The Real Timing of Jesus' Last Passover

The M+G+R Foundation

The Real Timing of Jesus'

Last Passover, His Crucifixion and Burial

Originally Published on October 26, 2012

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to provide the adequate information to confirm why Jesus and His Apostles were having their Passover Meal at a different time than the Temple Masters and most of the other Jews of the time.

SUMMARY

What Christians refer to as the Last Supper was Jesus' Last Passover Meal and it took place after sundown on the Tuesday of what Christians refer to as Holy Week.

Jesus died on the cross at 3 P.M., the ninth hour [Mark 15:37], as all Christians believe. However, Jesus was crucified and died on Thursday, not on Friday as it is traditionally assumed.

The Temple Masters, and the Jews who followed them, celebrated their yearly Passover Meal after sundown on Saturday - the Saturday which preceded the Sunday when God, The Father, resurrected Jesus Christ.

On that particular year, the Calendar by which Jesus practiced Judaism was four days out of phase with the one used by the Temple Masters.

As incredible as it may sound, such information may be found in the Holy Texts of the New Testament, yet completely ignored by the Christian equivalent of the Temple Masters.

BACKGROUND

As part of theo-history revisionism, Jesus' Last Passover Meal has been incorrectly transformed into His Last Supper. What this change accomplishes is to disassociate, in the mind of the Faithful, the two events. In other words - convince all that the last meal that Jesus ate was not the Passover Meal; that it was just His Last Supper, regardless of what the Holy Scriptures clearly tell us.

That is how far the revisionists have gone to separate Jesus from His Judaism. The image presented is as if He had never participated in Jewish Holy Days or followed the true Jewish traditions, instead of the adulterated ones observed by those who had commandeered the Administration of the Jewish Faith - the Temple Masters of the time.

We have even seen someone seriously defending the difference between the Last Passover Meal and the Last Supper using the depiction of Da Vinci's Last Supper as the ultimate reference.

For years, the exposure and correction of this great inconsistency, and related ones, has been in our agenda. It is the Will of God that we finally address it now.

INTRODUCTION

First, let us briefly review a few key-related Biblical texts since they are truly the ultimate authority when read and understood in the proper manner. (1)

Matthew 26

[2] You know that after two days shall be the pasch, and the son of man shall be delivered up to be crucified:

[17] And on the first day of the Azymes, the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the pasch? [18] But Jesus said: Go ye into the city to a certain man, and say to him: the master saith, My time is near at hand, with thee I make the pasch with my disciples.

Mark 14

[12] Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the pasch, the disciples say to him: Whither wilt thou that we go, and prepare for thee to eat the pasch? [13] And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith to them: Go ye into the city; ... and there prepare ye for us.

Luke 22

[1] Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the pasch, was at hand. [2] And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put Jesus to death...:

[7] And the day of the unleavened bread came, on which it was necessary that the pasch should be killed. [8] And he sent Peter and John, saying: Go, and prepare for us the pasch, that we may eat.

John 12

[1] Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life....

John 19

[31] Then the Jews, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, (for that was a great sabbath day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Let us now briefly review a few Biblical definitions

+ The Feast of Passover lasts seven days (under some conditions it may last eight days). It is also called the Feast of Azymes or of the Unleavened Bread. The Passover Meal, the Pasch, is consumed at the beginning of the first day of the Feast which starts at Sundown on the civil day prior to the calendar day of when Passover holiday period starts. [For example, for the year 2012 (the year 5772 according the the Jewish calendar), the Passover holiday period starts on the calendar day of April 7th, however the Passover Meal, the Pasch, was consumed after sundown of the prior calendar day - April 6th.]

+ "Parasceve" in this case represents "the day before the Sabbath".

+ The Saturday preceding (before) the day of the Pasch is called a "Great Sabbath". That is, on this Sabbath, the Sabbath preceding the week on which the Passover will fall, is when the upcoming Passover period is solemnly announced.

+ Directions for keeping the feast were carefully laid down in the Law (see Exodus 12, 13, etc.), and carried out with great exactness even after the Exile. They depended upon the beginning of the Jewish year.

The date discrepancies began after the Babylonian Exile. A different reference point began to be used by the Jewish leaders to determine the beginning of the New Year. As a matter of fact, even the name of the first month of the year was changed from Aviv to Nisan. That is, the formula to determine the date was the original but, the resulting date was not that required by God since the starting point/event - using the Sun cycles - was changed. We will discuss this matter in the DETAILS section.

