Pesach – Passover – Crucifixion – Unleavened Bread

Jesus and the Three Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals – Series Outline

My walk with Jesus has always guided me to the text of the Old Testament. In the books of the Old Testament I see Jesus as the great ‘I Am’. I see the work and person of Jesus in the feast, laws, wisdom, psalms, and stories. This series will look at the connection Jesus has to the three Pilgrimage Feast; Passover, Pentecost and Sukkot. Other days and feasts be woven into the series as they connect.

Pesach, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and the Crucifixion

In this series, Jesus and the Three Jewish Festivals, we have arrived at Passover. Passover, Pesach,and Unleavened Bread begin on the 14th of the month of Nisan/Nissan. In Israel, the Pesach, Passover Seder, is celebrted on one day. In the diaspora, Jews living outside the nation of Israel, it is celebrated on 2 feast days. Unleavened bread continues to be consumed through the 22nd of Nisan. For this reason, Unleavened Bread and Passover are seen in the same light, so Passover is often used for the full period of the 14th throught the 22nd. The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach. Jesus, the Pascal Lamb gave up His Spirit and died at the same hour of the day the Pascal Lamb is sacrificed.

Removing Yeast

During Unleavened Bread, yeast is removed from the house. Yeast represents sin. Jesus, the Bread of Life, is without sin, blemish.

The people of Israel were in Egypt for 400 years. The pharaoh of Egypt refused to set the Israelites free, that they could serve God,

“1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2“But if you refuse to let them go ….”

God told Moses that death would come to all first born throughout the land. To spare the first born of Israel from death, God told Moses to have each Jewish family sacrifice a lamb. By sprinkling the blood of the  lamb on the sides and top of the door frame, the families showed that they followed God and death would pass over the household.

I see a sign of the cross when I read this,

19 ‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. 20 ‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’” 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. 23“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. 24“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.

Passover Festival Starting Day

Passover memorializes God protecting the first born of Israel from the death that roamed though Egypt that night.  Whether Jesus was crucified on Thursday or Friday has long been debated. The same debate arises in relation to, did Jesus eat the Passover Seder with His  disciples, or was it just a regular meal?

I remember, in college, learning that the different Jewish sects; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes,  celebrated the Passover on different days while calling the day the 14th. Each sect considered the 14th of Nisan Passover. The question was, which day was the 14th, when did it fall?

Which Day is the 14th of Nisan

The reason for difference new moon being declared differently by each sect’s leaders. The leaders of each sect determined when the new moon was declared. This became the 1st of Nisan.

Recently, I was looking over the Community Scroll from the Dead Sea Scroll collection. The sect of the Essene set down the rules, 1QS, which members of the community were bound to follow. It is clear that the Essene community separated itself from Jerusalem. The Essenes considered Jerusalem to be defiled, specifically by the corrupt practices of the corrupt priests.

One area of defilement was based on the command to set aside of the Sabbath for rest, study of the Torah, and contemplation of God. No work was to be done on the Sabbath, No work was to be done on the feast days either. All of the sects held this in common.  In order to be able to eat and drink on the Sabbath all preparations for meals had to have been completed by sundown Friday. Again all of the sects held this in common. In Judaism holy days can be feast or fast. The concern is the proximity of the these holy days with the weekly Sabbath. If a holy day was directly before or after a Sabbath, preparation and health could be prohibited or limited. To solve the issue, the new moon might be declared to be one day rather than another. The New Moon might even be declared to covered two days.

One or Two Days of Passover

Currently, Passover, well the Seder meals can be celebrated over two days. Jewish people, outside Israel, from around the world, often celebrate Passover, Pesach over two days. In Israel Passover/Unleavened Bread is celebrated on one day.

The timing I have set out in this series works well, without contradictions, though I am not as concerned in getting the day perfect but I am more interested in the significance of the feasts. It is the meaning of the days, the connections, and what they mean for me and my relation to Jesus that I find value, not arguing over which day is correct.

Sunset to Midnight on the 14th –

Again, in the years of Jesus crucifixion, sunset on Wednesday the 13th, started Passover, Nisan the 14th. The text of the New testament provides a information on the actions and discussion Jesus had with His disciples between sunset and midnight. There are a few themes to consider:

The encouragement was that the Holy Spirit would be sent to live within and help those follow Jesus to replicate His work, walk, life. and to be ur advocate and helper.

Was the Meal Jesus Shared with His Disciples the 1st Seder of Passover?

