every year of His life. At His last Passover, which was spent with His twelve disciples, He told them He would not drink the Passover cup of wine again until they drink it together in His kingdom. Every feast, holiday and ceremony established by God, is a foretaste and hint of our life to come in heaven. 

Throughout generations, unleavened bread or Matzo is eaten for the week of Passover. It’s a reminder that God’s people left in great haste from Egypt to journey to the promised land. During their journey in the wilderness, God sustained His people with bread from heaven, called Manna. It was a supernatural nourishment provided by God, for forty years, until they arrived in the promised land. 

God still supernaturally sustains His people today, for the same purpose: To bring us to the promised land of heaven. 

Manna was a foretaste of the living bread, who came later from heaven. Jesus called Himself the bread of life, saying, “If any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever.” 

(John 6:51)

Jesus is our living bread, who gives us supernatural sustenance throughout this life, in order to lead us all to heaven. 

Since the 11th century, an interesting Passover tradition was added. An extra place setting was made at the table for the prophet Elijah, who is believed to attend every Passover Seder in spirit, until the Messiah comes. The front door of the home is to be left open during the Passover Seder as a symbol of invitation to Elijah’s entrance. 

The mystical tradition of leaving the door open as an invitation, reminds us of Jesus saying that He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to open the door and invite Him in to dine with us. 

I’m sure Elijah handed over his place setting and the open door to Jesus, long ago.

Another Seder tradition is to break off a piece of matzo, wrap it in a linen napkin, and then bury it in a hiding place in the home. The child who finds it later receives a reward.

In the deep mysteries of God’s wisdom, this Passover tradition also points to Jesus, the bread of heaven, and lamb of God, who was sacrificed for us. Jesus died, was wrapped in burial linen and then placed in the hiding place of a tomb. All who find and believe in Him, are promised the reward of eternal life. 

We can go another step further and invite Jesus to be our guest beyond the Passover table, but at every table of our lives. We set a place for Him first at the table of our heart, then at the table of our family. 

We invite Him to the table of our mental and physical health needs, our job concerns, financial obligations, and at the table of our personal pain, grief and sorrow. 

Jesus sits at the table with us when we have stressful decisions to make or when we receive a difficult phone call. He is seated next to us when we are going through something so intense that the best we can do is to whisper His name, because we are too sick, weak or discouraged to pray. He is sitting at every table of our life, if we open the door and invite Him to enter in.

The feast of unleavened bread, that celebrates freedom from bondage, is fulfilled in the form of living bread, in  the gift of Jesus’ Presence.

He frees us from all bondage and a day is coming when we will be invited to a heavenly Passover Feast, where He prepares a place setting for us at His table. 

Jesus, Lamb of God, we invite you to every table in our life, and thank you for the wondrous mysteries of the Passover Feast and the place you are preparing for us at your table in heaven. Amen

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