Torah from the Heart

By Brother Glenn McWilliams

2011

Did Yeshua Eat the Passover? 

 The Portion: PESACH  Exodus 12:1-13:10; Leviticus 23:4-8; Numbers 9:1-14; 28:16-25

Other Scriptures referred to in this teaching: Matthew 26:1-28:15; Mark 14:1-16:12; Luke 22:1-24:53; John 12:1-3, 12-16; 13:1-33; 18:1-40; 19:1-42; 20:1-25

 

The Outline:

 

• Introduction to the question “Did Yeshua eat the Passover with his disciples?”
• What the Torah commands
• The Gospel accounts of Yeshua
• Wrestling with the texts
• History of the Brit Chadashah
• Searching for the meaning of the story

 

The Teaching:

 

Every year as Pesach,[1] Chag[2] HaMatzot,[3] and Bikkurim[4] draw near, there arises a great and sometimes heated debate among the brethren over when we are to celebrate these sacred rehearsals.  Part of the body of Messiah follows Rabbinic Judaism’s calculated calendar; part of the body follows the aviv[5] calendar; others follow the pagan equinox calendar; while yet others celebrate on whatever day is convenient for them.

 

A second debate that rages among the brethren at this time of year concerns Yeshua, our Messiah, and whether he ate the Pesach offering on the Feast of Unleavened Bread with his disciples or whether he was “slaughtered” as the Pesach offering.  To answer this second question, we must first understand what the Torah commands concerning the celebration of the appointed sacred rehearsals of Pesach, Chag HaMatzot, and Bikkurim.

 

To begin our study, it is essential that we understand what the Torah teaches concerning the beginning of the day.

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  ³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5 KJV)

 

There are many who hold to the idea that the “day” begins with the onset of light.  Those who hold this position point to the fact that the making of light was the first act of creation; therefore, all subsequent creative activity took place only during the day and ceased in the evening with the onset of darkness.  Noted biblical scholar Jacob Milgrom writes:

 

The biblical day, as the Egyptian day (Parker 1950:9-23), began at dawn (Gen. 1:5; 19:33-34; Lev. 7:15; 22:30; Num. 9:11; 33:3; Josh. 5:10; Judg. 19:4-9; 1 Sam. 19:11; 28:18-19).  The creation story requires justification, since most exegetes posit that Gen. 1 proves the reverse, namely that the day begins with evening (most recently, Levenson 1988:123).  Not so.  God creates only during daylight; hence the first thing he creates is light.  Each day ends with the refrain “And there was evening and there was morning, day _____.”  This can only mean that the day was completed at the end of the following night.  When morning arrived, God began his creative labors; it was a new day…  That the term ‘ereb ‘evening’ refers to the evening that follows God’s creative act is proved by the refrain of the first day (Gen. 1:5).  Obviously, there was no evening preceding the creation of light.[6]

 

The flaw in this thinking is quite evident.  First, let us recognize that the Hebrew term yom (yud, vav, mem) is used much as it is in English to describe both a 24-hour period of time and the daylight hours of such a 24-hour period of time.  Yom Kippurim[7] and Yom Teruah[8] do not refer only to the daylight hours but to the entire 24-hour period of time.  However, we must also recognize that the Torah often contrasts yom with lylah or “night.”  In such instances, when lylah is contrasted with yom, the term yom refers only to the daylight hours.  Both definitions of the Hebrew word yom appear in the creation narrative.

 

And God called the light Day (yom – daylight hours), and the darkness He called Night (lylah).  And the evening and the morning were the first day (yom – 24-hour period). (Genesis 1:5 KJV)

 

From this verse and its contrasts we gain a great deal of understanding.  There are three sets of antonyms given in this verse.

 

• Light (or) is contrasted with Darkness (choshekh)
• Day (yom) is contrasted with Night (lylah)
• Evening (erev) is contrasted with Morning (boqer)

 

What is also very clear is that this complete cycle of darkness and light is referred to as yom or “day.”  Now that we have identified and defined that yom can refer to a cycle of darkness and light, we must determine which came first.  Milgrom states that it is the light that came first; therefore, the yom must begin with the light.  I agree that yom, referring only to the daylight hours, begins with the creation of light; but yom, describing the entire 24-hour cycle, clearly begins with the dark.

 

Genesis 1:1 may indeed be an introduction to the whole of the creation narrative.

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV)

 

Genesis 1:2, however, clearly indicates that something described as being tohu vavohu (formless and void) came into existence prior to the creation of light.

 

And the earth was without form (tohu), and void (vohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2 KJV)

 

YHWH clearly created something in the darkness.  Darkness covered the earth, the face of the deep, and the waters.  The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  It is clear that the earth, the deep, the waters, and the darkness were all in existence prior to the creation of light.  Light was not the first act of creation.  The darkness, the water, the deep, and the shapeless earth were created first, and then the light!  Light was created to divide the already existent darkness.

 

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4 KJV)

 

It is clear that darkness was in existence before there was light.  Light came into the darkness and divided the darkness, not the other way around.  Let us look at the creation of the expanse of the heavens for a similar pattern.

 

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Genesis 1:6-7 KJV)

 

Let us note that the Creator divided the waters by creating a “space” (raqiya) between the waters, calling it “the heavens” (hashamayim).  Just as the waters covered everything in the beginning, so too did the darkness cover everything.  Just as the Creator divided the waters and created a space between the waters (now) above and the waters (now) below, so too did the Creator make a division in the darkness with light and called it yom or day.  Thus, daylight now divides the dark from the dark.  This 24-hour cycle of dark and light is also called yom or “day.”

 

Therefore, we see that darkness preceded the light.  The oft repeated refrain “And the evening (erev) and the morning (boqer) were the ______ day” confirms that evening is, in fact, the beginning of the 24-hour period known as day.  The cycle begins with darkness and is followed by light, which, in turn, is followed again by darkness, completing one cycle and beginning the next cycle.

