Chapter Eighteen - Survey of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Gospels

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The Scriptural and historical evidence that is presented in the preceding chapters of this book has enabled us to thoroughly study the Passover as observed by the children of Israel in Egypt, and as later observed by the Jews in the days of the kings and after the return from captivity. As we have seen, the Passover of King Hezekiah is the first Scriptural record of a temple sacrifice of the Passover lambs, in which the lambs were apparently killed in the afternoon of the 14th day. During the reign of King Josiah, the great-grandson of Hezekiah, the temple sacrifice of the Passover was reinstituted. Josiah’s Passover was proclaimed by Ezra, the writer of II Chronicles, as the greatest and most unique Passover in the history of Israel, aside from the Passover in Egypt. Both Hezekiah’s and Josiah’s temple-centered Passover observances were the result of a personal commitment by these kings to restore apostate Israel and Judah to the true worship of God. After the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity, Ezra promulgated the “new Passover law,” which designated Jerusalem and the surrounding festival area as the only place where the Passover could be observed, whether as a temple sacrifice or a domestic sacrifice. Although the temple Passover later became an official tradition, it is evident in the historical accounts of Philo and Josephus that the domestic sacrifice of the Passover lambs continued side by side with the temple sacrifice as an accepted practice. Thus the foundation was laid for the 14/15 Passover dispute.

When we examine the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last Passover, it is evident that Jesus and His disciples kept a domestic Passover at the beginning of the 14th, according to the commands of God in Exodus 12. On the other hand, the New Testament discloses that the Sadducees, scribes and Pharisees observed a 14/15 temple Passover, eating their Passover on the night of the 15th. This dichotomy makes it clear that the 14/15 controversy existed in New Testament times. We will have a better basis for understanding the observance of the Passover in the New Testament if we survey the terminology that is used in the Gospel accounts.

In Gospel references to the observance of the Passover, we find the same terminology that is recorded by Josephus, who stated that in his day the Passover and the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread were together called “Passover.” Because this terminology was commonly used in the first century, Luke makes this clarifying statement: “Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called Passover, was approaching” (Luke 22:1). This verse in the Gospel of Luke introduces the events leading up to Jesus’ last Passover, which is described in Verses 7-38. Luke was inspired to record that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was called “Passover” in order to differentiate this feast from the Passover day. As we will see, this distinction is extremely important.

The Gospel of Mark also differentiates the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “Now after two days was the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread...” (Mark 14:1). The italicized words “feast of” are not in the Greek text but have been added to clarify the meaning of the text. In some passages, the use of additional words may lead to confusion by clouding the meaning of the text, making the passage more difficult to understand. However, in Mark 14:1, the insertion of the words “feast of” before “unleavened bread” serves to clarify the meaning of Mark’s statement.

Both Mark and Luke make a clear distinction between the Passover day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in their accounts of the events leading to Jesus’ last Passover. On the other hand, in his narration of the early life of Jesus Christ, Luke includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the Passover day as a single feast called “the feast of Passover.” In this passage, Luke does not distinguish the Passover day from the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but records that Jesus and “... His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover....[And] they departed after completing the days...” (Luke 2:41, 43).

The fact that Luke did not write “...after completing the day” reveals that he was not referring to the Passover day only. His use of the plural word “days” shows that he was referring to the entire eight-day festival, which included both the Passover day and the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The terminology in Luke’s Gospel has little meaning for those who do not observe the Christian Passover on the night of the 14th—which was the night of Jesus’ betrayal. However, for those who seek to keep the New Testament ceremony as Jesus commanded, the distinction between the Passover day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is of vital importance. Without an understanding of this distinction, the arguments that have been raised in the 14/15 Passover controversy can be quite confusing and extremely difficult to resolve.

Jesus Did Not Keep the Traditional Jewish Passover

Some advocates of a 15th Passover point to Luke 2:41 as proof that Jesus kept the traditional Jewish Passover, with a lamb that was sacrificed on the afternoon of the 14th and eaten on the 15th. However, this verse in Luke’s Gospel does not designate the time that the lamb was sacrificed or the day that Jesus ate the Passover. It simply states that Jesus went with His parents to Jerusalem each year at “the feast of the Passover.” In Luke’s day, this was common terminology for the eight-day festival observance that began on the Passover day, the 14th day of the first month, and continued through the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, from the 15th through the 21st. Since this festival included both the 14th and the 15th, and no details are given in Luke 2:41 as to which day Jesus kept the Passover, it is groundless to claim that this text supports a 15th Passover.

