The timing of Jesus’ Last Supper (His final Passover meal) needn’t cause confusion or division among Christians. Most Christians believe that Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the Passover and all the Old Testament (OT) types of sacrifices, which were offered anciently in Israel (and some elsewhere).
Jesus has been called the ‘Passover Lamb’. But some Christians carry this analogy a step further, thinking that Jesus died at the very time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed at the temple. Others think Jesus ate the annual Passover lamb meal with His disciples at the Last Supper, before He died the next afternoon. Which is it? It can’t be both ways! Also, although Jesus is called the “Lamb of God” in scripture (Jn.1:29, 36), no verse actually calls Him the ‘Passover Lamb’.
The term “Passover” has different meanings in the Bible. I see five different but related ways the term Passover is used in scripture:
Passover can refer to: #1 the sacrificial lamb/kid from the flock (Ex.12:5, 21, De.16:2); #2 the festival offering/Chagigáh meal from the herd on the afternoon of Abíb 15 (De.16:2, 2Ch.35:8); #3 the initial 24-hour occasion (Nu.33:3); #4 the entire Feast period (Ezk.45:21, Lk.22:1); #5 Christ, the Lord who passed-over Egypt (1Co.5:7, Ex.12:27). Of these five, Passover most often referred to #1 the sacrificial lamb, #3 the initial 24-hour occasion, or #4 the entire feast period of Abib 14-15 to Abib 21 inclusively.
To provide the scriptural background, let’s review a few aspects of historical OT Passovers. The first Passover occurred in Egypt in Ex.12:1-ff. v.4-8 “Your lamb…the whole assembly of Israel shall kill it between the evenings. And they shall eat the flesh that night roasted with fire, with unleavened bread.” The lambs must be roasted, not boiled in water. v.10-11 “You shall not leave any of it over until morning. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover [péhsak Strongs h6453, Hebrew].” It was eaten as one holy meal. There wasn’t time for leavened bread to rise…by dawn the exodus would begin (v.30-37). For further detail, see the topic “Passover and the Exodus Timing”.
The Lord later gave more instructions to Israel for the Passover. Ex.12 isn’t the complete picture! De.16:1-2 “You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His Name.” For future Passovers, God commanded them to sacrifice more than a lamb/kid from the flock. v.3-6 “You aren’t allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns.” Again, the roasted lamb/kid must be gone by morning. Yet they’d keep feasting for the few days during which they must appear at the central sanctuary where God placed His Name (v.16). The Passover from the herd was always eaten there in the day(s) following the lamb meal.
King Josiah obeyed. 2Ch.35:1 they “Celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem.” The temple in Jerusalem was the place of God’s name in those days. v.7-9 “Josiah contributed flocks of lambs & kids, plus 3,000 bulls. His officers contributed for the Passover offerings, 2,600 from the flock, 300 bulls.” Passover bulls are from the herd, not the flock. v.13 “They roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots.” The Passover from the herd could be boiled. v.16-18 “The sons of Israel celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread 7 days.” (Le.23:5-6.)
The Passover from the herd was called a chagigah or festival offering. Ex.23:15 “Seven days you must eat unleavened bread in the month Abib. None may appear before Me empty without an offering.”
Theologian Joachim Jeremias The Eucharistic Words of Jesus, p.20 “It is true that Páschal sacrifices [chagigah] were eaten during the seven days of the feast (Nisán 15–21).” Alfred Edersheim The Temple, p.170-171 “The Chagigah was a peace offering. The Chagigah for the 15th of Nisan [Abib] was obligatory.” Again, the Passover sacrifice from the herd was commanded by the Lord in De.16:2. The offerer would share in eating the chagigah at the environs of the temple.
Days in ancient Israel began at sunset. Jews in Jerusalem would remove leaven by candlelight from dwellings early on the night beginning Abib 14, before the Passover lambs were killed in the afternoon of Abib 14 (ref Ex.34:25). So leaven was actually out for 8 days, Abib 14–21. Josephus acknowledged this in Antiquities of the Jews 2:15:1. “We keep a Feast for 8 days, of Unleavened Bread.”
