Steve Conover: Welcome to the Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover, and with me is our host and teacher Chris Katulka.

Chris Katulka: Steve, you're back in the studio.

Steve Conover: I am.

Chris Katulka: You made it back from Israel.

Steve Conover: I am.

Chris Katulka: You made it back from Israel. I'm glad that you had a safe trip and a fantastic trip. I've heard awesome stories. Steve, today on the program, we are actually going to be diving into a specific aspect of the Passover Seder. We just wrapped up our online Passover experience that you could be a part of by going foi.org/passover. You could watch our Passover Seder, and we'll have more details about that later on.

Chris Katulka: But I'm going to pinpoint one specific element of the Passover that I think is very meaningful, not only to the Jewish people, but also to Christians as well.

Steve Conover: Yes, Chris, it is good to be back with all of you. But first, before we do anything else, we're going to go to the news. Israel's government hit a major speed bump earlier this month with a resignation of Yamina Knesset member Idit Silman, this from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's eight party government. Her resignation has deprived the fragile coalition government of its parliamentary majority and opens up the possibility of a lakud-led government.

Chris Katulka: Steve, this is my take. I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you. The coalition that ousted Netanyahu less than a year ago was bound to break apart, but it definitely didn't happen the way that I thought it would. Bennett's government was made up of conservatives, moderates, liberals, and even Islamists. But who would've thought that one of Bennett's own party members would defect? This could be the open door that Netanyahu was waiting for.

Chris Katulka: I want to wish everybody a happy resurrection day as we honor, celebrate, and remember that our savior is not dead. His bones cannot be found in a tomb or a grave. No, our savior lives. His name is Jesus. And on the third day, he arose victorious over death. I have told you this before, but one of my favorite verses in the New Testament is Romans 6:4. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, that in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

A proper Easter passage as a reminder for us as believers, that as followers of Christ, we identify with his death, burial, and resurrection. And as we remember his resurrection this Easter Sunday, we also remember the same glory from the father that raised Jesus from the dead will one day raise us from the dead. And even now, today, that same glory that dwells in us gives us the ability to walk in newness of life. Paul is saying that you don't have to wait for the resurrection.

The spirit of God even now is prompting us to be conformed into the image of Christ. Of course, we won't experience that completely until Jesus returns, but that power of the Holy Spirit in you right now is calling us to be like Christ today. And not only today, but in the future as well. Listen to Paul in Roman 6:5, the following verse. He writes, "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." See, Paul is saying, one day you will rise from the dead just like Jesus.

And if he returns while you're alive, then guess what? You'll be caught up with him, an event called the rapture of the church. This is just a great reminder for me, and I hope one for you too as well as we celebrate our risen Lord and the hope we have in him that one day we too will rise to newness of life. Now, I love it when resurrection day, Easter, and Passover fall in line with one another. Sometimes they're very close like this year, and sometimes they can be weeks apart.

That's because the Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar, different from the calendar that we use for everything else. Passover and Easter can often dance around one another from year to year. Today, I want to talk about one particular aspect of the Passover Seder that I love so much. It's called the afikomen. Here's what's so amazing about it. The Passover Seder is full of Hebrew words. The word Seder itself, it's a Hebrew word for order. The Passover Seder simply means the Passover Order.

The book Jewish families used to go through the Passovers Seder is called the Haggadah, which means “the telling.” The Passover Seder Haggadah literally just means the telling of the Passover Order. The wine of the Passover night is called yayin in Hebrew. The parsley on the table is in Hebrew karpas. The shank bone of the lamb is the zeroa. The bitter herbs are the maror. Of course, there's matzoh. We all know matzoh, the unleavened bread. The sweet apple mixture in Hebrew is called haroset.

And finally, beitzah, the egg, that's beitzah in Hebrew, the egg that's on the Passover plate. All of these Hebrew words. And then there is this significant moment that's connected in the Passover tradition, this amazing moment that is connected to a Greek word in the Passover Seder, the only Greek word, and that's the word afikomen. The afikomen enters the Passover Seder when there's the breaking of the matzoh, when there's the breaking of the bread.