The terminology that Luke uses in this verse shows that Jesus kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread every year, as the Scriptures command (Ex. 23:14; 34:18, Deut.16:16). Jesus was keeping the commandments of God. In fact, as the God of the Old Testament, Jesus had delivered the Ten Commandments. He had come to dwell on earth as the only begotten Son of God the Father, born of the virgin Mary. Since He was God manifested in the flesh, Jesus kept the commands that came from God, but Jesus did not keep the traditions that men had added to the commandments of God.

The Gospel accounts make it clear that Jesus did not follow the traditions of men. Jesus strongly denounced the traditions of the Jews—ALL OF THEM! Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus condemned them for rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep their traditions. He said, “...Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?... ‘This people draw near to Me with their mouths, and with their lips they honor Me; but their hearts are far away from Me. But they worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men’ ” (Matt. 15:3, 8-9).

Let’s take a close look at these words of Jesus. Jesus emphatically declared to the leaders of Judaism that in keeping their own traditions, they were transgressing the commandments of God. In short, such behavior is SIN. Worship that is based on traditions of men is vain, empty and useless— just so much sanctimonious pretense. Yes, with their mouths and lips they professed to serve God, but their hearts were far from Him!

Think for a moment! Knowing that the traditions of Judaism transgress the commandments of God, would Jesus ever have followed these traditions? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What did Jesus do? The Scriptures tell us that He kept the Father’s commandments: “If you keep My commandments, you shall live in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and live in His love” (John 15:10). Jesus went far beyond keeping only the letter of the law. He did those things that please the Father: “And He Who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone because I ALWAYS do the things that please Him” (John 8:29).

Here is plain evidence in the New Testament that Jesus never observed the traditional Jewish 14/15 Passover. Had He done so, He would have been placing the traditions of men above the commandments of God. By such conduct, He would have been sinning against God! Rejecting the commandments of God and accepting the traditions of men as the rule of law constitutes sin and transgression. But Jesus did not sin at any time, as Paul expressly states in II Corinthians 5:21. The apostle Peter also records for us that Jesus “COMMITTED NO SIN” (I Pet. 2:22).

Jesus was twelve years old when He observed the Feast of Unleavened

Bread with His parents in Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 2:41-42. When the feast ended, Joseph and Mary departed to go back to Nazareth, but Jesus remained. Having discovered that He was missing, they returned to find Jesus “... in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them and questioning them. And all those who were listening to Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers” (verses 46-47).

How was it possible for Jesus to have such an extraordinary understanding of God’s Word at so young an age? The Scriptures tell us that Jesus had the Holy Spirit of God without measure. Moreover, He was personally taught by God the Father.

Jesus’ Education Was Not Pharisaic

Some have assumed that Jesus was trained and brought up according to Jewish tradition. Those who have swallowed this false assumption believe that Jesus practiced the religion of Judaism and conformed to the traditions of the Jews. They claim that Jesus was thoroughly Jewish in habit, custom, tradition, religion and outlook. Some even claim that Jesus was a Pharisee, perhaps a Pharisaical rabbi, and therefore Jesus would certainly have kept the Passover according to the traditions of the Jews. They insist that Jesus ate the Passover on the night of the 15th as a regular practice, as did the Pharisees and the religious leaders.

NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH! Jesus was not taught by men, nor did He ever follow the traditions of men. Therefore He could not have been a Pharisee. Here is what the Scriptures reveal about Jesus’ education:

“But then, about the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and was teaching. And the Jews were amazed, saying, ‘How does this man know letters, having never been schooled?’ ” (John 7:14-15). The phrase “having never been schooled” means that He was not taught in their schools. He did not attend the rabbinical school of Hillel, as some have claimed. Jesus Himself tells us where He was educated: “Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me’ ” (verse 16). Jesus’ teachings were directly from God the Father, Who had personally taught Him. Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you; but He Who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him, these things I speak to the world....I do nothing of Myself. But AS THE FATHER TAUGHT ME, these things I speak” (John 8:26, 28).

Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be educated directly by God the Father: “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, to know to help the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as one being taught. The Lord GOD has opened My ear, and I was not rebellious, nor turned away backwards” (Isa. 50:4-5). As Isaiah had foretold, Jesus was awakened early in the morning by His Father’s voice and was personally taught by Him. With daily instruction directly from God the Father, Jesus did not need to be taught by men.

Jesus’ education involved not only hearing the Father, but also seeing the Father. So personal was His education from God the Father that Jesus actually saw the Father and what the Father did: “... Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, the Son has no power to do anything of Himself [Jesus did not do His own will], but only what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, these things the Son also does in the same manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him everything that He Himself is doing. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may be filled with wonder....I have no power to do anything of Myself; but as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father, Who sent Me’ ” (John 5:19- 20, 30). No one but Jesus could see the Father and what He was doing. This was a unique and special relationship between Jesus and God the Father.

These words of Jesus in the Gospel of John clearly show that Jesus was not taught by rabbis or any other men who practiced the traditions of Judaism. Concerning their traditional education and schooling, the Jews distinctly said that He was unlearned— “not having learned,” as recorded in John 7:15. The Scriptures absolutely disprove the claim that Jesus was taught in the Pharisaic schools of the rabbis. As Jesus Himself testified, He was personally taught by God the Father. Jesus had direct, instant communication with God the Father at all times. The Gospels record that this special relationship with the Father existed when Jesus was twelve years old, and it had undoubtedly existed from His birth. Notice Jesus’ answer to Joseph and Mary when they found Him teaching the religious leaders at the temple: “And He said to them, ‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Don’t you realize that I must be about My Father’s business?’ But they did not understand the words that He spoke to them” (Luke 2:49-50).

As the Son of God, sent to be the Savior of mankind, Jesus had to have a perfect and complete understanding of the Father’s will. If He had failed even once to do the will of the Father, this sin would have brought Him under the death penalty, and we would have no Savior. In order to know the Father’s will in everything, Jesus had to be taught directly by God the Father. No man—no scribe, no Pharisee, no learned sage or rabbi— could have imparted this divine knowledge to Jesus. It is critical for us to understand this fact so that we will not be deceived into believing that Jesus was taught by men and that He kept the traditions of the Jews. Jesus did those things that pleased the Father, not those things that pleased the Jews. Jesus never observed a 14/15 Passover, as Jewish tradition required. As we have seen in our study of the Old Testament Passover, the temple sacrifice of the Passover lamb was not commanded by God but was instituted “according to the commandment of the king.” The 14/15 Passover is a tradition of men—not a commandment of God! Because Jesus condemned the traditions of men, we know that He did not keep a 14/15 Passover. Instead, He openly condemned the traditions of Judaism as worthless substitutes for the commandments of God.

Jesus Did Not Keep the Passover of the Jews

In his Gospel, the apostle John uses different terminology to distinguish between the observance of the Passover as commanded by God and its observance as practiced by the Jews who followed the Pharisaic tradition. Some people do not realize that the traditional Passover of the Jews con- flicted with the commands of God, and they claim that Christians should rely on the practice of the Jews as a guide for keeping the New Testament ceremony. That is not what the New Testament teaches! The Gospel accounts plainly reveal that the Jews’ Passover did not follow the ordinances of God in the Old Testament. Christians should not look to the example of the Jews but to the example and commands of Jesus, Who kept the Passover in the spirit and manner that God desired.

The Gospel of John shows how far the Jews had strayed from the worship that God desired. John records that the Jews were actually defiling the temple of God with their corrupt practices: “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money exchangers sitting there; and after making a scourge of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with both the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money exchangers, and overturned the tables. And to those who were selling the doves, He said, ‘Take these things out of here! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise’ ” (John 2:13-16).

John tells us that this event occurred as the Jews were preparing for their traditional observance of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which he calls “the Passover of the Jews.” Notice that John did not simply write “the Passover,” or “the feast of the Lord,” as he would have done if the Jews had been observing the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread according to the commands of God. Nowhere does John’s account indicate that God approved of the manner in which the Jews were observing the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In fact, John shows quite the opposite! Jesus forcefully and openly denounced the Jews for polluting the feast of God with their merchandising and other corrupt practices!

