by Jessica Olson

The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” Mark 14:16-18

Every year, in our home we like to hold a Passover Seder – a carefully organized, traditional Jewish feast that recognizes how God delivered the Hebrew people from sin and slavery. We remember our blessings, and we reflect over the following symbols of the Seder plate:

• Karpas, or green vegetable, reminds us of how the Hebrew people flourished.
• Beitzah, or roasted egg, is reminiscent of the festival offering.
• Zeroa, or shank bone, stands for the sacrificial Lamb.
• Haroset, or sweet paste, represents the bricks and mortar of slavery.
• Maror, or horseradish, lets us taste of the bitterness of slavery.
• Salt water symbolizes tears.
• Matzah exhibits the body.
• Red wine represents the blood.

My favorite part of the Seder is matzah, or unleavened bread. It’s bruised, pierced, and broken – just as the Messiah’s body was bruised, pierced and broken. During the Seder, three matzah are wrapped in a cloth and hidden away, just as the Messiah’s body was wrapped in cloth and hidden away. At the right time, the children go searching for the hidden matzah.

That’s when, not long ago, my son Peter began to ask lots of questions. Who was the Messiah, really? What did he do to deserve death? When did he die? Where did he die? How was he buried? Why do we see Jesus hanging on the cross in all the cathedrals in town?

Peter was fond of picture books, so as a first step, we re-read stories of Jesus from our children’s Bible. The most helpful tool, however, was something called an Evangecube. It’s a block about the size of a Rubik’s Cube. It contains a series of pictures of Jesus life, death, burial, and resurrection. I opened the cube and showed Peter each picture. When we reached the image of the empty tomb, Peter spoke up. You mean to tell me that Jesus is alive? He’s not hanging on that cross anymore? He breathed a sigh of relief.

 I didn’t hear anything more from him on the subject until Easter Sunday. That day we went to church. We stood at the back of the sanctuary, sang hymns with the congregation, and listened to the sermon together. When the service was over, Peter turned to me and smiled. Light filled his eyes. He was overcome with joy.

I can put my faith and trust in Jesus now, Mom, because I know that he isn’t dead. He’s alive.

What are we doing this season to make the message of Passover a tangible one? Let’s not only think about how God has delivered us from the slavery of sin. Let’s taste, feel, hear, smell, and see it, too!

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Jessica Olson works as an Administrative Assistant for SIL, serving Central African Republic remotely. She has served as a biblical exegete for SIL and the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) in Mamfe, Cameroon. She’s also served as a publicity writer and photographer for SIL in Dallas. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She’s the mother of four children who are active participants in Calvary Kids and Youth Group at Calvary Evangelical Free Church. She loves to encourage others through creative compositions, textile art projects, Latin dance, interpretive dance, songwriting and singing.