p. 9 | Jesus and the Passover by W. M. Healey

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 2, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 14.

Jesus and the Passover

By W. M. Healey

ON what day of the week did Christ eat His last Passover? Did He eat it on the regular time of the feast?

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover? And 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. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me. Matt. 26:17-21.

Notice a few plainly stated facts in these words of Matthew: 1. Verse 17 says it was 'the first day of the feast' when the disciples asked Him where they should prepare to eat the Passover. 2. Verses 18 and 19 inform us that the disciples followed the Lord's directions, found the place, 'and they made ready the Passover.' 3. Verse 20 reads that they all sat down 'when the even was come.' 4. Verse 21 asserts that 'they did eat.'

No record could be clearer than this, that they ate the Passover on the right day, and at the right time of the day. The original command for slaying the lamb was to 'kill it in the evening.' Ex. 12:6. Marginal reading, 'Heb., between the two evenings,' which was between three o'clock and sunset.

Mark 14:12-17; Luke 22:7-18; John 13:1-27, all together give us substantially the same account as Matthew.

The above facts are beautifully expressed in 'Great Controversy,' page 399: 'These types were fulfilled, not only as to the event, but as to the time. . . . The very day and month on which, for fifteen long centuries, the Passover lamb had been slain, Christ, having eaten the Passover with His disciples, instituted that feast which was to commemorate His own death as 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.' That same night He was taken by wicked hands, to be crucified and slain.'

From the supper Jesus went with His disciples to the Mount of Olives, and gave Himself into the hands of the priests and elders, who, led by Judas, went there to take Him. They spent that entire night trying to get authority to put Jesus to death, taking Him to Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod, and back to Pilate. By that time it was morning. Mark 15:1.

Those priests who were accusing Christ, had not yet eaten the Passover. John 18:28. From this statement it is claimed, by some, that Christ must have eaten the Passover one day ahead of the regular time. This claim contradicts the repeated statements of the disciples, that the day on which Christ ate was the 'Passover,' 'the first day of the feast,' etc. This claim gives more weight to the conduct of those priests than to the example of Christ and the statements of the inspired writers.

Why did not the priests eat the Passover the day before, if it was the proper time?—At the time when Jesus and His disciples were eating the Passover, these priests and elders were holding a council, trying to devise some way to kill Christ. This is evident from the fact that Judas went out from the supper, and closed his contract with them for the betrayal of Christ, and took charge of a large company, who were evidently ready and waiting for a leader to guide them to the place where they could find Christ away from the people. 'And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Him; for they feared the people' (Luke 22:2), and more especially so on the feast-day.

The time of the Passover was the most propitious time for them to hold their council and gather their mob together, when the people would be quietly gathered in their homes for the Passover supper. The priests had no time to lose. The darkness was their hour, and if possible they must complete their work before the people should be aroused the next day. They were so intent on slaying the 'Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world,' that they had no time to eat of the typical lamb.

The morning found the priests, with Jesus, before Pilate, the second time, having returned from Herod without authority to kill Christ. Because of the delay and disappointment, their excitement grew more and more intense. Both Herod and Pilate seemed unwilling to accede to their demand for the crucifixion of Christ. The people would soon be astir, and they would be found trying to kill Jesus, and that, too, on the feast-day. If they could only get Him into the hands of the Roman authority, they had nothing to fear from the people. In their excitement they dropped all attempt at giving evidence, and overwhelmed Pilate with their cry of 'CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM.'

In referring to the priests as not having eaten the Passover, John simply mentions a seemingly unimportant fact, without any object or design. This is an evidence of the truthfulness of his record, as it mentions an incident that would have been almost sure to happen, under the circumstances, and yet no fabricator of a story would ever have thought to mention such a thing. Had there been an effort to manufacture a story, this incident, if mentioned, would have been explained, so as to avoid any chance of seeming contradiction.

The Passover, in the time of Christ, was partaken of quite differently from what it was in the days of Moses. Wine had been added. They reclined at the table, instead of eating standing, with staff in hand. The whole ceremony was one of leisure instead of haste; and in harmony with the spirit of these changes, it seems probable that the Jews would not be so very particular as to the exact time. Comparing John 19:14 with Luke 22:7-9, it appears that the Passover was allowed to be eaten on the regular day or the day following.

Immediately after supper Christ instituted the memorial of His own death, and gave Himself into the hands of wicked men. He was then 'in the heart of the earth,' physically subject to its will and purposes. He made no effort to save Himself, but took the very means to arouse Judas to do that which he had determined to do, by pointing him out, before all the disciples, as the one who should betray Him.

The following morning they crucified Jesus. Luke says that day was 'the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.' Luke 23:54. That this Sabbath was not the ceremonial sabbath of the feast, but the seventh-day Sabbath, is clearly shown by the fact that the next day was 'the first day of the week.' Luke 24:1.

These facts show that Christ ate the Passover on Thursday, was crucified on Friday, rested in the grave on the Sabbath, and rose on the first day of the week, and went about His work.