The Passover is a type and shadow of Christ’s transcendent infinite atonement.  Easter is the celebration of Christ’s gifts, His atonement, which includes His paramount gift of the resurrection for all,  which brings us back into the presence of God to be judged under His perfect Laws of Justice and Mercy, and the opportunity for a fullness of joy. So the Passover ties into God’s perfect plan of happiness in a fascinating way.

Passover – A Feast to the Lord

The Jewish Seder to commence Passover has been preserved for over 3,400 years to “keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” “…this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations;” (Exo. 12:14)

I recently watched a Messianic Jewish presentation of the Seder, which means order, and I was greatly impressed with how it ties to the Last Supper of the Savior with His Disciples and to the grand significance of the infinite atonement and Easter.

Viewed through the lens of the restoration of the gospel in both its physical and spiritual significance, the Jewish Seder brings deep meanings to the soul. Properly understood, it is designed to break down the barriers between Jew and Gentile so that we may all be one in Christ—to deliver all who will come to Christ out of slavery like He did ancient Israel and make us totally free—physically and spiritually. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free… If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”–individually and as a nation. (John 8:32, 36)  You will find the video links below fascinating and inspiring.

Additional Insights

When we realize that the Passover was designed by Jesus, who is Jehovah and our Redeemer, this deepens our understanding and opens up enlightenment as we see how the Lord designed the Passover with eternal significance. Isaiah shares: “all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.” (Isa. 49:26) Jesus knew what He would have to go through to work out the infinite atonement and designed the Seder to commence Passover over 3,400 years ago as a type and shadow of that transcendent infinite atonement. This He did so that both Jew and Gentile would have a deeper appreciation of this most important event in all the history of the earth, as He brought the world His perfect and infinite atonement.

In addition, going back to Genesis 22:8, when read in Hebrew, we find great significance as Abraham answered Isaac’s question, “…where is the lamb?”

“My son, God will provide himself [Jesus as] a lamb for a [final sacrifice] for a burnt offering.”

Some Details of Jewish Seder

We will see the great significance as we look at some of the details of the Jewish Seder. There were ten plagues that the Lord brought upon Egypt, but the first nine were only brought on Egypt and not on the Land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived. Only the tenth one with the death of the firstborn would then bring Pharaoh to honor Moses’ demand from the Lord, “Let my people go.”

The Lord designed the Passover so that a lamb without blemish be offered and its blood put upon the “lentil (the top of the door) and on the doorposts so that the destroying angel would pass by.

Jesus is the Lamb of God. So the Passover lamb is symbolic of Jesus and the blood of the lamb on the lentil and the doorposts are symbolic of the blood of Christ and the lintel is like the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

In our Day the “destroying angel” will Pass over Us if:

“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” (D&C 89:18-21)

Purity and Righteousness

The unleavened bread (Matzoh) is a symbol of purity and righteousness. Leaven denotes sin in the Seder. And in the New Testament, we read, “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

(Matt. 16:6) In their exodus from Egypt, they ate unleavened bread, as they had no time to use leavening, and symbolically they had to eat it for seven days. As part of the Seder in remembrance, no leaven could be found in their homes—no sin. The mother would clear the house of all leaven, except for one ritual piece. The father would find that piece and ritually burn it at the local synagogue and then declare his house clean.

Lighting the Seder Candles

The mother lights the Seder candles to begin the Seder meal–typifying the Virgin Mary giving birth to Him who is the Light of the world for “Jew and Gentile.” (John 8:12, Luke 2:32) She offers the prayer, “Blessed oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, sanctify us by thy commandments to light the lights of Passover.

The Pattern for the Sacrament

About fourteen hundred and eighty years after the first Passover meal, Jesus with great feeling tells the Twelve, “With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) In 1987, we went on a tour with Dan Rona, a Jewish convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As he was explaining the “upper room” where the “Last Supper” was held, he shared a grand chiasmus when the Savior took the cup of wine and then the bread then He turned that around at the “Last Supper” to the bread and then the wine—representing His body and then His blood, as He instigated the pattern for the sacrament.

The Ordinance to Purge All Sin

In the Seder ceremony, one of the steps is for one of the children to find the lost piece of Motzoh, which has been pierced as it was baked. This chiastic focal point symbolizes the world finding the Savior, as He finishes His infinite atonement—conquering sin and death and overcoming the effects of the Fall of Adam and Eve. So, our sacrament service is a carry-on of that sacred “Last Supper” and Passover meal. It is our sacred “ordinance” to purge all “leaven” from our lives as we partake of those sacred emblems in remembrance of his body and blood, and always remember Him, and keep His commandments, and take His name upon us, that we may always have His Spirit to be with us.

Motzah – The Godhead and Unity

As part of the Seder, there is a bag (Motzah Tosh) with three separate compartments to hold three pieces of Motzah—representing unity and the Godhead. The center one—representing our Savior—is taken out, broken, and that broken piece is put in a linen bag and hidden (buried) for a child to find later, as mentioned above. After being found, the father breaks off a piece of the Motzah for each member of the family; so, we see it in remembrance of His pierced and buried body wrapped in a linen cloth.

The New Covenant

Jeremiah tells of a “new covenant” that the Lord will make with the House of Israel. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) We are at that day when the grand chiasmus is unfolding before us: FIRST-LAST and LAST-FIRST. Israel was the FIRST; they rejected Christ and the Gentiles became the LAST. The Gentiles went through a great apostasy, and the restoration brought the LAST becoming the FIRST, to this Gentile nation (USA). Now the Gentiles have rejected the gospel and fullness of the gospel (3 Nephi 16:10), and we see now the FIRST becoming the LAST, as the Lord “brings” the gospel back to Israel in our day of the great gathering and a “new covenant,” wherein He will write His law in our hearts and He will be our God and we His people–the ideal “pure-in-heart” ZION society which is coming.

A Place Saved for Elijah

As part of the Seder, they save a seat for Elijah, who they know will prepare the way for the Messiah to come. It is fascinating that on the very day the Jews were celebrating Passover, Elijah came and restored his keys to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on the 3rd of April 1836—“To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse.” (D&C 110:15) Since those keys were restored, we have seen the glorious benefits with temples now dotting the earth in preparation for the Lord’s coming.

The Closing of the Seder

They close the Seder by singing psalms of praise from Ps. 113-118. In regard to Psalms 117 and 118, the Lord led me to a wonderful discovery that the number of chapters and the middle chapter of the King James Bible focuses on trust in the Lord and in His atonement with several other features showing the Lord’s fingerprint in His Holy word.

Resurrection – Capstone to the Atonement

I hope this Easter, as we celebrate the capstone to the infinite atonement, His glorious resurrection, will be the best one ever for you and yours. This should be the most important holiday in the year: What is the most important common holiday of the year for Arab, Jews, and Gentiles? Christmas, Passover, Easter, etc.

David W. Allan (12 April 2022)

links: for Seder

Christ In The Passover – Presentation – David Brickner – Jews For Jesus – YouTube

The Last Supper Passover (Full Version) – YouTube

Photo: CC Fliker Last Supper