Christ in the Passover

Sunday 03/29/2026 

Annette Sofaer from Jews for Jesus will be presenting "Christ in the Passover" on Sunday, March 29, at 10:30 am. This will be a special time of worship connecting the Jewish Passover Seder to the Last Supper and Jesus' sacrifice.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:19

Inside of your bullets, you have a biography, a testimony from Mr. Met. And I'm so grateful that she shared a little bit during the Science School hour, which, by the way, if you weren't here for that, you really missed something great. He's going to do it again next Sunday. So next Sunday, 9 a.m., uh, Pastor Brian is going to be teaching about eschatology. So we're excited about that. But let me introduce you. And I know it's a church, but you're allowed to explain. Um can we give a warm welcome to the next Pastor Byron?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

It's great to be here at First Baptist in Vernus this morning. And what a privilege for me to be able to share with you on this special morning on Palm Sunday, the day you know that we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. And this was the time that began, kicked off this week of events that happened that led to the climax, which was his death and atonement for us. And of course, his miraculous resurrection from the dead, confirming that he is indeed the Lord. And so I am so privileged this morning to be able to come and share with you one of the key elements of that week, which is the celebration of the Passover that Jesus had. My name again is Annette Sofair, and I serve with the Ministry of Jews for Jesus in Los Angeles. And so I've actually been here for about a week in Florida, visiting different churches and sharing this message. The message that I'm going to share this morning is called Christ in the Passover. And I just wanted to start that off with a question. And the question is now, if you were to ask a Jewish child who the hero of Passover is, they would probably give credit to the Lord, of course, but then they would point to Moses. And that makes sense. But if you were to ask a Jewish child that same question, who is the hero of Passover? They would say Jesus. Now it might seem strange for some of you to associate Jesus with Passover. What does Passover have to do with Jesus? Well, Jesus was Jewish, and Passover is a Jewish holiday. But not only did Jesus celebrate Passover every year while he was dwelling with us here on earth, but this morning as I share this Passover setting with you, I think that you will see that Jesus is clearly pictured in all of the symbols of Passover and also in the story of Passover itself. And you can advance to the next slide. Let's see, where are the slides? Oh, the slides are there. And I was going to say, am I on one and the slides on another? But okay, yes, great. Yeah, so Passover is also known as the feast of redemption. And that is because this story focuses not just on the, you know, the story of what happened with the plagues and all of those things, but the climax of that story is the idea of God redeeming us, bringing us out of bondage and slavery to his freedom. And that's what we're going to be focusing on this morning. I believe that as I share this message and I share this setting with you, that you'll see that here there's a clear picture of Jesus' death and his resurrection and also the promise of his return. So look closely as we go through the details of this. And I pray also that this will be pointing and helping you understand this idea of the Messiah being that lamb of the world is also known as the Feast of the Passover Lamb. And I'd actually like to read a scripture for you that talks about Jesus celebrating Passover. So you can go to the next slide. And we read in Luke chapter 22, beginning in verse 7, then came the day of unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat it. And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. So Passover begins a seven-day holiday that we call the feast of unleavened bread. And during that time we eat nothing that contains any leaven or yeast. Now, why no leaven? Well, throughout Scripture, leaven is frequently used as a symbol of sin. It's the leaven that causes the dough to rise or to become puffed up, just as sin causes us to become puffed up in our own eyes. So during this time, we eat no leaven as a way of saying that we want to break with that daily sin cycle in our own lives. And so in religious Jewish homes, in the lead up to Passover for six weeks, the house undergoes a complete spring cleaning. And that means that we remove everything that has any leaven in it. So that would be the cakes, the cookies, the bread, the cereal, even the baking soda. And of course, the bagels have to go as well. So anything that has any leaven in it. Oh, I think Elizabeth's not happy about that. So, but you know, the there's a chance that there could still be a little bit of leaven somewhere in the house. And so there's a ceremony that sort of symbolizes the finishing of the cleaning. And that is called that slide that you were just showing there, the bedekat hummits, the search for the leaven. And this is actually done by the man of the house. And so the night before Passover, he comes home and he takes up some rather strange-looking cleaning tools, a cloth napkin, a wooden spoon, and a feather. Now, even though the house has been cleansed, cleansed by the woman, and she's been doing all this cleaning for all these weeks, she has taken a few crumbs and she's hidden them somewhere in the house. And it's up to the man to find them. And so that's what this bedacott hummus is about. And he takes a candle and he sort of ceremonially is looking around in the dark corners. But his wife is so kind, she's hidden those crumbs exactly where she hid them the year before. And the year before. So it's not too long before the husband discovers those crumbs. But since the crumbs represent sin, the man is not permitted to touch them. And so instead, he carefully sweeps those crumbs into the spoon with a feather. And then he takes that and wraps it into a cloth. And he takes this down to the courtyard of the synagogue where all of the men of the congregation have gathered. There's a big bonfire there, and all of the men cast their bundles into the flames. And then the man comes home and proudly proclaims, Now I have purged my house of all leaven. But just to be certain, he adds, May all manner of leaven, which I have neither seen nor removed, be considered null and void and as the dust of the earth. Amen. And so the house has been cleansed, and the home is now ready for the Passover celebration. Now you might remember from scripture that my ancestors had to celebrate that very first Passover with their sandals on their feet, with their staves in their hand, with their packs on their back, ready to go at a moment's notice. But these days when we celebrate Passover, we relax and recline on pillows. And you see, even the way that we sit and eat the Passover is a symbol, a celebration of our freedom. For in Middle Eastern societies in ancient times, only those who were free could recline at dinner, only those who had been redeemed. You can go to the next slide now. So this morning you'll hear me referring to this Passover celebration as a Passover Seder. And the reason is because the Passover celebration follows a very specific order of service. And so we call it a Passover Seder. And you can go to the next slide. And that order is found in this book, which is called the Haggadah, which means the telling. And this is the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. And I think everything's just about ready for Passover. I'm very appreciative of the ladies who helped all of the details are here. And so there's a customary greeting at Passover. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Now, I'm not really going to serve a great meal here this morning. I'm sorry to say. But just the same, I am so glad that you can celebrate this wonderful custom with me. And I say shalom to you. And so Passover begins, as many special occasions do, with the lighting of the candles. And this is the duty and the honor of the woman of the house.

