Dear Explorer,
Today we will continue to look at Jesus' celebration of Passover with His disciples.
But first let's look at some historical information that will explain some things. We've already talked about the fact that the Jews started each new day at sundown (as opposed to midnight for us). Well, they also have a whole calendar that is different from ours. The names of the months are different. Passover began at sundown on the 15th of Nisan (the name of the month) and lasted for 8 days. This month always occurred in the early Spring.
Now at the first Passover, recorded in Exodus 12:1-51, the people were instructed by Moses to celebrate it in a certain way. They prepared for it all day on the 14th of Nissan and then at sundown on the 15th of Nisan, they ate the prepared lamb and unleavened bread (the Seder Meal) and the Death Angel passed over them that night.
By the time of Jesus, there were two groups of Jews who differed in when they celebrated. The Jews living in Galilee kept the Passover so that their Day of Preparation was on Nisan 14 (as it was in Exodus). So, Jesus (because He and many of His apostles were from Galilee) sent the men to prepare the Seder meal on Thursday (their Day of Preparation) and the meal was shared on Thursday night (Nisan 15).
The Jews living in Judea (as well as modern-day Jews) had changed it so that while Passover began on the 15th at sundown, they used the 15th as their Day of Preparation and celebrated the Seder meal on the 16th. So, in the year of Jesus' death, the Judean Jews were eating their Seder meal on that Friday night (Nisan 16).
Both groups used the Day of Preparation to prepare the house by removing all the yeast and cleaning thoroughly. They would prepare the lamb and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts and then celebrate the Seder meal – but they differed in when they ate the Seder meal. Passover for both started at sundown on the 15th.
With that as background, let's look at how Jesus celebrated this Seder meal with His disciples (on the 15th of Nissan).
Read Matthew 26:20-30
And
Read Mark 14:17-26
And
Read Luke 22:14-23
And
Read John 13:21-30
We are going to continue discussing the Last Supper in detail for the next several studies, so I just want you to read all four accounts today, and we'll begin the discussion tomorrow.
In His service, dale
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