The wave sheaf was offered after the weekly sabbath during the feast, or on Abib 16. Josephus op. cit. 3:10:5 “On the 16th day of the month they offer the firstfruits of their barley, a sheaf of the ears.” Only then could the barley harvest in Israel begin (Le.23:9-14). Israelite men would remain at the city of the central sanctuary/temple for 7–8 days, or at least until the sheaf was waved to begin the harvest. While there, they ate the Passover sacrifice from the herd for the chagigah. Chag (h2282) meant “feast”.
The term “Passover” could also refer to the entire feast period. The context determines the meaning. Ezk.45:21 “In the first month on the 14th day you shall have the Passover, a feast of 7 days, unleavened bread shall be eaten.” As we’ve seen, the feast included the Passover from the herd too. Lk.22:1 “The feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called the Passover [páscha g3957, Greek].” “Passover” and “Feast of Unleavened” were somewhat synonymous expressions in Jesus’ day. The term “unleavened” (ázumos g106) was common in the old Greek, which became the Septúagint/LXX.
The timing of Jesus’ Last Supper and crucifixion parallels the Passover proceedings done Abib 14–15!
Mk.14:12 “On the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, ‘Where do want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Again, leaven was customarily removed in advance, so dwellings were free of leaven for 8 days. Barnes Commentary “The feast continued for 8 days, including the day the paschal lamb was killed.” That’s Abib 14–21 inclusively. It was mandatory that the lamb/kid be killed and its blood sprinkled at the altar on Abib 14 (Ex.12:6), not Abib 13 or Abib 15. All leaven had been removed by the afternoon of Abib 14.
The synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke…all use the two terms “Passover” and “unleavened”. But the term “unleavened” never appears in John’s writings. When John refers to the entire feast period, he calls it the “Passover”! For example, Jn.6:4 “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.” Again, the meaning of the term Passover wasn’t limited to the beginning sacrificial lamb meal. John’s usage is significant…as we examine the (incorrect) claim of some that John’s timing of Jesus’ crucifixion date differs from that of the three synoptics!
In Mk.14:12-17, Jesus’ Jewish disciples knew this was the correct time (Abib/Nisan 14) to sacrifice the Passover lamb they would eat with Him that night. So they asked which house to prepare for the meal. It would’ve been sin if Jesus (and they) had killed or eaten it at the wrong time! But Jesus is a sinless Savior. This day is their ‘preparation day’, so to speak, for the Passover lamb. Gill Exposition Mk.14:12 “It was now Thursday morning, and the Passover was to be slain after the middle of the day, between the two evenings, and eaten in Jerusalem that night.” (The lamb couldn’t remain overnight, Ex.12:6-10.) Fourfold Gospel Commentary “The feast of unleavened bread began properly on the 15th, and lasted 7 days, but this was the 14th, on which the paschal lamb was slain. However, it was common to blend the names Passover and unleavened bread interchangeably to describe the entire 8 days.”
Mk.14:18-21 Jesus ate the Passover lamb meal with them that night (sunset began Abib/Nisan 15) at His Last Supper. “One of you will betray Me. One who dips with Me in the bowl.” His betrayal is addressed while they eat. v.22-26 bread & wine is served. They exit.
The inclusion of the betrayal discussion in all four gospel accounts is key to our understanding the timing and harmony in the four gospels!
Luke’s account of the Last Supper timing agrees with Mark’s. Lk.22:7 “Then came the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb must be killed.” Again, it was mandatory that the lamb be killed on Abib 14! v.8 Jesus said, “Go and prepare the Passover lamb for us to eat”. v.14-20 they partook of bread & wine. (also see the topic “Bread and Wine in the Church”.) v.21-23 “The hand of the one betraying Me is on the table.” Luke’s account also includes the betrayal discussion at the meal.
Let’s compare Matthew’s account. Mt.26:17 “On the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do you want us to prepare the Passover for you to eat.” v.20 “When evening came [sunset began Abib 15], He was at table with the twelve disciples.” Jesus said in v.21-25, “One of you will betray Me”. v.26-30 they share the bread & wine (later it’s also symbolic), and exit.