The leader of the Passover will take three large pieces of matzoh, and then he'll grab a bag called the afikomen bag. The bag has three individual slots to hold three pieces of matzoh. One bag, three pieces of matzoh that go inside of it. The first full piece of matzoh goes in the top slot of the bag. The leader then grabs the second piece of matzoh and he breaks it in half. He sticks one half in the middle slot of that bag, and then he wraps the other half in a piece of linen. The third piece of matzoh is placed in the last slot of the bag.

Now, he's going to hide that wrapped piece of afikomen, that wrapped piece of matzoh. He's going to hide that in the house somewhere. Because after dinner, the kids are going to go look for that piece of the afikomen. A traditional Jewish Passover can take three to five hours, so you need something to keep the kids engaged. Honestly, if you ask most Jewish kids what's your favorite part of the Passover, they're going to say instinctively, "It's the afikomen." And here's the reason why.

Because after dinner, the kids are going to go look for that afikomen that's been hidden by the leader, and the one who finds it gets a prize. He gets paid for finding it. Now, of course, the Passover to tradition of afikomen was not present during the original Passover, neither was the egg or the parsley or the haroset. The original element of the traditional Jewish Passover from the Bible from Exodus 12 were the lamb, the bitter herbs, the maror, and the matzoh, the unleavened bread.

And remember, the afikomen is a Greek word. This kind of helps us date when this tradition could have been inserted into the Jewish Passover. What would've happened when Greek was the common language even among the Jewish people, which definitely started around the third century BC. The common interpretation of afikomen to Jewish families today is it's just dessert. That after you're done the meal, after you eat your meal during Passover, you find the afikomen and you eat it as dessert.

Technically, the rabbis, they say that you can't officially end the Passover until the afikomen is eaten. And technically, you can't begin the Passover until a woman welcomes in the Passover with prayer. You can't begin it without a woman welcoming with a prayer, and you can't end it without eating the afikomen. Now, the afikomen bag has significance too. The unity bag or in Hebrew the Matzoh Tash has two different meanings for the Jewish.

The common rabbinical interpretations could be the unity of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember there were three slots in the afikomen bag, so Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Another one of the meanings that the rabbi say for the unity bag, the afikomen bag, is that it could be the priests, the Levites, or the Amharics, which means the people of the land, the ordinary people, the average Joe, someone like me. The afikomen bag carries the idea of unity, that we are strong for the Jewish people.

That piece of afikomen, okay, let's go back to that piece that broke off, that piece is eventually found by the child and it's redeemed by the leader of the Passover. Maybe once the kid goes out and finds the afikomen, they bring it back to the leader. Maybe the leader of the Passover gives them a few dollars or a special gift. Either way, it was bought with a price. And according to the Passover tradition, since there is no longer a temple to sacrifice lambs for Passover, you can't eat lamb for Passover dinner.

Therefore, the piece of the afikomen that you eat, the one that the child finds, that piece is broken up and it is passed among the people celebrating Passover. Think about this, they eat it in remembrance of the lamb. Now, when we come back, I want to share with you about the meaning of this unique word, the interpretation of what afikomen in Greek means and what it means to us as believers as well. But listen, there's still time now. Even though we did the live online Passover, there is still time for you to watch it.

You can go to foi.org/passover, and there you can watch the video that aired on April 14th. It's all there and available for you to watch, Steve Herzig and myself, along with our friends, Mary Hop and Carrie Gould. As a family, we go through a traditional Jewish Passover with you. And on top of that, while you're at that website, you can download all of the materials that you need in order to host a Passover right in your own home. That's right.

You can invite your friends, your family, and you can participate and lead your very own Passover. It's actually pretty fun and easy to do, and there's a lot of great spiritual significance as a believer as you go through a Passover. Again, be sure to go to foi.org/passover. You can watch the video, download the materials, read some excellent blog articles, and Israel My Glory articles as well. Again, foi.org/passover.