 

As for the Creator only creating in the daylight hours, we should recall the words of the psalmist:

 

Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. (Psalm 139:12 KJV)

 

Unlike mathematical timekeeping, which precisely marks each new day at a specific hour (such as at midnight), evening is a somewhat debatable term.  Many of the sages have attempted to define precisely when one day ends and the next begins.  Some of the sages state that the day begins when the disk of the sun is completely below the horizon; some say it is when the last rays of light have left the sky; others declare that day begins when three stars become visible; yet others state that the day begins when one can no longer distinguish between a fig tree and an olive tree at so many paces.  For our purposes, however, we are going to limit ourselves to the simple distinction that the day begins at evening.

 

Let us now turn our attention to the appointed sacred rehearsals.  Before we look at the Torah concerning Pesach and Chag HaMatzot, there are several matters we must understand clearly.  First, we need to recognize that there is a difference between the actual historical account and the commandments given to the children of Israel in Egypt concerning their actual exodus from Egypt and the commandments concerning the memorial celebration of this historical event.  An example of this difference is seen in the location of the slaughtering of the lamb or goat.  In Egypt, every family was to slaughter its own lamb on the doorstep of the home and apply the blood to the doorposts.

 

And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.  ⁷And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:6-7 KJV)

 

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.  ²²And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. (Exodus 12:21-22 KJV)

 

Once the central Altar was built and the priesthood established in Israel, the lambs were to be sacrificed and offered upon the Altar by the anointed priests.

 

Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto YHWH thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which YHWH shall choose to place His name there. (Deuteronomy 16:2 KJV)

 

Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which YHWH thy God giveth thee. (Deuteronomy 16:5 KJV)

 

Here we must recognize that there are differences between the instructions given to the children ofIsraelactually “experiencing” the exodus fromEgyptand those given to the children ofIsrael“celebrating” the historical event later on in time.  While there are differences between the event and the celebration of the event, there are also numerous similarities, such as the appointed day and time of each.  Clearly, the celebration is to be held on the same days and at the same times as the actual event.

 

The first instructions given to the children of Israel concerning the event and its celebration reveal the month that both the event and the celebration are to take place.

 

And YHWH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:1-2 KJV)

 

“This month” was defined earlier and is defined again later specifically by the condition of the barley, flax, and wheat during the plague of hail, as well as at the time of the exodus.

 

And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in ear (aviv), and the flax was bolled. (Exodus 9:31 KJV)

 

So prominent was the use of the barley as an indication of when to celebrate Pesach and Chag HaMatzot that the month was referred to as “the month of the aviv.”

 

This day came ye out in the month of the aviv. (Exodus 13:4 KJV)

 

Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month of the aviv; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before Me empty:) (Exodus 23:15 KJV)

 

The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep.  Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month of the aviv: for in the month of the aviv thou camest out from Egypt. (Exodus 34:18 KJV)

 

Observe the month of the aviv, and keep the passover unto YHWH thy God: for in the month of the aviv YHWH thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. (Deuteronomy 16:1 KJV)

 

We should note that the translators dropped the definite article and changed the term aviv to a proper noun or name.  We should also note that prior to the Babylonian captivity, Hebrew months were simply numbered, not named.  Hebrew grammar also prohibits the use of the definite article with a name or proper noun.  Therefore, we should understand that the children of Israel came out of Egypt “in the month of THE AVIV.”  In other words, whatever month the barley was aviv was to be the first month, the month we celebrate Pesach and Chag HaMatzot.  This is particularly important for the celebration of Bikkurim (First Fruits), since it requires a wave offering of the first new harvest of the fields.

 

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: ¹¹and he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.  ¹²And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH.  ¹³And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.  ¹⁴And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:10-14 KJV)

 

If no aviv barley was available, then the offering could not be made.  The connection between the barley and the timing of the mo’adim[9] cannot be overlooked or ignored.  Nowhere are we commanded to observe the calculations of the rabbis or the pagan observations of the equinox.  Therefore, I hold with what is clear in the Torah – that both the event and the celebration are to be observed in the month that the barley is declared to be in the state of aviv.

 

Next, let us look at the instructions for keeping the event.

 

And YHWH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.  ³Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: ⁴and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.  ⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: ⁶and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.  ⁷And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.  ⁸And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  ⁹Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.  ¹⁰And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  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 YHWH’S passover.  ¹²For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am YHWH.  ¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:1-13 KJV)

 

Note that in the month of the aviv barley, the children of Israel were to select a lamb or goat of the first year and keep it in their homes from the tenth day until the fourteenth day of the month.  On the fourteenth day all the lambs were to be slaughtered.  The timing of this mass slaughtering is expressed in Hebrew as beyn ha’arbayim, which literally means “between the evenings.”  The ambiguity of this expression has led to a great deal of debate.  There are some who feel that the two evenings being referred to are the evening of the thirteenth day and the evening of the fourteenth day.  If this is the case, then the lambs could be sacrificed at any time between sundown on the thirteenth day and sundown on the fourteenth day of the month.  This idea has led some to teach that the pesach was slaughtered after sundown on the thirteenth and eaten on the fourteenth, making Pesach a separate “feast” from that of Chag HaMatzot, which was eaten on the fifteenth.  Such a broad definition of the phrase “between the evenings” is refuted by the use of the term beyn ha’arbayim in the offering of the tamid or continual offering, which contrasts the terms boqer or “morning” with beyn ha’arbayim or “between the evenings.”

 

The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning (boqer); and the other lamb thou shalt offer between the evenings (beyn ha’arbayim): and with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.  ⁴¹And the other lamb thou shalt offer at between the evenings (beyn ha’arbayim), and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto YHWH. (Exodus 29:39-41 KJV)

 

We see a similar contrast in YHWH’S instructions to the children of Israel concerning the gathering of manna.