John goes on to show that although the Jews professed to believe in God, they could not be trusted to do His will because they were filled with human nature: “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed on His name, as they observed the miracles that He was doing. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all men; and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25).

These two conclusions can be drawn from John’s account: 1) The fact that the observance of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is called “the Passover of the Jews” shows that the Jews were improperly observing these feast days. 2) John’s statement about the nature of man shows why Jesus had to be taught by God the Father and not by man.

In later chapters, John uses similar terminology when referring to the Jews’ observance of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near” (John 6:4). Again, John states, “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from out of the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, so that they might purify themselves” (John 11:55). John’s repeated use of this terminology makes it clear that the Jews were not keeping these feast days as God intended them to be kept.

However, John writes differently when he refers to Jesus’ last Passover, which was observed on the night of the 14th, the time that God commanded. Notice that John does not use the phrase “of the Jews” to describe this Passover: “Now six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany...” (John 12:1). Again, John records, “Now before the feast of the Passover, knowing that His time had come to depart from this world to the Father...” (John 13:1). As the subsequent verses in John 13 show, John is referring to Jesus’ last Passover, which He ate with His disciples on the 14th day of the first month, as commanded by God. The different terminology that John uses makes a clear distinction between Jesus’ observance of the Passover and the Jews’ observance of their feast.

In the Gospel of Matthew we find the words that Jesus spoke before His last Passover: “You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified” (Matt. 26:2). In this verse, Jesus is clearly referring to the Passover day itself—not to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Matthew records that He was betrayed to be crucified on the very night that He ate the Passover with His disciples.

The account in the Gospel of Matthew confirms the meaning of John’s terminology and makes it emphatically clear that Jesus kept the Passover on the night of the 14th, fulfilling all the ordinances of God for its observance under the Old Covenant. On that same night, Jesus instituted the Passover of the New Covenant, with the new symbols of unleavened bread and wine. He was subsequently seized, tried and crucified—all within the 24-hour period of the Passover day, the 14th day of the first month. As John’s accounts shows, while these events were taking place, the Jews were still preparing to eat their Passover (John 18:28). In view of the Scriptural evidence, there is no basis whatsoever for the claim that Jesus observed the Passover in the same manner as the Jews.

Some Gospel Verses That Are Difficult to Understand

In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last Passover, there are some verses pertaining to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb that are difficult to understand. These verses have caused much confusion in the minds of Bible students and scholars. When reading these verses, we need to remember what we have learned about the Passover day and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Our study of the commands of God in the Old Testament has confirmed that the Passover day is the 14th day of the first month. We also know that the 15th day of the first month is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is no question or doubt concerning the proper sequence of these days as recorded in Leviticus 23:5-6.

In Chapters Four through Eight of this book, we studied the command of God to kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month at ben ha arbayim, “between the two evenings,” and we saw that the Scriptures define this Hebrew term as the beginning of the 14th, after ba erev or sunset of the 13th. There is no question about the proper time for killing the Passover lambs according to the commands of God.

However, there are three verses in the Gospel accounts that have caused a great deal of confusion due to the manner in which they are translated. In most versions of the Bible, including the King James Version, these verses have not been translated correctly. In order to understand the true meaning of these verses, we need to follow the rules for Bible study that are listed in Chapter One. As we apply these rules, we will come to a correct understanding of the meaning of these verses.

One verse which has caused much confusion is Matthew 26:17. In the King James Version, Matthew 26:17 is translated as follows: “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?” Notice that three words in this verse are italicized. The use of italic letters indicates that these words are not present in the Greek text but have been inserted by the translators. These italicized words are intended to clarify the meaning of the text. However, the insertion of these words in Matthew 26:17 actually distorts the real meaning of this verse.

The words that have been inserted in this verse make it appear that it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when the disciples asked Jesus where they should prepare the Passover. We find similar wording in Mark’s account, but no italicized words have been added: “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.)

Although the translators did not insert the words “feast of” before “unleavened bread,” this translation of Mark 14:12 gives the impression that the lambs were killed on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Such a statement would be contrary to all records of Scripture and history. Neither the temple sacrifice nor the domestic sacrifice of the Passover ever took place on the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The domestic killing of the lambs took place at the beginning of the 14th. The temple sacrifice of the lambs began in the afternoon of the 14th and was completed before sunset.