Was the meal Jesus shared with His disciples a Seder meal, or was it a regular meal prior to the Passover? Seder means order or procedure, The Passover Seder is an meal with a specific order using specific components. Jesus said He was going to celebrate the Passover Seder with the disciples.

12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 “And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16 The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

Jesus died according to His timing. He gave up His Spirit and then died at the 9th hour of the day, 3pm. At the 9th hour Jesus cried out ‘tetelestai’, ‘it is finished’, and He gave up His Spirit. This death came directly following this victory cry, coming at the same hour the Paschal Lamb was slain. For me, the meal Jesus shared with the disciples was the first of two days on which the Passover Seder was celebrated by different groups in that time. From the text and Language of the books in the New Testament, the various disciples came from these sects. There were representatives from each sect in the disciples that followed Jesus.

Communion, the Last Supper, or the Lord’s Supper

Three of the Gospels in the New Testament include the Last Supper in their texts. Communion came into being as Jesus shared this last meal with His disciples. The Lord’s Supper is one of the few things Jesus commanded His followers to do before He ascending to sit ate the right hand of Majesty. Communion referred to our unity with Jesus and each other, We make up His body and He is our head. Jesus referred to the bread of communion as His flesh. When Jesus offered the cup of wine, He said that His blood was to initiate a new covenant.

Breaking the Middle Matzah and Hiding the Afikoman

I consider the meal Jesus ate with His disciples the first of two Passover Seders. During the fourth part of the Seder, Jesus took up the middle piece of three pieces of unleavened bread, matzah. The middle matzah is removed from the stack of three matzah, struck, and broken. A piece of the broken matzah is then wrapped in a cloth and called afikomen, ‘that which comes after’. The afikomen is then hidden to be brought out at the end of the meal. We are told Jesus blessed the bread. What was the blessing. There is a specific blessing over the matzah;

 Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam, hamotzi lehem min ha’aretz.

“Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.”

In this blessing, Jesus is thanking His Father, the King of the universe, who will raise Him from the ground in three days. Like a grain of wheat burred in the ground, Jesus rose from the ground and is producing many grains of wheat.

Blessing over the Wine

Four cups of wine are consumed at specific times during the seder. Wine is an important part of the festival. Tradition speaks of the wine creating an attitude of mirth to celebrate all that God has accomplished for the physical salvation of His people. Again the blessing over the cup is prescribed. The words Jesus would have used to bless the wine speak of fruit. Jesus thanks the Father for creating the fruit of the vine. Jesus is the vine and His followers are the branches. The disciples will yield fruit. Here is the specific blessing over the cup of wine;

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha’olam, bo’re p’ri hagefen.

“Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.”

Jesus is the vine. We are to live in as part of the vine. In truth apart from the vine, not only will we fail to froduce a harvest but we wither and have no life.

 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

When we take communion we are saying we want to bear fruit. We want to live as part of true vine, Jesus.

22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 “Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Foot Washing, Kenosis, and a Call to Servant hood

While three of the four Gospels include the Lord’s Supper, the gospel of John does not. John uses foot-washing in its place, another part of the night’s events. Foot washing still takes place from time to time by both Jew and Christian. Washing feet takes humility, exactly the attitude Jesus was calling the disciples to embrace. Today, while communion is a regular event seen in the Church, those who follow Jesus, the body of Christ, foot washing is not. Foot washing is largely unseen and uncommon. On the receiving side foot-washing can be embarrassing. People can to see the dirt from where our feet have been. Our feet are not always in a condition we want others to see. Think about how much worst our feet would have been if we had lived in a time of sandals and dirt roads.

It is a humbling experience to kneel in front of others and wash their dirty feet. It is and act of deference and service. This was the call, not a call to be powerful among other people nor to garner respect and subservience of others.

During the Passover meal, the disciples began arguing over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. In a mild rebuke Jesus is clear, the greatest in the kingdom will be the servant of all. Then, leading by example, Jesus girded His loins and proceeds to wash the feet of the disciples. This is the example, this gives those who want to follow Jesus direction. Serve rather than be served! Jesus, washing the feet of His disciples has long been associated with what theologians have termed kenosis. The basis for kenosis is found in the 2nd chapter of Philippians. Kenosis simply means to empty oneself.  Jesus taking off and laying aside his divinity, taking on the form of the fallen Adam, is kenosis. To set aside divinity, be born as a child, and to live a life that would end on the cross is kenosis.