 

I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, between the evenings (beyn ha’arbayim) ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning (boqer) ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am YHWH your God. (Exodus 16:12 KJV)

 

In both of these examples it is expressly clear that the expression beyn ha’arbayim is not referring to the entire 24-hour period between sundown and sundown.  Most scholars agree that this particular Hebrew idiom is referring to the time when the disc of the sun begins to descend from its zenith at noon to its actual setting below the horizon.  If this is so, then the children of Israel gathered quails to eat in the afternoon until nightfall and gathered manna in the morning.  Let us recall that the manna left in the heat of the sun would melt.

 

And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. (Exodus 16:21 KJV)

 

The expression “between the evenings” could not possibly be referring to the entire 24-hour period between two sunsets.  Josephus[10] states that the Passover lambs were slaughtered between the ninth and eleventh hour, which would roughly be between 3 P.M. and 5 P.M.

 

So these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the Passover, when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour till the eleventh, but so that a company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice (for it is not lawful for them to feast singly by themselves), and many of us are twenty in a company, found the number of sacrifices was two hundred and fifty six thousand five hundred; which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to two million seven hundred thousand and two hundred persons that were pure and holy; for as to those that have leprosy, or the gonorrhea, or women that have their monthly courses, or such as are otherwise polluted, it is not lawful for them to be partakers of the sacrifice; nor indeed for any foreigners either, who come hither to worship.[11]

 

Philo[12] reports that the lambs were slaughtered from noon until evening.

 

And after the feast of the new moon comes the fourth festival, that of the Passover, which the Hebrews call pascha, on which the whole people offer sacrifice, beginning at noon-day and continuing until evening.[13]

 

“Between the evenings,” therefore, must refer to a time between noon and night.  Given this definition of beyn ha’arbayim, the pesach slaughtering was to take place sometime after noon and before sundown.  This would give plenty of time to prepare and cook the animal as directed above.  It is also clear that the meat of the animal was eaten at night (the beginning of the next day).

 

And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:8 KJV)

 

This would mean that the children of Israelslaughtered the lamb on the fourteenth (sometime between noon and nightfall) and ate the meat of the lamb on the night of fifteenth.  Note that Pesach is on the fourteenth day of the month, but Chag HaMatzot begins at sundown on the fifteenth.  The slaughtering is the pesach, and the eating of the lamb is the Chag or Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Passover is not its own feast.  The meat of the pesach provides the meat for Chag HaMatzot on the fifteenth beginning at evening.  We should also note that none of the meat of the pesach was to be left until morning (the fifteenth).  What was not consumed that night was to be burned in the morning.

 

And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (Exodus 12:10 KJV)

 

The children of Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day during the daylight hours.

 

And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever. (Exodus 12:17 KJV)

 

We should note that during the actual exodus, the children of Israel did NOT observe a day of rest on the fifteenth and twenty-first days of that month.  The appointed days of rest are for the celebration, NOT the historical exodus.  In fact, the Torah tells us that the children of Israel were quite active looting the Egyptians and preparing to leave in haste on the fifteenth.

 

And he [Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve YHWH, as ye have said.  ³²Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.  ³³And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.  ³⁴And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.  ³⁵And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: ³⁶and YHWH gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required.  And they spoiled the Egyptians.  ³⁷And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. (Exodus 12:31-37 KJV)

 

While the children of Israel were eating the meat of the lamb, YHWH was fatally visiting the gods and firstborn of Egypt.

 

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am YHWH. (Exodus 12:12 KJV)

 

For YHWH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, YHWH will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:23 KJV)

 

And it came to pass, that at midnight YHWH smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. (Exodus 12:29 KJV)

 

It was for this reason that the children of Israel were instructed to remain in their homes from sundown on the fourteenth until the morning of the fifteenth.

 

And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. (Exodus 12:22 KJV)

 

In the instructions for the memorial celebration of this great event, there are two days appointed as days of rest from mundane labor.

 

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to YHWH throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.  ¹⁵Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.  ¹⁶And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. (Exodus 12:14-16 KJV)

 

We should also note that the removal of all leaven from one’s home was to begin on the thirteenth day so that no leaven would be eaten from sundown on the fourteenth day until sundown on the twenty-first day.

 

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.  ¹⁹Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.  ²⁰Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. (Exodus 12:18-20 KJV)

 

There are three points of interest to be noted at this time.  First, we should note that Pesach and Chag HaMatzot were to be celebrated in the home as a family and, on occasion, with neighboring families too small to eat a whole lamb.

 

And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. (Exodus 12:4 KJV)

 

And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:7 KJV)

 

Second, we should recall that the Pesach/Chag HaMatzot celebration was one of the “pilgrim” feasts that required all the men ofIsraelto go up to toJerusalem.

 

Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year.  ¹⁵Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month of the aviv; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before Me empty:) ¹⁶and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.  ¹⁷Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord YHWH. (Exodus 23:14-17 KJV)

 

The pilgrimage requirement for this feast may have given way to more corporate-type celebrations of the events rather than the intimate family gatherings as at first.  As we shall soon see, however, Yeshua sought to celebrate the feast in an intimate “family” setting with his disciples.

 

Third, we should note that while the fifteenth day (Chag HaMatzot) is an appointed day of rest, it is unclear whether the prohibition against leaving one’s home was intended exclusively for the historical event of the Passover, where death and danger were very real and present, or whether it was also applicable to the memorial celebration of the event.  This question concerning the prohibition against leaving one’s home will factor into the discussion on whether Yeshua celebrated Chag HaMatzot with his disciples or not.  It is unfortunate that there is no clear answer as to whether this prohibition was intended to be applied to the memorial celebration as well.

 

We should also note the instructions concerning the day of Bikkurim.  The Torah specifically mentions the numerical dates for certain events.  On the tenth day, the lambs were to be selected; on the fourteenth day, the lambs were to be slaughtered; and on the fifteenth day, the lambs were to be eaten at the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  No such date is given for making the First Fruits offering.  Rather than giving a date, the Torah gives a day – the day after the Sabbath.