The wording in Mark’s account causes confusion because it appears to contradict these facts, as does the wording in Luke’s account: “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed” (Luke 22:7, KJV).

If these verses are actually stating that the lambs were killed on the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then we are confronted with gigantic problems:

1) If the lambs were not killed until the beginning of the 15th day, the earliest that Jesus and His disciples could have eaten the Passover would be the night of the 15th, the same time that the Jews ate their traditional Passover. But the Gospel accounts clearly show that Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover the night before the Jews did (Luke 22:15, John 18:28).

2) If Jesus and His disciples had eaten the Passover on the night of the 15th, as some have claimed, then Jesus would not have been crucified until the afternoon of the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But the Gospel accounts record that Jesus was crucified long before the 15th began (Mark 15:25, John 19:16-18). In fact, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3 PM) on the afternoon of the 14th (Mark 15:34-37, John 19:28-31). His body was taken down from the cross before the 15th began: “The Jews therefore, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, because it was a preparation day (for that Sabbath was a high day), requested of Pilate that their legs might be broken and the bodies be taken away” (John 19:31).

3) If Jesus had eaten the Passover on the night of the 15th, then the priests and religious leaders, who ate their Passover the night after Jesus and the disciples did, would have eaten their Passover on the night of the 16th. This sequence would place their Passover on the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is no record in the entire history of the Jews that the Passover was ever observed on the night of the 16th!

THE EVENTS DID NOT TRANSPIRE THAT WAY! These imaginary scenarios show the absolute fallacy in claiming that Jesus and His disciples observed the traditional late 14/early 15 Passover of the Jews. We can be absolutely positive that Jesus and His disciples did not eat the Passover on the night of the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

It is obvious that the Gospel writers were not referring to the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in describing the preparations for Jesus’ observance of the Passover. What is the true meaning of the Gospel accounts by Matthew, Mark and Luke? We can find the answer by applying the rules for Bible study. First, we must understand the Greek words that were used by the Gospel writers.

Let’s begin with Matthew 26:17: “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread...” (KJV). Remember that the italicized words “day” and “feast of” were added by the translators of the King James Version. These words do not appear in the Greek text. In the Greek text, this phrase is written as follows (spelled in English letters): Tee de protee toon azumoon. These Greek words are correctly translated, “Now on the first of the unleaveneds.”

The correct wording of Matthew 26:17, according to the Greek text, is “the first of the unleaveneds.” What does this phrase mean? The term toon azumoon, “the unleaveneds,” is the plural of ta azuma, which means “the unleavened.” By implication, ta azuma, “the unleavened,” includes the word “bread.” After all, it is bread which is leavened or unleavened. However, the plural form toon azumoon, “the unleaveneds,” does not refer exclusively to the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

When we examine God’s commands for observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we find that the Passover day was also one of “the unleaveneds.” These commands, as recorded in Exodus 12, are listed below:

A great deal of time and work was required to prepare every house and building in the entire country for the eight-day observance of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Not only did all leavened bread have to be removed, but unleavened bread had to be prepared ahead of time. The Mishnah and other rabbinical writings are the only historical sources that give descriptions of the removal of the leaven and the baking of unleavened bread. While these records describe the traditional Jewish preparations for the eight-day feast, similar procedures were undoubtedly followed by those who kept the domestic Passover. Here is a summary of the procedures that are recorded in the rabbinical writings:

“The 13th of Nisan. On the evening of the 13th, which, until that of the 14th, was called the ‘preparation of the Passover’ [John 19:14], every head of a family searched for and collected by the light of a candle all the leaven. Before beginning the search he pronounced the following benediction: ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, and hast enjoined us to remove the leaven.’ After the search he said, ‘Whatever leaven remains in my possession which I cannot see, behold, it is null, and accounted as the dust of the earth’ ” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Festivals,” p. 354).

The rabbinical writings record that the Jews burned all leaven by 10 AM on the morning of the 14th. No one was to eat leaven after 11 AM. Those Jews who kept the temple Passover prepared and baked their unleavened bread by 3 PM on the afternoon of the 14th, in preparation for their Passover meal on the night of the 15th. Those who observed the domestic Passover at the beginning of the 14th, according to God’s ordinances in Exodus 12, would, of course, have baked their unleavened bread at an earlier time—perhaps on the afternoon of the 13th, or on the night of the 14th while the lambs were being roasted for the Passover meal. The first eating of unleavened bread took place at the observance of the Passover on the night of Nisan 14. Hence the Passover day, the 14th of Nisan, was in fact, “the first of the unleaveneds.”

