The Bible is the story of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. Sin separated us from God by turning our desire from God to our own self fulfillment and pleasure. This can be seen all over the Bible, from the Tower of Babel to David and Bathsheba. God sought to provide a way out of such an existence, and many redemption events in the Bible lead up to the ultimate redemption event – Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. These and other Old Testament prophecies provide a full picture of who God is and His heart for humanity.
One such story of redemption is the Passover and the Exodus found in Exodus 12-13. God went throughout Egypt to kill all the firstborn sons, but He “passed over” the homes of the Israelites because they had lamb’s blood painted on their doorposts. After this event, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt and God protected them as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Jewish people today celebrate this exit from bondage through a Passover Seder (say-der), which is a meal that includes representative elements of this storyline.
Christians can also celebrate this event in a Messianc Seder, which takes the celebration one step further by explicitly showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophetic symbols. On the night of the Last Supper Passover, Jesus and the disciples took the first communion and Jesus told them to “do this in remembrance of me.” Based on the historical context, we know that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and we can pinpoint which cup and which piece of bread Jesus was eating at the first communion.
Students in several classes this past school year have gotten to experience a Last Supper Passover Seder first hand. This is all thanks to Steve and Kathy Friedberg, a couple with strong ties to Jewish history.
Messianic Seder At A Glance
Any Christian can have a seder; all it takes is a heart that desires to glorify God and a few simple supplies. Throughout the seder, participants will consume elements that represent various parts of the first Passover. A majority of these actions come with a blessing that is said over the action.
Basic Order of the Last Supper Passover:
- Light A Candle – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who has set us apart by his Word, and in whose name we light the festival lights.”
- Drink the Cup of Sanctification (grapejuice) – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”
- Eat Parsley Dipped in Saltwater – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.” (saltwater represents the bitter lives of the Israelites in Egypt)
- Break the Afikomen, Wrap One Half of it, Eat the Other Half – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” (the Afikomen is the middle piece in a three part matzoh napkin)
- Eat Horseradish on Matzoh – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who has set us apart by his Word and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.”
- Eat Parsley with Charoset (apple, grape juice, & cinnamon mixture) – “We dip the bitter herbs into charoset to remind ourselves that even the most bitter of circ*mstances can be sweetened by the hope we have in God.”
- Drink the Cup of Plagues (grapejuice) – “Blessed are you, O God, for you have, in mercy, supplied all our needs. You have given us Messiah, forgiveness for sin, life abundant and life everlasting. Hallelujah!”
- Eat the Afikomen – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” (the bread in the Last Supper Passover)
- Drink the Cup of Redemption (grapejuice) – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Let us gratefully drink.” (the cup in the Last Supper Passover)
- Drink the Cup of Praise (grapejuice) – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” (Jesus did not take this cup – “I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes”)
The Friedberg’s Story
Several classes at Grace College have experienced a Last Supper Passover Seder with the help of Steve and Kathy Friedberg. Steve grew up in a Jewish home celebrating the Passover with a Seder. He mentioned they would partake in the elements of the seder without much thought.
“Like the disciples and apostles in years before the Last Supper, we broke the Afikomen bread from the Unity (trinity bag) faithfully but without any understanding.”
In college, Steve made several Hebrew Christian friends with whom he would discuss faith. At first, he sought to disprove Christianity, but when some friends shared Old Testament prophecies, he did more research. “I read the Gospels in a few days. I first thought it was a fable. Then I thought Jesus was an extraterrestrial. About two weeks after this rapid search started, I naively prayed to receive Jesus and accept his substitution as a Levitical sacrifice for me.”
Kathy, on the other hand, grew up in the Catholic church and aspired to be a nun. When she was in fifth grade, her mother’s friend from high school led her mom to the Lord. Kathy started attending a Bible church and felt an overwhelming sense of love there. Later on in her life, she worked at a Christian camp where a young man witnessed to her about Jesus. This opened Kathy’s eyes to a true relationship that she could have with Jesus. She described her life as “going from black and white to color.”
Steve and Kathy met at the college ministry of Kathy’s church in Virginia. Steve had just moved to the area and was a new Christian. After they got married and started having kids, they celebrated all of the Jewish holidays together. Their pastor was very supportive and allowed them to bring the celebrations into the rhythms of their church.
Steve and Kathy also would host evangelistic book tables, called “Messiah for Jews,” and their whole family would participate. According to Kathy, they experienced a fair amount of spiritual warfare.
“Our daughter would get sick every time,” she said. “We had a lot of opposition because there were a lot of Jews in that area.”
Steve and Kathy originally were introduced to Grace College & Theological Seminary through friends at church. Since then, Steve has taught several classes as an adjunct professor and they have both audited seminary classes with Dr. Christy Hill, Brent Mencarelli, and Dr. Tiberius Rata. When the coursework touched on the Exodus and the Last Supper Passover passages, they offered to shed more light on the subject and share a Seder meal with the class.
As Christians, seeing the fulfillment of the Passover Seder and Old Testament prophecies brings a new appreciation for Jesus’ upbringing in the Jewish community.
“The new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed,” said Kathy. “You cannot understand the testaments if you do not understand the covenants. The New Testament is written within a context, and understanding the Old Testament is critical to understanding that context.”
Do you want to go to a college that values Jewish heritage and delves into Old Testament prophecies? Do you want to get a fuller picture of Jesus through experiences like the Last Supper Passover Seder? Then Grace Seminary is the place for you. Apply today to get started.