Reviewing other relevant Scriptures:

Matthew 12:39, 16:4, 17:16 and Mark 8:38

Jesus, clearly chastising the Temple Masters for deviating from the Mosaic Law, frequently used the terms:

Wicked, perverse, adulterous and sinful generation.

Then we have Jesus clearly underscoring and upholding the Mosaic Law:

Matthew 5:17

Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:18

For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 7:12

All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

Plus the very frequent and many positive references to Moses and Mosaic Law by Jesus. Too many (2) to list here.

All of the above clearly indicates that Jesus (and His followers), and the Temple Masters (and their followers), were practicing different forms of Judaism. As a matter of fact, the divergence was so great that the Passover date did not even coincide.

Thus, the accusation of "adulterers" - a term which referred to the adulteration of the Mosaic Law; the Law which Jesus clearly stated that He had come to fulfill.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that Jesus was born and raised into the Jewish faith; a faith which had been adulterated by the wicked, perverse, adulterous and sinful generation which comprised the Temple Masters of the time and their followers.

That is, paraphrasing the expression commonly used by many Catholics, Jesus was a "cradle Jew".

Jesus was not necessarily introducing a new Faith; Jesus was demanding that the adulterated faith be restored and enhanced. His demands would lead to the ultimate Passover, when the sacrificial lamb required by the Law, would be Jesus Himself. An act which, by its magnificent and awesome uniqueness, would make Paradise available to those who would follow, by word and deed, Jesus - the Word of God Who came to give fulfillment to the Law and the Prophets. It is at this point when Christianity came into being.

In reality, all else are just details which we will highlight now.

DETAILS

As we have shown in an earlier document, If Jesus Strongly Disapproved of the Jewish Temple Masters And His Lineage Is Traced Directly to Abraham - What Was His Religion? (3), the Judaism practiced by Jesus was essentially the same as that practiced by the Samaritans who used the calendar we now know as the Essene Calendar, based on the Sun and not on the Moon.

In simple terms: The first day of the Jewish Year, determined by the Solar system, is totally different from that determined by the Lunar system.

The best way to demonstrate when was the time established by God to celebrate the Passover meal is to: (a) first define a few Biblical terms - using the Bible as the source of the definition; and then (b) use the precise formula given by God to determine the exact date of the Passover.

According to Exodus 12: 6-8, the paschal lamb is to be sacrificed on the 14th day of the first month (Aviv) of the year. The question is, of course, in which precise moment of that particular day should it take place? Let us review what Exodus 12: 6-8 tell us:

[6] And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month: and the whole multitude of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it in the evening. [7] And they shall take of the blood thereof, and put it upon both the side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. [8] And they shall eat the flesh that night roasted at the fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce.

The "evening" is the afternoon before the Sun sets. The "night" is after the Sun sets. Now then, it is the millenary Jewish custom that the current day ends when the Sun sets which also means that the new day starts after the Sun sets.

Therefore, if the lamb is to be sacrificed on the 14th day of Aviv - in the evening, that is, before the Sun sets - and eaten at night, that is, after the Sun has set, the lamb was eaten on the 15th day of Aviv in accordance to the Jewish date accounting.

Now we need to Biblically determine how is the 14th day of Aviv is chosen....

The first day of the Jewish year begins on the first Wednesday following the Spring Equinox, a Wednesday which of course, starts when the Sun sets on the previous Tuesday. (*)

(*) For ample details on this matter visit the New Judeo-Christian Liturgical Calendar.

Knowing - (a) exactly when Jesus observed the Passover; (b) exactly when the Temple Administrators, and their followers, observed the Passover; (c) its relation with the Sabbath after the crucifixion of Jesus; and (d) the knowledge of the approximate age of Jesus at that time - we can establish that there are only two possible years when all of that took place: 29 A.D. or 32 A.D. (*)

(*) Do note that because of the error made by the individual who was establishing the Gregorian calendar, Jesus was born on the year 5 B.C.. That is, on the year 29 A.D. he was around 33 years old while on the year 32 A.D. he was around 36 years old. For example, since there is no year "0" and we assume that He was born on the year 5 B.C., Jesus would be 33 years old on December 25th of the year 29 A.D. and not 34 years old.

More specifically, using the Gregorian calendar frame of reference, the Passover Meal of Jesus and His disciples could have taken place:

Possibility I: After sundown on the 10th of April (which is the 14th of Aviv in the Samarian-Essene calendar) of the Gregorian Year 29 (which was the 10th of Nisan of the Jewish Year according to the Temple Masters' calendar); or

Possibility II: After sundown on the 6th of April (which is the 14th of Aviv in the Samarian-Essene calendar) of the Gregorian Year 32 (which also was the 10th of Nisan of the Jewish Year according to the Temple Masters' calendar).