SPEAKER_07 10:12

There we go.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

And after lighting the candles, she recites a traditional Hebrew prayer, which sounds like this. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctifies us by his commandments and has commanded us to kindle the festival lights. And so the evening has begun. Now I wanted to tell you that a traditional Passover celebration, it's not just a service, it's a whole ceremony. And it isn't just a meal, it's a banquet. And while a meal and a service might take just a couple of hours, the Passover celebration can take up to four hours. But don't worry, we're not going to be here that long this morning. But you can advance to the next slide. But during that time, each adult will drink from his cup and refill it four times. And so I put four cups up here to remind you of that this morning. And so the first cup is called the kiddish cup or the cup of sanctification. And then we have the cup of plagues. And then the third cup is the cup of redemption, which is actually the focal points of the entire evening. And then we have the fourth cup, the cup of halel, or the cup of praise. So it's with this first cup, and we can advance to the next slide, the cup of sanctification, that the host offers a blessing for all the rest of the service to follow. And raising that kiddish cup aloft, he offers praise and thanks to God Almighty, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Baruchatarunai Elohin Malachalam Bore Pri Hagafen. And the service has now begun. And the youngest person present comes forward to ask what the meaning of Passover is. And we can advance to the next slide. And so he or she will recite the traditional four questions, which are found in the Haggadah. And they're chanted in Hebrew, and the first one sounds like this. When he brought me out of the house of bondage, out of the land of Egypt, when he redeemed me with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Redemption.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

That is the very heart of the Passover story.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

