Death of Christ and Silent or Black Saturday #3 A sincere man or an imposter

After the horrible experience, having seen how their beloved master had died on the stake, the apostles had retreated themselves. The women who had watched the impalement from some distance got the courage to see if they could not give their friend a proper burial before the high holy day.

“30 Therefore, when he had received the vinegar, Jesus said, “It has been accomplished!” And then his head fell and his last breath escaped.

31 Since it was Preparation, the Jews, so that the bodies might not remain upon the stake–for it was the day of a Great Sabbath–they requested that Pilate break their legs and take the bodies down.” (Joh 19:30-31 mhm)

“38  Now after these events Joseph of Arimathea–a secret disciple of Jesus out of fear of the Jews–asked Pilate that he might carry away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave his permission. So Joseph came and removed the body. 39 Also, Nicodemus–the person who approached Jesus at night originally–brought a roll of myrrh and aloes weighing a hundred pounds. 40 And so, they took the body of Jesus and bound it in bandages with the spices, according to the custom of the Jews in preparation for burial. 41 Now near the place where Jesus was impaled there was a garden, and in the garden a new memorial tomb in which no one had ever been placed. 42 It was there, then, because of the Preparation of the Jews, they placed Jesus.” (Joh 19:38-42 mhm)

They were aware many had a big laugh, now having seen that special man being killed as a criminal. For many, it looked like all the stories they heard about that Nazarene were just fake messages. How was this dead person going to save the world like he so many times had given the impression?

The day after Jesus had died, the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, remembering what Jesus had said over those few years when he was actively going around the region. For them, it was clear that Jesus was a nice talker and a deceiver who could please a lot of people. Now they were afraid some of his friends would do everything to have his predictions come true. Jesus had more than once said he would rise again after three days. For sure such a thing could and should not happen according to those leaders. Therefore, they asked the governor to command that the tomb be made secure at least until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal him away, and tell the people,

‘He is risen from the dead’;

so that the last deception will be worse than the first.

“62 On the next day–after Preparation–the religious hierarchy and Pharisees assembled together before Pilate, 63 saying, “Lord, we remember that plotter said when he was alive, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’ 64 So, command that the grave be secured until the third day so none of his disciples can come and steal his body and then claim to the people, ‘Jesus was raised up from the dead.’ Then the final plot will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them: “You have a custodial guard. Go and make the security as you know how.” 66 These went their way and secured the grave, sealing the stone with the custodial guards.” (Mt 27:62-66 mhm)

In the stillness of the night, soldiers kept guard in front of the tomb.

The close friends of Jesus were not at all interested to take away Jesus’ body. For them, it was more important to have their master teacher buried according to Jewish customs and to pay him honour by mourning for him.

Around those apostles and friends of Jesus it had become very quiet. That moment of silence is in Belgium remembered by several churches as “Stille Zaterdag” or “Silent Saturday”. Some churches also call it “Holy Saturday” or the “Great Sabbath”, “Easter Eve” or even “Black Saturday” according to the custom that people were clothed in black when in mourning and that we now had to mourn for the death of Jesus.

The followers of Christ were sad they had lost their master and could not understand how the one they thought was going to save them from the Roman oppression, was now impaled and could not do anything anymore, because he was under the dead. In the Jewish faith (as in our faith), dead people can do nothing anymore, because their corps disintegrates to become dust.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.” (Ec 9:5 NIV)

They did not forget Jesus so quickly, though the religious leaders would have loved to see that happen. Those religious leaders and their disgust for Jesus were enough to hide and to keep themselves quiet. Their fear of coming out in public was to stay like that until the day of the festival of Pentecost.

The apostles knew how Joseph from Arimathea had given his own prepared sepulchre so that Jesus could be buried there. Having received a place in that rich man’s grave Isaiah’s prophecy became fulfilled.

“He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isa 53:9 NIV)

“As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.” (Mt 27:57 NIV)

“So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.” (Mr 15:46 NIV)

“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no-one had ever been laid.” (Joh 19:41 NIV)

The women had balsamed Jesus and wrapped him in a linen cloth before they laid him in the tomb which had been cut out of a rock for Jesus’ (secret) follower Joseph. They were fully aware that there was rolled a stone against the door of the tomb and that soldiers were guarding the sepulchre.
They could stay inside with confidence, with the assurance that their master would not be done about it now and that no one could steal his body.

The felt very sad because they had lost the one in whom they trusted so much. On him who they hung their very hope, their everything. They were so sure he was going to lead them to a new kingdom and be their king. Now they came to see those Romans still governing over the Jews.

Many of them forsook all to follow him. They left their trade and day by day they were with the man they believed to be the Messiah. But now all their hope seemed to have gone. There was no Messiah any more because their master was dead. Would the sayings of some be true, and had they all the time followed a con-man, a charlatan or defrauder?

How could an eternal Kingdom now be established?

Those who had seen how Jesus was hanged, wept and wondered how it would go with them and what would happen with their dreams and hope they so deeply felt.

They had heard so many stories from their master about him going to build a new temple and to restore God’s Kingdom and how we had to be patient and wait for God to intervene. How could this now fit the plan about which Jesus spoke so many times? Could it be true, that that man from Nazareth was just a good storyteller and was fooling so many?

For the close followers of Christ there was a lot of disappointment. For them this could not be the plan to see perfection torn to shreds, to bury a breathless body in forged out stone to fit the one they thought was the beloved son of God. They did not understand this way of God’s handling, letting His son be killed in such a manner. At that time they perhaps forgot how Jesus had spoken of the Lamb of God and the need for him to bring the sacrificial offering as a ransom for all.

“The next day John saw Jesus approaching, and he said: “See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world of humankind!” (Joh 1:29 mhm)

For them it was a real sad Passover, them not seeing yet Christ was the new Passover lamb. Several days later they would come to understand ho Jesus was a very special lamb, his bloodshed being the part of whitewashing our sins.

“Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new mixture as you may become unleavened. For, surely, Christ our Passover was sacrificed!” (1Co 5:7 mhm)

“but rather with the precious blood of an unblemished and spotless Lamb –Christ’s.” (1Pe 1:19 mhm)

Many churches remember that day after Jesus death where the apostles were mourning with other friends and beloved ones of Christ. For some, it looked like the darkest of all nights because all their hope seemed to gone up in smoke.

Some of them saw Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah and heard there for a second time that their master was the beloved of God. How now could God let such a thing happen to His beloved son?

“1  Now after six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and ascended with them to a very secluded place on a tall mountain. 2 And right before them Jesus was metamorphosed–his face illuminated like the sun and his cloak as white light. 3 And, look! they could see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus.” (Mt 17:1-3 mhm)

“5 Yet while Peter was talking, look! a shining cloud rested over them, and, look! a Voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son whom I approve–listen to him.” 6 Now, hearing this the disciples were frightened and fell on their faces. 7 Jesus approached the disciples and touching them, he said, “Rise and do not be afraid.”8 But, when the disciples looked up they saw nothing but Jesus himself. 9 Now while descending the mountain Jesus charged the three disciples: “Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Humankind is raised from among those dead.” (Mt 17:5-9 mhm)

They remembered that Jesus spoke about him being raised from the dead, so they wondered, could that really happen? In the silence of the night, they waited for a miracle to happen and wondered how Jesus could have life in him and could give life to others, when he was now under the dead.

They kept believing Jesus was the sent one from God and believed also he was the beloved son of God. Today there are still lots of people who call themselves Christian, but do not believe that Jesus is that son of God who died for our sins. That is a shame, and that brings us also to mourn for those lost souls who do not want to believe in Jesus, him being able to bring us closer to his heavenly Father, the God of Israel and the God of Jesus and his disciples.