 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied [kenosis/ἐκένωσεν]  Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus Encouraged His Disciples During the Passover Seder

Jesus again tells the disciples to follow Him.  He encourages us by promising to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to follow Jesus and love others. The disciples were uplifted by the time they leave the meal. They were in cheerful. Their cheerful mood can be seen as they leave the upper room singing psalms to God.

Midnight 14 Nisan Thought Sunrise 14 Nisan

From Midnight to Sunrise, the disciples leave the Last Supper and move toward the Garden of Gethsemane singing hymns. Jesus continues to encourages them an tells them He will return.

Then the Sanhedrin, Jewish rulers, sent their guards to arrest Jesus. The time of observing the Paschal Lamb is over, the time of verdict has come.  During the trial, the priests and scribes searched for false testimony by which they could put Jesus to death. They could not find anything against Jesus. Jesus claimed He would sit at the right hand of Power. At that point, the priests accuse Jesus of blasphemy and take Him to the Roman ruler over the region. Rome had not given the Jewish rulers

authority to execute prisoners . Jesus had to be taken to the Roman authorities to be sentenced.

 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!”

Sunrise Through the Third Hour, 9am, 14 Nisan

At Sunrise on the 14th, Jesus is taken to Pilate, the Roman authority, to be judged and condemned. This interview process took place from sunrise till the 3rd hour of the day, 9am. At the third hour, the crucifixion began and Judas committed suicide. After the first part of the trial, Pilot finds nothing wrong with Jesus. For the 2nd part Jesus is sent to Herod. Herod had wanted to see Jesus. Herod was the king of the area, under  Roman Authority. In the final part of the trial, Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate.

24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that ourselves.” 25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Though found innocent Pilate still has Jesus scourged. Jesus is lashed 39 times with a nine tailed, metal tipped whip. The marks Jesus still bears are rich in meaning and prophecy. In Isaiah 53, Isaiah prophesied, by His stripes we have our healing.  I have abridged this section to make the reading quicker. The whole chapter is worth taking time to read.

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message?  ….  3 He was despised and forsaken of men, 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore …. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, …  7  …  Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, 8  That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?  .… 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief;  If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, … 11 … My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 …  Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

On the Cross, the 3rd Hour Through the 9th Hour

From the third hour, 9 a.m., until his death at 3 p.m, the 9th hour, Jesus hung on the cross. Several things happen while Jesus, the Christ, hung on the cross. First the proclamation, Pilate had a sign placed above the cross,  “Jesus king of the Jews.”

The Passover, Paschal Lamb was sacrificed at 3 pm. Jesus after hanging on the cross for 6 hours.

Tearing of the Veil Separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies

When Jesus, died the veil of the temple was ripper from top to bottom. The veil was thick enough that it is said to have taken several teams of horses pulling to tear it apart.  The veil being ripped is a powerful event. Once a year the high priest entered the Most Holy place in the Temple, the Holy of Holies. Once a year the high priest would pass through the Veil to make atonement for Himself and the people who would believe in and follow Him. With the death of Christ Jesus, there was no longer need for a yearly sacrifice. Sin was paid for once and all.

Jesus, High Priest Forever

I have included a section of Letter to the Hebrews which expands this concept a bit. Hebrews tells us that Jesus has become the High Priest once and for all. We, who are part of the body of Christ, have access to the mercy seat at all the times. At the earthquake, the tearing of the veil, and the animation of dead,  the Centurion in charge of the crucifixion proclaimed, “certainly this man was innocent”, and, “truly this was the son of God.”

 Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, … 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. … 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Again, the day ends at sundown. At the death of Jesus, he second holy day of Passover/Pesach was soon to begin. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus in order to bury Him. The Old Testament law exempts to those who become unclean due to a trip or touching the dead so they can participate in the Seder. Even after handling Jesus, Joseph would still have been able to join the feast that night and the next day.

14 Nisan – Thursday Starts at Sundown Wednesday

Sunset through Midnight – Upper Room Discourse – the 1st Seder Meal

Midnight To Sunrise – The Garden of Gethsemane

Before Sunrise Jesus is Brought Before the Jewish Rulers, Priests, and Sadducees for Judgement

Sunrise Through the 3rd Hour, 9 am

Before Roman & Hasmonean Authorities

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The 9th Hour – Signs, Sacrifice, and the Death of Jesus

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