The Church f the Servant King Survey f the Bible Series The Gspel f Luke SB_22A_The Setting fr Jesus Last Week Backgrund Setting The Passver and Feast f Unleavened Bread Althugh we have studied this infrmatin previusly in ur study f the bk f Matthew, I believe that it is necessary t review it again lest we frget. Crucial t an appreciatin f this passage is the events f the week f the Passver leading up t ur Lrd s crucifixin. During the Passver week, Jewish (and Gentile prselyte) pilgrims made their way t Jerusalem t celebrate the Passver feast. Jesus had already presented Himself t Israel as the natin s Messiah and King thrugh His triumphal prcessin int Jerusalem n what is knwn as Palm Sunday (Lu 19:28-40 cf. Matt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Jn 12:12-19). This was the Sunday f Passver week and the Sunday just prir t His crucifixin. 12 a.m. 6 p.m. 12 a.m. 12 a.m. (Day f Preparatin) (Lamb Eaten) (1 st Day f Feast f Unleavened Bread) (Lamb Killed) ------------------------ -------------------- ------------------------------------------- (Jesus Crucified) (Passver Special Sabbath) Gentile Reckning: (Day f Preparatin) (Passver Feast f Unleavened Bread) -------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ (Thurs?) (Friday?) Jewish Reckning: (Day f Preparatin) (Passver Feast f Unleavened Bread) ------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------ (Nisan 14) (Nisan 15) During Passver week, there was a day f preparatin fr the Passver and then the day f Passver. Since the Passver feast was actually eaten during the evening f the day f preparatin, then accrding t the Jewish methd f cunting the start f a day at 6 p.m., the Passver feast was eaten n the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread, i.e. Nisan 15 per Jewish reckning f a day. The first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread was cnsidered a Sabbath day in additin t the nrmal Saturday Sabbath during that week. As we shall see belw, the typlgy assciated with the Jewish feast days f Passver and the Feast f Unleavened Bread seem t supprt the view that Christ was crucified n Thursday, Nisan 14 and placed in the tmb smetime late that afternn r evening, i.e. the afternn f Nisan 14 r that evening which wuld have been the beginning f Nisan 15. If the day f the feast f Unleavened Bread (and the eating f the Passver meal) that year fell n any day ther than the nrmal Sabbath (i.e. Saturday), then it wuld have been pssible that there were tw Sabbaths during the Passver week the year ur Lrd was crucified. 1 Let s review sme pints regarding the Passver week. 1 We have examined this subject in depth in a previus study f the day f the Lrd s crucifixin as an Easter special s I will nt reexamine it in depth here. Rather, I will just summarize sme f the pertinent pints as they relate t ur study. Surces that I have cnsulted fr this study include the fllwing: 1) J. Dwight Pentecst, The Wrds and Wrks f Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zndervan Publishing Huse, 1981), 411-426; 2) Daniel Fuchs, Israel s 1
Summary Pints Regarding The Day f Jesus Crucifixin Scripture dcuments the fact that Jesus was resurrected by daylight n Sunday mrning (Matt 28:1, Lu 24:1; Jn 20:1). The wrd Passver is the term used t designate the Feast f Unleavened Bread which is an annual Jewish festival f seven days duratin. 2 It began at sundwn n the clse f the 14 th day f Nisan (April) which was the beginning f the 15 th day f Nisan per the Jewish methd f reckning. The day befre the Sabbath during which preparatin is made fr the Sabbath s that n wrk was dne n the Sabbath is knwn as the Day f Preparatin (Jn 19:31). 3 Jhn 18:28 Then led they Jesus frm Caiaphas unt the hall f judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went nt int the judgment hall, lest they shuld be defiled: but that they might eat the Passver. This is the day f Jesus crucifixin the 14 th f Nisan. The chrnlgy f Passver week seems t supprt that this was Thursday. In this verse Jesus is being taken befre Pilate fr his furth trial n the day f His crucifixin, prbably the 14 th f Nisan. On the 15 th f Nisan, which begins at sundwn n this day, the Passver begins. Passver and the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread cincided r were parts f the same day per Jewish reckning. The first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread was a special Sabbath day per Lev 23:5-7 and Ex 12:15-16. Since the first and last days f the Feast f Unleavened Bread were special Sabbath days, this means that the week f the Feast f Unleavened Bread wuld have tw Sabbaths if the Feast did nt begin at sundwn n Friday. The day f Jesus crucifixin is called the preparatin. Preparatin means the eve f the Sabbath. Jhn 19:31: - The Jews therefre, because it was the preparatin [the day befre a Sabbath during which preparatin was made fr