“I tell you this truth: The person who listens to my word and continues to believe in the One who sent me possesses endless Life. And so that person does not come into condemnation, but has crossed over from the Death unto the Life.” (Joh 5:24 mhm)

“For just as the Father has Life within Himself, so also He gave to the Son to have Life within himself.” (Joh 5:26 mhm)

“I know You always hear me. But, because of the crowd standing around I said this so that they should believe that You sent me forth.”” (Joh 11:42 mhm)

“Jesus said to Thomas: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one can approach the Father, if not through me.” (Joh 14:6 mhm)

With sadness in their eyes, they kept praying to their heavenly Father, the God of Christ and asked for strength and guidance.

We too when we remember Christ’s death can think about his ransom offering and how by his blood could come liberation to us. Like the apostles sometimes doubted, we do that as well. It is part of life and part of our imperfection and part of our not yet mature faith in Jesus and his God.

A pity that even when we live in the aftermath of the resurrection there are still so many who do not want to believe that it was the son of man and son of God who really died (remember God cannot die) and who was taken out of the dead. We know today that what we celebrate at Pascha and remember what happened on that third day after Jesus’ death, is the promise, bore witness to by the Spirit, that we who believe will one day be raised with him. And that is our consolation and Blessed Hope.

After several centuries there have come many false prophets and teachers, trying to bring people away from God and from His well beloved son. They have told people that they would not be able to understand the Scriptures on their own. And many believe that and prefer following the human doctrines instead of taking the words of the Bible for what they say and to go by the biblical doctrines.

Mankind now is in such darkness and silence as it was the days before Jesus his resurrection.

Three days after the death of Christ came a big change for the apostles, bringing not only disbelief and wonder but also a renewed hope. (That is for next chapters.)

+

Previous articles

Matthew 17:1-9 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Transfiguration Vision

Matthew 21:6-9 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Blessed the One Coming in God’s Name!

God’s Face shining on His servant

10 Nisan An entrance for a king

Matthew 21:10-11 Who Is This? – a Question still posed today #1

Matthew 27 – The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – Bible Students Intro

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #1 Matthew 27:1-2 – Priests Hand Jesus Over to Pilate

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #2 Matthew 27:3-10 – Judas Hangs Himself

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #3 Matthew 27:11-14 – “Are You King of the Jews?”

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #4 Matthew 27:15-23 – Barabbas or Jesus?

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #5 Matthew 27:24-26 – “His Blood Come Upon Us!”

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #6 Matthew 27:27-31 – Jesus Afflicted by Troops

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #7 Matthew 27:32-37 – Executed at Golgotha

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #8 Matthew 27:38-44 – The Mob’s Abuse

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #9 Matthew 27:45-50 – Jesus Expires During a Darkness

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #10 Matthew 27:51-54 – Temple Curtain Torn in Earthquake

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #11 Matthew 27:55-56 – The Women Who Witness the Execution

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #12 Matthew 27:57-61 – Jesus’ Body Given to Joseph of Arimathea

Matthew 27 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – #13 Matthew 27:62-66 – Guards Seal the Tomb Against an Imposter

Death of Christ and Silent or Black Saturday #1 Abandonment and burial

Death of Christ and Silent or Black Saturday #2 A son of God and king who died

+

Additional reading

1. Biblical Yeshua/ Jesus or Another European Greco- Roman Jesus ??
2. Jesus son of God
3. Jesus son of God or God the son
4. Jesus Christ, his Mission, Life and Work
5. Jesus Christ the Messiah
6. Jesus’ answers about God’s silence
7. Spoken in the name of Jehovah God for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience
8. Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be
9. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
10. A meal as a mitzvah so that every generation would remember
11. The Last Supper was a Passover meal
12. Inauguration of the New Covenant
13. The New Covenant Victim and Mediator
14. Not dragged unwillingly to death
15. The day Jesus died
16. Redemption #4 The Passover Lamb
17. Ransom
18. Crucifixion for suffering
19. A perfect life, obedient death, and glorious resurrection

+++

Related articles

1. On god the son
2. Beloved son
3. Another Son of God? Pilate’s Tiberieum at Caesarea Maritima
4. Why is Jesus called the “Son of God” in the Bible?
5. Like a Lamb to the Slaughter
6. Jesus our Passover
7. The Passover Lamb
8. Behold the lamb
9. The day in between
10. Silent Saturday
11. Silent Saturday – Many call today silent Saturday. “nothing” happens in the Biblical text between the Friday crucifixion and Sunday’s resurrection, and yet this silence encapsulates much of our lives today.
12. Silent Saturday – For the first time in decades, it seems like the world has gone quiet… no more major sporting events, concerts canceled, and Late Night T.V. hosts are home in their pajamas watching the television
13. Life is a lot like the Saturday before Easter
14. A Silenter Night
15. Animating The Atonement (Where the Beams Meet)
16. Jesus is Dead: What’s Next? Hopelessness or Hope?
17. Sound of silence
18. The Silence of Saturday
19. Prayer for Holy Saturday
20. Waiting for God
21. Our King Shepherd intimately keeps us secure, within Abba’s Love…
22. Understanding the Passover and Good Friday
23. 2020 Vision: Pacem
24. Let’s Go TO and FROM Bethlehem: Preparing
25. Breaking Bread in Our Homes… Passover 2020
26. Pandemic 2020-vision: The Tomb
27. Remember Through Generations

Matthew 22:1-6 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Parable of Invitation to a Marriage

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND UNANSWERED

[“Trick Questions”]
(Key word: Marriage)

Matthew 22:1-6 – Parable of Invitation to a Marriage

|| Luke 14:16-22

MT22:1 Jesus continued to answer the priests, Scribes and Jewish elders with more parables, saying: MT22:2 “The Realm of Heaven may be compared to[1] a human king[2] who prepared a wedding feast[3] for his son.[4] MT22:3 Now the king sent out his slaves[5] to call everyone invited[6] to the wedding feast but they were unwilling to come.[7] MT22:4 Again the king sent out more slaves, saying, ‘Tell everyone invited, “Look! I have prepared my supper.[8] My bulls and fattened animals have been slaughtered. Everything is ready! Come to the wedding feast!”’ MT22:5 But those [invited] were disinterested[9] and went away, one person to a field,[10] another person to the emporium.[11] MT22:6 However, others grabbed the slaves of the king and after abusing them murdered them.[12]

*

[1] Realm of Heaven may be compared to: Research Realm of Heaven and notes elsewhere. There is something about the Church (the realm of profession; the Kingdom of Heaven). Of course, there are elements in the parable directed to the Jewish religious hierarchy.

[2] King: Yehowah, God of the Jews, the Father of Jesus Christ.

[3] A wedding feast: Or, KJV: wedding; RSV: marriage feast; TCNT: banquet. Compare Revelation 19:9 and 2 Corinthians 11:2 (Ephesians 5:32).

[4] Son: ‘Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,’ as Peter declares.

[5] Slaves: Some would include the ancient prophets here, however, it is more likely these slaves represented John and his disciples as well as those seventy Jesus sent out to invite Jews to the Realm of Heaven.

[6] Invited: The Greek word is KEKLEMENOUS (KEKLEMENOIS) and is either rendered by “invite” or “call.” Or, KNX: summons. Jesus said he came “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Those invited here are those Jews in the nation of Israel who have the covenant promise of a “kingdom.” (Exodus 19:6)

[7] Unwilling to come: As a nation the Jews reject Jesus and the opportunity he offers. Compare what the prophet foretold – Isaiah 52:13-53:3.

[8] I have prepared my supper: Whether one viewed the entire outworking of God’s purpose involved in this preparation, with the coming of Messiah “preparations” have reached a key phase now.

[9] Those [invited] were disinterested: Or, KJV: made light of it; KNX: paid no heed; LAM: sneered at it.

