9. Note how John referred to the festivals as "feasts of the Jews" in his gospel.
This language suggests inapplicability to others (John 2:13, 5:1, 6:4, 7:2).
The Jews where keeping the Passover on the evening[start] of the 15th of Nisan.
But is this the correct day to observe the Passover?
The three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke show that on the night Jesus
Christ was betrayed, He and His disciples prepared and kept the Passover
(Matthew 26:18,Mark 14:12, 16; Luke 22:15)
The Jews, however, kept it 24 hours later (John 18:28).
Who kept the right day? could Jesus Christ have kept the Passover on the wrong day?
Jesus Christ indeed kept the right day and that it is the Jews who today keep Passover
on the wrong day.
Lets see what happened in the past- Back to the Beginning
The first passover was God sheading blood for Adams and Eves sins
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Leviticus 23: “These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations,
which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover” (verses 4-5).
Notice first that this is God’s Passover—not the Jews’—and the day it is to be kept
is the 14th, not the 15th.
the days are to begin and end at even, or sunset (see Lev 23:32; Deut 16:6; Psalm 104:19).
the Passover begins at sunset, at the beginning of the 14th.
The Jewish community observes their Passover on the 15th beginning at sunset.
Leviticus 23:6 tells us that the first day of Unleavened Bread is on the 15th.
the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are different and separate festivals.
Before covering the events of the Passover in the New Testament,
let’s first review the events as they occurred in the Old Testament.
-Between the Two Evenings
First of all, the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed “in the evening” (Exodus 12:6)
on the 14th day of the first month. “In the evening” is between sunset and dark.
Deuteronomy 16:6 confirms this when it says the lamb was sacrificed “at even,
at the going down of the sun.” “the time between sunset and deep twilight.”
Exodus 12:8 says the Israelites were to eat the Passover meal “in that night.” Which night?
The one mentioned in verse 6: the 14th. After that, God smote the firstborn “this night”
(verse 12). Not the next night—this night—the 14th!
That is why, in Numbers 28:16, it says, “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is
[the passover of the Lord]” (we see also Leviticus 23:5-6).
5In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is [the Lord's passover].
6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread
unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Exodus 12:21-22 the Israelites were not to leave their houses until morning.
If they did, they would have died. This is why they were to burn their leftovers
the next morning (verse 10).the morning after the Passover is still the 14th
—the day portion of the 14th.
(verse 11)
11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet,
and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is [the Lord's passover].
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Deuteronomy 16:1 says they left Egypt “by night.” Their exodus from Egypt
then had to be that following night, or the night[start] of the 15th.
This was to be a “night to be much observed” (Exodus 12:42).
This is confirmed in Numbers 33:3: “And they departed … on the fifteenth day
of the first month; on the morrow AFTER the passover .…”
the spoiling of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:33-36). This could have only taken place on the
afternoon of the 14th, just hours before [the Israelites left Egypt the night of the 15th].
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How did the Passover get its name originally? “For the Lord will pass through to smite
the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts,
the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your
houses to smite you. … That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who
passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians,
and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped” (Ex 12:23, 27
God passed over the houses that had the blood of the lamb on their doorpost.
God also passes over (forgives) our sins when we repent of them and come
under the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Passover, sacrificed for us.
Kept on the 14th Many Generations Later
When the Hebrew children would ask about this service years later, the parents were to
respond, “It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:27). this is God’s Passover,
and God said “the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover” (Lev 23:5).
Many generations later, the Israelites were still keeping the Passover on the 14th.
They kept the Passover on the correct day when they were in the wilderness (Numbers 9:5).
When they entered into the Promised Land, they were still all in agreement (Joshua 5:10).
King Josiah kept the Passover on the 14th (2 Chronicles 35:1). We also read in Ezra’s time
they were still keeping it on the 14th (Ezra 6:19), and this was about 519 b.c.
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But the New Testament Jews Keep it a Day Later
the Jews were not all keeping the same day as Jesus Christ did and commanded.
“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 2:13).
Here it is called “the Jews’ Passover”—not “the Lord’s Passover.”
The Jewish confusion most likely arose in the third century before Christ.
The Palestinian Jews were under Egyptian control from 301 to 198 b.c.
“While the Egyptians allowed the Jews to retain their ancient calendar, there was a
change made in the beginning of the day—it became common to begin the day at sunrise.
This custom was adopted, and persisted among the Jews even down to New Testament times
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Christ Instructed Keeping Passover on 14th
Christ was killed in the afternoon[daytime] of the 14th. But Christ keep the Passover
the night portion of the 14th—that is, the night before the day Christ was crucified.
Insisting that because John mentions the Passover as occurring on the evening after
Christ’s sacrifice, that the Passover Christ kept the previous evening was just a Last Supper
or some kind of “love feast.” But Christ makes it very clear in Matthew, Mark and Luke
that the disciples were to prepare the Passover.
“Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed
to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). Clarke’s Commentary states regarding this verse:
“This feast began on the fourteenth day of the first moon, in the first month, Nisan, and it
lasted only one day; but it was immediately followed by the days of unleavened bread, which
were seven, so that the whole lasted eight days, and all the eight days are sometimes called
the feast of the passover, and sometimes the feast or days of unleavened bread.”
these days were generally called the Passover or the feast of Unleavened Bread, meaning the
whole eight days, including the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Matthew says,
“after two days is the feast of the passover.” In Mark 14:1 it says, “After two days was the
feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread.” And in Luke 22:1 it says, “Now the feast of
unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.”
All three use slightly different terminologies, but the meaning is the same.
The same is true for John 19:14. On the day Christ was crucified, John wrote that the
“preparation of the passover” was at hand. It is true that this was just before Christ died
on the afternoon of the 14th; but in verse 31, John makes it clear what this preparation was for.
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon
the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their
legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
At sunset, after Christ died, the “high day,” or holy day (the first day of Unleavened Bread),
began. The Jews were preparing for their passover, not “the Lord’s” (Leviticus 23:5).
Matthew 26:17-18 read: “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples
came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is
at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.”
The Greek word for “passover” in these two verses is pascha. Strong’s Concordance
defines this word as, “the Passover, the meal, the festival.” Any lexicon verifies this definition.
Verse 19 continues, “And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready
the passover.” They made ready the Passover—same Greek word. If this event was only
referring to a final meal or last supper, certainly the word pascha would not have been inspired.
Notice Mark’s account: “And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house,
The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”
(Mark 14:14). Same Greek word—pascha. This same word is also used in Luke 22: 15
“And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer”
Let’s again notice Matthew 26:18: “And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him,
The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.”
Those who advocate a 15th-of-Nisan Passover and say this was just some kind of final dinner
are actually saying Jesus Christ did not know what He was talking about! Jesus said,
“I will keep the Passover … with my disciples.”
This makes it plain that when Jesus gathered with His disciples the night He was betrayed
by Judas, it was indeed the Passover!
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The next morning, after the betrayal, the Jews brought Jesus before the Sanhedrin. (John 18:28)
“Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves
went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover”
This was before [the Jews’ passover]. The holy day was to start at sunset of that evening. Remember,
the Jews did not want to kill Him on a feast day for fear of what the people might do (Matthew 26:5).
They also wanted to be sure that the bodies didnot remain on the stake during the holy day (John 19:31
Then around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on the 14th, Christ died (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
The Passover meal and sacrifice all occurred on the 14th of Nisan.
we read that the Jews’ Passover was at hand, that is exactly what it was—the Jews’ Passover!
