¶ A Messianic Haggadah
A Haggadah is the order of ceremony for a celebration of Passover. This one is tailored to be shorter and to emphasize the Messianic fulfillment of the Passover symbolism. A lot of the traditional parts of a Seder have been removed or trimmed out to shorten the ceremony, and focus on Christian symbolism in the Passover.
This ceremony is intended to be celebrated around Easter time, and is best enjoyed with friends and family. Part of celebrating what Christ did on Easter is remembering the symbolism of Passover. For example, the Lord's Supper is directly and intimately linked to the Passover tradition, as we will see below.
May this be a time of remembrance, worship, and joy for all who partake together.
¶ Items needed:
- Hard boiled eggs
- Bottle of red wine
- Bottle of grape juice
- Jar of strong horse radish
- Parsley
- Matzah
- Charoset
- Green apples
- Walnuts
- Cinnamon
- Honey
- Wine
- Bowl of salt water
- Lamb
- Basin of water and towel
To make the Charoset, mix the apples, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, and a splash of wine together, crushing the pieces into small chunks. The goal is to end up with a dip that is reminiscent of mortar.
¶ Lighting of the Candles
Blessed are you, Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the light of fire.
Light the candles
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. -John 8:12
¶ The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
¶ Hand Washing
Ceremonial hand washing is of great importance to the ceremony and tradition of the Passover. It represents being washed of sin.
Jesus set an example for us by washing His disciples feet; an example of service and sacrifice.
Take the bowl around and wash hands
¶ Kaddesh: Cup of Sanctification, the First Cup
The first cup is the Cup of Sanctification. Sanctification is the process of growing more like Christ.
Blessed are You, Oh LORD our God, who brings forth the fruit of the vine.
Believers in the Messiah, Yeshua, are set apart, called by Him.
Be holy, because I am holy. - 1 Peter 1:16
Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ. It is the “present tense” of our Salvation.
Drink the first cup
¶ Reading of the call and response Scriptures
Have guests take turns reading the prophetic symbol and its fulfillment. These can be found below in the Scripture Reading section.
These passages connect an Old Testament promise and a New Testament fulfillment.
¶ The Symbols of the Seder
¶ Matzah
Unleavened bread is all that is eaten during Passover. Due to the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, there was no time to let the bread rise. Leaven (yeast) represents Sin, in the Bible. The unleavened bread represents a heart that is pure before God.
¶ Afikomen
We break two of the pieces for use in the ceremony, but we hide away half. We will come back to it later.
Hide half a piece of Matzah
¶ Greens
Green is the color of life. It reminds us that we are alive in Christ, through God’s grace. The parsley reminds us of the hyssop branches the Israelites used to spread the blood on the doorposts.
A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19:29–30
The Apostle John is the only one who tells us that the branch used to raise the sponge of sour wine (vinegar) to Jesus on the Cross was Hyssop. Hyssop is symbolic of cleansing in the Old Testament.
Purge me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. -Psalm 51:7
¶ Salt Water
The salt water represents bitterness and tears of the Hebrew slaves.
Take some herbs, dip them in salt water, and eat them.
¶ Egg
Hardboiled eggs are a big part of Easter symbolism, as well as Passover symbolism. The symbolism of the egg is complicated, and can mean a lot of different things. To the Jews today, if is associated with the destruction of the Temple, and the cessation of sacrifice. It can also be a sign of mourning. To Christians, it usually represents new life. When the chick breaks out of the egg, it reminds us of Jesus emerging from the sealed tomb after the third day.
¶ Bitter Herbs
The bitter herbs remind us the bitterness of slavery.
¶ Charoset
The charoset is a sweet mixture. It reminds us of the mortar used by the Israelites to make bricks in Egypt.
The sweetness of the mixture reminds us that even through there bitterness of hard labor, there can be joy. Contrary to common belief, the concept of labor is not a part of the Curse. Adam labored before Sin, but after the Fall, his labor was subjected to a curse.
¶ Lamb
Lamb is not eaten at a Jewish Passover, since the Temple was destroyed. But we are, ourselves, temples of the Holy Spirit, and are not limited by location when we worship. We eat lamb to remind us of the sacrifices for Sin, under the Law, and the redemption from Sin, through Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
¶ Eating of Greens
We eat parsley, dipped in salt water, to symbolize the tears of the Israelites when they called out to God for deliverance.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. - Revelation 21:4
Eat the greens, dipped in salt water.
¶ The Five Questions:
There are four questions that are asked, usually be the children in the family. The questions are all forms of “why is this night different from all other nights?”
These questions, and more generally, all the traditions of the Seder, as designed to help us remember what God did. His Grace shown to his people. His Salvation.
There also used to be a fifth question, regarding the eating of lamb. This is no longer asked in traditional Jewish households, because lamb is no longer eaten at a Seder, after the destruction of the Temple. We will ask this historic question, and we will eat lamb today. Jesus is the ultimate Lamb, and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Have children (if present) or guests read the questions. Provide the Answers after each question.
Why is this night different
from all the other nights?
Why is it that on all other nights we eat both
chametz (leavened bread) and matzah,
on this night, we eat only matzah?