 

These are the feasts of YHWH, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.  ⁵In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is YHWH’S Passover.  ⁶And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto YHWH: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.  ⁷In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.  ⁸But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.  ⁹And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁰Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: ¹¹and he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.  ¹²And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH.  ¹³And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.  ¹⁴And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:4-14 KJV)

 

Let us take careful note how the Torah avoids referring to the first and last days of Chag HaMatzot as “Sabbaths,” choosing instead to call them miqra’ei qodesh (holy convocations or rehearsals).  While it is very clear from the instructions that no servile work was to be done on these two days, they are not called “Sabbaths.”  This careful classification is done to avoid confusion with the weekly Sabbath.  The Torah explicitly teaches that the Bikkurim wave offering was to be made on the day after the Sabbath.  The Sabbath referred to in this passage can only be the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, not the miqra’ei qodesh of Chag HaMatzot.  This means that the Bikkurim offering is always on the first day of the week.  Since the numerical dates may fall on various days of the week throughout the years, Bikkurim is not assigned a date, as are the other feasts.  It is to consistently fall on the first day of the week, regardless of the date.  Nowhere in Scripture is Bikkurim dated as being on the sixteenth day of the First Month.

 

Although it may not directly impact the question concerning Yeshua, there are some final instructions for the celebration that we should include in our study.  The Torah makes it very clear that only the circumcised are to partake of the meat of the Pesach offering.

 

And YHWH said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: ⁴⁴but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.  ⁴⁵A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.  ⁴⁶In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.  ⁴⁷All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.  ⁴⁸And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.  ⁴⁹One law shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. (Exodus 12:43-49 KJV)

 

This requirement of circumcision may well explain why the children of Israel only celebrated Pesach and Chag HaMatzot once in the wilderness.[14]  Since the children of Israel never knew when the pillar of YHWH’S presence was going to lift and move from the Tabernacle and lead them to another camp location, they did not circumcise in the wilderness.  The evidence of this is seen in the story of Joshua, who held a mass circumcision for the children of Israel upon entering the land of promise.

 

At that time YHWH said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.  ³And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.  ⁴And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.  ⁵Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.  ⁶For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of YHWH: unto whom YHWH sware that He would not shew them the land, which YHWH sware unto their fathers that He would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.  ⁷And their children, whom He raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.  ⁸And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. (Joshua 5:2-8 KJV)

 

We should note that it was only after the children of Israel were circumcised that they ate the Passover.

 

And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. (Joshua 5:11 KJV)

 

At present, many who are uncircumcised attend Pesach/Chag HaMatzot celebrations without concern for the requirement of circumcision. Since the meat being consumed at these celebrations is not the Pesach or Passover offering, the requirement may be overlooked.  However, if and when the Altar is restored, the pesach will truly be an offering, and participants will be held accountable to this requirement.

 

Armed with this understanding concerning the historical events and the celebration of the historical events, let us now turn our attention to the matter of Yeshua and the Pesach/Chag HaMatzot controversy.  According to the testimony of the four “Gospels” found in the Brit Chadashah, the last days of Yeshua’s life among his disciples were at the time of the celebration of Pesach and Chag HaMatzot.  The three synoptic Gospels,[15] Matthew, Mark, and Luke, clearly seem to indicate that Yeshua did eat or at least intended to eat Chag HaMatzot with his disciples.

 

MARK’S ACCOUNT

 

After two days was the passover, and the unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.  ²But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. (Mark 14:1-2 KJV)

 

And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?  ¹³And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.  ¹⁴And 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?  ¹⁵And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.  ¹⁶And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.  ¹⁷And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  ¹⁸And as they sat and did eat, Yeshua said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  ¹⁹And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I?  And another said, Is it I?  ²⁰And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.  ²¹The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed!  Good were it for that man if he had never been born.  ²²And as they did eat, Yeshua took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  ²³And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  ²⁴And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  ²⁵Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.  ²⁶And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (Mark 14:12-26 KJV)

 

MATTHEW’S ACCOUNT

 

And it came to pass, when Yeshua had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, ²Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.  ³Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴and consulted that they might take Yeshua by subtilty, and kill him.  ⁵But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. (Matthew 26:1-5 KJV)

 

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Yeshua, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?  ¹⁸And 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.  ¹⁹And the disciples did as Yeshua had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.  ²⁰Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  ²¹And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  ²²And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  ²³And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  ²⁴The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed!  It had been good for that man if he had not been born.  ²⁵Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?  He said unto him, Thou hast said.  ²⁶And as they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  ²⁷And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; ²⁸for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  ²⁹But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  ³⁰And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  ³¹Then saith Yeshua unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  ³²But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  ³³Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  ³⁴Yeshua said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  ³⁵Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.  Likewise also said all the disciples.  ³⁶Then cometh Yeshua with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. (Matthew 26:17-36 KJV)

 

LUKE’S ACCOUNT

 

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.  ²And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.  ³Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.  ⁴And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.  ⁵And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.  ⁶And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.  ⁷Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.  ⁸And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.  ⁹And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?  ¹⁰And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.  ¹¹And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  ¹²And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.  ¹³And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.  ¹⁴And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.  ¹⁵And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: ¹⁶for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.  ¹⁷And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: ¹⁸for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.  ¹⁹And 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.  ²⁰Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  ²¹But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.  ²²And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! (Luke 22:1-22 KJV)

 

And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. (Luke 22:39 KJV)

 

Let us first note in the synoptic accounts of this event the various ways in which the day is referred to.  Let me warn you not to be confused by additional words in the translations.  I will do my best to eliminate them in the following examples.

 

The Gospel of Mark refers to both Passover (pasxa) and the Feast Unleavened Bread (azuma) separately.

 

After two days was the passover, and the unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. (Mark 14:1 KJV)

 

And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? (Mark 14:12 KJV)

 

It is clear that Mark understood that the pesach was the sacrifice, which was eaten, while the feast itself was called Chag HaMatzot or the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  This clearly lines up with the Torah.