It turns the focus on to God's means of redemption. And that was through the sacrifice of a Passover lamb. My ancestors were instructed to take a spotless lamb and to roast it whole without breaking any of its bones. And then we were to apply its blood to the doorposts of our homes. And you can advance to the next slide. First, we put the blood on the top of the doorpost, the lintel, and then to the two sideposts as well. And because we were obedient to God's command, and because we believed in the effectiveness of that provision, we were spared that terrible judgment that fell on the land of Egypt that night. For when the angel of death saw the blood on our doors, death was forced to pass over. That's where we get the name. In Hebrew, we call it Pesach.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

And it means that this idea of passing over.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

And at this point in the Seder, the leader of the household takes out the middle layer of matza and recites a blessing and then breaks that in two. And he sets one half aside and he gives the other half a special name, the ophikomen. Try saying that with me, all right? Ophikomen. That's right. And it's not a great Hebrew word, by the way. It's actually a Greek word. And it means he who comes later. And that's precisely what happens. The aphikomen isn't eaten yet. Instead, it's wrapped up into a cloth or an ophykomen pouch. And then this is hidden away somewhere, or you might say buried. And later on, this has to be found, or else the service can't be concluded. Now there are two uh more questions that your child asks. They ask, on this night, why do we eat only bitter herbs? And why do we dip our vegetables not just once, but twice? And you can go to the next slide. And to answer that question, we have this item, which is called a Seder plate. And it sits on the table like this. And there's a symbolic type of food that goes into each one of these compartments. And all of these symbolic foods help us to tell the story of Passover. My husband uh explains, I like what he says about it, that Passover is sort of the first multimedia presentation, a way for us to use all of our senses to tell the story of Passover. And it's so helpful when you use all of your senses to remember this important story. And we want to pass the story on to our children from generation to generation, as we say in Hebrew, Vador Vador. And so we use our all of our senses. We hear the story of Passover, we see the beautiful table setting, and then we get to touch and smell and taste these unusual and memorable food items. And so I'm going to share those with you now. So the first item on the Seder plate, and you can advance the slide, it's called carpas or greens, and these greens represent life. But before we eat them, we dip them into salt water, which represents the tears of life. And so by dipping, we're reminded that a life without redemption is a life immersed in tears. Now, the next item on the satyr plate is called the hazarit, and it's the root of the bitter herb. And you can advance the slide again. There you go. And we usually use an onion or a horseradish root, and this symbol just sits on the plate, but it reminds us that the root of life is bitter, as it certainly was for our ancestors when they were in slavery in Egypt. And you can advance the slide. And then the next thing on the Seder table is the bitter herb itself. It's called marur, and it's freshly ground horseradish. Now, our rabbis say that we should take about a tablespoonful of horseradish. Do you know what happens when you eat a tablespoonful of horseradish? Yeah. You cry, right? You have a little choice in the matter. It's between the horseradish and your sinuses. And the horseradish usually wins. And like the Hazaret, the maror is a reminder to us of the bitterness of life without redemption. Now we can advance to the next slide. Now, by way of contrast, we have this wonderful thing that's called haroset. And this symbol reminds us of the mortar that our ancestors used when they had to make the bricks for Pharaoh. And it's made up of chopped apples and raisins and honey and nuts, and it tastes delicious. And that, of course, gets finished every year, whereas the marur, not so much. But it might seem strange to have this delicious item like that in the midst of this discussion about bitter toil. And our rabbis say, you know, even in the midst of that sadness, there was the sweetness with the promise of a coming redemption. Amen. Now, the next item, you can advance the slide on the satyr plate. This is called the Hagiga, which was the name given to the special temple sacrifices in Jerusalem. Those sacrifices were roasted, and so we roast the egg, which turns it brown. And the hagiga is a token of grief to my people. Grief over the destruction of the temple, the second temple. And so during the Seder, we break open that egg and we peel that. But before we eat it, we dip it into the salt water, which represents what? Do you remember? Tears. That's right. But the egg is not only a token of grief, because it's also a symbol of new life. Now, the last item on the Seder plate, and you can advance the slide, is called the Zeroa or the shankbone of the lamb. And Passover is also known as the feast of the Passover lamb. And yet in many Jewish homes, the Passover lamb is not served. You see, the lambs that we used to eat at Passover were those lambs that were brought to the temple, offered as a sacrifice, and then brought home for the families to eat. But as I mentioned, in the year 70, the temple was destroyed in Jerusalem. And so was the altar where those sacrifices were performed. And so from that time until this day, no sacrifices have been made. And so in many Jewish homes, lamb is not served at Passover. Instead, we have that shankbone as a reminder of sacrifices which are no longer offered. Now, having those two elements on the satyr plate, the egg and the shank bone, it raises an interesting question for us. If there is no temple, there's no altar, and there's no sacrifices, how is it possible for us to atone for our sins? For the law of Moses states very clearly that God gave us the blood on the altar to make atonement, for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. Well, without that sacrifice, how is atonement possible? Many Jewish people would say perhaps it was important 2,000 years ago, but it doesn't have any bearing on my life today, does it? If that's not an important question, then why does the Haggadah instruct us to take the story of Passover personally, as if each one of us were being brought out of the land of Egypt? I think it's wonderful for us to take the story of Passover personally, because each one of us needs to be redeemed. Amen. But with no Lamb of God, how is that redemption possible? About 2,000 years ago, there lived a Jewish man named Johanan. You might know him better as John, John the Baptist. And one day while he was baptizing people by the Jordan River, he saw another man coming towards him, and he declared to the people around him, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That's how atonement. But not through the sacrifices year after year of those Passover lambs, but through the final perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