[10] To a field: Or, KJV: farm; MOF: estate; WEY: his home in the country.

[11] The emporium: The Greek is EMPORIAN. Or, KJV: merchandise; MOF: business; NW: commercial business.

[12] Abusing them murdered them: Or, ASV: treated them shamefully and killed them; NEB: attacked them brutally; MON: maltreated.

+

Preceding

Matthew 21:45-46 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Religious Leadership Fearful

++

Additional reading

1. God doesn’t call the qualified
2. God’s Plan, Purpose and teachings
3. The Call of Christ
4. Ability (part 7) Thought about the ability to grow as a member of the Body of Christ

+++

Related articles

1. Narrative Lectionary: Invitations (Matthew 22:1-14)
2. You are called
3. It’s a Trap!
4. Plus One
5. Matthew 22:1 // Reboot – Wedding banquet
6. Sermon of March 24, 2019 — “Sitting at the Kid’s Table”
7. Wedding Banquet Thoughts/Notes
8. Ignorance is Not Bliss
9. “He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!” ~Jesus
10. Realms of the Kingdom Vol. 1
11. For Love is Strong as Death
12. Called… To The Cross

La Mort du Jésus Christ sur le Jour de Préparation

Joseph d’Arimathie et Nicodème porter le corps du Christ – ca 1850, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806–1858) – La Galerie nationale Tretiakov, Moscou

*

“Les Juifs lui répondirent, Nous avons une loi, et selon notre loi il doit mourir, car il s’est fait Fils de Dieu.” (Jean 19:7 DRB)

“Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde, qu’il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse pas, mais qu’il ait la vie éternelle.” (Jean 3:16 DRB)

“Et voici une voix qui venait des cieux, disant, Celui-ci est mon fils bien-aimé, en qui j’ai trouvé mon plaisir.” (Matthieu 3:17 DRB)

“17 Et il sortit portant sa croix, et s’en alla au lieu appelé lieu du crâne, qui est appelé en hébreu Golgotha, 18 où ils le crucifièrent, et deux autres avec lui, un de chaque côté, et Jésus au milieu.
19  Et Pilate fit aussi un écriteau, et le plaça sur la croix ; et il y était écrit, Jésus le Nazaréen, le roi des Juifs. 20 Plusieurs des Juifs donc lurent cet écriteau, parce que le lieu où Jésus fut crucifié était près de la ville ; et il était écrit en hébreu, en grec, en latin. 21 Les principaux sacrificateurs des Juifs donc dirent à Pilate, N’écris pas, Le roi des Juifs ; mais que lui a dit, Je suis le roi des Juifs. 22 Pilate répondit, Ce que j’ai écrit, je l’ai écrit.” (Jean 19:17-22 DRB)

“23 Les soldats donc, quand ils eurent crucifié Jésus, prirent ses vêtements et en firent quatre parts, une part pour chaque soldat. Ils prirent aussi la tunique. Or la tunique était sans couture, tissée tout d’une pièce depuis le haut jusqu’en bas. 24 Ils dirent donc entre eux, Ne la déchirons pas, mais jetons-la au sort, à qui elle sera,  afin que l’écriture fût accomplie, qui dit, Ils ont partagé entre eux mes vêtements, et ils ont jeté le sort sur ma robe. Les soldats donc firent ces choses.” (Jean 19:23-24 DRB)

“Ils partagent entre eux mes vêtements, et sur ma robe ils jettent le sort.” (Psaumes 22:18 DRB)

“Et l’ayant crucifié, ils partagent ses vêtements, en tirant au sort pour savoir ce que chacun en prendrait.” (Marc 15:24 DRB)

“28 Après cela Jésus, sachant que toutes choses étaient déjà accomplies, dit, afin que l’écriture fût accomplie, J’ai soif. 29 Il y avait donc là un vase plein de vinaigre. Et ils emplirent de vinaigre une éponge, et, l’ayant mise sur de l’hysope, ils la lui présentèrent à la bouche. 30 Quand donc Jésus eut pris le vinaigre, il dit, C’est accompli. Et ayant baissé la tête, il remit son esprit.” (Jean 19:28-30 DRB)

“Et Jésus, criant à haute voix, dit, Père ! entre tes mains je remets mon esprit. Et ayant dit cela, il expira.” (Luc 23:46 DRB)

“1  Car la loi, ayant l’ombre des biens à venir, non l’image même des choses, ne peut jamais, par les mêmes sacrifices que l’on offre continuellement chaque année, rendre parfaits ceux qui s’approchent. 2 Autrement n’eussent-ils pas cessé d’être offerts, puisque ceux qui rendent le culte, étant une fois purifiés, n’auraient plus eu aucune conscience de péchés ? 3 Mais il y a dans ces sacrifices, chaque année, un acte remémoratif de péchés. 4 Car il est impossible que le sang de taureaux et de boucs ôte les péchés. 5 C’est pourquoi, en entrant dans le monde, il dit, Tu n’as pas voulu de sacrifice ni d’offrande, mais tu m’as formé un corps. 6 Tu n’as pas pris plaisir aux holocaustes ni aux sacrifices pour le péché ;
7  alors j’ai dit, Voici, je viens,  il est écrit de moi dans le rouleau du livre-pour faire, ô Dieu, ta volonté. 8 Ayant dit plus haut, Tu n’as pas voulu de sacrifices, ni d’offrandes, ni d’holocaustes, ni de sacrifices pour le péché, et tu n’y as pas pris plaisir  lesquels sont offerts selon la loi, 9 alors il dit, Voici, je viens pour faire ta volonté. Il ôte le premier afin d’établir le second. 10 C’est par cette volonté que nous avons été sanctifiés, par l’offrande du corps de Jésus Christ faite une fois pour toutes. 11 Et tout sacrificateur se tient debout chaque jour, faisant le service et offrant souvent les mêmes sacrifices qui ne peuvent jamais ôter les péchés ; 12 mais celui-ci, ayant offert un seul sacrifice pour les péchés, s’est assis à perpétuité à la droite de Dieu, 13 attendant désormais jusqu’à ce que ses ennemis soient mis pour marchepied de ses pieds. 14 Car, par une seul offrande, il a rendu parfaits à perpétuité ceux qui sont sanctifiés.” (Hébreux 10:1-14 DRB)

“31  Les Juifs donc, afin que les corps ne demeurassent pas sur la croix en un jour de sabbat, puisque c’était la Préparation (car le jour de ce sabbat-là était grand), firent à Pilate la demande qu’on leur rompît les jambes, et qu’on les ôtât. 32 Les soldats donc vinrent et rompirent les jambes du premier, et de l’autre qui était crucifié avec lui. 33 Mais étant venus à Jésus, comme ils virent qu’il était déjà mort, ils ne lui rompirent pas les jambes ; 34 mais l’un des soldats lui perça le côté avec une lance ; et aussitôt il en sortit du sang et de l’eau. 35 Et celui qui l’a vu rend témoignage ; et son témoignage est véritable ; et lui sait qu’il dit vrai, afin que vous aussi vous croyiez.” (Jean 19:31-35 DRB)

“4 Moi, je t’ai glorifié sur la terre, j’ai achevé l’œuvre que tu m’as donnée à faire ; 5 et maintenant glorifie-moi, toi, Père, auprès de toi-même, de la gloire que j’avais auprès de toi avant que le monde fût.
6  J’ai manifesté ton nom aux hommes que tu m’as donnés du monde ; ils étaient à toi, et tu me les as donnés ; et ils ont gardé ta parole. 7 Maintenant ils ont connu que tout ce que tu m’as donné vient de toi ; 8 car je leur ai donné les paroles que tu m’as données, et ils les ont reçues ; et ils ont vraiment connu que je suis sorti d’auprès de toi, et ils ont cru que toi tu m’as envoyé.” (Jean 17:4-8 DRB)

