Did Jesus Keep the Passover?
Did Jesus Keep the Passover?
Theology teaches that Jesus’ Last Supper was also the
annual Hebrew Passover meal. However, the Scriptures
plainly teach that Jesus Christ died on the fourteenth of
Nisan, the day before the Passover.* He could not, therefore,
have eaten the Hebrew Passover meal as He was
dead and buried before that time. To substantiate that the
Last Supper was not the Passover, we will consider every
reference to the Last Supper in its Biblical context. First
though, let us set some basic information.
1. The preparation for the Passover is a preliminary
part of the sacrifice, just as much as the preparation
for a dinner occurs before eating the dinner.
2. The fifteenth day of Nisan was the Passover Day
and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During the days
before the Passover, the people had to specifically
prepare themselves, their homes and the sacrifice
and thus make ready for the Passover. This activity
is spoken of in John 19:42 as the Jew’s preparation.
a. The Temple, if defiled, had to be cleansed.
II Chronicles 29:4, 5.
b. The homes of the people had to be cleansed.
Exodus 12:15, 19.
c. The priests and Levites had to be cleansed.
II Chronicles 30.
d. The individual person had to be cleansed. John
11:55; Hebrews 9:13, 14; Numbers 9:6.
3. Five days preceding the Passover, thus on the tenth
of Nisan, according to Exodus 12:3-6, the sacrificial
lamb was carefully selected and groomed properly
until the fourteenth of Nisan. The five days beginning
with the tenth of Nisan are an integral part of
the preparation and sacrifice. Thus, logically the
Passover began before it officially started in the
sense that the preparations for it were begun.
Technically, the preparation had started at the time
the Passover lamb was selected on the tenth of
Nisan. The lamb was then killed on the fourteenth;
it was eaten after sunset and during the night following
its killing which was, according to Jewish
reckoning of time, the fifteenth of Nisan.
4. A human author may, for impact or emphasis jump
from one major event to the next in his story, skipping
minor incidents in between. Later he may give
the in-between events. So God, in His Word, set the
Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ immediately
following details of the preparation for the Passover
even though these events were separated by several
days.
Keeping these fundamental truths in mind, we may
now proceed with the study of the Last Supper and its
relation to the Hebrew Passover. We will look first at
the record in the Gospel of John because it sets the time
of the Last Supper most clearly.
John 13:1:
Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus
knew that his hour was come that he should depart
out of this world unto the Father, having loved his
own which were in the world, he loved them unto
the end.
Verse 2:
And supper being ended, the devil having now put
into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray
him.
John is the only Gospel that does not record the actual
initiating of the memorial of Jesus’ suffering and death.
However verse 1 does tell us that Jesus knew the hour
of his death and that this was, according to verse 2, at
the time of His Last Supper with His disciples. Later
then, in verses 26 and 27 of John 13, John tells us of the
disciples’ feet being washed by Jesus, and Jesus’ giving
the sop to Judas Iscariot. The rest of chapter 13 and chapters
14-17 give the account of Jesus’ teachings to His
disciples. In John 18:1 we read, “When Jesus had spoken
these words, he went forth with his disciples over the
brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he
entered, and his disciples.”
The major incidents concerning the Last Supper which
are covered in the Gospel of John are as follows:
1. The Last Supper—John 13:2. (Jesus knew his hour
of death)
2. His betrayal foretold by him—John 13:21.
3. The betrayer revealed (the sop given)—John 13:26.
(The memorial bread and cup, omitted at this point)
4. Peter’s denial foretold—John 13:38.
5. The garden where He prayed—John 18:1.
The actual memorial is not recorded. John’s record
gives more emphasis to the betrayal being told and the
revealing of the betrayer.
With this background now let us read Luke’s account
of the Last Supper.
Luke 22:1:
Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which
is called the Passover.
Verse 7:
Then came the day** [time] of unleavened bread,
when the passover must be killed [prepared].
The word “killed” in the King James is the Greek word
thuō. It means “to get ready or prepare the sacrifice and
later to kill it.” (See Points 1, 2, 3 on pages 155, 156.)
Luke 22:13, 14:
. . .and they made ready the passover.
And when the hour was come, he [Jesus] sat down,
and the twelve apostles with him [at the Last Supper].