 

Like the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Matthew also makes a distinction between the sacrifice, which was eaten, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

 

Ye know that after two days is the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. (Matthew 26:2 KJV)

 

Now the first of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Yeshua, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? (Matthew 26:17 KJV)

 

The Gospel of Luke, however, attempts to clarify the matter, most likely for Gentile believers who were unfamiliar with the distinction.

 

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. (Luke 22:1 KJV)

 

Here Luke addresses the fact that many people refer to the Feast of Unleavened Bread simply as Passover.

 

Clearing up this confusion of names for the appointed celebration helps us to understand when the events being discussed took place.  Again, we will see subtle variations between the synoptic Gospels.

 

And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? (Mark 14:12 KJV)

 

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Yeshua, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? (Matthew 26:17 KJV)

 

Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. (Luke 22:7 KJV)

 

Let us recall from our earlier discussion on the instructions in the Torah that the lambs were sacrificed “between the evenings” on the fourteenth day and the Pesach/Passover lamb was eaten after sunset, (now become) the fifteenthday.  Here we see the Gospel writers referring to the fourteenth as the first day of Chag HaMatzot, since all leaven was to be removed already.  The fourteenth day, which begins after the sun has set at the end of the thirteenth day and concludes at sunset at the end of the fourteenth day, is also known as the “day of preparation.”  Throughout the synoptic Gospel accounts we read of the disciples concerning themselves with the preparation for the eating of the Passover.  The Gospels are clear that these events took place on the day the pesach was killed.  This means that these preparations would have had to be made sometime before the slaughtering between the evenings (noon to sunset).  Let us also note that it was “night” when they ate the pesach.

 

And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  And as they sat and did eat, Yeshua said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. (Mark 14:17-18 KJV)

 

Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  ²¹And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. (Matthew 26:20-21 KJV)

 

These verses clearly fit the pattern commanded by the Torah.  The Pesach offering was slaughtered on the fourteenth day between the evenings and eaten in the evening as it became the fifteenth day.

 

From these details it would seem that the synoptic Gospels indeed suggest that Yeshua did, in fact, eat the Passover with his disciples.  There are, however, many details in these accounts that cloud or challenge this claim.  One detail that many point to as a challenge to Yeshua eating the Passover with his disciples is the fact that he ate bread that night.  Chag HaMatzot is Hebrew for “the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”  In Greek, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is called eorte ton azumon.  Azumos is the Greek word for “unleavened.”  In the account of the Last Supper it is stated that Yeshua broke “bread” (Greek – artos) at the meal.

 

And as they did eat, Yeshua took bread (artos), and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. (Mark 14:22 KJV)

 

Since the Greek word artos may refer to leavened bread, many point to the fact that all three synoptic Gospels agree that Yeshua used artos rather than azumos (matzah or unleavened bread) at the Last Supper.  If artos does indeed mean “leavened bread,” then this would be strong proof that Yeshua was not eating the Passover when the Last Supper took place.  There are several problems with this argument.  First, the Greek term artos is a generic term for bread, without any limitation as to whether the bread is or is not “leavened.”  While azumos specifically refers to the lack of leaven, artos is simply the generic word for bread and may refer to both.  Therefore, we may not infer from its usage at the Last Supper that the bread being eaten was leavened.  Given that the timeframe referenced by the synoptic Gospels was the Feast of Unleavened Bread (azumos), we may assume that the bread was, in fact, unleavened.  Second, note that in the synoptic Gospels, the word azumos or “unleavened” is used only to identify the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Since the word azumos does not appear with the word artos, we may assume that it is not an adjective describing artos.  We should also understand that the word azumos can refer to all things unleavened, not merely bread.  Third, we must take into account that the word artos or “bread” appears in the story of Yeshua’s appearance to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus.

 

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread (artos), and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.  ³¹And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. (Luke 24:30-31 KJV)

 

This unique encounter with the resurrected Messiah happened on the third day after Yeshua’s crucifixion and would, therefore, have occurred during the week of Chag HaMatzot.  To argue that artos specifically refers to leavened bread at Yeshua’s Last Supper means that we must also teach that it refers to leavened bread on this occasion as well.  If this is so, then we are witnessing Yeshua giving leavened bread to his disciples during the week of Chag HaMatzot.  Surely this cannot be the case.  Therefore, we must rule out any argument based upon the use of the term artos at the Last Supper.

 

A greater challenge to the idea that Yeshua ate the Passover with his disciples can be found in the lack of any reference at all by Yeshua to the exodus during this final meal with his disciples.  At the heart of the Passover/Unleavened Bread celebration is the retelling of the story of the great deliverance.  The story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt is a central part of Israel’s identity.  It is Israel’s defining moment, yet Yeshua makes not one single reference to this most prominent event.  While this is an argument from silence, one must admit that this particular silence is most deafening.  Let us also note that Yeshua never mentioned the Pesach lamb; instead, he pointed to a piece of bread (whether leavened or unleavened) as being his body.

 

We should also note that Yeshua and his disciples went out of the house where they ate the Passover and journeyed to the Mount of Olives.  We may question whether this was prohibited by the Torah’s command not to leave the house until morning.  It is unclear, however, whether this prohibition was for the historical event exclusively or whether it applies to the celebration as well.

 

What Yeshua did or didn’t do during this time is not the only challenge to the idea that Yeshua ate the Passover with his disciples.  We must also take note of the activity of those around Yeshua.  Let us remember that the fourteenth was the day when all the lambs were to be sacrificed.  Since this was a pilgrim festival, there were hundreds of thousands of people coming to the Altar to sacrifice their Pesach lambs.  Extra priests were called in for this special occasion.  Let us recall that it was because so many people were going to be present that the priests wanted to avoid arresting Yeshua on the feast day.  The fifteenthwas Chag HaMatzot and, as such, was a day of complete rest.  Yet, in the synoptic accounts, we see the High Priest conducting court, calling for witnesses, and attending Herod’s court, as well as the Roman court of Pilate, seeking Yeshua’s conviction.  All of this activity would have contradicted the religious leaders’ expressed desire to avoid arresting Yeshua and creating conflict during the feast, which they feared might anger the crowd and provoke the Romans to interfere with the feast.  Even more curious is the fact that according to the account in the synoptic Gospels, the crucifixion would have taken place on Chag HaMatzot, yet the priests were present at the crucifixion when one would expect them to be busy in theTemple.  Would the High Priest(s) have risked defilement on such a prominent liturgical holy day?  Would the High Priest(s) have had time to attend all of these trials, floggings, and sentencing during such a pilgrim festival?  All of these details seem to indicate that it was highly unlikely that these events took place during Pesach and Chag HaMatzot.

