THE PASSOVER MEAL

Exodus 12:8 (NKJV) Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

The Passover Supper included unleavened bread and bitter herbs along with the roast Lamb.  The symbology is striking when juxtaposed over against the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  The application is also beautiful when we consider that this was done for us.

First, the roasted Lamb.  Of course, no one wants raw; so the roasting process is a means of making it more palatable. But there's more.  After the sacrifice is made, the consumption of the Lamb makes it personal to each member of the household.  The blood was applied to the doorposts, but the meal nourishes each member personally.  Apart from personally allowing Jesus into our lives to nourish and strengthen us to live a spiritual life in a physical world, we have no way to do that.  Therefore, while we don't consume the Lord physically, we DO invite Him into our life daily, communing with Him, taking in His Spirit, realigning our wills with His, and learning to follow Him continually.  Salvation is the regeneration of the soul through faith in Christ (applying the blood to the doorposts of our hearts), but daily living is personal communion with the roasted lamb.

Next is the unleavened bread. Jesus helps us with this symbology in the New Testament, speaking of leaven as false doctrine.  Leaven typically stands for sin as well.  Cleansing the home of sin is one thing, consuming the pure bread of life, sinless and true, is the daily need of the Child of God.  This is also symbolic of Jesus, our Bread of Life.  The Passover sacrifice is a sacrifice of Jesus, and the supper is to nourish the body for service to God.  Let us also make our lives free of the sin which we have been forgiven that the purity of Christ might also be ours; let us live "unleavened" lives.


Finally, bitter herbs.  Bitter herbs represent the pain and hardship that the Lord endured to free us of the chains of sin that bound us.  In no small fashion do we also endure the pain and hardship that living free of sin might bring.  Paul says, convictingly in Hebrews, "ye have not yet resited sin unto blood."  The meaning is that our efforts to life sin-free have not cost us our very life-blood.  We are not yet poured out in that way.  But Jesus was for us - in our stead.  Our standing is free of sin, but our experience here on earth is far from that.  And sin is bitter, indeed.  We are not to be filled with bitterness, but we may face bitter times and situations.  Be we thankful that what hardships we face, they pale when compared to the suffering of our Savior on Calvary for us.  Our consumption of these herbs unites us with His suffering, lest we forget, neglect, or minimize it; for it is of great price that He paid for our unattainable debt to be covered freely by us.