“Elle sera mangée dans une même maison, tu n’emporteras point de sa chair hors de la maison, et vous n’en casserez pas un os.” (Exode 12:46 DRB)

“12 ils n’en laisseront rien jusqu’au matin et n’en casseront pas un os ; ils la feront selon tous les statuts de la Pâque. 13 Mais l’homme qui est pur et qui n’est pas en voyage, qui s’abstient de faire la Pâque, cette âme sera retranchée de ses peuples ; car il n’a pas présenté l’offrande de l’Eternel au temps fixé, cet homme portera son péché.” (Nombres 9:12-13 DRB)

“17 Les justes crient, et l’Eternel entend, et il les délivre de toutes leurs détresses. 18 L’Eternel est près de ceux qui ont le cœur brisé, et il sauve ceux qui ont l’esprit abattu. 19 Les maux du juste sont en grand nombre ; mais l’Eternel le délivre de tous, 20 Il garde tous ses os, pas un d’eux n’est cassé.” (Psaumes 34:17-20 DRB)

“36 Car ces choses sont arrivées afin que l’écriture fût accomplie, Pas un de ses os ne sera cassé. 37 Et encore une autre écriture dit, Ils regarderont vers celui qu’ils ont percé.
38  après ces choses, Joseph d’Arimathée, qui était disciple de Jésus, en secret toutefois par crainte des Juifs, fit à Pilate la demande d’ôter le corps de Jésus ; et Pilate le permit. Il vint donc et ôta le corps de Jésus.” (Jean 19:36-38 DRB)

“Et je répandrai sur la maison de David et sur les habitants de Jérusalem un esprit de grâce et de supplications ; et ils regarderont vers moi, celui qu’ils auront percé, et ils se lamenteront sur lui, comme on se lamente sur un fils unique, et il y aura de l’amertume pour lui, comme on a de l’amertume pour un premier-né.” (Zacharie 12:10 DRB)

“Voici, il vient avec les nuées, et tout œil le verra, et ceux qui l’ont percé ; et toutes les tribus de la terre se lamenteront à cause de lui. Oui, amen !” (Apocalypse 1:7 DRB)

“45 Mais, depuis la sixième heure, il y eut des ténèbres sur tout le pays, jusqu’à la neuvième heure. 46 Et vers la neuvième heure, Jésus s’écria d’une forte voix, disant, Eli, Éli, lama sabachthani ? c’est-à-dire, Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, pourquoi m’as-tu abandonné ? 47 Et quelques-uns de ceux qui se tenaient là, ayant entendu cela, disaient, Il appelle Elie, celui-ci ! 48 Et aussitôt l’un d’entre eux courut et prit une éponge, et l’ayant remplie de vinaigre, la mit au bout d’un roseau, et lui donna à boire. 49 Mais les autres disaient, Laisse, voyons si Elie vient pour le sauver.
50  Et Jésus, ayant encore crié d’une forte voix, rendit l’esprit. 51 Et voici, le voile du temple se déchira en deux, depuis le haut jusqu’en bas ; et la terre trembla, et les rochers se fendirent, 52 et les sépulcres s’ouvrirent ; et beaucoup de corps des saints endormis ressuscitèrent, 53 étant sortis des sépulcres après sa résurrection, ils entrèrent dans la sainte ville, et apparurent à plusieurs. 54 Et le centurion et ceux qui avec lui veillaient sur Jésus, ayant vu le tremblement de terre et ce qui venait d’arriver, eurent une fort grande peur, disant, Certainement celui-ci était Fils de Dieu.” (Matthieu 27:45-54 DRB)

“38  après ces choses, Joseph d’Arimathée, qui était disciple de Jésus, en secret toutefois par crainte des Juifs, fit à Pilate la demande d’ôter le corps de Jésus ; et Pilate le permit. Il vint donc et ôta le corps de Jésus. 39 Nicodème aussi, celui qui au commencement était allé de nuit à Jésus, vint, apportant une mixtion de myrrhe et d’aloès, d’environ cent livres. 40 Ils prirent donc le corps de Jésus, et l’enveloppèrent de linges, avec les aromates, comme les Juifs ont coutume d’ensevelir. 41 Or il y avait, au lieu où il avait été crucifié, un jardin, et dans le jardin un sépulcre neuf, dans lequel personne n’avait jamais été mis. 42 Ils mirent donc Jésus là, à cause de la Préparation des Juifs, parce que le sépulcre était proche.” (Jean 19:38-42 DRB)

“Et le lendemain, qui est après la Préparation, les principaux sacrificateurs et les pharisiens s’assemblèrent auprès de Pilate,” (Matthieu 27:62 DRB)

“Et le soir étant déjà venu, puisque c’était la Préparation, ce qui est le jour qui précède un sabbat,” (Marc 15:42 DRB)

“50  Et voici, un homme nommé Joseph, qui était conseiller, homme de bien et juste 51 (celui-ci ne s’était pas joint à leur conseil et à leur action), qui était d’Arimathée, ville des Juifs, et qui attendait, lui aussi, le royaume de Dieu … ; 52 celui-ci, étant venu à Pilate, lui demanda le corps de Jésus. 53 Et l’ayant descendu, il l’enveloppa d’un linceul, et le mit dans un sépulcre taillé dans le roc, où personne n’avait jamais été déposé. 54 Et c’était le jour de la Préparation et le crépuscule du sabbat. 55 Et des femmes qui l’avaient accompagné depuis la Galilée, ayant suivi, regardèrent le sépulcre et comment son corps y avait été déposé. 56 Et s’en étant retournées, elles préparèrent des aromates et des parfums ; et, le sabbat, elles se tinrent en repos, selon le commandement.” (Luc 23:50-56 DRB)

“Voyez que l’Eternel vous a donné le sabbat ; c’est pourquoi il vous donne au sixième jour du pain pour deux jours. Que chacun reste chez lui ; que personne ne sorte du lieu où il est, le septième jour.” (Exode 16:29 DRB)

“Souviens-toi du jour du sabbat, pour le sanctifier.” (Exode 20:8 DRB)

“Garde le jour du sabbat pour le sanctifier, comme l’Eternel, ton Dieu, te l’a commandé.” (Deutéronome 5:12 DRB)

*

Précédent: Emprisonnement et l’exécution de Jésus-Christ

Serviteur pour pour prouver la véracité de Dieu

Le premier jour de matsa

Le fils de David et le premier jour des pains sans levain

Pour la Volonté de Celui qui est plus grand que Jésus

+++

Related articles

• Dave Hunt : Scripture reveals the answer Of .Crucifixion WeeK (ioan17.wordpress.com)
  
  I understand that you believe that Jesus died on the cross on Thursday, not Good Friday. Why do you say that, and does it matter?
  +

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday—does it really matter? Yes! The day of our Lord’s crucifixion is of the utmost importance. If Christ was not three days and three nights in the grave, then He lied. His death, to fulfill prophecy, had to occur at the very time the Passover lambs were being slain throughout Israel. It is an astronomical fact that Nisan 14, AD 32, fell on Thursday.