The synoptic gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew all address the betrayal and the bread & wine at supper.
Jesus had known He would die. Even before He sent out the 70 missionaries, Jesus had said in Lk.9:22 (some time before His last Passover), “The Son of Man must be killed and raised up on the third day”. Jn.13:1 “Before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world.”
Again, John never calls the 7–8 day feast the “Feast of Unleavened (Bread)”. In John, the entire Feast period is the Passover (g3957). But Jesus’ last meal in John’s gospel differs somewhat from the synoptic gospel accounts of His last meal. In Jn.13, there’s no bread & wine mentioned at the meal. And John’s account adds that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet during supper (Jn.13:4-ff).
Some Bible readers think the meal in Jn.13 was eaten one day earlier than the meal in Mk.14, Lk.22, Mt.26. But in all four gospels it’s the same Passover lamb meal, the same Last Supper (also called the Lord’s Supper, 1Co.11:20). How do we know it is, since John omits the account of bread & wine (and never uses the term “unleavened”)? (also see “Wine or Grape Juice in Jesus’ Cup?”.)
We know it’s the same because…John’s meal includes the betrayal discussion too, as do the synoptics! Jn.13:21-30 “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me. He it is, to whom I will give a morsel, when I have dipped it.” If the betrayal discussion in John 13 was at a previous meal (one day earlier), there’d be no need to address this issue again in Mk.14, Lk.22, Mt.26 (at Passover)!
As the Jn.13 Passover lamb meal is ending, Jesus continues to speak at length to His disciples in Jn.14-17. Then in Jn.18, Jesus is in the (exit) garden…the same as in Mk.14, Lk.22, Mt.26! It’s the night of Abib/Nisan 15 (cf. Est.3:7). As Judas betrays Him, Jesus is apprehended by a Roman cohort and taken to the high priest’s court. Peter denies Jesus. Jesus is awake all night. This sequence is in Jn.18:1-27.
Then after dawn (during Abib 15) the Jews take Jesus to the government headquarters of Pontius Pilate. Jn.18:28 “It was early morning; and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, His accusers didn’t enter, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” Those Jews feared possible (rabbinic) defilement in the headquarters of gentiles, the Praetórium. How is the term “Passover” used here in Jn.18:28?
David Stern Jewish New Testament Commentary, p.206 “The Pesach [Passover] in this verse refers to other food eaten during Pesach, specifically the chagigah (festival sacrifice). This is the Pesach meal they would have been unable to eat, because their defilement would have lasted till sundown. If ‘the Pesach’ meant the Passover lamb, defilement in the morning might not have been a problem.” Not a problem because…most uncleanness/defilement (ref Ac.10:28a) would’ve lasted only until evening of a day…and the Passover lamb was eaten after sunset at the beginning of a new day!
Gill Exposition Jn.18:28 “Not the Passover lamb, for that they had eaten the night before. But the ‘Chagigah’, or feast on the 15th day of the month.” Robertson’s NT Word Pictures “In 2Ch.30:22 we read, ‘And they did eat the festival 7 days’, when the paschal festival is meant, not the paschal lamb or paschal supper. There are eight other examples of Passover in John’s gospel, and in all of them the feast is meant, not the supper. Not the meal of Jn.13:2, which was the regular Passover meal.”
Talmud Pes.vi.3 “One Levitically defiled cannot offer the Chagigah.” Edersheim The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, p.866 “Entrance into the Praetorium on the morning of the first Passover day would have rendered it impossible for them to offer the Chagigah, which was also designated by the term Pesach [Passover].” The chagigah meal from the herd/boiled things would be that day, Abib 15! The Bible didn’t specify exactly when to eat from the herd (e.g. 2pm Abib 15)…but De.16:2, 2Chr, John’s gospel, the Talmud, etc. is historical evidence of this Passover week custom! Jn.18:28 doesn’t refer to a lamb meal as upcoming that night…supposed defilement would end at sunset! (e.g. Le.15:7-8)
Jn.19:13-14 “Pilate brought Jesus out to them. It was the preparation of the Passover.” “Preparation” doesn’t refer to the Passover lamb meal. We saw in Mt.26:17, Mk.14:12, Lk.22:8 that Jesus’ disciples had prepared the Passover lamb meal the previous day (and Jesus ate it that night). The koiné Greek term for preparation was paraskeué g3904. For the Jews, every Friday is the “preparation”, and every Saturday is the sabbath. Mk.15:42 “It was the preparation [g3904 paraskeue], that is, the day before the sabbath.”