“The hour” must be the Last Supper as seen by the rest
of the context. This verse begins a new subject, the Last
Supper.
Luke 22:15:
And he said unto them, With desire [great earnestness]
I have desired to eat this passover [this impending
feast which would take place on the 15th of Nisan]
with you before I suffer.
The words “with desire I have desired” are the figure
of speech polypototon meaning “the same root word with
different inflexions or forms.” Therefore this figure of
speech is emphasizing the great desire Jesus had. “I have
desired” are in the Greek aorist tense indicating a onetime
action in the past. “At one time I did desire to eat
this impending Passover with you.” The words “I
suffer” are also in the Greek aorist tense. However,
being used in the infinitive mood they indicate nothing
as to time, but only a one-time action. Jesus’ suffering
and death at this time were still future and, of course, a
one-time action. Again we see the minute accuracy of
God’s Word.
Luke 22:16:
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
The reason Jesus had desired to eat the impending
Passover with His disciples was that he knew he would
“not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of
God shall come”—he would not be with them for any
future Passovers. However, he now knew, at the time of
the Last Supper, that He would not eat this year’s Passover
with them either. He, therefore, told the disciples
what had been the desire of his heart as of two days
before when he told them to make preparations for the
Passover.*** He now knew that his desire to eat the Hebrew
Passover with them would not be fulfilled. Up until
the Last Supper Jesus only knew that he would be crucified
after two days, so he made preparation to keep the
Hebrew Passover with his disciples, thinking this would
be their last time to do so together. But when he spoke
at the gathering now called the Last Supper, he knew that
he would not partake of the Passover meal.
The major events concerning the Last Supper covered
in the Gospel of Luke are as follows:
1. The Last Supper—Luke 22:14.
(Jesus now knew his hour of death, John 13:1, 2.
The telling of His betrayal is omitted here)
2. The memorial, bread and cup—Luke 22:17-20.
3. The betrayer revealed—Luke 22:21.
4. Peter’s denial foretold—Luke 22:34.
5. The garden (place) where he prayed—Luke 22:40.
In the Gospel of Luke the order of the records of the
memorial and the revealing of the betrayer are reversed.
However, this record in Luke is emphasizing the instituting
of the memorial rather than the betrayal, which is
omitted, and the revealing of the betrayer, which is covered
in one verse. The betrayer is never even named until verse
forty-seven.
We will now proceed to the Gospel of Mark, the shortest
of the four Gospels. The truths in this Gospel are very
brief and to the point. Again the betrayer is not named
until the actual betrayal took place.
Mark 14:1:
After two days was the feast of the passover, and of
unleavened bread. . . .
Verse 12:
And the first day of unleavened bread, when they
killed [prepared] the passover. . . .
“First day” refers to the first part, like we speak regarding
the “first day of the Christmas Season,” meaning
November 25th or whatever day we start getting ready.
“Killed” again means “got ready or prepared and later
killed.”
Mark 14:16:
. . .they made ready [made preparation for] the passover.
Verse 17:
And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
This verse begins a new subject in both time and
content, namely, the Last Supper. Again it cannot be the
Passover as Jesus was already dead by the time it was
eaten.
Mark 14:22
And as they did eat [Jesus instituted the memorial of
His coming suffering and death.]. . . .
The major events concerning the Last Supper covered
in the Gospel of Mark are as follows:
1. The Last Supper—Mark 14:17.
(Jesus now knew the hour of his death, John 13:1, 2)
2. His betrayal foretold by him—Mark 14:18.
3. The betrayer not actually revealed, only hinted at
—Mark 14:20, 21.
4. The memorial, bread and cup—Mark 14:22-24.
5. Peter’s denial foretold—Mark 14:30.
6. The garden where he prayed (Gethsemane)—Mark
14:32.
The only Gospel record left is that in Matthew. We will
now add the information contained in Matthew to our preceding
study.
Matthew 26:2:
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover,
and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
“After two days” indicates after two days have passed.
Therefore, it would actually be in the third day, the fourteenth
of Nisan. (See Point 3 on page 156.)
Matthew 26:17:
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?