• Jesus Christ, Our Passover (fredswolfe.wordpress.com)
  Why is Passover relevant to the Christian? Glad you asked. We all know JC was considered the Lamb of God, but why? If you have studied the Word of God at all, you will know that Jesus and his disciples “prepared” for the Passover, a Jewish time of commemoration. The beginning of Passover always started on the 14th on Nisan, with the slaying of the Passover Lamb sometime before sunset. Even though Jesus “prepared” to eat the Passover with the disciples, he did not eat it with them. Instead he, figuratively, became the Passover Lamb, which was sacrificed for us.
  +
  The point is, the Bible has Integrity, it cannot contradict itself. If you believe half the stuff Tradition teaches about, this time of the year, you are deluded.
• G-dfearers Participation In Shabbat, And Pesach According To Toby Janicki (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
  Here are some quotes from Toby Janicki author if the book Godfearers and staff writer for First Fruits if Zion regarding Gentile observance of Shabbat and Pesach in the Apostolic Community.
  +

 

“Our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood. More than just learning about and celebrating the concept of freedom from oppression and exile, for disciples of Messiah, the seder celebrates Yeshua’s atoning death and resurrection while remaining firmly grounded and centered on God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt.” Toby Janicki

+

“Although the imagery to “celebrate the festival” is clearly metaphorical, it could really only be understood by readers who were in fact literally celebrating Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, complete with some level of abstention from leaven.” Toby Janicki
+
“When the Roman church sought to limit the celebration of Passover to the first Sunday after Passover, other Christians, especially those in Asia Minor, insisted on celebrating the festival according to the Jewish practice on the 14th of Nisan as they had always done. The venerable Bishop Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, insisted that the Jewish observance of Passover had been transmitted to them through the apostles. [2] As the church at large began to adopt the Sunday practice instead, the Quartodecimans (“fourteeners,” those who observed the fourteenth of Nissan) separated into their own sect. They existed up until the fifth century.” Toby Janicki

• In Hebrew: Pesach Glossary (jewishpress.com)
  
  To enhance your Passover experience, I’ve prepared a glossary: Here’s a PDF printable version and here’s a link to an online glossary with sound.
• Happy Passover! (jewishvoice.wordpress.com)
  Now, we as people of faith can celebrate being saved from certain death when we apply the blood of Yeshua our Messiah to our lives and repent of those sins that kept us in our own personal bondage.
• Passover: A Time To Remember (jacksonandrew.com)
  The basis for a Christian interpretation of the first of the Seven Festivals as the decisive component in God’s plan for redemption pivots upon the identification of Jesus with the paschal lamb (Ross 2002, 409). There are, in fact, strong associations between Jesus and the Passover lamb in both the Old and the New Testaments. Centuries before the Crucifixion of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah declared that the when the future Messiah appeared, he would be “led like a lamb to slaughter.” (Isa 53:7). As John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him he proclaimed: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Similarly, Peter described Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God (1 Pet 1:18-20). According to Augustine of Hippo, “The true point and purpose of the Jewish Passover . . . was to provide a prophetic pre-enactment of the death of Christ” (Rotelle 1995, 6:186).
• Passover Italian Style (selectitaly.com)
  It is that time, when the moon is as round as a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano after the first northern equinox, the time for the 14th Nisan, first night of Passover.
  +
  The Jewish community has long been a significant part of Italian heritage, as has been their celebration of this important holiday. Since the 2^nd century BC, the Pesach tradition has been assimilated into the culture of Italian Jews and traditionally, Passover festivities, when in Italy, includes religious ritual, family get-togethers, and of course… food! Through the years, the Italian Jewish community, has developed its own unique style and habit in preparing Pesach dishes. Read on to discover which delicious delicacies the Jewish community in Italy is enjoying this week.

 

14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate

God’s Passover is to be held on the fourteenth day of the first month

The Bible tells us that Passover is always on Nisan 14. Numbers 28:16-17 says: “In the first month on the 14th day of the month is Adonai’s Pesach (Passover). On the 15th day of the month is to be a feast.” The Scriptures verify this several times. On the 14th, as Jehovah instructed, His people were to slaughter the lamb toward twilight/dusk toward the evening and eat it “that same night” – because the 15th was to be a feast.

The Jews’ Passover, by James Tissot (1836–1902) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So on the night when the 14th Nisan begins we as believers come together to commemorate the last moments of the life of Jesus Christ. The days afterwards we can gather with family and friends and celebrate the liberation of God’s people. When it is still day light it would be still the 14th of Nisan but as soon the sun goes under the 15th of Nisan begins and the evening meal can be taken full of joy, because the people who could leave Egypt was the way to the Land of God for the Jews. And the death of Christ was the liberation of all people so that everybody could receive the opportunity to come closer to God and would be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

We should always remember that Jesus himself said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;” (Luke 22:15 NAS) Jeshua died on the first evening of Passover, and Passover seders are to be held on the evening (sunset) of Nisan 14th, for the 15th (which starts immediately after sunset) is to be a feast (Numbers 28:16-17).

As such we are happy to invite everybody to gather with those who believe in Christ his death and resurrection for becoming our mediator between God and man and would like to find them in prayer and worship on 14 Nisan at the memorial table.

“”For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite [you.]” (Exodus 12:23 NAS)

“”You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.” (Exodus 23:15 NAS)

“”You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.” (Exodus 34:18 NAS)

“3  “You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), in order that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4  “For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5  “You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the LORD your God is giving you; 6  but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. 7  “And you shall cook and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. And in the morning you are to return to your tents. 8  “Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God; you shall do no work on it.” (Deuteronomy 16:3-8 NAS)

2013 Confusion or controversy

This year there were many controversies on which day to hold the Memorial Meal. We take the gospel of John in consideration where is spoken of the 14th of Nisan as “the preparation of the Passover.” The next morning, after the final supper Jeshua had with his disciples, after the Jews had apprehended Jeshua and interrogated him, early that morning, they led him to the hall of judgement be judged by Pontius Pilate, Roman governor. The Jews themselves, however, would not go into the Roman judgement hall, “lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). Clearly Passover had not yet come. So for sure the 14 Nisan or our Memorial Meal service would have to take place one evening before the night the Jews would take their Pesach seder.

According to certain Jewish groups Erev Pesach (‘Eve of Passover’) – First Seder would be on Monday March 25, 14 Nissan, 5773.
The Torah (Exodus 12:15, as per Talmud, Pesachim 5a) sets midday of Nissan 14—for 2013 on Monday March 25^th –as the deadline for the destruction and/or removal of all leavened foods (“chametz”) from their possession in preparation for the festival of Passover, which begins that evening at nightfall. In practice, Torah law mandates that we desist from eating chametz two hours before midday, and that no leaven remain in our possession an hour before midday. These are not clock hours but “proportional hours”, defined by Jewish law as a 12th part of the time between sunrise and sunset.
When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Passover offering was brought there on the afternoon of Nissan 14 which would mean on the afternoon Tuesday 26. That day it is commemorated by the Jews their recitation of the “Order of the Passover Offering” in the afternoon of Tuesday 26 March, by the “shankbone” placed on the seder plate this evening, and the afikoman — a portion of matzah eaten in its stead at the end of the seder meal.

The Jewish calendar date begins at sundown of the night beforehand. Thus all holiday observances begin at sundown on the secular dates listed, with the following day being the first full day of the holiday. (Thus, the first Passover seder is held on the evening of the first date listed.) Jewish calendar dates conclude at nightfall.

The first two days of Passover (from sundown of the first date listed, until nightfall two days later) are full-fledged, no-work-allowed holiday days. The subsequent four days are Chol Hamoed, when work is allowed, albeit with restrictions. Chol Hamoed is followed by another two full holiday days.

According Chabad the holiday of Pesach, or Passover, falling on the Hebrew calendar dates of Nissan 15-22.

Here are coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years:

2013:   March 25-April 2

First Seder – Night of Monday, March 25, 2013
First Day – Tuesday March 26, 2013
Second Seder – Night of Tuesday March 26, 2013
Second Day – Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Seventh Day – Monday, April 1, 2013
Eighth Day – Tuesday, April 2, 2013

2014:   April 14-22

2015:   April 3-11

2016:   April 22-30

2017:   April 10-18

According to The Premier Kosher Information Source on the Internet Passover begins with the first Seder on the eve of the 15^th day of Nisan, corresponding (according to them) to Monday evening, March 25, 2013, and ends outside of Israel at the conclusion of the 22^nd day of Nisan, corresponding to Tuesday evening, April 2, 2013.