JFB Commentary Jn.19:14 “It was the preparation, the day before the Jewish sabbath.” Edersheim The Temple, p.138 “Friday is called in the gospels ‘the preparation.” The term for Friday in modern Greek is Paraskevi, and the term for Saturday is sabbato/(sabbath)! In Jn.19:14, it is the “preparation day” (Friday) which fell during the 7–8 day feast period/Passover. Again, John never uses the term “Feast of Unleavened”…it’s all the “Passover” in John.
Jesus was then crucified. (also see “Jesus’ Death – The Physical Cause”.) Jn.19:31 “It was the preparation, and the next day was to be a great [g3173 mégas] sabbath because it was the Passover. The Jews asked Pilate that their bodies be taken down.” That Saturday was a “great” sabbath, not a “high” sabbath. cf. Re.21:12 “The city wall was great [g3173 megas] and high [g5308 hupselós].” The Greek term in Jn.19:31 is megas/great, not hupselos/high! The sabbath in Jn.19:31 was great because it was the sabbath of Passover week when possibly a million people were in Jerusalem, or…Abib 16 was the annual wave sheaf day, according to the LXX, Josephus, Philo, Edersheim, Gill, Chief Rabbi Dr. J.H. Hertz.
Jn.19:41-42 Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb towards the end of the “preparation”. Lk.23:52-56 “It was the preparation day, and the sabbath [g4521] was about to begin. The women saw the tomb. They returned and rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.” The weekly sabbath command in Ex.20:8, “Remember the sabbath [h7676] day, to keep it holy”. In scripture, the only “sabbath” (h7676, g4521) days are the weekly sabbath and Day of Atonement. Other occasions are shabathóns (h7677), like sabbatoids. As Jesus ‘rested’ in the tomb, the righteous women ‘rested’ on Saturday.
Then…He is risen (Mt.28:6)! At dawn Sunday Abib 17, Jesus is alive; the tomb was empty (Lk.24:1-3)!
The Passover lamb was a type of Christ’s sacrificial death. The annual Day of Atonement sacrifice too was a type of Christ (1Jn.2:2, 4:10; LXX Le.23:28 & 25:9)…but He wasn’t crucified on Atonement. Nor on all typical morning/evening sacrifices, needless to say. The Chagigah offering of Abib 15 was also a type of Christ…on which day He was crucified. All sacrifices, sin offerings, etc. prefigured Him.
Recap: Days began & ended at sunset. Wednesday night Abib 14 the Jews searched to remove leaven. Thursday afternoon Abib 14 Jesus’ Passover lamb was properly killed, its blood to be sprinkled on the altar (2Ch.35:11, Le.3:7-8). He ate the lamb Thursday night, early on Abib 15. That very night, Abib 15, was an historic night of vigil, a “watch” (Mk.14:37, Ex.12:42). Jesus was apprehended. The crucifixion process began Friday Abib 15 (their “preparation”) between 9am and noon. Jesus died before sunset began the weekly sabbath of Abib 16.
All four gospel accounts agree on the timing, and in them we also see glimpses of God’s OT Passover requirements. Christ at His Last Supper/Passover didn’t violate any Passover commands which Christ as the Word of God (who “passed-over” Egypt) gave to Moses & Israel. Again, “Passover and the Exodus Timing” details the timing of Israel’s first Passover and exodus from Egypt. To further examine the timing issue, there is another topic which focuses on the “Three Days and Three Nights” (Mt.12:40).
Bible Topic Exposition 