It becomes rather moot, then, whether it is proper to describe Jesus’ Passover meal as a seder. It was a proto-seder, a pre-70 seder, a seder-in-formation; it was seder-like, it was seder-ish, it was kind-of-like-a-seder, it had elements of a seder—any way you put it, seder is the most relevant way to speak of it.

“Why on this night do we only eat matzah?” It really is the million-dollar question. Why do we have to eat this dry, crumbly bread for eight nights?

I was excited to be heading to the West Coast to visit my older brother Steve. My dad had returned to New York with the good news that Steve had found a place with a nice Jewish landlady who would “keep an eye on him.”

These ten days of devotions give insight into parts of the Passover story that you might be overlooking.

If you could choose just one word to describe what you want people to know about you, what would it be? Were you surprised by the first thought that came to your mind? Usually what we want others to know about us reflects what we most value in ourselves. All of us are...

At every Passover seder, one of the more dramatic moments is when the family recites the Ten Plagues that God sent against Egypt. Together everybody names each plague and pours out a drop from the aptly-named Cup of Plagues, the second cup of the evening. The idea is...

by Matt Sieger The story has often been told… A little boy came back from Hebrew school one morning and his father asked him, “Well, what did you learn?” The boy replied, “How the people of Israel were kept in Egypt and used as slaves by this...

The following excerpt is from the Messianic Family Haggadah.* This haggadah retains the essential elements of the traditional seder service, but weaves in some New Testament understandings that explain the Passover/Jesus connection. The Three Symbols of Passover...

Learn how Jesus spent his last week leading up to Passover, culminating in his death and resurrection.

Passover is a beautiful, often mysterious, celebration. More than any other festival it has been at the heart of the universal Jewish experience, helping to form the core of spiritual identity and pointing inexorably toward the hope of Israel’s salvation. Two...

The clock is ticking a significant countdown for Israel right now. In fact, this countdown has been an annual event for more than 3,000 years. It is a biblical mandate to mark the time between two important Jewish festivals, Passover, which began at sundown, March 29,...

Every year Macabbi Tel Aviv faces off against its rival, Hapoel Tel Aviv, in a soccer match. The game is filled with tension and excitement as a packed house stands and cheers non-stop for ninety minutes. Accolades and bragging rights will fall to the winner. Yet the...

Passover heads the list of yearly feasts that God commanded the Israelites to celebrate. It commemorates how God redeemed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, while at the same time paving the way to understand an even greater redemption that Jesus offers to...

I was excited to be on the West Coast and to see my older brother Steve. Dad had been there earlier when Steve found an apartment, and had returned to New York with the good news that my brother had found a place with a nice Jewish landlady who would “keep an eye on...

The number four plays a significant role in Judaism. There are the four species of plants for Sukkot; four kingdoms in the book of Daniel; four Torah portions in the tefillin; four Matriarchs in the book of Genesis. At Passover, we find this number in abundance. In the course of the seder we have four sons, four cups of wine, four expressions of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7) and perhaps the most famous “four” of all—the Ma Nishtana, known in English as the Four Questions…

Pharaoh refused God’s command...

Passover Symbols IN O.T. ACCOUNTS AT LAST SUPPER AND/OR IN EARLY CHURCH IN RABBINIC TRADITION IN CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM AS APPLIED IN THE CHURCH TODAY BONDAGE AND EXODUS God's dealings with Israel — yearly celebration and remembrance (Ex. 12:24-27) Freedom in Christ...

Passover begins at sundown on April 23. Jewish people often refer to Passover by its Hebrew pronunciation, Pesach (pay-sockh), and it is also known as the Feast of Redemption. Passover commemorates the Exodus from slavery in Egypt, and is named after the paschal lamb....

Overheard at a New York City cabstand between two drivers: Resurrection Sunday, big deal! Even if I believed that he rose from the dead what difference would that make to me?” Ever hear a conversation like that? How would you answer? Here is what I would say:...

What does the Jewish Bible say about the Passover cup’s symbolism and meaning? What blessing can be found in remembering the story of redemption? Read here.