As recorded in the Gospels, “the first of the unleaveneds” was the day that the lambs were killed. Those who obeyed God’s ordinances in Exodus 12 and kept the domestic Passover killed their lambs at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan. Those who followed the traditions of Judaism killed the lambs on the afternoon of the 14th. The Gospel writers were clearly referring to this day, and not to the 15th, as “the first of the unleaveneds.” In New Testament times, this term was commonly used for the 14th day of the first month: “In the first century, it was commonly known that ‘the day of the unleaveneds’ in Luke 22:7 was the 14th Passover day. G. Amadon in an article entitled ‘The Crucifixion Calendar,’ pointed out the error of those translators who translated this verse to read ‘the first day of the festival.’[The following words are cited from this article.] ‘But on what authority should the Hebrew translators, as Salkinson and Delitzch, introduce the word chag [a Hebrew word for “feast”], into these texts when the corresponding Greek has no word for “feast,” and speaks only of the “first of the unleavened bread”—a common expression for the Jewish 14th with practically all first century writers” (Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. LXIII, 1944, pp. 188-189, emphasis added).

The fact that “the first of the unleaveneds” refers to the 14th, the Passover day, and not to the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is unmistakably evident when we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last Passover. Let’s take another look at Matthew’s account. “Now on the first of the unleaveneds [the first of the eight days in which unleavened bread was required to be eaten], the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You desire that we should prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ ” (Matt. 26:17).

A correct understanding of the words in the Greek text ends the confusion caused by the wrong translation of the Passover accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The problem is solved by applying the rules for Bible study and by letting the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures. By applying these rules, we have demonstrated that “the first of the unleaveneds” was the 14th day of the first month, which was the Passover day. All the records of Scripture and history confirm that the Passover lambs were killed on the 14th day of the first month. That is when Jesus and the disciples kept the Passover. As stated before, truth agrees with Scripture; error does not agree with Scripture. The proper sense and meaning of Matthew 26:17 is revealed in this literal translation of the Greek text: “Now on the first of the unleaveneds, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You desire that we prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ ”

A literal translation of the verse in Luke’s account gives us additional information that is most significant: “Then came the day of the unleaveneds in which it was obligatory to kill the Passover lambs” (Luke 22:7).

Notice that Luke uses the definite article “the” before the word “day.” The use of the definite article in the Greek text makes the meaning of “day” more emphatic. Luke is placing emphasis on this particular day as the designated day for killing the lambs.

Luke tells us that on this specific day it “... was obligatory to kill the Passover lamb.” The Greek word that is translated “obligatory” is dei, which means “mandatory, compulsory, obligatory, one must, or has to, is required to, compulsion of duty, and compulsion of law” (Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). Hence, the author has properly translated dei as “obligatory.”

The Greek word dei in Luke 22:7 also includes the meaning “under compulsion of law.” Luke’s use of dei is a direct reference to God’s command in Exodus 12:6, which required that the killing of the Passover lamb be done at a specific time. We have thoroughly studied this command, and we have demonstrated that the time commanded by God for the killing of the lamb was ben ha arbayim, “between the two evenings,” or “between the setting-times”—at the beginning of the 14th. That is the time when it was obligatory for the lambs to be killed, according to the law of God.

The use of the Greek word dei in Luke’s account confirms that “the day of the unleaveneds” is referring to the 14th day of the first month, which was the day commanded by God for killing the lambs. According to God’s command, the lambs were to be kept until the 14th. The specific point at which the 14th began was sunset, or ba erev, of the 13th. When we understand the full meaning of Luke’s account, it is clear that it was the beginning of the 14th, immediately after the sun had set, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him where they should prepare the Passover. The time of this event is conclusively established by the chronological details that are recorded in the Gospel of John.

In the next chapter, we will examine John’s account of Jesus’ last Passover and crucifixion. We will also examine Mark’s account in greater detail to refute the false claim that Jesus’ last Passover with His disciples was not a true Passover observance.

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