The Passover at the time when the Lord Jesus celebrated it with His disciples consisted in a ritual that was not existent when it was established almost fifteen centuries earlier by Moses.
If followed an ancient oral tradition, which is not in the Bible, so we have to geet information from the Jewish rabbis who, between AD 100 and 210, edited and compiled the so-called Mishnah incorporating the oldest known rabbinical commentaries and oral traditions.
Even so, many years had already elapsed and there may be some disagreement, which explains some differences in the minutiae of the ceremonial of that time.
Without an infallible basis as the Bible to teach us on this matter, I will confine myself to the essence, using the explanation given by Mr and Mrs Moishe Rosen in their book "Christ in the Passover."
Participants of the Passover reclined at the table, the Babylonian custom of free men, and servants or slaves served them. The ceremony included certain ablutions and prayers. They were required to drink at least four cups of red wine mixed with warm water, a symbol of joy and representing the blood of the lamb that had been sacrificed, whose meat was eaten.
Beside the roast lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread (no yeast), a symbol of distress (Deuteronomy 16:3) instructed by Moses, there were other ceremonial foods on the table to be eaten. Salt water or vinegar was used to soak the herbs once only, and they also used a sweet mixture of apples and walnuts, in which they dipped the herbs and a morsel of bread before eating.
The order of service was as follows:
1. Prayer of consecration of the meal before the first cup wine, recited by the host (Luke 22:17-18).
2. First hand washing (John 13:4-5).
3. Dipping the herb in salt water or vinegar, which was then passed by him to all participants.
4. Wine is poured into the second cup, following the removal of the food.
5. Time for questions by the children to their father concerning the meaning of Passover when in family, and remembrance of the history of the people from the call of Abraham to the exodus from Egypt and the delivery of the Law.
6. The food returns to the table, the father continues talking, explaining the elements: the lamb, the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread they were eating.
7. Singing of psalms 113 and 114, and the second cup is drunk.
8. Washing of hands for the second time, as an act of respect for the bread.
9. The host breaks of the loaves as a sign of humility, remembering that the poor have only crumbs to eat. After that he gives thanks remembering that God gives the food, and for the commandment that the bread should not contain yeast.
10. The host gives a piece of broken bread, after it has been dipped in bitter herbs and the sweet mixture, to each of the participants (Matthew 26:21, John 13:26, 27b and 30a).
11. The meat of the lamb is eaten ("After this, the Lord again took bread, gave thanks and gave to His disciples saying: `This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me'" Matthew 26:26b, Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-24).
12. The host pours the third glass of wine (Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25) and all recite the after-meal blessing, and sing a special song for the wine in the third cup, and all drink of it.
13. The psalms 115-118 are recited, and all drink the fourth cup.
14. Closing with a song or hymn (Matthew 26:30).
It should be noted that the words of the Lord Jesus were shocking: "This is my body" and "this is the new covenant in My blood," and that, when interrupting the order of the ritual, at the end, He was breaking the custom not to eat any more food after the meat of the lamb.
With His authority, He was introducing an entirely new celebration, taking advantage of the symbols used in the Passover, which represented His own death.
The Gospels mention only the first and third cup, which were considered the most important in the Jewish Passover according to their ancient tradition. The first was special because it consecrated the whole ritual that followed it. The third had two names: "Cup of Blessing" because it was drunk after the "blessing" and "Cup of Redemption" because it represented the blood of the paschal lamb. They are the names mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:16 and Matthew 26:28.
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