unknown 23:33

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

So once we finish those elements of the Seder plate, then it's time for the second cup, the cup of plagues, and you can advance the slide. Now in Jewish tradition, a full cup represents complete joy. But in one sense, when we celebrate Passover, our joy is not complete. So we pour out some of the contents, and you can actually advance to the next slide. We pour out 10 drops of the fruit of the vine as we read these 10 plagues in remembrance of the wrath that was poured out upon the Egyptians. And we actually mourn their loss and we express sorrow over that, over the destruction that happened to them. But as I said, Passover is a night of rejoicing, a night of thanksgiving. And praise God, today I can rejoice not only because my ancestors were brought out of the land of Egypt, but because I have been redeemed from an even greater bondage through my faith in the Messiah of Israel. That I have passed over from death into life. Praise God. And so we've got a short video to share with you now. I think the audio is not on. So we probably need to pause it for a moment and uh try to get it with the audio on. We've had this problem at a few churches. But I don't have it quite memorized.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Every Jewish person in the world deserves the opportunity to meet Jesus. Many waiting hope of the Messiah, not realizing that he's already come. Others are far from your spiritual works, and many more are surrounded by wars, living in tension. They're all looking for the same thing. A lasting peace, the only Jesus and five. I'm already gonna find out as fish as a cow is coming here. He had to come on his heart to help him bring him today. God has provided in the middle of real.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