 

According to the synoptic Gospels’ account of Yeshua’s final days, Yeshua would have eaten the Passover in the upper room on the fourteenth at evening.

 

And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.  ¹⁷And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. (Mark 14:16-17 KJV)

 

And the disciples did as Yeshua had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.  ²⁰Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. (Matthew 26:19-20 KJV)

 

The Gospel of Luke specifically points to the fact that the “evening” being referred to was the end of the fourteenth day.

 

Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. (Luke 22:7 KJV)

 

And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.  ¹⁵And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. (Luke 22:14-15 KJV)

 

According to the traditional reading of the synoptic Gospels, the timeline of Yeshua’s last days would look something like the following:

 

The Fourteenth Day of the Month; the Fifth Day of the Week: Preparation Day and the Sacrifice of the Pesach Offering

 

Sometime during the morning or daylight hours of the fourteenth the disciples of Yeshua questioned the Master as to where he wanted to celebrate Pesach/Chag HaMatzot.  Yeshua gave them directions to a certain man and a place already prepared for them.  The disciples had to prepare the sacrificed lamb.  Yeshua joined his disciples at the appointed place at evening.

 

The Fifteenth Day of the Month; the Sixth Day of the Week: the Miqra Qodesh of Chag HaMatzot

 

That night, the first night of Chag HaMatzot, Yeshua ate the pesach with unleavened bread.  After dinner Yeshua and his disciples walked to theMount of Olives.  There, after prayer, Yeshua was arrested and taken to the house of Caiaphas, where a series of trials began.  In the morning around sunrise, Yeshua was taken to Pilate, then to Herod, and then back to Pilate.  Pilate had Yeshua scourged and then crucified.  Yeshua was crucified around the sixth hour (noon).  Sometime after the ninth hour (3 P.M.), Yeshua was removed from the cross and laid in a tomb.

 

Luke tells us that this day was also the day of preparation for the Sabbath.

 

And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. (Luke 23:54 KJV)

 

At this point, this preparation day could only have been the sixth day of the week, the day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath.  The preparation day for Pesach and Chag HaMatzot would have been the third day of the week.  Since they have already eaten the pesach, it means that the miqra qodesh (holy convocation – day of rest) of Chag HaMatzot fell on the sixth day prior to the weekly Sabbath.  This means that the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath was already a day of rest, when no menial labor could be done.  This detail in the Luke account is highly problematic.

 

The Sixteenth Day of the Month; the Seventh Day of the Week: the Weekly Sabbath

 

On this day, Yeshua was in the tomb.  Yeshua’s followers were keeping the Sabbath.  Sometime at the end of the Sabbath (sundown at the end of the seventh day), Yeshua was resurrected.

 

The Seventeenth Day of the Month; the First Day of the Week: the Day of the Bikkurim Wave Offering

 

While it was yet dark (the beginning of the seventeenth day), the women returned to the tomb to finish the process of anointing the body of Yeshua, but they found the tomb empty.

 

In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (Matthew 28:1 KJV)

 

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. (Mark 16:2 KJV)

 

Now when Yeshua was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. (Mark 16:9 KJV)

 

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (Luke 24:1 KJV)

 

This traditional outline means that Yeshua ate Pesach/Chag HaMatzot with his disciples Thursday evening, went to theMount of Olivesand was arrested and tried Thursday night, and was taken to Herod and returned to Pilate by Friday morning.  Around noon on Friday Yeshua was crucified and, before sunset, was entombed.  Yeshua remained in the tomb the entire Sabbath and then rose from the dead sometime after Shabbat (sundown on Saturday).  Early Sunday morning the witnesses found the tomb empty.  In this account of the synoptic Gospels, the entire event of Pesach – the Last Supper, the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion, and the resurrection – all happened over a three-day period.  While Christianity has embraced and preserved this account in its liturgical calendar, it is not without its difficulties.

 

The greatest challenge to this account may come from the words of Yeshua himself.  The religious leaders of his time – the priests, scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees – were forever challenging Yeshua’s claim and authority as the Messiah.  Yeshua finally conceded to give them the sign they were looking for as proof of his claim.

 

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.  ³⁹But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: ⁴⁰for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  ⁴¹The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. (Matthew 12:38-41 KJV)

 

Here we see that Yeshua gave the scribes and Pharisees what they were looking for – proof that he was the Messiah.  The proof he gave was the sign of Jonah.  Yeshua gave the scribes and Pharisees something to watch for.  If Yeshua would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, then He was the Messiah!  Unfortunately, Yeshua’s last days, according to the account of the synoptic Gospels, simply do not add up.  The book of Jonah is very explicit.

 

Now YHWH had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 KJV)

 

The Hebrew of this passage is very clear.  Jonah was in the belly of the big fish shloshah yamim ushloshah laylot (three days and three nights).  According to the order of events given in the synoptic accounts, no matter how hard we try to manipulate the counting of Yeshua’s last days, there is no way to come up with three days and three nights in which Yeshua was in the heart of the earth.  Based upon the traditional accounts, we must draw the conclusion that Yeshua is not the Messiah as he claimed, that the account of his last days is not historically accurate, or that the expression “three days and three nights” is not to be taken literally.  Many scholars have tried to reconcile all of the conflicts in these stories, but to no avail.

 

Another challenge to the synoptic Gospels’ account of Yeshua’s last days is also found in the Gospel of John, which we have thus far not mentioned in any detail.  Let us note that John begins his account of these events much earlier than the synoptic Gospels.

