Friday, March 30, 2018

Passover 2018 Begins


"As you go into the city," he (Jesus) told them, "you will see a certain man. Tell him, 'The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.'" So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. ... As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:18-19, 26-30

Jesus blessed the bread and broke it...
Take eat of it. This is my body--given for you.
Drink of this cup...it is my blood, shed for you.
In the Passover Seder there are four cups of wine, or juice, blessed and drank together with those at the celebration. There is a time where there are three pieces of unleavened bread put in a special bag with three sections, representing the Holy Trinity to Messianic Jews. During the Seder the matzoh in the center section of that bag, symbolizing Jesus Christ, is broken and hidden away in another part of the home. Then later after the meal the children go look for that bread wrapped in a linen cloth. It is brought back, thus resurrected, to the family table—and the child who found it is given a reward. Everyone at the table is given a small piece of that unleavened bread—that has been pierced, broken, buried, and resurrected—like Jesus—and just as Jesus blessed the unleavened bread during the Last Supper, this matzoh is blessed and eaten together with the third cup of wine (or grape juice). This is the same part of the Passover Meal in which Jesus instituted what we call Communion. He spoke of the bread as His body…broken for us, and the cup as His blood shed for us for the remission of sin.
He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me." After supper he took another cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you." Luke 22:19-20    
Do this to remember me. That is what Jesus said…and this time of the Passover is the ideal time to focus on His sacrifice, His love, His promise to us and on the hope that He provides for our redemption in the future. Do you trust Jesus to keep His promise? Do you trust Him with your life—your eternal life?

 Prayer ~ Father, I thank you for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life for us—hanging there on the Cross. A sacrifice once for all. I trust Jesus with my eternal life and willingly and humbly take up my cross to follow Him. May all that I think, say and do bring glory and honor to Jesus…and to You.

Daily Bible Reading: March 30 – Judges 1-2

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
 One of the elements of the Passover Meal is Charoset—an apple and walnut mixture that represents the mortar that held together the bricks the Israelite slaves made during their captivity in Egypt. It is a tasty mixture that is eaten with matzoh and horseradish sauce.

Charoset
2 crisp apples (1 sweet such as Gala and 1 tart such as Granny Smith), cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, heat for a few minutes to take away the natural bitterness, then cool and chop finely
1/2 cup raisins (This is a Turkish addition to the dish.)
½ cup fresh orange juice
2 tsp honey
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
 Dash of kosher salt, if desired
Combine the chopped nuts, apples, raisins and orange juice. Then stir in the honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and let sit for at least 4 hours. Serves 8-10.
Serve with matzoh bread during the Sedar and enjoy it during the meal, if desired.

© 2018 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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