Passover, Last Supper, and the Calendar, Pt. 2

This is the second installment in a series about the timing of the Last Supper and the crucifixion. It won’t make much sense unless you scroll down and read part 1.

Last time, I shared with you a problem of apparent discrepancy between the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and John. It appears in John as though Yeshua is crucified at the slaughtering time for the Passover lambs whereas the synoptics represent the Last Supper as a Passover Seder (after the lambs have been slaughtered).

Let me first give you a simple summary of the schedule for Passover:
Nisan 14 in the afternoon — the lambs for Passover are slaughtered.
At sundown, Nisan 14 ends and Nisan 15 begins (Jewish days start at sundown, based on Genesis).
Nisan 15, just after sundown — the Passover Seder is eaten.

Let me make sure I am saying this clearly, so all can understand: by our way of thinking the lambs for Passover are slain in the afternoon and that same evening the Passover Seder is eaten. On the Jewish calendar, however, sundown begins a new day.

There are several issues with what I just said and there are people who may disagree with what I just said. Sometimes, Messianic Jews and Christians who study Hebrew Roots do not agree with or accept the traditional Jewish interpretation. Some people argue that the Passover lambs are slaughtered on Nisan 13 and the Passover eaten on Nisan 14. There are other variations. The interpretation I just gave you is the traditional Jewish interpretation. It is the custom of the second temple as well as Modern Judaism. It is also biblical and those who interpret differently are not understanding the Torah correctly. Rather than burden those of you who already understand this, I will put a note at the end demonstrating from scripture that this is correct schedule.

Now, since the Passover lambs are slaughtered on the afternoon of Nisan 14 and the Seder just after sundown (Nisan 15), the question is: was the Last Supper a Passover Seder held at the correct time?

Many commentaries (and many of my Messianic rabbi friends) say that either: (a) Yeshua held his Passover Seder early or (b) there were multiple calendars and Yeshua followed a different calendar than the priests at the temple. Many who hold this view suggest that Yeshua followed the Essene (Qumran) calendar, which was a solar calendar. This is so unlikely as to be laughable. Yeshua and the Essenes were miles apart in doctrine and practice. Why would he follow the Essene calendar? The Essenes practiced a radical separation, even abstaining from the temple worship because of corruption. Yeshua did not abstain from temple worship, though he did oppose certain elements of corruption (turning the tables of moneychangers).

It is incredibly unlikely that someone like Yeshua would ignore the custom of his people and have Passover on an alternate schedule. It is equally unlikely that the priests would consecrate a Passover lamb slaughtered at the wrong time. To combat this problem, many of the two-calendar proponents say that no lamb was eaten at Yeshua’s Seder. This would mean Yeshua was not in full compliance with the law of Moses and was making his own practices in violation of the Torah. I don’t think so.

There is absolutely no reason to propose two calendars at all or any kind of idea of Yeshua celebrating Passover early.

The apparent discrepancy between John and the synoptics is no discrepancy at all.

Tomorrow: What is the Passover sacrifice that the Priests are concerned they will be unable to eat if they defile themselves in Pilate’s hall? What does “day of preparation for Passover” mean? How can John and the synoptic gospels both be right?

Note: I promised to show from scripture that the lambs for Passover are slain on Nisan 14 and the Seder begins later, after sundown. Leviticus 23:5-6 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover. ‘Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

The word “twilight” is literally “between the evenings.” The phrase has been subjected to many interpretations. Most see it as twilight. As the number of people bringing sacrifices grew, the slaughtering started earlier, to make time for the many thousands of lambs that had to be slaughtered. In the Mishnah (c. 200 C.E., but a good source for temple procedure in the second temple), in Pesakhim 5:1, we read that the daily offering was made an hour earlier on Nisan 14 to make more time for the slaughtering of the Passover lambs. They used a sundial for time in those days, so we cannot be exact, but it would seem the slaughtering for Passover started about 2:30 pm.

Some might argue that the lambs were to be slaughtered right at the transition from Nisan 13 to Nisan 14, that the twilight on Nisan 14 means at the beginning of Nisan 14. Yet a number of statements in the Mishnah make it clear that the lambs are slaughtered on the 14th. Pesakhim 4:6, for example, says that work started before Nisan 14 may be completed on Nisan 14 (in other words, the Sabbath of Passover doesn’t start until Nisan 15). In order to argue that Exodus meant for the lambs to be slaughtered at the beginning of Nisan 14, you would have to make several untenable assumptions: (a) that the Jewish people completely lost the correct procedure for Passover and (b) that the lambs were slaughtered in the evening and the Seder could not be eaten until about midnight! There has to be time to cook the lambs.

I hope I have persuaded you to accept the traditional Jewish interpretation: the lambs are slaughtered on Nisan 14 and the Passover Seder starts at sundown when it becomes Nisan 15.