And it's also called Terrangelus. Maybe you've heard that term before, because there are so many Iranians in LA. And there are a lot of Iranian Jews as well. And the area where we have our Jews for Jesus branch and our cafe is in Westwood, right across the street from UCLA. But Westwood is also a place where many Iranian Jewish people live. And so we've had a number of those individuals coming to the events that we put on. We have things like Sabbath dinners that we do. We have uh, you know, special workshops and all sorts of things where they can come and be welcome. And we've seen a young mom named Sheila come with her daughter to some of these events. And over the years, she has built up a trust with us. And so I met with her for coffee shortly before I came to Florida, and I asked her how her family was doing because her mother and father and her sister and brother-in-law and her nieces and nephews still live in Iran. And we talked about prayer and how important that is, asking for the Lord's protection over her family. And she said to me, You know, I ask my daughter, my little daughter, to pray for them because her heart is pure. And I said to Sheila, you know, you're right. We cannot come into the presence of the most holy God of the universe unless our hearts are pure. The book of Psalms says, Who can ascend to the holy hill of the Lord except for he who has clean hands and a pure heart? And I talked to her about Passover. I said, Sheila, do you remember the story of the Passover lambs and how we had to put their blood on the doorposts of our homes? And then we were spared that terrible judgment that happened. And she said, Oh yeah, I remember that from celebrating Passover when I grew up. And then I said to her, Did you know, you know, Sheila, you know how the Christians have this thing they do where they they take a little bit of, you know, grape juice or wine and they and they take some bread and they talk about how this is like the body and the blood of Jesus. And she's heard of communion, you know, she doesn't know what it's about or understand it. But I said, the reason that they do that is because Jesus was celebrating Passover right before he was killed. And he said, I am like your Passover lamb. I am your Passover lamb. My body and my blood will be given for you so that you can receive that forgiveness and you can be reconciled with God and have your heart made pure. And for the first time, I think for Sheila, that started to make sense to her, this idea. Because when you say to somebody, Jesus died for your sins, many people, especially Jewish people, would be like, What does that mean? I have no idea. And telling her about Passover helped so much for her in that understanding. I invited her to pray a prayer with me, to invite Jesus to be her Messiah and her redeemer. She didn't feel comfortable repeating those words after me. She said, I feel like this is something I want to take home and pray to God on my own. I have talked to her since then. I haven't had a chance yet to ask her if she's done that. I will be getting together with her for a cup of coffee when I return to California. And I would love your prayers for Sheila. And, you know, our prayer is not only for Sheila to embrace faith in Jesus, but her husband and her daughter as well. So that's just a little taste of the kind of work that we do. And we have felt led by the Lord starting in 2025 to uh to have this kind of like a five-year goal that we feel led by the Spirit to work on, which is to give every Jewish person in the world, as the video said, an opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus in a way that they can understand. And so for that purpose, we have a few things. One is that we would like to establish 30 new congregations in Israel, places where Jewish people can come and hear about Jesus. You see, less than one-tenth of one percent of Israelis are believers in Jesus. I'll say that again. Less than one-tenth of one percent of Israelis know Jesus. And so when somebody does come to faith in Jesus or is open to it, there are very few places for them to go and worship, you know. And so we are looking to partner with uh some other ministries and individuals in Israel and plant 30 new congregations. Second goal that we have, we would like to see over the next until the year 2030, we would like to see 40 million interactions digitally, digital interactions with the gospel message online through our YouTube site, through our website, through the live chat that we offer. Um, and you can go online and see what Jews for Jesus is doing with that. 40 million digital interactions. And then we would like to bring 50 more missionaries on staff. We are indigenous, what they call indigenous missionaries. We are the people who've come to faith who are taking the gospel to our people, Jewish people who've come to faith in Jesus, sharing the gospel with other Jewish people. And we'd like to bring on 50 more Jewish missionaries before the year 2030. So we'd love for you to partner with us. How can you do that? Prayer is the best thing. And actually, um, you can advance this to the next slide. See if we got those going again. It took you off guard there. Oh, let's see. There should be uh there should be a couple of slides with QR codes on them before those. Yes, and is there one more that's uh that has a QR code and it talks about prayer? I'm not positive I sent that slide with it. Nope, that one's okay. That's all right. Um prayer is the most important thing, obviously, because God has to work in the hearts of his people. If you're interested, we have a prayer team. Um, we also have a seven-day prayer guide uh for the Passover season, and I can share that with you if you're interested to know more about how to partner with us in prayer. Um, in addition, this QR code is for giving a gift to the Ministry of Jews for Jesus if you'd like to do it online. Um, also, every one of you received one of these brochures this morning. And if you'd like to give uh using this uh brochure, there's a place where you can share your contact information and you can become part of our upper committed to giving on a monthly basis. The commitment to a monthly support, or if you'd like to give just a one-time gift, we would appreciate whatever you're able to do to support the Ministry of Jews for Jesus as we share the good news around the world. And then also, if you would like to volunteer for the Ministry of Jews for Jesus, we would love to help equip you for that. Many of you may have Jewish people in your lives already. And I set up a table in the back that has some free literature. It also has some books for purchase, and all of those resources are to help equip you to be able to have great conversations with Jewish people that might be in your lives. We also have a volunteer program where we offer training. If you'd like to be able to do things here in your area to partner with us to share the good news with Jewish people. So, but again, prayer is the most important thing. And we would love for you to stand with us as we take that good news and the good news of Passover and our Redeemer Jesus to our Jewish people. Well, we're gonna take a few moments to receive a free will offering. So I'll I'll call up Pastor Byron and I'm gonna share some Passover music with you.