the Sabbath; the specific Sabbath in view is the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread ], that the bdies shuld nt remain upn the crss n the Sabbath day [specifically, the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread ], (fr that Sabbath was a high day [the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread] ), besught Pilate that their legs might be brken, and that they might be taken away. The Rman custm was t abandn the crpses f criminals t dgs and vultures, but Jewish law frbade leaving a bdy n the crss vernight. Hly Days In Type and Prphecy (Neptune, New Jersey: Lizeaux Brthers, 1985), 9-28; 3) Ceil and Mishe Rsen, Christ in the Passver, Why This Night is Different? (Chicag: Mdy Press, 1978), 25-49. 2 Actually, the Passver and the Feast f Unleavened Bread were riginally quite distinct frm each ther. Originally, there was the Egyptian Passver and later the rabbis labeled the Passver celebrated by Jews the Permanent Passver. The Passver ccurred n the 14 th f Nisan and the Feast f Unleavened Bread began n the 15 th f Nisan and lasted seven days until the 21 st day f the mnth. The distinctin is clear in Leviticus 23:4-6. Hwever, since bth feasts are s clse t each ther (the Passver lamb slain n the 14 th culd nt have been eaten until the 15 th f Nisan per the Jewish reckning f a day beginning at 6 p.m.), they are generally treated as ne feast in the Old and New Testaments. The lamb was selected n the 10 th f Nisan. Special preparatins began n the evening f the 13 th f Nisan (actually the start f the 14 th per the Jewish calendar). The lamb was slain n the 14 th f Nisan and eaten that evening (the beginning f the 15 th f Nisan). See Daniel Fuchs, Israel s Hly Days, 15-29 and Pentecst, The Wrds and Wrks f Jesus Christ, 415. 3 It seems that since the days f the Dispersin, the Jews had added an extra day at the beginning f the eight days f this festival seasn and called it the Day f Preparatin. Pentecst, The Wrds and Wrks f Jesus Christ, 415. 2
In this case, the law wuld be mre stringently enfrced because the next day, beginning at sundwn n the evening f Jesus crucifixin, was a high day [the Sabbath f the Feast f Unleavened Bread ]. The Passver Feast The institutin f and cmmands related t the Passver are recrded in Exdus 12. The 1 st mnth n the Jewish calendar is Nisan which crrespnds t ur March/April timeframe. A male lamb withut blemish is set aside n the 10 th f the mnth. This culd have crrespnded t Palm Sunday. The lamb was kept until the afternn f the 14 th when it was t be killed as the sun began t g dwn. The bld wuld be caught in a basin and then applied t the dr pst with hyssp. The lamb was then taken int the huse, rasted whle and eaten that very night (the beginning f Nisan 15) with nthing t remain until mrning. Anything nt eaten had t be burned. At daylight n the 15 th f Nisan, the Israelites celebrated the start f their jurney frm their hmes ut f the land. The 15 th f Nisan marked the beginning f the week f the Feast f Unleavened Bread and was cnsidered a Sabbath. (See Lev 23:5-7 and Ex 12:15-16). There are three majr theries regarding the day f ur Lrd s crucifixin the Wednesday thery, the Thursday thery, and the Friday thery. (See previus studies fr a mre detailed analysis) The Gspel f Jhn was written later than any f the ther Gspels (i.e. 85 t 95 AD). It cntains the clearest detail regarding the timing f Christ s crucifixin during the week f the Passver in my pinin. I believe that it is quite pssible that by the time Jhn wrte, the ther accunts had raised questins as t the day f Christ s crucifixin amng the readers f the ther Gspels (i.e. Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Jhn might have added the extra detail t attempt t clarify issues. If s, I believe that the evidence tends t favr a Thursday crucifixin view even thugh all views have their difficulties. The prphecy that Jesus uttered in Matthew 12:40 (i.e. three days and nights as Jnah) wuld require a minimum f 72 hurs t be literally fulfilled. Hwever, the typlgy f the Passver week is perhaps best demnstrated with a Thursday view that desn t allw fr a full 72 hurs, but des allw fr a nn-literal three days and three nights. 4 Was Jesus last meal the Passver meal? The eating f the lamb is characterized in every instance as a ceremnial feast and never as an rdinary meal r supper. If the meal that Jesus and His disciples ate was the feast f the Passver, then Jesus was tried and crucified n this special sabbath and nt n the day preceding it. 4 As we have nted in previus studies regarding the day f Jesus crucifixin, all theries f the actual day f the crucifixin have prblems when attempting t recncile them with a literal 72 hur perid f three days and nights in the belly f the earth (Lu 9:21-22; 11:29-32; 18:31-34 cf. Matt 12:39-40; 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:19). Whether ne adpts a Wednesday, Thursday r Friday view, the mst imprtant issue is nt the day, but the fact f the resurrectin. Secndly, it is imprtant that we recgnize that Gd Friday is based mre upn religius traditin than slid fact. 3