 

Then Yeshua six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. (John 12:1 KJV)

 

On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem… (John 12:12 KJV)

 

Now before the feast of the passover, when Yeshua 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.  And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; ³Yeshua knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; ⁴he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.  ⁵After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. (John 13:1-5 KJV)

 

It was clearly before the feast of Passover that Yeshua ate a meal with his disciples and washed their feet.  After this meal Yeshua and his disciples left and went to a garden.  That this was taking place prior to Passover is made clear by the thoughts of the disciples.  When Judas was dismissed by Yeshua to go and do what he was going to do, the others thought he was leaving to purchase provisions for the feast.

 

And after the sop Satan entered into him.  Then said Yeshua unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.  ²⁸Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.  ²⁹For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Yeshua had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.  ³⁰He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. (John 13:27-30 KJV)

 

We are told in these verses that the feast was yet to come and that it was night.  This means that the narrative of the meal and the foot washing began at the conclusion of the thirteenth dayand the beginning of the fourteenth day.  The garden arrest took place on the night beginning the fourteenth day.  The cock crow marked the morning of the fourteenth day.  Since he had not yet released a prisoner, as was his custom at Pesach/Chag HaMatzot, Pilate also affirmed that the meal and foot washing was prior to Passover.

 

But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?  ⁴⁰Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas.  Now Barabbas was a robber. (John 18:39-40 KJV)

 

Pilate had Yeshua scourged and then turned him over to be crucified.  John specifically tells us that the day of Yeshua’s crucifixion was on the day of preparation for Passover, which is the fourteenth day.

 

And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!  ¹⁵But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him.  Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King?  The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.  ¹⁶Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.  And they took Yeshua, and led him away.  ¹⁷And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. (John 19:14-17 KJV)

 

This means that Yeshua was crucified beyn ha’arbayim (between the evenings), which, according to the Torah, was precisely the time the Pesach lambs were being slaughtered.  This date – the fourteenth – is further supported by the fact that the Sabbath referred to is described as a megas or “great” Sabbath.

 

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. (John 19:31 KJV)

 

And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Yeshua, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Yeshua: and Pilate gave him leave.  He came therefore, and took the body of Yeshua.  ³⁹And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Yeshua by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.  ⁴⁰Then took they the body of Yeshua, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.  ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.  ⁴²There laid they Yeshua therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. (John 19:38-42 KJV)

 

Let us note that “preparation day” has already been defined for us as the day of preparation for the Passover (John 19:14).  We should also note how the miqra qodesh – the first day of Chag HaMatzot – is distinguished from the weekly Sabbath by calling it a megas or “great” Sabbath.  All this affirms that Yeshua did not eat Pesach/Chag HaMatzot with his disciples but that he was the pesach.  I would suggest the following timeline based upon the details of John’s account.

 

The Thirteenth Day of the Month; the Third Day of the Week

 

That evening Yeshua enjoyed a meal with his disciples and washed their feet.

 

The Fourteenth Day of the Month; the Fourth Day of the Week: the Day of Preparation

 

After eating the meal and teaching his disciples, Yeshua walked with them to the garden.  Yeshua was arrested and the series of trials began.  By morning Yeshua was before Pilate, who had him scourged and then turned him over to be crucified at the same time that the Pesach lambs were being slaughtered.  Yeshua was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb as the evening leading into the fifteenth day began.

 

The Fifteenth Day of the Month; the Fifth Day of the Week: the Great Sabbath of Chag HaMatzot

 

Night 1 and Day 1 in the tomb

 

The Sixteenth Day of the Month; the Sixth Day of the Week: Preparation for the weekly Sabbath

 

Night 2 and Day 2 in the tomb

 

The Seventeenth Day of the Month; the Seventh Day of the Week: the weekly Sabbath

 

Night 3 and Day 3 in the tomb

 

At the end of the Sabbath, Yeshua was raised.

 

The Eighteenth Day of the Month; the First Day of the Week: the Day of the Bikkurim Wave Offering

 

The witnesses came to the tomb and found it empty.

 

If John’s timeframe is correct, then Yeshua was slaughtered at the time of the slaughtering of the Pesach lambs and was in the “heart of the earth” exactly three days and three nights as he had declared to the scribes and Pharisees.

 

There is clearly a conflict between the account of the synoptic Gospels and that of John.  How, then, are we to reconcile these differences?  The answer to this puzzle may be found in the purpose and history of the Gospels.  We should note that the Gospels were not written until several years after the events which they record.  Conservatively, most scholars believe that Yeshua lived between 4 B.C.E. and 33 C.E.  The Gospel of Mark is thought to have been written sometime around 65-73 C.E.; the Gospel of Matthew around 65-73 C.E.; the Gospel of Luke around 80-100 C.E.; and the Gospel of John around 90-110 C.E.

 

We should also note that almost the entire Gospel of Mark appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.  Matthew and Luke clearly used Mark as a major source for their writings.  By careful comparison we see that there are several stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that do not appear in the Gospel of Mark and, therefore, seem to indicate that Matthew and Luke shared a second source for their stories.  All three of the synoptic Gospels have stories and teachings that are unique to each of them.  These details reveal that the various authors of the Gospels collected accounts from various places and communities and organized them into a coherent story.

 

We must recognize that Yeshua did not have a stenographer writing down everything he said and did.  Most of Yeshua’s teachings and stories were preserved in an oral format by the eyewitnesses who saw the events or heard the teachings firsthand.  As long as the original disciples and eyewitnesses were alive, the stories could be verified; but as the eyewitnesses began to die off, it became critical that the stories be preserved in a consistent written form for the faith community so that they would not continue to morph into something completely different with each telling.  This was a prime purpose for the Gospels.  The authors of the Gospels collected and preserved the various stories and accounts of Yeshua’s life, ministry, and teachings in written form for the faith community.