Now, this resurrection weekend, as we remember the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus our savior, I want to continue this conversation about the afikomen, this amazing moment and part of the celebration of Passover, that Jewish people all around the world do. Every Jewish family that does Passover has an afikomen bag. It doesn't matter if they're secular, if they're religious, if they're reformed or Orthodox. The afikomen is a part of the Passover tradition for all Jewish people.

Now, here's the thing, like I said, it's the only Greek word in the Passover. I just mentioned that the Jewish people consider the afikomen the dessert of the evening, but this dessert is actually eaten, remember, in remembrance of the lamb that they can't eat during Passover because the temple's been destroyed. So here it is, scholars say that the Greek word for afikomen means, you ready, he came. That's right. Let it sink in. It means he came.

One of the most significant portions of the Passover Seder is a section about the fact that he came. Let's go back and review the afikomen experience in light of who Jesus is. Okay, so you have three pieces of matzoh. The matzoh is unleavened, which means symbolically it has no sin because leaven is often associated in the Bible with sin. You have three pieces of sinless matzoh bread. A full piece of matzoh is placed in the top slot. To me, an image of God the Father. The second piece is broken in front of everybody.

It's wrapped in a linen cloth, hidden away until dinner. Once dinner is over, the broken matzoh that has been wrapped and hidden away is found and paid for by the leader of the Passover. Then that piece of broken matzoh is eaten not only as dessert, but also as reminder of the lamb whose blood was shed to bring redemption. A perfect picture of Jesus, the perfect spotless lamb, whose body was broken for us, whose blood was shed for our forgiveness. He was wrapped in cloths, hidden away for three days, and resurrected.

Today, we take the Lord's supper. What? A piece of matzoh and a cup to remember him, his death, burial, and his resurrection. And finally, that third piece, that last full piece of matzoh, a picture of the Holy Spirit. Here's what I love. When you hold up that afikomen bag, it's one bag. It's a unity bag that holds three distinct pieces of matzoh. To me, a perfect picture of the Trinity, the Triunity of God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons, one God.

I want to go back to the beginning really quickly, when the leader of the Passover would take the bread and break the afikomen. That second piece, he would actually say a prayer. He would hold up the afikomen and he would say this, "Behold, this matzoh, the symbol of affliction in poverty, which our ancestors ate as slaves in the land of Egypt. Tonight, we remember the bitter hardships they suffered and the cruelty they endured. To all who are in need, we therefore say, we know you're suffering.

We are anxious to help you in your need. To all who are hungry, we say, come and join in our abundance. Let us here resolve to strive unceasingly for that blessed day when all will share equally in the joy of Passover, when poverty will be no more, and when all mankind will enjoy freedom, justice, and peace." This is what I love about Passover. And as we're entering into Easter, as we're worshiping the Lord this Resurrection Sunday, this is what I love about the Lord's Supper as well, communion.

First, Passover is where we get communion, but both of them demand us to do three things as followers of God. First, we look back and remember what God did for us. He delivered us from bondage. For the Jewish people, they remember the bondage of Egypt. But for Christians, we remember that Christ delivered us from the bondage of sin. Second, both Passover and the Lord's Supper demand that we evaluate where we are in our walks with God and what we're doing to work out our deliverance today, in the present.

When we take the Lord' Supper, we're actually called by the Apostle Paul to examine ourselves. And finally, both the Passover and the Lord's Supper look forward prophetically, did you hear that, to that blessed day. Remember, the Jewish people are waiting for their Messiah to come, but we believe that our Messiah, Jesus, has come. And you know what? He promised to come again.

That's why Paul writes, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. That blessed day, when we will all share equally in the joy of Passover, when poverty will be no more, and when all mankind will enjoy freedom, justice, and peace." Happy Resurrection Day, everyone.

Steve Conover: Israel, on the verge of becoming a state, a teenage Holocaust survivor arrives on her shores alone. His name is Zvi Kalisher. Little did he know his search for a new life in the Holy Land would lead him to the Messiah. Zvi, enthusiastic to share his faith, engaged others in spiritual conversations, many of which can be found in our magazine, Israel My Glory.

