Urchatz.2 In this instance, water is poured from a cup, once
over each hand and recited without a blessing in preparation for
taking the greens, either parsley or lettuce, which is part of the
traditional Seder meal.
The second hand washing is called Rachtzah 3 and it is done
a little later in the Passover service just prior to eating the matzah
(unleavened bread). This time, a blessing is said when pouring
the water over the hands: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of
the Universe, who has sanctified us with His laws and commanded
us to wash our hands.”
These washing traditions harken back to those linked to
ritual purity found in the Torah and in particular to various
commandments associated with the priesthood and Temple offerings,
especially the preparation of the priests for their duties.4
Again, our modern Passover Seder rituals developed over
centuries and cannot be simply “read into” the Passover Seder
of Jesus. In this instance, however, it appears that the washing
of the disciples’ feet should be associated with the liturgy of the
Last Supper (or Last Seder) rather than the common washing
of feet when entering a house as a guest.
MARCH 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 3
The strongest indication is that the
disciples are already sitting at the table
and engaged with dinner when the foot
washing begins. 5
Jesus decided to use His washing
the disciples’ feet rather than their
hands to teach the disciples some
early lessons about true humility,
suggesting that true spirituality is not
simply a matter of performing rituals
correctly but a matter of the heart. The
lessons in humility demonstrated and
then taught through changing the hand washing into a foot
washing is dramatic and powerful.
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His
garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them,
“Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher
and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord
and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one
another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should
do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not
greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the
one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if
you do them. (John 13:12-17)
There are many rabbinic teachings found in the Mishnah and
Talmud that emphasize the importance of humility. 6 We find
similar thoughts about humility in the words of Jesus Himself
spoken during the Sermon on the Mount, especially as gleaned
from the first three beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-5).
RECLINING AT THE TABLE
Once again, we have good evidence that this meal is a Seder
as Dr. Don Carson, in his commentary on the Gospel of John,
suggests that the “reclining” posture of the disciples during the
meal is another hint that the meal was a Passover Seder: “In
short, the posture of Jesus and his men is a small indicator that
they were in fact eating the Passover meal.” 7
The reclining posture of the disciples and Jesus indicates
that the meal was a “special meal” and in this instance, because
of the other elements mentioned and the date it took place, it
may be seen as a Passover Seder.
THE SOP AND THE BETRAYAL
Another key to understanding this meal as the Last Seder
of Jesus comes when Jesus indicates to His disciples that Judas
is going to betray Him. In response to Peter’s asking who the
perpetrator will be, Jesus responds, ‘“That is the one for whom I
shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped
the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot”
(John 13:26).
The dipping of the “morsel” likely refers to one of the
various “dippings” that are part of the Seder. It could refer to
the dipping of the greens (parsley or lettuce), the bitter herbs, or
the charoset (the sweet mixture of apples,
nuts, and honey used to symbolize the
sweetness of redemption in the midst
of the bitterness of slavery represented
by the other dippings). We might not
know which dipping Jesus is referring
to exactly, but clearly this is an unusual
action for a regular meal, but not for a
Passover Seder.
There are many other reasons why
we believe that the dinner recorded by
John was an early version of a Passover
Seder, but perhaps the above will suffice
for now and give you a hunger to learn more about the Passover
and the ways Jesus, the Lamb of God, fulfills the Feast.
Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and remember to pray for
our staff serving in 17 countries around the globe as they present
the Messiah through the Passover in churches, homes, and
Messianic congregations and speaking one-on-one with Jewish
people who need to know the Lord.
Thanks for you prayers and generous support of our
ministry. Happy Passover and may the power of His resurrection
give you strength to serve Him faithfully!
Your brother,
Mitch
1 The tractate of the Mishnah about Passover
2 Literally, washing or cleansing
3 Literally, To wash or bath
4 Leviticus 8:6, Leviticus 16:24-25
5 Craig S Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers,
2003), 906.
6 Ibid. 906–907.
7 Carson, D. A.. The Gospel According to John. (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter
Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), p. 473.