Christianity and the Passover meal

What a beautiful celebration so intertwined with symbolism pointing back at the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We are privileged in the Los Angeles area if you can attend a Passover meal that has been put on by some Messianic Jews. Why the Messianic Jews you may be asking? The Messianic Jews believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and He has come to earth, walked as man, was crucified dead, buried and rose from the grave.


What is so amazing about this meal is all the symbolism that points back to the life of Christ. The Passover plate consists of the following elements:

• Marov: Bitter herbs (generally horseradish) to remember how bitter slavery was in Egypt

• Beitzah: A hardboiled egg to represent life and the hope of the rebuilding of the temple

• Karpas: Greens that represent spring and new life, which are dipped into salt water that represents the tears shed during slavery

• Zeroa: A shank bone that represents the sacrifice

• Haroseth: A fruit and nut mixture to remember the mortars used by the slaves in building Pharaoh’s temple/pyramids

• Matsah: Unleavened bread, because they needed something that would not sour during the journey in the wilderness. This is also known as the bread of affliction, the stripes symbolize the beating Jesus took for our sins from a cat of nine tails. The bread is broken during the meal (representing the crucifixion of Jesus) and a piece hidden (representing the burial of Jesus) for a child to discover (representing the resurrection).

• Arbakosot: The four cups of wine which symbolize the four verbs of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7)

This is an amazing meal to experience I know we are doing one this Tuesday at Generations Church in Sun City, California.

The other part of the celebration is the original Passover had to do with the plague from God on Pharaoh and his land for refusing to soften his heart to God’s demand to free his people. The plague was to take the life of the first born male except for the houses where the blood of a lamb was painted over the doorways, which today represents the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you and me.

Enjoy the celebrations of this Holy week as we reflect on our Lord and Savior.