Hwever, we are tld that Jesus was crucified n the preparatin f the Passver (Jhn 19:14) which was Nisan 14. Jhn 18:28 indicates that the Jews had nt yet eaten the Passver. N matter what day f the week that the 14 th and 15 th f Nisan ccurred during the week f ur Lrd s crucifixin, we must cnsider the fact that the events surrunding the Passver were meant t be a type f ur Lrd s death. The slaying f the Lamb n the 14 th f Nisan as the sun began t g dwn shuld crrespnd t the actual events that were played ut in ur Lrd s life and death. If true, then Jesus culdn t have been the Passver lamb and at the same time eaten the Passver lamb in the week He was crucified. Admittedly, this is nt the strngest argument against the last supper being identified with the Passver; hwever it is wrthy f nte. Nne f the accunts directly state that the supper that Jesus ate was the Passver. It is by inference frm such passages as Mark 14:12; Matt. 26:17; Luke 22:7. The backgrund fr these passages is fund in Exdus 12:15, 18. It is pssible hwever that the Jews had begun a practice even in Jesus day that is still cmmn amng the rthdx Jews f tday. The threat f being cut ff frm Israel was taken s seriusly that it was universal practice t put away leaven a whle day befre the prescribed perid. This wuld increase the pssibility that there wuld be n verlked prtin f yeast which had nt been put away. This culd explain the fact that unleavened bread was used by ur Lrd at the Last Supper. Therefre the reference in these passages t the first day f the Feast f Unleavened Bread might be interpreted t mean the first day that the Jews start t eat unleavened bread. The reference t the killing f the lamb in these verses wuld therefre be an explanatry clause further identifying the particular feast. It is pssible that Judas made his bargain with the priests n Palm Sunday, the day f triumphal entry. This wuld crrespnd with the setting aside f the Lamb fr death n the 10 th f Nisan. Preparatin fr the Passver wuld need t begin in Jerusalem even prir t the 14 th f Nisan. There were thusands f visitrs arriving in Jerusalem fr Passver. Rms were at a premium and the itinerant disciples had n headquarters f their wn. Jhn was ne f the tw disciples sent t prepare the upper rm per Luke 22:8. Jhn 13:28-29 prvides further evidence that the supper the Lrd and His disciples were eating might nt have been the Passver. Sme f the disciples thught that Jesus had t buy thse things they had need f fr the feast. Luke 22:15-16 seems t refer t the meal as the Passver. Hwever, it is pssible that Jesus was merely infrming them that He was nt ging t be able t eat it with them. When the time came t take Jesus bdy frm the Crss and bury it, where were the disciples? It might be that they were engaged in eating the Passver. The Resurrectin Typlgy Via the Offering f the Firstfruits The three main events during Passver week cnsisted f: The killing f the Passver lamb Nisan 14 The Feast f Unleavened Bread Nisan 15 The Offering f Firstfruits the day is debated The Saducees f ur Lrd s day believed that the first sheaf was always ffered n the day fllwing the weekly Sabbath (i.e. Sunday) f Passver week verses any special Sabbaths ther than the weekly Sabbath. 5 5 Daniel Fuchs, Israel s Hly Days, 29. 4
If Jesus was crucified n Thursday, Nisan 14, and if the Offering f the Firstfruits was celebrated n Sunday, then Jesus resurrectin n early Sunday mrning prvides the perfect anti-type t the typlgy f the first sheaf ffering. A Pssible Chrnlgy f Passver Week 6 p.m. Palm ^ Lamb Slain Weekly Resurrectin Sunday Wed Thurs Fri Sabbath Sunday ----------- ------------ ------------- --------------- -------------- ----------------- --------------- -------------- Nisan 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 (Lamb Set Aside) (Lamb Slain) (Special Sabbath) (Firstfruits) ^ Cnclusin This study is an effrt t prvide backgrund fr ur future study f Luke 22 and fllwing. It will nt reslve every issue r questin surrunding the day f ur Lrd s crucifixin and I have nt attempted t address every questin since it is nt the day but the fact f the resurrectin that is imprtant. 6 While we will never knw with certainty the exact day f Jesus crucifixin and whether it was the Passver meal that He ate, we can have a better appreciatin fr the setting f these last chapters f Luke. We can see Jesus mre clearly as the anti-type f the Passver sacrifice since we realize that there are ther acceptable alternatives t the last meal He ate than the Passver itself. 6 See Pentecst, The Wrds and Wrks f Jesus Christ, 415-424 fr a gd analysis f the issues and questins assciated with this tpic. 5