The details - in Table form - of the explanation set forth above may be found through Footnote (4).

As the reader may have noted already, and regardless of which of the two optional years (29 or 32 A.D.), it turned out that the Passover observed by the Temple Masters and their followers started at sundown of the much spoken about "Great Sabbath". This is precisely the sundown that precedes the Resurrection of Jesus.

Now, if we take the following Scriptural readings....

Then the Jews, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, (*) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. John 19:31

And there was there Mary Magdalen, and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulchre. And the next day, which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, Saying: Sir, we have remembered, that that seducer said, while he was yet alive: After three days I will rise again. Matthew 27: 61-63

(*) In this particular case it was on a Parasceve day, which was the Friday before the Great Sabbath

...we obtain further confirmation of what we have explained above. What we read in Matthew 27:61-63 took place on the Sabbath - which followed the Day of Preparation - the Parasceve.

Why was Friday the Day of Preparation - the Parasceve? Because, since the Passover observed by the Temple Masters would start at sundown at the end of the Sabbath, and no one could work on the Sabbath, it follows that the Passover preparations, which were many and labor intensive, had to be made on Friday.

Now, the question remains as to what day of the week Jesus was crucified....

We know that He was still on the cross on Thursday - the day before the Day of Preparation - and He celebrated the Passover in the evening of Tuesday to Wednesday. Therefore, the many and complex events that took place after His arrest, on what already was the first day of Passover (the night spanning Tuesday and Wednesday), would indicate that Jesus was crucified on Thursday. This seems to be confirmed by the following words from Jesus Himself:

For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." [Matthew 12:40]

Since Jesus was buried before the Day of Preparation (the Parasceve) for the Passover festivities - that is, before sundown on Thursday - He was "in the heart of the earth" for three days - Thursday, Friday and Saturday - and for three nights - Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday.

CONCLUSION

Had the Samaritans (1) and the Essenes been given in the Holy Scriptures the significant and rightful place that they held at the time, and not the marginal position that is officially taught to the faithful, as well as highlighting the significant number of Essenes among the followers of John the Baptist first, and then of Jesus, it would be clear to the faithful why John the Baptist and Jesus used the following terms - This wicked, perverse, adulterous and sinful generation [Mat.12:39, 16:4, 17:16, Mk. 8:38] - when referring to the Temple Masters and their followers while giving the fundamental Mosaic Law its rightful place.

The clear cut separation that we have made between the pristine Catholic Faith (5) and the wicked, perverse, adulterous and sinful Church Administration (6) turns out to be a parallel of what was taking place at the time Jesus walked amongst men.

EPILOGUE

None of the above affects our faith in His Death and Resurrection, and certainly not in the absolute reality of His Act of Redemption. What it does is:

(a) Brings into focus the unimaginable suffering of Mary - magnified from what we originally believed - as She had to wait one more long day until His Glorious Resurrection as the adulterated Biblical history teaches us.
(b) Strengthens the coherence and validity of the Holy Scriptures.

How can we not love Him and desire to alleviate His sorrows by taking advantage of the Graces He secured for us through His sacrifice on our behalf? How can we not make an effort to console His Holy Mother - Mary? She suffered a martyrdom that only a mother in Her position could possibly understand.

Think about all that They have done for us while today's "Temple Masters" - the Roman and Orthodox Catholic Administrators - have done exactly what the Temple Masters of His time did - adulterate the Faith and exploit Their Holy Memory for their own worldly benefit.

Now, we invite the interested reader to the Proposed Judeo-Christian Calendar for the current year (2021).

NOTES

(1) Biblical Texts - Literal or Symbolic? Part I and Part II

(2) References to Moses in the New Testament

(3) Which was the branch of Judaism that Jesus upheld?

(4) Details of date calculation

(5) Our position regarding the pristine Catholic Faith

(6) Our position regarding the Church Administration

Related Documents on The New Calendar

Theo-logic behind the New Liturgical Calendar

2021 New Judeo Christian Liturgical Calendar - Inspired in the calendar Jesus used and His Manifestation in time

2021 New Judeo Christian Liturgical Calendar - New and Traditional dates listed side by side

Definition of Key Jewish Holy Days and why some are being incorporated into Christian Liturgical Celebrations by miguel de Portugal

The Logical Day to Celebrate the Birth of the Messiah Is December 25th - A Judeo religious day of note since the Babylonian Exile