Over the years, there has been some debate over whether the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. As a result, this article will be devoted to highlighting the significance of the Passover, defining a Passover Seder, touching upon the Last Supper, and drawing some conclusions.
What is the Passover?
At the outset, the reader must be made aware of the Jewish Passover. In the book of Genesis, Joseph became a leading figure in Egypt. During this time, the Israelites experienced freedom while living in Egypt.
However, after Joseph died and was long forgotten and after new leaders emerged in Egypt, the Israelites were seen as a threat due to their large population. As a result, the Israelites became enslaved people in Egypt. Nevertheless, the Israelites cried out to God, and God heard their cry.
At this point, God chose Moses to lead the people out of bondage from the Egyptians. To free the Israelites from their bondage, God brought about ten plagues against the Egyptians. The final plague is significant for us when discussing the topic of Passover.
The final plague consisted of the Israelites killing a lamb without blemish. The Israelites would then take the lamb’s blood and wipe it along the doorposts of their home. After this, they would take the lamb inside and eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Thus, the lamb’s blood would be seen outside while the Jew would take the lamb within.
When the destroying angel went through Egypt, he looked for the firstborn of every family. However, when the destroying angel saw the lamb’s blood on the doorposts, he would pass over the home. The Jewish Passover gets its name from the destroying angel passing over the houses of the Israelites.
As Christians, we can see that there was much more to the story. The lamb without blemish was killed, God accepted the sacrifice, and the people were spared from God’s wrath.
After Pharaoh released the Israelites from their enslavement, the Israelites exited Egypt. In Exodus 12:43-50, we can read of the institution of the Passover feast. Along with the Passover pointing to Christ, the Passover feast was instituted by God in an attempt to commemorate the Israelite’s miraculous exit from Egypt and to perpetually remind them of the Lord’s work in their lives.
What is a Passover Seder?
A Passover Seder is a traditional meal celebration that involves singing, drinking wine, eating specific foods for the occasion, and reading. The Passover Seder is not what God instituted in Exodus 12. However, the Passover Seder bears marks of resemblance to what God instituted in Exodus 12.
For instance, a Passover Seder would include bitter herbs and unleavened bread. Before the Passover in which God spared the Israelites, God told Moses, “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (KJV, Ex. 12:7-8) . Jews eat the bitter herbs to remind themselves of their affliction and poverty in Egypt. On the other hand, Jews eat the unleavened bread to remind themselves of how they left Egypt in haste and, as a result, could not wait for their bread to rise.
However, the Passover Seder has grown to bear the marks of traditionalism rather than biblical command. Even the name “Seder” means order, which would align itself with ritualism. While there are some similarities to the Jewish Passover instituted in Exodus 12, there are also several differences.
The Passover Seder evolved to include reclining at the table where the people would eat, drinking wine, breaking unleavened bread, and singing hymns.
During the Passover Seder, people reclined at the table because, in ancient times, free people would recline and eat. The servant or the slave would not have such a luxury as they would be serving those who were reclining. However, since the exodus from Egypt, the Jews have often been free people, and now during the Passover Seder, they recline to display their freedom.
Presently, four cups of wine are drunk during a Passover Seder. This is because the Torah touches upon four elements relating to the Israelite’s freedom in their deliverance from bondage in Egypt.
Currently, a Jewish Passover Seder does not include a sacrificial lamb because God instructed the Jew not to sacrifice anywhere else apart from the designated location at which the Jewish temple was built. Since there is no temple, there are no sacrifices. As a result, the Passover Seder is eaten with hard-boiled eggs dipped in salt water. This is to signify mourning for the lack of a sacrificial lamb. Which in actuality is a sad reality as the Lamb, Jesus Christ, has already been offered.
What is the Last Supper?
Maybe you can see similarities between the Last Supper and a Passover Seder. The Last Supper was the last meal that Jesus ate with His disciples. Scripture tells us that when the Passover was at hand, Jesus instructed His disciples to procure an upper room for the Passover feast. During the Last Supper, Jesus also instituted the Lord’s Supper.
As we move from the Passover to the Lord’s Supper, we see God instituting perpetual practices for His people to remember His work of deliverance. In the Passover, we can see that God passed over the houses of the Israelites, and they were spared from His wrath. Likewise, in the Lord’s Supper, we can see that Jesus, the Lamb of God, took upon Himself the sin of mankind, and thus the believer is spared from the wrath of God as well.
Is the Last Supper a Passover Seder?
Some would believe that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. First, the Passover Seder consisted of the Jews reclining at the table to eat the meal. Second, Scripture tells us, “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body” (Mark 14:22) . Not only were the Jews reclining at the table, but Jesus also broke bread, as was the custom of a Passover Seder. Third, when Jesus dipped the bread into the cup, Jesus dipped the bread into the wine. Thus, we can also see that the disciples were drinking wine at the Passover meal, which would have been the custom of a Passover Seder.
Finally, during a Passover Seder, Jews retell the events surrounding Passover. As they do this, they share about the symbolism concerning the food they are partaking in. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal, and we read, “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24) . Here we see that Jesus spoke of the broken bread as his body and the wine as His blood.
It is hard to know, but the Last Supper may have been a Passover Seder. However, it is also possible that Jesus used the opportunity to share about the shift that would take place through His death. No longer would the disciples be under the Mosaic Law. They would soon enter the New Covenant, and the focal point of the Passover Seder, the sacrificial lamb, would be no more. For Jesus would be their Lamb, and now they would partake of the broken bread, which was the body of Christ, and the wine, which was the precious blood of the Lamb.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Jesus. What an amazing Savior He is. Jesus has truly done what I could never do. He has taken away my sin, and I stand before You forgiven. I pray that You will help me to appreciate the sacrifice of Christ more. Please help me learn more about Your Word. You have been good to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.