Jesus, the metaphoric lamb of God, was sacrificed to free us from the internal bondage of our transgressions, just as real lambs were sacrificed by the Hebrews before they escaped from the actual lashes of their slave drivers. The blood of the lamb was used to ward off the angel of Death, whereas Jesus’ blood gives Christians everlasting life in the kingdom of Heaven. The two Religious celebrations share a linguistic as well as a symbolic connection. The Hebrew Pesach, and the Greek Pascha, both meaning Passover, are the roots for the word paschal in the Christian reference to Jesus as the Paschal lamb. This word is also related to the words for Easter in Latin and later, the Romance languages. (Pâques in French and Pascua in Spanish)
The Seder plate is filled with foods that represent the story of the Exodus. Among these are, roasted lamb, haroset (chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and a bit of wine) for the bricks the Hebrew slaves were forced to make, maror (horseradish) for the bitterness of slavery, and matzah because the Hebrews fled in such a hurry, their bread did not have time to rise. The host consumed during the Communion ritual is unleavened, the Last Supper where Jesus broke bread with his disciples, was a Passover Seder. The symbolic body and blood of Christ is consumed in Christian Church Services to remind us that he died in order to grant our souls entrance to Paradise, the Exodus marks the physical migration of the Hebrews to the Promised Land.
The interconnectedness of these two traditions, both historically and spiritually, makes me question ever more acutely, why do the Jews not accept Jesus as the Messiah? After asking several Jewish colleagues, I got a good book, “Why the Jews Rejected Jesus” by David Klinghoffer. From what I read, the main objection on the part of the Jews was that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies about his Messianic reign in a purely literal way. The argument of the Christians, on the other hand, could be that he was fulfilling them from Heaven, in a more metaphorical fashion.
The prophet Ezekiel enumerated the following six stages that must occur in order for the Jews to recognize a Messiah, 1) The return of all Jews to Israel, 2) reign of the messianic king, 3) a renewed commitment to Torah observance (the 10 commandments), 4) eternal peace, 5) a new temple in Jerusalem, 6) all Nations recognize God. Although these events vary slightly depending on the prophet consulted, the order of events remains the same. Also, it is assumed they will transpire in quick succession, during the lifetime of the Messiah, in which case Jesus does not fit the bill. However, later Klinghoffer quotes the prophet Jeremiah as voicing the Lord’s promise:
Behold days are coming… when I will seal a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah: not like the covenant that I sealed with their forefathers on the day that I took hold of their hand to take them out of the land of Egypt – I will place my Torah within them and I will write it onto their heart. (36-37)
The Christianity that I grew up with taught me to approach Bible stories as parables. I was challenged to identify the moral lesson and then apply it to my own life. When Klinghoffer mentions the 19th century Protestant view of Jesus as an ethical revolutionary who did not see the kingdom of God as the tangible end of history, prophesied in the Old testament, but that “rather, God’s kingdom would be in the hearts of men” (42), I knew that was what I had always believed.Jesus aimed to free people from the strict constraints of rabbinic Judaism, widening the appeal of God and thus, starting a process that could continue over the course of many generations to fulfill the Messianic prophesies. For example, King David, from whose line the Messiah is said to be descended, authored a song of Praise for God wherein he says that God commanded his Covenant for a thousand generations. Taken literally, this would mean 20,000 years or more. For the most part though, this is thought to be synonymous with forever.
At the time that Jesus lived, the written books that help todays Jews decipher the Torah were still only transmitted from one generation of rabbis to the next by word of mouth. Jesus did not think too highly of this ‘Oral Torah’s’ ability to help men transcend into the realm of the spiritual. Jesus tells a group of Pharisees who have condemned him for breaking the Sabbath by healing a sick man, “So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God,” and then cites Isaiah, “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” (59) I can understand Jesus’ frustration with a chastisement for an act of kindness and compassion.
In the context of today’s world, I think we can learn a lot by the intolerance and self-righteousness that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. However, nowadays, many Christians assume that their traditions and beliefs are the only right approach to forging a relationship with God. In the end, it should just be about each person finding a relationship that works as a comfort or a guide in her life. Klinghoffer points out that, “as humans, we seek to feel that we belong wholly to a culture.” (p. 122) Many people will feel very strongly about the rituals they grew up with and will carry those early impressions with them as they come into contact with other cultures. It is dangerous to teach children that they are right because their God is the one true God before sending them out into the world.
My son’s four year old mind busily churns meaning out of everything he hears in Church. On Holy Thursday, we sat through the Eucharistic prayer (….This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant; it will be shed for you and for all, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me….). When it concluded with, “in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen,” Henry turned to me and said quietly, “I’m your son, but I don’t want you to make me have blood.” I immediately knew what he meant. He has already absorbed that, in Church, God is the Father and that he sent Jesus, his son, to die. If God would do that to his child, why wouldn’t merely mortal parents? I tell Henry that the stories we hear at Church help us learn how to live a better life. I tell him that we go to church to feel close to God by being part of a loving community. But then I add, I would like to learn the stories of every Religion. I would also like that loving community to be extended to the whole world.