unknown 37:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 37:08

Would you ushers, would you come forward, please? They're gonna start at the front. Well, this time we're grateful for Mr. Ned for sharing with us this morning. Come on down. We'll pray for the offering. This is just for the ministry for the juice for Jesus. No, come on down here. We'll start down here, guys. We'll start down here. Throwing everything off. Everything's different. But I promise this is the last time I'll do it all day. So this is it. Yeah. Okay. Let's pray. Would you pray with me, please? Lord, I thank you for this ministry. I thank you for Jews for Jesus. I thank you for the heart to reach the gospel of all. And I thank you for Ms. Annette and the presentation. I pray that your blessing be the gift and the giver, and that the seeds that are sown today, that the finances and the prayers would just have an amazing fruitfulness for your glory. In Christ's name we pray.

SPEAKER_05 38:17

Amen.

unknown 38:18

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

So this song is called Horse and Rider. Maybe some of you will recognize it. You'll certainly recognize the lyrics that were sung by Miriam and the women with timbrels and dancing when the Jewish people, the Israelites, came out. They went through the Red Sea, came out the other side, and then as Pharaoh's army pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea, it all closed in on them, and God defeated our enemies. So feel free to clap or sing along if you know the song. This is called the Horse and Rider.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

I will sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider thrown into the sea. I will sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider thrown into the sea.