While Zvi is now in the presence of his Savior, his collected writings from well over 50 years of ministry continue to encourage believers worldwide. Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life of Zvi.

Mike Kellogg: Recently, I worked at Mount Scopus, where a part of the University of Jerusalem is located. They were building new housing there for students. At about 11 o'clock in the morning, an Orthodox student with a considerable beard approached me. He looked around as if trying to find someone. I asked, "Can I help you?" He looked up and said, "Praise the Lord. I have been looking for Jew, but all of the workers here seem to be Arabs. I'm so glad to have found at least one Jew. I would like you to do me a favor and help me."

"What can I do for you?" "The Passover holidays are approaching," he explained, "And the students do not even know what they are. Shabbat Haggadah, the Sabbath before the Passover is already upon us. I have with me a package of Haggadah to preach the Passover story. I would like you to distribute these booklets among the students." I replied. "If you had Bibles for distribution, I would gladly hand them out for you. These booklets are a mixture of truth and legend. The Bible, however, is the word of God, wisdom for everyone."

He said, "You may be right, but Bibles are very expensive and we cannot afford them." Then I made him an offer. "If you will pay for five complete Bibles, I will pay for five complete Bibles, and we will give them to the students." "What do you mean by a complete Bible?" He asked. I told him, "A complete Bible is the Old and New Testaments bound together." He grabbed his head and exclaimed, "For more than an hour, I have been looking for a Jew. And when I finally find one, he turns out to be a goy."

I then showed him my order to report for military duty. When he read my full name, he said, "Yes, this is a fine Jewish name. What do you have to do with the New Testament? I'm very curious." I told him, "Years ago, I knew nothing about the New Testament of Jesus. Thank God in his mercy sent the New Testament my way, and now I love Jesus and seek to serve him. Just because our forefathers went astray, that does not mean that I should follow in their footsteps and make the same mistakes they did.

For the sake of my own soul, the souls of my children and those of everyone else I meet, I must try to help people. Many may be looking for the truth without even knowing it, but they have no one to guide them. Isaiah 53:6 says, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all. The prophets spoke about our Messiah." "You talk like a missionary," he said, "Now I see why there are so many of you."

"No," I replied. "It is not our doing, but the Lord himself who works in the minds and hearts of people. His good seed generates the hearts of those who are sincere. All we have to do is to water the seed and keep the weeds from choking the wheat. You too may become a new person through Messiah, Jesus." "I must confess," he said, "that I cannot answer you now. What you say staggers me, but I am glad I met you. Do pray for that man."

Chris Katulka: The impact of Zvi's life in ministry in Israel, it didn't end when he went home to be with the Lord. In fact, Zvi's legacy lives on. Our Friends of Israel Ministry representatives continue to share the gospel in Jerusalem, Israel, and really all throughout the world. We also serve Holocaust survivors and their families. We provide free food, medicine, and clothing, and we even promote the safety and security of the State of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere.

When you give to the Friends of Israel, your donation actually allows us to advance the gospel of our Messiah Jesus. You can give online by visiting foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. You can click right there on our donate link. Also, be sure to let us know where you listen when you contact us.

Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for this week's episode. Chris, we have a special guest with us next week, someone I just got to spend some time with when I was in Israel last week. Tell listeners where we're headed.

Chris Katulka: Yes, Steve. We have Sara Granitza, who is the director of the Christian Friends of Yad Vashshem, which is the Holocaust memorial and museum in Israel. She's going to be on talking about the work that she's doing, not only sharing about the history and what the Holocaust meant, but also how she's reaching out into the Christian community as well.

Steve Conover: Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione. Our theme music was composed and performed by Jeremy Strong. Mike Kellogg read at Apples of Gold, and I'm Steve Conover, executive producer. Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. And one last quick reminder to visit us at foiradio.org. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. We are a worldwide evangelical ministry, proclaiming biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah while bringing physical and spiritual comfort to the Jewish people.