Today is Maundy Thursday – celebration of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples eating the Passover meal (Seder) on the eve of the crucifixion. Passover, one of the most significant Jewish holidays, celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel from the slavery and bondage of Egypt. In a demonstration of His power before both Israel and Egypt, death struck the first born child of each household, except for those who had chosen in faith to slay an unblemished lamb and brush the doorpost of the house with its blood (Matthew 12:1-27).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread took place on Nissan 15 of the Jewish calendar. The 14th was “the day of Preparation” in which an unblemished lamb would be slain at the temple for each family in the afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 PM and eaten that night as part of the Passover Seder dinner. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) all record the Last Supper as being the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-8; Luke 22:13-15). But there is a problem in John’s Gospel. John clearly states that Jesus crucified on the “day of Preparation” (John 19:14) and that the Jews asked Pilate to remove the bodies from the cross that afternoon so as to violate the holy day (John 19:31). Matthew 27:46-50 tells us that Jesus died about 3:00 PM (the ninth hour), interestingly at the same time that the lambs would be sacrificed for the Passover that night. Jesus was the ultimate Paschal Lamb! Here is the problem . . . How could Jesus celebrate the Passover on Thursday, when John clearly states that the Passover was Friday? Is the Bible incorrect? continue reading…