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Well, are you all full after that wonderful meal that mom served to us? Well, we're going to conclude then with the rest of the Passover celebration. So we can advance to the next slide. There we go. Okay. I think I sent the order a little bit wrong because there's a slide. Maybe it's uh one or two down. There's a slide that uh that's about the third cup, because that's the one we're on. If you there it is, great. So we're now at the cup of redemption. And this is the one that comes after dinner. And this is the focal point of the entire evening. But the service can't continue just yet because something is missing. Earlier, something was broken, buried, and now needs to be brought back. And does anybody remember what that was called? We've got a slide for it. Maybe you could pull up that slide that uh it's the offikomen. The officomen. I'm not quite sure where I got the order all out of whack there. So it's okay if you can't find the offhykomen slide. But all of the children search for the offikomen, but only one lucky one discovers where it's been hidden. There it is. And once the officomen is found, it's brought back to the head of the household and it's bought back for a prize. And then that piece is taken out, and the leader recites a blessing. And everybody gets a piece of the officomen about the size of an olive, and this olive-sized piece is taken along with a third cup, the cup of redemption. Does this look familiar? And it should. For this is the origin of our communion service. But not only that, consider this. Where else can we find a clearer picture of our messiah than in that custom concerning the Ophi comen, which is broken, buried, and then brought back? It's very interesting, isn't it? But there's another thing on the table. Do you remember this, the mozzatash? And there's a slide for this, the the pouch for the unleavened bread. Maybe that you can pull up that slide. There it is, right? So the mozzatash, this pouch of the unleavened bread, it's a very interesting thing. The symbolism, the symbolism there also speaks very powerfully to us. We have this pouch here that has three layers of unleavened bread. There's three layers, and yet they form a unity, a tri-unity, you might say. And it's interesting if you were to ask a Jewish person, you know, what's this pouch on the Passover table? And why are there three layers? Well, there are some explanations, you know. Um, you know, there's one like maybe it symbolizes the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But why is the middle matza taken out? Only that middle matza is seen. The other two remain in the pouch for the whole service. They're never taken out. Only the middle piece is taken out. And that one is broken and buried and brought back. There are other explanations for what these three layers might symbolize, but none of those explanations answers that question of why is the middle matzah taken out, broken, buried, and then brought back. It isn't known. But I think for us as Jewish believers in Jesus, we see wonderful symbolism here in the pouch for the unleavened bread. It's really a beautiful picture of this idea of one God revealed in three persons God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. But why is that middle matzah taken out, broken, buried, and then brought back? I think because Jesus was broken, buried, and then brought back. The Disciple John in the book of John, he described Jesus as the Word, and he said, In the beginning it was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and he came unto his own, but his own did not receive him. But as many as did receive him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name. And so at Passover time, this broken piece of matza, the offikamen, is taken in remembrance of the bodies of those Passover lambs that were given for us. And Jesus said, This is my body which is broken for you. And so then at Passover, we're finally able to take the third cup, the cup of redemption. Now at Passover, the fruit of the vine is always red. Our rabbis say to remind us of the precious blood of those first Passover lambs. It was because of their blood that we were redeemed or bought back from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh. And in the same way, the blood of another Passover lamb, the Messiah Jesus, was shed for us so that we could be redeemed and bought back from bondage and slavery to sin. It was concerning this cup, the cup of sanctification, cup of redemption, the one after dinner, that Jesus was referring to when he said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. The very new covenant promised to us by God through the prophet Jeremiah, when he declared, Behold, days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Jacob. Not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt by the hand, my covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Jacob. After those days, I will put my law within them, and on their hearts I will write it. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And at Passover time, we take that fruit of the vine in remembrance of the precious blood of the lambs. And I believe that my Passover lamb is Jesus. And so that's who I remember when I take this cup of redemption. Now you can advance the slides to the next one because we come to the last cup, the fourth cup, the cup of halel or the cup of praise. Now, all of you know a Hebrew word, but I wonder if all of you know that this word is Hebrew. The word is hallelujah, and it means praise the Lord. And this is the cup of praise. Now, if you are observant, you might have noticed there's one last cup, which I have not mentioned yet, and you can advance the slide. This is actually called the cup of Elijah. And in fact, in many Jewish homes, there's an entire place setting left untouched, all for the prophet Elijah. Why? Why is there this longing for the prophet Elijah? You can advance the slide. Well, the Hebrew prophet Malachi said that before the Messiah would come, he would be preceded by the return of Eliahu Hanavi, Elijah the prophet. And we can read right there. Malachi said, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And so every year at Passover, one of the children will go to the outside door and open it wide, hoping that Elijah will come into the home, announce the coming of the Messiah, and sit down with the family to celebrate Passover with them. Well, I know that Elihu, Elijah, has come. For when Jesus spoke of the prophet John, he said of him, If you care to accept it, Jesus said that John came in the power and spirit of Elijah. And he was the one who declared, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And so we know that prophet, that forerunner, has come, and so has our Messiah. And we can advance to the next slide. One more, is there? Yeah, there we go. And so that is the message of hope that we are sharing with our Jewish people around the world. We would love for you to partner with us in any way you're able. Afterwards, I will be out there by the books and the free literature. I would love to answer questions, help equip you. So come and talk to me. And I think there's one more slide here. Is there one more? There it is. Yeah, just that last uh little picture there. And I am so grateful to be able to celebrate Palm Sunday with you and so grateful, Pastor Byron, for your welcoming us to come and share this message. I hope it's an encouragement to you. And next time you take communion, you'll just you know appreciate it all the more with that understanding that you've gained this morning. And also that you might have a joyful celebration of Easter as we remember Jesus' sacrifice for us. So God bless you and thank you so much for welcoming me today.

SPEAKER_05 50:34

It's not just a thing that our tradition, it is something that the deep feel of mind says first loved us at his eye for us. Thank you for that. We're going to finish out today singing a hallelujah, a praise to our God. It's rejoice in the Lord. The stand. After the song, you are free to leave, you are dismissed.

SPEAKER_06 51:21

Say it again, we rejoice. We have easy, I destroyed.