Passover 2 - Extended with feasting.
| The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household... The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. (Exodus12:1-11) |
What does the feast do?
- It creates a sense of valuable community: Both with God and Others.
- The meal was expensive: They walked through a blood-painted door to sit down at the table.
- It reminds us that we have a story to tell: The Jewish tradition is that the youngest child at the table asks a scripted question: "What makes this night different from any other?" and the eldest at the table would say: "Well... on this night God rescued His people from slavery..."
- It reminds us that we have a new beginning: The Israelites ate unleavened bread. Yeast is the fastest growing organism that we know of. It was also the symbol of sin. Eating bread without yeast as a rising agent was symbolic of a new beginning, leaving our sin behind us and committing ourselves to the Lord.
- The Lamb is roasted and nothing is left: This is reminiscent of the burnt offering which symbolised total commitment to God. Jesus was totally committed to God and to us and gave Himself to us totally.
- It is a meal of gratitude for our salvation: They ate bitter herbs with the meal to remind them of the hardship of their slavery and how God had redeemed their sadness and brokenness.
And so the Passover Feast is as important as the Passover Sacrifice.
It calls us to community, our faith is not individual or personal, it is shared and communal. It is an expensive meal that calls us to a fresh start. It is a meal of gratitude and proclamation, but most of all, it is a meal that reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb who gave Himself completely for us.
I wonder if we "feast" enough over Easter? I don't mean eat lots of Easter eggs, I mean share in joyful community and celebrate what Christ has done.
Hmmm, now there's food for thought...