Festive Seder table with wine, matza and Seder plate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to us we have to take in account the difference of timing of the East (Jerusalem), Europe and the United States (even there the East and West coast).

For 2013 we had New Moon on March the 11^th and Full Moon on March 27, so 14 Nisan should be on the evening of 26 March this year.

Therefore we kindly invite you to join us on Tuesday night for the Memorial of Jesus’ death, the Pesach or Lamb of God. On that evening we shall meet to commemorate the greatest man on earth and we shall examine what makes Jesus—and his sacrifice—so vitally important.

+

Preceding articles: 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain

14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast

14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus

14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #5 De te vieren dag

++

Please do find also other related articles:

Articles on 14 Nisan and Pesach/Pascha:

1. 1 -15 Nisan
2. Day of remembrance coming near
3. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
4. Pesach
5. Korban Pesach
6. Seven days of Passover
7. Day of remembrance coming near
8. Observance of a day to Remember
9. Jesus memorial
10. Bread and Wine
11. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
12. High Holidays not only for Israel
13. Festival of Freedom and persecutions

About Jesus his death:

1. About a man who changed history of humankind
2. How is it that Christ pleased God so perfectly?
3. God showing how far He is willing to go to save His children
4. Grace and beloved by God
5. The meek one riding on an ass
6. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
7. A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
8. Ransom for all
9. Swedish theologian finds historical proof Jesus did not die on a cross
10. Impaled until death overtook him
11. The day Jesus died
12. Jesus three days in hell
13. The redemption of man by Christ Jesus
14. The one who makes us well and gives life

About Easter:

1. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
2. Altered to fit a Trinity
3. Jesus is risen
4. Risen With Him
5. Christ has indeed been raised from the dead
6. A season of gifts
7. Wishing lanterns and Christmas

+++

Related articles

• How long was Jesus in the grave? (wnd.com)
  For centuries, Christians have observed the crucifixion of Jesus as being on Friday afternoon and the resurrection at dawn the following Sunday. This is only a period of about  40 hours and certainly does not fit Jesus’ prediction of three days and three nights?
  “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,”  Matthew 12:40. The problem is neither with Jesus’ prediction nor with the Bible. The problem is with our tradition that misses a very important fact of the events of that week in Jesus’ ministry. The Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation for the Passover Sabbath (Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:14, 31). The Hebrew calendar begins each day at the evening twilight of the previous day. For example, the Jewish Friday begins at what would be the beginning of Thursday evening on our calendars. The Day of Preparation for Passover was always the 14^th of the Hebrew month Abib (also known as Nisan). Passover began that evening, the 15^th.

• Preparations for the Passover Meal – Luke 22: 7-13 (shalommysticwind.wordpress.com)
  The synoptic want to emphasize the Passover significance of the Last Supper and therefore they date it to the night of 14^th or 15^th of Nisan when the Jews celebrate their Passover Meal. Here the Last Supper is presented as Jesus’ own Passover, the new Passover Meal of his own body and blood. In gospel of John, however, the death of Jesus is connected with the Passover and not the Last Supper. Jesus the Lamb of God is sacrificed on the Cross at a time when the Passover lambs are slaughtered in preparation for the Passover Meal.

• Passover and the Feast of First Fruits (thebereanstand.wordpress.com)
  At the end of this month Christians around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the week before Jews will be observing the Passover. What most Christians do not know is that these two “Holy-days” are related to each other. The story of the preparations for the Passover Meal is itself introductory to the account of the Last Supper in Luke 22: 14-23.
  +
  The parallel passages in Matthew 26: 17-19 and Mark 14: 12-16 also present Jesus’ meal with his disciples as a Passover Meal held on the 14^th or 15^th night of Nisan. The same night Jesus was arrested and the following day, namely, on 15^th of Nisan he was crucified. It is also interesting to note that the three synoptic evangelists explicitly mention that day as the day of preparation, that is, the day before a Sabbath (cf. Mk 15: 42; Mt 27: 62; Lk 23; 54-56). The fourth evangelist (John) is also in agreement with the synoptic on this point.

• Our Passover Lamb (eternalchrist.wordpress.com)
  What does it mean that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law and prophets?One of the ways we can see this is by examining the Feasts ofIsrael. YHWH established appointed times that the nation of Israel wouldmeet with Him in worship and thanksgiving. There were three feasts in the Spring (Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits); one in the Summer (Pentecost); and three in the Fall (Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacle).
  Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of these feasts, or appointed times.

• Faith Without Obidience (ioan17.wordpress.com)
   Special care was to be taken of this lamb until the 14th of the month, the Passover, when the lamb would be slaughtered at twilight.  On the original Passover, the blood of the  lamb was smeared on the doorposts of every Hebrew home to distinguish them from the Egyptians and to protect them from the destroyer.

• Happy Passover 2013 (/aksyrin.wordpress.com)
  Much of the symbolism of Jesus’ last Passover week is lost to us because we are unaware of the customs of the time.
  +
  The day Jesus was crucified was the day of the Passover celebration and the day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. For the previous 1,200 years, the priest would blow the shophar (ram’s horn) at 3:00 p.m. – the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel.At 3:00, when Jesus was being crucified, He said, “It is finished” – at the moment that the Passover lamb was sacrificed and the shophar was blown from the Temple. The sacrifice of the lamb of God was fulfilled at the hour that the symbolic animal sacrifice usually took place. At the same time, the veil of the Temple (a three-inch thick, several  story high cloth that demarked the Holy of Holies) tore from top to bottom – representing a removal of the separation between God and man. Fifty days later, on the  anniversary of the giving of the law (Pentecost), God left the earthly temple to inhabit those who call on the name of Jesus through His Holy Spirit.
• The Lamb of God (calvinistview.com)
  One source tells us that around the time of Christ, 256,000 lambs were slain in Jerusalem for just one Passover. According to ancient Jewish law, there were ten people required for every one lamb. So that puts the population in Jerusalem for Passover at roughly 2.5 million people plus!

• The Passover Lamb has Gone Missing (waynehilsden.com)
  After sunset we join Jews around the world in a “seder” meal.
  +
  The lamb has gone missing. Yet the lamb of God was essential to Israel‘s redemption. As followers of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah we behold with the Jewish prophet John “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  And we celebrate Passover knowing that Jesus is the reason for the season. In the words of Rabbi Saul/Paul, “For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast

Just before the festival of Pesach

Illumination from the Rylands Haggadah in the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The Preparation for the Seder (above) and The Celebration of the Seder (below). – Date 14th century – Source John Rylands Library – Author unknown

The disciples of the Messiah were wise, intelligent, capable men — specially chosen by the Messiah himself to be apostles, the leaders of his Church! It is inconceivable that they would wait till after sunset, after the 14th of Nisan began, to prepare for the Passover, if it was to occur that very night!
The New Testament verifies this fact. We read in the gospel of John, that the night Jeshua sat down with his disciples for a final dinner, which occurred at the beginning of Nisan 14, that this was “Before the Feast of the Passover” (John 13:1).

