11 – When did Christ celebrate the Passover?

11.1 The Lord Yeshu observed the Passover correctly, just as God commanded:

• The Lord Yeshu observed the Passover at night,

• before His arrest,

• before the day of His crucifixion.

“The Anointed One was offered as a sacrifice—our Passover” – 1 Corinthians 5:7.

“The Lord Yeshu, on the night He was betrayed, took bread” – 1 Corinthians 11:23.

This is a crucial piece of information: “tonight”—not “tomorrow night,” not “after the holiday.”

11.2 Lord Yeshu explicitly states that He is partaking of this Passover before His death:

“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” – Luke 22:15.

• Lord Yeshu explicitly refers to the feast as the Passover;

• He speaks neither of a symbol nor of a foreshadowing;

• the event takes place before His Passion.

11.3 Christ’s Passover takes place in the evening:

“And when evening had fallen, He sat down at the table with the twelve” — Matthew 26:20.

Evening marks the beginning of the 14th of Aviv, in accordance with the description in Exodus 12.

11.4 After this night, Lord Yeshu is taken, while the Passover of Judaism is yet to come:

“So as not to defile themselves, but to be able to eat the Passover” — John 18:28.

• The Lord Yeshu has already eaten the Passover meal,

• the leaders of Judaism have not yet eaten it.

11.5 Lord Yeshu dies at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs:

“And when the sixth hour (noon) had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

At the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), Yeshu cried out with a loud voice: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which is translated: ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” – Mark 15:33.

“It was the Day of Preparation for the Passover” – John 19:14.

• The day of preparation for the Passover is the 14th of Aviv;

• During this time, lambs were slaughtered in the Temple.

11.6 Lord Yeshu does not violate any Passover regulation.

Christ begins the Passover on the 14th of Aviv, after sunset; He does so in accordance with the principles God gave to the Israelites.

He transforms the Passover into a Memorial of His death. Therefore, we are bound by what Christ did with the apostles during this observance—namely:

• beginning the Memorial on the night of the 13th/14th of Aviv, after sunset;

• prayers before partaking of the bread and wine;

• recounting the death of Christ and reading from the Scriptures;

• a concluding prayer and song.

11.7 Where does the contradiction with Judaism actually arise?

A contradiction exists between:

• The Biblical Passover, described in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23, and the Temple-Rabbinic practice of the 1st century.

• The Lord Yeshu observes God’s principles.

• The religious leaders observe tradition.

Let us recall: what were God’s guidelines for participating in the Passover?

Passover was to take place on the 14th of Aviv (at twilight).

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of that month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover” – Leviticus 23:5.

The 15th of Aviv marks another festival—the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

“And on the fifteenth day of that same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the Lord” — Leviticus 23:6.

The killing of the lamb was to take place on the 14th of Aviv (at twilight).

“You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight / between the two evenings” — Exodus 12:6.

The lamb was to be consumed that night—that is, on the 14th of Aviv.

“3…let each man take for himself a lamb according to his father’s house, a lamb for each household.”

“7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the meat, roasted over the fire, that same night; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”

“10 And you shall leave nothing of it until morning; but whatever remains of it until morning, you shall burn in the fire.”

“22…and none of you shall go out the door of his house until morning” – Exodus 12:3, 7–8, 10, 22.

Later, God chose the place for offering the Passover sacrifice:

“You shall not be able to offer the Passover sacrifice in any of your cities…

But at the place which the Lord your God chooses… there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice…” – Deuteronomy 16:5–6.

Christ commanded the Apostles to prepare the Passover:

“The day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover had to be sacrificed. And He sent Peter and John, saying: ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.’” – Luke 22:7-8.

Christ changes the Passover into the Memorial of His death.

“And having taken bread, and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying: ‘This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” – Luke 22:19.

“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying: ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” – 1 Corinthians 11:25.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” – 1 Corinthians 11:26.

12 – Why Did Judaism have Passover a Day Later?

12.1 – According to biblical testimony, Judaism observed the Passover at a later time—specifically, on the night of the 14th leading into the 15th of Aviv. In reality, it was already the 15th of Aviv.

While the Lord Yeshu had already been arrested and was being tried in the early morning hours, Judaism was only just preparing to observe the Passover: “…so that they would not be defiled, but might be able to eat the Passover” – John 18:28.

Since the night of Christ’s Supper took place earlier, their Passover fell at a later time.

12.2 – Lord Yeshu’s Supper took place on the night preceding the day of His death:

“Lord Yeshu, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread…” – 1 Corinthians 11:23.

The Supper = the night preceding the day of death.

12.3 – The day of death is the “Day of Preparation”:

“It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was approaching” – Luke 23:54.

Christ’s death occurs on the Day of Preparation. The Jewish Passover takes place after this night, since in the morning “they had not yet eaten.”

12.4. John clearly distinguishes Christ’s Passover from the Jewish Passover:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, Yeshu, knowing that His hour had come…” – John 13:1.

Christ’s Supper takes place before the official Feast of the Passover, which Judaism observes:

• Night of the 13th/14th – The Lord Yeshu partakes of the Passover (The Supper).

• Day of the 14th – The Lord Yeshu dies (The Day of Preparation).

• Night of the 14th/15th – Judaism partakes of the Passover.

“For Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed” – 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Summary:

According to the Bible, Judaism partakes of the Passover on the night of the 14th to the 15th of Aviv, whereas the Lord Yeshu partook of the Passover in accordance with God’s command, on the night of the 13th to the 14th.

Why did Judaism act contrary to Scripture?

1. The Judeans observed a different Passover than Christ:

“…so that they would not be defiled, but might be able to eat the Passover” – John 18:28.

While the Lord Yeshu had already been arrested and was being tried in the early morning, the Judeans were only just planning their Passover.

2. Judaism rejected the teachings of Christ:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; yet it is they that bear witness about Me” – John 5:39.

The problem was not a lack of Scripture, but the rejection of the One about whom the Scripture speaks.

3. They placed traditions and procedures above the Word of God:

“You have nullified the word of God through your tradition” – Matthew 15:6.

The Judeans maintained their own order, but violated the order of Scripture (the time of Passover).

4. They did not recognize the Messiah:

“…you did not recognize the time of your visitation” – Luke 19:44.

When the Passover (the Lamb) stood before them in the person of the Lord Yeshua, they observed the ritual but rejected the truth.

5. Fear of people altered their decisions:

“For they feared the people” – Mark 11:18.

Their timing and procedural decisions were subservient to politics and pressure, rather than to obedience to God.

6. They maintained “purity” while violating justice:

“…so that they would not be defiled, but might be able to eat the Passover” – John 18:28.

“They handed Him over to be crucified” – John 19:16.

They were meticulous about ritual purity, yet at the same time handed over the Righteous One, the Son of God.

7. The Passover was to be fulfilled in Christ:

“For our Passover, Christ, has been sacrificed” – 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Judaism acted contrary to Scripture because:

• they placed tradition and procedure above the Word of God,

• they refused to accept the Lord Yeshu as the Messiah to whom the Scriptures bore witness,

• they upheld ritual while rejecting the truth,

• they focused on external purity while violating God’s principles.

Judaism did not go astray due to a lack of Scripture, but rather because—despite possessing that knowledge—they rejected the One who was the Son of God.

The lesson to be drawn from this is of great importance to us. We must not observe the Memorial a day or several days late. We should observe the Memorial of the death exactly when Christ did so with His disciples.

Surely, we do not wish to stand on the side of the pharisees and sadducees—that is, the brood of vipers…