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  • Writer's pictureDavid Lewis

Did Jesus Eat the Passover or Did He Become Our Passover?

One thing about the timeline of the Passover has been bothering me. How could Jesus eat the Passover Meal with His Disciples, and then become our Passover Lamb the next day, being crucified at the same time as the sacrifice? And why do some people celebrate the Passover on two different days?


Knowing that God's Word is true, and knowing that there is a reason for everything, I set about seeing what the Holy Scriptures had to say about it.


First, Scripture leaves us no doubt whatsoever. The Last Supper WAS a Passover Seder. The description of what happened at the dinner was consistent with what happens at a Seder, and Scripture itself tells us so.


The Lord promised the disciples that he would “keep the Passover” (Matthew 26:18), which is the equivalent of “eat the Passover” (Mark 14:14). He appointed the place for that event and gave instructions for the preparation (Mark 14:12). Matthew, Mark, and Luke then harmoniously flow toward the evening of that very day, and depict Jesus as “eating” with the disciples (Matthew 26:21; Mark 14:18). The Scriptures leave us no choice but to accept that Jesus celebrated the Passover with his family, the disciples.


So how could he die as the sacrificial lamb was slain the next day?


For that answer, we need to look at a couple of Old Testament scriptures. Lets start with the first Passover, from Exodus 12:


12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month,when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs.That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs,and bread made without yeast.Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.


So this scripture is quite clear. The Lamb was to be set aside for each family on the 10th of Nissan on God's calendar, and then, at twilight (sundowns) on the 14th of Nissan, the lamb was to be slain and the blood applied to the doorposts, then the Passover meal was to be eaten. The scripture goes on to say that the Angel of Death comes overnight, and passes over the houses of the people with blood on the door. It is clear from the context that this twilight is the period of transition from daylight on the 13th of Nissan to the beginning of the 14th, as it is the night of the 14th in which the Angel of Death came and killed the firstborn of all those without the blood sacrifice.


This Scripture makes it plain that the original Passover was at sundown as the calendar turned to Nissan 14. But what about subsequent Passovers; the memorials of the first?


"Between the Evenings"


Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even (between the evenings) is the LORD’S Passover.


Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even (between the evenings), ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.


According to many Bible scholars, the above two verses (and a few others) give some leeway. They say that the word translated "even" should actually be "between the evenings".


This translation would give a 24 hour period, the whole of Nissan 14, for a family to get together and celebrate Passover, much like we have families today celebrating Christmas at various times throughout the day. Unlike Christmas though, in which our celebrations stretch maybe into Christmas Eve or other days, God ordained that Passover could only be celebrated on Nissan 14.


If so, this could explain a lot...such as, If the celebration could be any time within the 24 hour period, then the High Priest could have chosen 3 PM in the afternoon to do the "official" sacrifice, while some in attendance could have already had their Passover Meal.


That also would explain how, in John 18:28, the Jewish leaders had not yet had their Passover meal, while Jesus and the Disciples already had, "28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover."


And, finally, that explains how Jesus could have eaten the Passover feast with His disciples legally under the law, and still be executed as our Passover Lamb at 3 PM, even while the official sacrifice was being made at the temple.


For if the timing of the Feast was up to the host of the feast, and it could be anywhere within the sundown to sundown day of Nissan 14, then we have no discrepancy at all. Jesus did, indeed, share his Last Supper as a Passover Seder with His disciples, and still become our sacrifice the next day BEFORE sundown, which makes both the dinner and the sacrifice legal under the law.


It all makes sense now. Hope it does for you, too.







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