“1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon, to betray Him, 3 [Jesus,] knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, 4 *rose from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.” (John 13:1-4 NAS)

This meal was not the “Passover,” but rather was called simply “supper” (John 13:2, 4). If this meal was such an important event as the Passover meal, then we have an incredible anomaly, because during a Passover meal nobody gets up to leave half-way through the celebration, and certainly nobody would even think of leaving the Passover meal to “go shopping” for groceries! In fact, during the Passover celebration, there would no stores be open of any kind, anywhere! Clearly the apostles thought Judas was going to make further preparations, like going to buy some things. Notice the account in John:

“26 Jesus therefore *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot. 27 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining [at the table] knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.” (John 13:26-29 NAS)

Before the feast of the Passover, while they were at the supper

If this meal was the Passover, as many contend, then it is strikingly strange that the disciples would have assumed Judas was leaving the Passover celebration, before it was finished, in order to go shopping for groceries! The very idea is preposterous. No one in their right mind would have even considered leaving the Passover in order to go grocery shopping– certainly not.

Judas Iscariot (right), retiring from the Last Supper, painting by Carl Bloch, late 19th century

“1 Jesus having perceived, before the feast of the passover, that his time to remove out of this world to his Father, was come; and having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the last. 2 Now while they were at the supper, (the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,) 3 Jesus, though he knew that the Father had subjected everything to him, and that he came from God, and was returning to God; 4 arose from supper, and laying aside his mantle, girt himself about with a towel.” (John 13:1-4 LO)
“13 You call me the Teacher and the Master; and you say right; for so I am. 14 If I, then, the Master and the Teacher, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the apostle greater than he who sends him. 17 Happy are you, who know these things, provided you practice them. 18  I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen: but the scripture must be fulfilled, “He that eats at my table, has lifted up his heel against me.” 19 I tell you this now, before it happen; that when it happens, you may believe that I am [the Messiah]. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he that receives whomsoever I send, receives me; and he that receives me, receives him who sent me. 21 After uttering these words, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, saying, Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one upon another, doubting of whom he spoke. 23 Now one of his disciples, one whom Jesus loved, was lying close to his breast: 24 Simon Peter, therefore, made a sign to him, to inquire whom he meant. 25 He, then, reclining on Jesus’ bosom, said to him, Master, who is it? 26 Jesus answered, It is he to whom I shall give this morsel, after I have dipped it. And having dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 After receiving the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to him, What you do, do quickly. 28 But none at the table knew, why he gave this order.
29 Some imagined, because Judas had the purse, that Jesus had signified to him to buy necessaries for the festival; or, to give something to the poor. 30 When Judas had taken the morsel, he immediately went out: and it was night. 31  When he was gone, Jesus said, the Son of Man is now glorified, and God is glorified by him.” (John 13:13-31 LO)

Observing the Law of God

The disciples of Jeshua were like Jesus observant Jews who obeyed Jehovah God’s Laws! This passage proves also that the disciples knew that this meal was not the “Passover” but that the Passover was still a day away! For they thought that Judas was being sent out to get groceries for preparation for the upcoming “Feast” — which had to refer to the “Feast of the Passover,” as verse one of this chapter so plainly says!

Passover plate with symbolic foods: maror, egg, haroset, karpas, zro’ah, dish of salt water (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the reason why we do not call our Memorial the Passover, because it is not but it is well one of the memorial days of the Passover celebration or the Feast of Pascha.

The 14th of Nisan was the day when preparations were made for the actual Passover Feast which was celebrated on the 15th of Nisan. This makes why there is a difference of one day in our celebration and that of the Jewish community. We do start our main commemoration one day earlier, because Nisan the 14th became the remembrance day of the instalment of the New Covenant, the “Blood of the New Testament” and the remembrance of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

“Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.” (Luke 22:1 ASV)
“And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed.” (Luke 22:7 ASV)

“17 And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, [even] that which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:17-20 ASV)
“28 But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations; 29 and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, 30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30 ASV)
“35 And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. 36 And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. 37 For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment.” (Luke 22:35-37 ASV)

“26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:26-30 ASV)

John clearly says so! So do Matthew and Mark. Luke also corroborates this fact (Luke 22:1, 7). Neither Jeshua nor his disciples would have waited till the very last moment to begin preparation for Passover. Therefore, it could not have been at the beginning of Nisan 14. If it were, then Nisan 14 could not be called the “preparation day,” or “preparation of the Passover.” That would be ridiculous. How could Nisan 14 be the “preparation” of the Passover, if the Passover occurred just after the day began, after sunset? The whole rest of the day, then, and all the daylight hours, morning and afternoon, of Nisan 14, would then be after the Passover, because the sprinkling had to be done before the night or the beginning of the day!

+

Preceding articles: 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception

14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus

Next: 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #3 Voor het Overgangsfeest

++

Find also

1. Pesach
   Pesach, or Passover, is a major holiday in Jewish tradition, and is one of the three pilgrimage holidays, along with Sukkot and Shavuot.
2. Jesus memorial
3. Observance of a day to Remember
4. The high calling of God in Christ Jesus
5. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
6. Observance of a day to Remember
7. Day of remembrance coming near
8. Manifests for believers #4 Eucharist
9. A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
10. 1 -15 Nisan
11. Slave for people and God
12. Servant of his Father
13. A Great Gift commemorated
14. Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites

++

Of interest concerning the preparation days and Christ his death:

Preparation day: Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) a.o. compared

Be careful, we do not agree with all dates or ideas given in those articles.

1. Solving the Three Day Three Night Mystery
   There isn’t any way you can put three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.
   +
   The special Sabbath John referred to is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it’s a date specific holy day; always observed on the 15th of the month they call Nisan, which corresponds to March/April on our calendar. So the first thing we learn is that the special Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 wasn’t a Saturday.
2. Yet Another Three Day Three Night Question
   So if He died on a Thursday how did we start to celebrate His death on Friday?
3. The Week With Two Sabbaths
   There were two consecutive Sabbaths that week that prohibited any work. Luke is talking about the special Sabbath that began at sundown Thursday called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
4. Three Days Three Nights Follow Up
   If Jesus died on Thursday (Passover), and if at sundown immediately the feast of Unleavened Bread began, and if at sundown Friday the regular Sabbath started (Saturday), what day did the women buy and prepare the spices to anoint the body of Jesus?
5. Passover Confusion?
   Why does it sound like Jesus and the disciples are celebrating Passover on the first day of the Feast of Unleaven which begins the day after passover?
   +
   “The next day, the one after Preparation Day …” Preparation day is the name they gave to Passover, the 14th, because it was the day they got everything ready for the big Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated on the 15th, when no work could be done. This tells us that Jesus was crucified on Passover. {Our remak: Preparation day is not the same as Passover}
6.  The Festival Sabbaths and Preparation day

   On the Temple calendar, which began the day at sunrise, the Sabbath rest was not interchangeable with the calendar day. Sabbaths are reckoned evening to evening, thus overlapping two days. Also, the Sabbath is not necessarily synonymous with Saturday, but with an ordained rest, and that rest might not fall on Saturday.
   What does Scripture say about there being Sabbath days that are tied to festivals, but not necessarily to the seventh day of the week, Saturday? The laws of these religious festivals are found in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus. There it states, “on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation.” (Lev. 23:3) Here, Sabbath equals holy convocation. There are also seven fast and festival days that are described as holy convocations. Jewish dates are here given according to the sunrise calendar.
   On Nisan 14/15, “on the first day (of Passover week) you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” (Lev. 23:7)
   On Nisan 20/21, “on the seventh day (of Passover week) is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” (Lev. 23:8)

7. Preparation day of Passover
   The title ‘Preparation Day’ is referred to 6 times in the New Testament. (Matt 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14,31,42.)
8. Passover, A seven-day festival
   What most call ‘the day of Passover’ isn’t really a day at all; it’s a seven-day festival. For notice the first instructions from God on this, as found at Exodus 12:2, 3, 5-8 (LXX), ‘This will be your first month. It is to be the first one [in your] year.
   +
   The Seven Days of PassoverSo from the above, we can see that the seven days of Passover started after sundown on Nisan 14. That evening (the first full moon nearest the spring equinox) is when the Israelites were to begin a week of eating meals with fermentation-free bread. Then, on the following afternoon (which was the same day), the lamb was to be led to the Temple as a sacrifice; and the portions that were not offered to God and the Priest were taken home for the feast. So, the lamb was slaughtered at the end of the first day, then it was roasted and eaten after sunset that evening, which was the start of the second day.