“Day” and “feast of ” are italicized in the Authorized
Version, which means these words were not in the Greek
text used for the translation, but were supplied by the
translators. The text says exactly what it means without
the italicized words. “The first of the unleavened bread”
according to Exodus 12:3 is the first part of the preparation,
that part of getting the lamb ready for the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. This started with the selection of the
sacrificial lamb on the tenth of Nisan. Since in the year
of Jesus’ death the tenth of Nisan came on a weekly Sabbath,
the Jews could not have begun to prepare on that
day; they began the next day, Sunday.****
At this time on the eleventh of Nisan, Jesus knew the
day (verse two) but not the hour of his death, yet he
knew he was to die. Since he always fulfilled the law,
and since he did not know the hour of his death, he made
arrangements for keeping the Passover.
Matthew 26:18, 19:
And he [Jesus] 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.
And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them;
and they made ready the passover. [They prepared
for the Passover as Jesus had instructed them.]
“I will” in verse 18 is the same as “I have desired” in
Luke. Remember, Jesus at this time did not know the hour
of his death, and he desired to keep the Hebrew Passover
with his disciples for the last time.
Matthew 26:20:
Now when the even was come, he sat down with
the twelve.
“The even” again is at the time of the Last Supper as
we have seen from all the other Gospels. The disciples
had made ready for them to eat the Passover, but at the
time of the Last Supper Jesus first knew that He would
not live to eat the Hebrew Passover with them.
The major events concerning the Last Supper covered
in the Gospel of Matthew are as follows:
1. The Last Supper—Matthew 26:20
(Jesus now knew the hour of his death, John 13:1, 2)
2. His betrayal foretold by him—Matthew 26:21.
3. The betrayer revealed—Matthew 26:23.
4. The memorial, bread and cup—Matthew 26:26-
28.
5. Peter’s denial foretold—Matthew 26:34.
6. The garden where he prayed (Gethsemane)—
Matthew 26:36.
All four Gospels pointedly show that Jesus ate the Last
Supper, but he did not eat the Passover. According to I
Corinthians the Passover lamb that year was once and for
all Jesus Christ who was the Lamb of God.
I Corinthians 5:7:
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a
new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us.
Jesus Christ gave his life on the same day at the
simultaneous time that the Hebrew Passover lamb was
slain. Jesus was the authentic Passover lamb, although
the Judeans did not know it. Jesus ate the Last Supper
with the twelve disciples, not the Hebrew Passover. The
Hebrew Passover lamb was to be eaten while standing
(Exodus 12:11), but Jesus sat down with the twelve as
they ate (Matthew 26:20).
For the sacrificial Passover lamb that year, God supplied
Jesus Christ, who was forever the Passover for all
who will be saved. Not as a yearly sacrifice or as a
“mass,” but as having entered in once and for all. During
the Last Supper, Jesus Christ instituted what today we call
the Lord’s Supper. Jesus Christ instituted the bread and
cup as a memorial of His sacrifice that night, to be kept
by His brethren until He comes again.
Matthew 26:26-28:
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed
it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mark 14:22-24:
And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed,
and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat:
this is my body.
And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
And he said unto them, This is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many.
Luke 22:15-20:
And he said unto them, With desire I have desired
to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take
this, and divide it among yourselves:
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the
vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and
gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is
given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup
is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for
you.
“This is my body” is a figure of speech called a metaphor.
A metaphor centers on the verb “is” and can never
be read, “is changed into.” The word “represents” can
replace the verb “is” in the metaphor because the verb is
only figurative, not literal, and its grammatical meaning
is “represents.”*****
The Last Supper was the establishing and ratifying of
the new covenant as recorded in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:31-34:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the
house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
they brake, although I was an husband unto them,
saith the Lord:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it
in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall
be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their
sin no more.
During this supper Jesus instituted the bread and cup†
as a memorial, or as a substitute for the Hebrew Pascal
Lamb for he was to be “cut off.” The “bread” represented
his body and the “cup” his atoning and covenant blood.
By his “body” we have our healing and by his “blood”
we have remission and forgiveness of sins.††
So we see from both this study and the previous chapter,
“The Day Jesus Christ Died,” that Jesus did not keep
the Passover at all the year he gave his life, for he was
the Passover Lamb that year and from thenceforth. He did
eat a “Last Supper” with his disciples which would have
been before the fourteenth of Nisan, for the Passover
Lamb (Jesus) was killed at three o’clock on the fourteenth
of Nisan. How free from error and contradiction
is The Word when we read what is written.