By: Prof Daniel B.Wallace
Passover in the Time of Jesus
(Reflection)
The following essay
is the transcript used in a recent Seder that I conducted with some friends.
With a little imagination, you can see how it was implemented.
This evening we will
be celebrating the Passover as it was celebrated in the first century A.D. Our
records are scanty in some places, but the majority of aspects of the evening
are certifiable as authentic at that time. We will not eat gifilta fish, nor
have a boiled egg or a bare lamb shank bone on our plates, since this practice
does not date back to the time of Jesus.[1] The meal itself will be simple: hors
d’oeuvres, lamb, unleavened bread, and wine; the symbolic significance of the
meal, however, will be rich and complex. The Passover was a festive occasion—a
celebration of the nation’s release from Egyptian bondage. We should celebrate it tonight as Jesus’
disciples did, for only later did they realize the irony of this joyous
occasion that pointed to the death of the Messiah.
As we replicate what
the Jews of Palestine did at the time of Jesus, try to
reflect on what may have been going through the disciples’
minds as well as our Lord’s, as we partake of that last Passover before his death. At certain points we
will punctuate the ceremony with references to that Thursday evening of April
2, A. D. 33.[2]
At the end of the Passover, we will briefly look at Matthew 26:17-30, 36-45 and
a few other verses.