   +
   Nisan 14 – The Day of Preparation
   Thereafter, God’s people gave names to each of these days. Nisan 14 was referred to as ‘Preparation,’ because that’s when the people were to prepare the lamb for the Passover feast. These lambs were traditionally kept inside the home and tied to a bedpost for four days prior to the Passover festival. It was then sacrificed late in the afternoon of Nisan 14. So, Nisan 15 was called Passover, because it was the day when the actual Feast was to be held, according to God’s Law (see Numbers 28:17).

   Unfortunately, many Christians don’t understand God’s Laws concerning the Passover, or His Laws about the offering of sacrifices in general. For, many believe that Jesus and his Apostles ate the Passover Feast on the 14th day, and many also believe that Passover was just one day. However, notice that when Jesus sent his Apostles off to ‘prepare’ for the Passover, he didn’t say anything about a lamb. All he told them was to prepare a room (see Mark 14:12-16). No, the Jews couldn’t just go to a local market to buy a pound of lamb for the Passover. Rather, what Jews call the ‘Paschal Lamb’ had to be offered by each family or group personally at the Temple, where it was sacrificed by a Priest, who then offered up its fat and its blood to God, and who also received his portion of the meat (the breast and right shoulder). And no, Jesus would not have sent someone else to present his sacrificial lamb to God.

   So, it was the on day before the Passover Feast, Nisan 14th, that Jesus instituted his ‘evening meal.’ As the account tells us; they just ate unfermented bread, a ‘sop,’ and bitter herbs (no lamb). This was appropriate, because it was the day that he (Jesus) as ‘God’s Lamb’ was to be slaughtered… at about the same time that IsraEl’s Passover lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple.

9. Proof Jesus Died Just Before the Passover Feast in 33 AD
   The high days in the Passover feast week, are the first and last days of the 7 Passover feast days of eating unleavened bread. The first high day could start any day of the week, due to the fact that the month of Nissan would start on the day that two witnesses would see the new moon show up, and that day of the week varied each year. They would kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of Nissan, and the unleavened bread would be eaten from the 15th on for 7 days. The 2nd high day, was the 7th day or last day of the 7 day Passover feast. For that Passover the year Jesus died, the first high day was said by John to have been the same day as the Sabbath.
   +
   It is possible to find all years where the first high day fell on
   the Sabbath to verify which years are possible candidates for the
   year of Jesus’s death. As it turns out, between the years 27AD
   and 38AD, there are only 2 years where the high day fell on a Sabbath
   and those two years are 33AD and 36AD. So given this, during the
   period of 32AD to 36AD (after John started preaching plus Jesus’s
   preaching, yet before Pilate’s rule ended), the only years possible
   for Jesus to have died in, are 33 AD and 36 AD.
10. 10 proofs passover is a memorial
    Throughout history a debate has raged concerning the proper timing of Yahweh’s Passover. Many observe the Passover on the 14th of the first month (Abib) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th. Others believe that both the Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are on the 14th. Still others observe the Passover and first day of the Feast on the 15th of Abib. Why so much confusion? It need not be.
    This study will harmonize both Old and New testaments to show that the two observances are clearly separate and distinct.
    +
    Scriptures proclaim that the 14th of Abib marks the Passover memorial, while the 15th of Abib starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But two particular deviations from this truth exist. One is that the Passover is the first high Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and falls on the 14th of Abib. The second is also that the Passover is the first high day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but occurs on the 15th of Abib.
    +
    The Passover symbolizes a day of suffering and pain, while the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time of joy.
11. The Day of Crucifixion and time of resurrection
    Is the Wednesday Crucifixion a fact or a fable? Wednesday Crucifixionists firmly believe that it is a Biblical fact. To support it, they appeal not only to the sign of Jonah examined in the previous chapter, but also to a second key text, namely, John 19:14, where the day of Christ’s Crucifixion is designated as “the day of Preparation of the Passover.”
    The conclusion drawn from John 19:14 is that Christ was crucified, not on a Friday—the Preparation day for the Sabbath—but on a Wednesday—the Preparation day for the annual ceremonial Passover Sabbath, which that year supposedly fell on a Thursday. Thus, all the references to the “Preparation day” of Christ’s Crucifixion (Matt 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31, 42) are interpreted in the light of John 19:14 as meaning Wednesday—the day preceding the Passover Sabbath (Thursday)—rather than Friday—the day preceding the regular seventh-day Sabbath.

+++

 

Related articles

• How to Explain The Feast of The Passover and The Lord’s Supper to Children (expertscolumn.com)
  Every year, the Feast of the Passover is celebrated. Children may ask what it is all about. Here is a simple to explain the event to children and to those who wish to know the origins of the Passover Feast.
• Preparations for the Passover Meal – Luke 22: 7-13 (shalommysticwind.wordpress.com)
  The story of the preparations for the Passover Meal is itself introductory to the account of the Last Supper in Luke 22: 14-23. Except for certain redaction changes, the Lukan passage is a reproduction of its parallel in Mark 14: 12-16. Already in Luke 22: 1 the evangelist had identified the feast of the Unleavened Bread and the feast of the Passover, an identification which is not entirely wrong.
• Nissan 1. Happy New Year! (workofheartandsoul.wordpress.com)
  {March 11, 2013 @sunset} Tonight starts God’s “New Year” or beginning of the Biblical calendar for Holidays and “Kings”. We begin again the cycle of the Biblical Feast, starting with Passover soon. YEAH!
• Open-Handed; scripture and questions for March 17 (plymouthspirit.wordpress.com)
  Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
• Conspiracy of Jews against Jesus – Luke 22: 1-2 (shalommysticwind.wordpress.com)
  Luke identifies the feast of the Passover with the feast of the Unleavened Bread; and the Lukan time reference is more generic as compared with the Markan precise dating. The Passover feast, which was celebrated on 14^th – 15^th of Nisan, was the solemn, yearly commemoration of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The feast of the Unleavened Bread, originally a harvest festival, was held from 15^th to 21^st of Nisan. Eventually these two feasts were closely linked together and were virtually identified, and the celebration lasted from 15^th to 21^st of Nisan. According to the evangelists, the events of Jesus’ passion are connected with the national Jewish feast of the Passover. The Christian expression “Paschal Mystery” in reference to the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, is derived from the Greek word for ‘Passover’ – “Pascha.” The Passion of Jesus is thus understood as his own Passover, his ‘exodus’ from this world to the Father (God) (cf. Lk 9: 31).
• Jesus. He is worthy of it all. (charissavincent.wordpress.com)
  Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.
  +
  Jesus was worthy of it all, and so much more. How is it that Jesus’ very own disciples, the people who were with him all the time, the people who Jesus shared incredible wisdom and kingdom secrets with, how was it that they did not understand this act of honour. And yet for Mary there wasn’t even a slight hesitation.
• 5th Sunday of Lent 17.3.13 John 12.1-8 (preachersfriend.wordpress.com)
  This simple account of an all-too-imaginable incident can take us to the place of deep devotion, or make us recoil with horror at the meanness of human nature. Maybe we need to do both.

• Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
  Eight days after his birth Jesus was anointed for the first time at his circumcision, the traditional Jewish celebration to take up the child in the community of the Jewish people, Israel, the People of God. Six days before the Pascha /Pesach or Passover when the “crucifixion” was to take place we find Jesus with […]