 

Let us also note that the prime purpose of the Gospels was not to preserve a “history” of Yeshua but a record of his life, ministry, and teaching that would serve to build the faith of the community.  In other words, these are not “history” books but “faith” books.  While the events described are historical events, they are not told for the purpose of preserving an accurate historical record.  These stories are told to evoke faith from the hearers and readers of these stories.  By a careful comparison of all four Gospels (which is beyond the scope of this particular teaching), we would quickly note the many variations in the stories.  From these variations we come to realize that each author has a particular reason for emphasizing certain things while deemphasizing or ignoring certain others.  Each author has a particular view of Yeshua that he desires to put forth for his faith community.

 

Let me point out just one simple variation.  The author of the Gospel of Matthew was addressing a largely “Jewish” faith community.  Matthew was concerned with convincing his fellow Jews that Yeshua is the Messiah of the Jews.  For this reason he began the genealogy of Yeshua with Abraham,[16] and had Yeshua teaching Torah from the mountain[17] (the Sermon on the Mount).  The author of the Gospel of Luke was writing to a largely Gentile audience and wanted to depict Yeshua as the Messiah of all humanity.  Therefore, he traced Yeshua’s genealogy all the way back to Adam, the Son of God,[18] while having Yeshua teach the Torah in the plain[19] among the common people.

 

It is difficult to believe that the events surrounding Yeshua’s last days would have happened according to the synoptic Gospels’ account.  I would suggest that the author of the Gospel of John recognized many of these same challenges and conflicts and corrected them in his own account.  Let us remember that John was the last of the four Gospels written.  We should also recognize that the Church Fathers who compiled the canon of the Bible recognized these same conflicts and inconsistencies, yet they included all four varying accounts.  I believe their reasoning was so that we recognize that these are not meant to be viewed as history books but as a means of proclaiming the truth about the Messiah.

 

If we look at the Gospels as proclamation rather than history books, then we need not worry about the historical accuracy of the accounts.  The importance of the narratives is not found in the historical details but in the truth they proclaim.  What is clear from all four versions of the account of Yeshua’s last days is that all of the evangelists in one way or another connected the death of Yeshua to the redeeming sacrifice of Pesach.  It is equally clear that all four evangelists attached Yeshua’s resurrection to the wave offering of Bikkurim.  From these connections we should understand that just as the blood of the lamb inEgyptransomed the lives of the children ofIsraeland redeemed them from bondage, so too the blood of Messiah redeems us from our bondage to sin and death.  This connection was clearly understood by the apostle Shaul, who wrote earlier in his letter to the Corinthian believers:

 

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.  For even Messiah our Passover is sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV)

 

We should, therefore, be clear to understand that the primary purpose of the Gospels is the proclamation of Yeshua as the Messiah.  The Gospels are not history books of his life and times.  It is not the accuracy of detail but the power of the proclamation that is important.

 

Given the great diversity in the writings, we may never know the exact historical details of whether Yeshua did or did not eat the pesach on Chag HaMatzot with his disciples.  What is important, however, is that we see the clear and intimate connection being drawn by the evangelists between Pesach, Chag HaMatzot, Bikkurim, and the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua.

 

 

Additional Point of Interest from the Article

THE ILLEGALITIES OF JESUS’ RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL TRIALS

By Laurna Berg

The Theological Journal Bibliotheca Sacra, July 2004 edition

 

ILLEGALITIES OCCURRING DURING THE RELIGIOUS TRIAL OF CHRIST

1. No arrest or verdict was to involve the taking of a bribe, for bribery blinds the clearsighted and subverts the cause of justice (Ex 23:8; Deut 10:17; 16:19-20).
2. In capital cases the trial must be held during the daytime (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
3. No criminal proceedings were to occur after sunset (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
4. Judges could only investigate charges brought to them, and could not originate charges against the defendant (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 5:1).
5. Sanhedrin members were judges and could not participate in the arrest (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
6. No trials were to occur before the morning sacrifice (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
7. All trials were to be public, and secret trials were forbidden (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 1:6).
8. All Sanhedrin trials were to be held in the Hall of Judgment in the Templecompound (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 11:2).
9. Capital cases required a minimum of 23 judges (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
10. The accused was assumed to be innocent until proven guilty (Ryrie, 1636 note).
11. The accused could not testify against himself (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 3:3-4).
12. There were to be at least two witnesses, or three, and their testimony had to be in perfect agreement (Deut 17:6-7; 19:15-20).
13. The accused could not be mocked, beaten, or mistreated (Num 35:9-34).
14. Capital cases required proper procedure for the trial, to begin with arguments for acquittal (the defense arguing for innocence), then to be followed with arguments for conviction (the prosecutors arguing for guilt) (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
15. In capital cases all the judges of the Sanhedrin may argue in favor of acquittal, but not all may argue in favor of guilt (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
16. When the charge was blasphemy, guilt could only be established when the defendant had actually pronounced the very name of God (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 7:5).
17. A person could never be condemned on the basis on his own testimony alone (Deut 17:6-7; 19:15-20).
18. The high priest was forbidden to tear his garments (Lev 10:6; 21:10), although rabbinic tradition declared it was prescribed for blasphemy for the judges to stand on their feet and tear their garments (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 7:5).
19. In capital cases the verdict must be announced during the daytime, and could not be announced at night (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
20. In capital cases, the trial and the verdict of conviction must not both occur on the same day, therefore the verdict of conviction must be announced the following day (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
21. For this reason, trials were not to be held on the eve of a Sabbath or other festival (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
22. The sentence could only be pronounced the day following the guilty verdict (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).
23. Voting for the death penalty had to be conducted individually, beginning with the
    youngest, so the youngest would not be influenced by the elder members (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:2).
24. A unanimous decision for guilt demonstrated innocence for it was impossible for a minimum of 23 members or a maximum of 71 members to agree without plotting (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:1).

In capital cases the witness is answerable for the blood of the innocent one who is wrongly condemned, to the end of the world (Mishnah:Sanhedrin 4:5).[20]