Passover 2025

This year I had the privilege of learning more about the significance of the Seder meal and the Passover. First Jennifer R., who is a missionary with Jews for Jesus, was giving presentations about it and she practiced with me as her audience. Then, I was invited to Dr. Ron Pierce’s home to enjoy a Seder meal.  Here are some of my raw thoughts:

What I have been focusing on in my reading the Bible this year is looking for Jesus in every chapter I read. The Passover is clearly all about  Jesus and was celebrated for 1500 years prior to Jesus, the messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the affikomen, He is the unleavened bread and the wine. It is all a foreshadowing of the atoning work of Christ at Easter. That is not what struck me in a new way this year.

Passover emphasizes hospitality through the act of sharing food and welcoming others, especially those in need. The Seder, a traditional meal, includes a declaration of open homes and audacious hospitality.  It emphasizes the importance of providing for travelers and the less fortunate. Additionally, Passover celebrations often involve community gatherings and the sharing of food and stories, fostering a sense of belonging, respect and compassion, which are the hallmarks of hospitality. This is startling to me. It is even more shocking that the Haggadah promotes both the celebration of of the liberation of the jewish people but also underscores remorse for the suffering of the Egyptians; this is demonstrated through the spilling of wine, the diminished joy that others, even enemies, should be recognized and mourned. Jesus too teaches that even in the pursuit of justice and liberation, there is inherent sorrow and loss. He tells his followers that true compassion should extend to everyone – all are neighbors – and that the loss of life should be mourned, even for those who were oppressors. The Passover points to the true value of freedom as it cost Jesus everything. It values memory and story, family and empathy for all who suffer, faith and hope,  and the responsibility of forgiveness.