Why is it that on all other nights we eat
many vegetables,
on this night, only maror (bitter herbs)?
Why is it that on all other nights we do not
dip vegetables even once,
on this night, we dip twice?
Why is it that on all other nights
some eat sitting and others reclining,
on this night, we are all reclining?
Why is it that on all other nights
we eat meat either roasted, marinated, or cooked,
but on this night it is entirely roasted?
¶ Answers
The answers to the four questions (and the historic fifth question) are:
We eat only matzah because our ancestors could not wait for their breads to rise when they were fleeing slavery in Egypt, and so they were flat when they came out of the oven.
We eat only Maror, a bitter herb, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery that our ancestors endured while in Egypt.
The first dip, green vegetables in salt water, symbolizes the replacing of our tears with gratitude, and the second dip, Maror in Charoses, symbolizes the sweetening of our burden of bitterness and suffering.
We recline at the Seder table because in ancient times, a person who reclined at a meal was a free person, while slaves and servants stood.
We eat only roasted meat because that is how the Pesach/Passover lamb is prepared during sacrifice in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Some of these answers will also be restated over the course of the Seder.
¶ The cup of plagues, the Second Cup
The second cup is the cup of plagues. It reminds us of the Divine Judgement meted out by God on the Egyptians who were enslaving His people. Wine often symbolizes Divine Judgment in the Scriptures.
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs--the cup that makes men stagger. - Isaiah 51:17
A full cup represents a fullness of joy. But we do not rejoice in the suffering of our enemies. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to life.
We pour out a drop of the cup for each of the plagues. The leaders read, and the guests echo the name of the plague.
Blood. Frogs. Lice. Beasts. Disease. Boils. Hail. Locusts. Darkness. Slaying of the firstborn.
¶ It would have been enough. Dayenu
The Lord worked amazing wonders in defense of His people, during their exodus from enslavement in Egypt. We remember these by reciting them in three groups: blessings of leaving slavery, miracle God did, and joys of being with God.
For each statement, the leaders read, and the guests echo “dayenu”.
¶ Five Stanzas of Leaving Slavery
1) If He had brought us out of Egypt.
2) If He had executed justice upon the Egyptians.
3) If He had executed justice upon their gods.
4) If He had slain their first-born.
5) If He had given to us their health and wealth.
¶ Five Stanzas of Miracles
6) If He had split the sea for us.
7) If He had led us through on dry land.
8) If He had drowned our oppressors.
9) If He had provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years.
10) If He had fed us manna.
¶ Five Stanzas of Being With God
11) If He had given us Shabbat.
12) If He had led us to Mount Sinai.
13) If He had given us the Scriptures.
14) If He had brought us into the Land of Israel.
15) If He built the Temple for us.
¶ The Seder Plate
Say a prayer over the matzah, and over the meal.
¶ Bitter Herbs
Take some Matzah and dip it in horseradish. It reminds us of the sorrow of slavery.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. – Romans 6:17
¶ Charoset
Take some Matzah and dip it in charoset. It reminds us of God’s blessing.
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works – Ecclesiastes 9:7
¶ Lamb
Take some Matzah and eat it with lamb. It reminds us of the Sacrificial Lamb who took away the Sin of the world.
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. – Hebrews 9:22
¶ Hillel Sandwich
Take some Matzah and eat it with all three elements. This reminds us that life is filled with bitterness and joy, and that we have been redeemed and set apart.
You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure. - Deuteronomy 14:2
¶ Roasted Egg
Eat the hardboiled egg. It reminds us that Jesus defeated Death and Sin, and brought us new life.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17
¶ The Cup of Redemption, the Third Cup
This is the Communion cup. As such, we take it with a degree of solemnity. The Apostle Paul warns us against taking it lightly. This is one of two sacraments we observe.
Let us take a moment to pray, and prepare our hearts before God.
Lead the group in the Communion sacrament.
And he took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
¶ The Cup of Elijah, the Fourth Cup
This cup is not drunk in traditional Seders. The Jews are eagerly awaiting the Messiah. But, He has already come. It was prophesied that Elijah would come back before the Messiah came.
Christ said of John the Baptist “And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”
And, as we read earlier, John said of Jesus “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
To us, then, the fifth cup represents something else
"Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Just like the Israelites awaited the Messiah’s coming, so we not await His return. Just as they put out a cup in the hope that He will return, saying “next year in Jerusalem”, so we will say:
“Next year, in the New Jerusalem”
When we will feast at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and our Sanctification will be complete (Remember the first cup), and we will be glorified and spent an eternity worshipping and communing with Him, as was the original intention for Mankind.
¶ Eating the Afikomen
Remember earlier, when we hid a piece of Matzah?
Send the children (if present) to go and find the piece, or go and get it.
The Afikomen represents Christs Sacrifice. Hidden away (id est, for three days), He returned from the grave.
Give each guest a piece of the Afikomen.
¶ Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
-Thomas Ken
- La Fin
¶ Scripture Reading
So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
On the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
All the members 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.
"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."
That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
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.
“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
¶ Hymns
Consider singing some hymns during the ceremony. Below are some that work well in this context.
¶ How Deep the Father's Love
How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.
Stuart Townend Copyright © 1995 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, [email protected])