Passover

 

The Messiah was crucified on Wednesday, not Friday 
It is sad how the symphony of Scripture is often confused by error and tradition.        Confusion about the day of the week is easily explained. Mark 15:42 says it was “preparation day, the day before the Sabbath”. Most folks assume he is referring to the Saturday Sabbath. Not so. There were 3 Sabbaths that week, two “high” Sabbaths and one regular weekly Sabbath (Saturday). Passover is a “High Sabbath” The 1^st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also a “High Sabbath” And, Saturday’s are Sabbaths.  So, if ‘3 days and 3 nights’ means what it says then it is most likely Passover / Crucifixion that week landed on a Wednesday. He would have been dead, and in the grave, beginning Wednesday night. He rose sometime after Saturday evening because He had risen by Sunday before dawn. Y’Shua foretold that He would be in the “heart of the earth for three days and three nights” and He was! Matthew 12:40 Friday at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday at dawn (36 hours) is NOT three days and three nights. It’s seems wrong to try and make it so. Buried in a tomb – three days and three nights. Mark 15:42-47 Luke 24:1-12   It is sad how the symphony of Scripture is often confused by error and tradition. It was a bitter sweet day indeed. Few understood it at the time. Few understand it today.

                                    The Bible is One book

The Bible is not a composite of two books nor sixty-six books with conflicting concepts and teaching. It is, rather, one book recording the acts of G-d under two primary covenants (Old and New Testaments). Doctrinally there is no conflict between the two. They are altogether compatible and in mutual

agreement.  We believe literally that all Scripture is given by inspiration of G-d, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of G-d may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17) (Wilson 1989, 26).                                                                                                                   

The themes in the Old and New Testaments are the same: G-d’s holiness, righteousness and mercy; and man’s alienation and estrangement from G-d through disobedience. It might surprise you to know that the Jewish people do not rely on works for salvation they know the only way to salvation is through the Messiah.  The basic significance of the New Testament is uniquely a Jewish one: the fulfillment of the messianic hope. The New Testament writers, with perhaps the exception of Luke, are all Jews. The early Apostles and followers of Y’Shua are also Jewish. There is nothing in the New Testament that is non-Jewish or anti-Jewish. Quite the contrary, Y’Shua’ entire message taught

that:   G-d’s Laws or instructions on how to live righteously are for all that follow Him. Only the merciful were to receive mercy, only the forgiving could expect forgiveness and that love would be the sign of His true disciples.

Resurrection

The Pasach (translated Passover) was the Last Supper as the paschal meal. The term Pesach, or Passover was applied not only to the Paschal Lamb, but also to all the Passover sacrifices, especially to what was called the Chagigah, or festive offering to bring the festive sacrifice usual at each of the three Great Feasts, the Chagigah was brought on the first festive Paschal Day. It was offered immediately after the morning-service, and eaten on that day – probably sometime before the evening, when, as we shall by-and-by see, another ceremony claimed public attention.

Not on the eve of the Passover, but on the first Paschal day, the Sanhedrins would avoid incurring a defilement which, lasting till the evening would not only have involved them in the inconvenience of Levitical defilement on the first festive day, but have actually prevented their offering their offering on that day of Passover, festive sacrifice, or Chagigah….There would have been no reason to fear ‘defilement’ on the morning of the Paschal Sacrifice; but entrance into the Praetorium on the morning of the first Passover-day would have rendered it impossible for them to offer the Chagigah, which is also designated by the term Pesach.
The paschal sacrifices (hagigah) which were eaten during the seven days of the feast.
The Passover lambs were killed between the evenings at the going down of the sun (Deut. 16:6, Ex. 12:6, 18; Lev. 23:5; Num. 9:3, 5 around 6 p.m. The lambs could be sacrificed only one place, which was Jerusalem at the Temple (Deut. 16:6). Since there were thousands of lambs to be slain there, these began to be killed just as soon as the sun permitted – about 3 p.m. With all the courses of priests’ present, the offeror would kill his lamb, and the priest would catch the blood in a golden bowl, which was then sprinkled, before the altar. The lamb was prepared by being roasted, and with the three-fold blast of the silver trumpets at about 6 P.M. the Pascha had commenced.
Josephus says when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour (3 p.m.) till the eleventh (5 pm.) The night on which the lambs were eaten was the 14^th of Nisan and not the 15^th is clearly stated by Josephus.
The Pascha, then, was eaten during the night, but no later than the middle of the night. The night for eating the Pascha was the 14^th of Nisan, for it could not have been the 15^th, which was a High Sabbath day; and therefore the killing of the lambs commenced between the evenings of the 13^th and 14^th, or at some time after 3 p.m. and on the 13 of Nisan.
No leaven was permitted in the Israelite’s dwelling at this time. The cleansing of all leaven had taken place the night of the 13^th, and the burning of the morning of the 13^th of Nisan. An Israelite would not enter into a Gentile’s dwelling lest he be defiled by leaven in that Gentile’s home. At sunset on the 15^th of Nisan was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was a high day, and as such, no work of any kind was permitted. The 15^th of Nisan was the day that Israel came out of Egypt. The 15^th being a High Sabbath day, the day before was the preparation. Y’Shua was killed on the preparation, which was the 14^th day of Nisan, and His body was taken down from the cross and buried before the Sabbath began. He had kept the Passover with His disciples as was His desire. On the day of preparation things could be brought. Yet a person could be defiled by a wrong use of the day. (Ex. 12:15-20). A person even before this time had to be clean, and had to remain clean.
Thus there is no conflict in Scripture if, the Chagigah is offered on the first day of the feast, and this day is the 14^th of Nisan and not the high or Sabbath day of the 15^th.
History tells us the Temple was destroyed and had never been rebuilt. The priesthood ended; sacrifice could no longer be offered. The genealogical records were destroyed. The scattering of the people was total. The ancients had demanded that the coming One present proper credentials. After the great dispersion in 70 A.D, it would have been impossible. The Lamb, standing on the altar as if slain, described as innocent, meek and mild, represented the emblem most suited to the Messiah. The Picture presented was not from man who offers and slays. This was G-d giving voluntarily of His own.
G-d sacrificed the Lamb on the altar of the cross. Those wooden beams became the doorpost for the world’s home. G-d promises to pass over us with His judgment of death, as we are willing to stand under its protection. This is what we remember and celebrate at Passover.
The Seder means order. The intent of the ceremony is and always has been to obey the precept ‘tell your sons and daughters.’ Passover then represents our salvation. ‘Do this in remembrance.’
The Unleaven bread used at Passover time is called the Matzoh. It is striped and has holes in it. ‘By His stripes we are healed’, pierced, ‘they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced’ and of course, pure, without any leaven, as His body was without sin.

Y’Shua was buried at beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread since His body was interred at sundown of Passover day. Crucifixion normally took three days. The Romans utilized this slow and terrible way of death to terrify the population of provincial Israel.

The young, strong Carpenter of Galilee was dead in just six hours. He was placed on the cross at 9 a.m., the third hour and taken down at 3 p.m. There was then time enough to wrap the body and bury it at sundown. The answer to why He died in six hours is that’s all the time He could spare for our L-rd never omitted a feast. This was the High Holiday.

 

Three days He aroused! Resurrection, the grave couldn’t hold Him!
Buried on a Wednesday at 6pm to Thursday 6 pm is one day
Thursday 6pm to Friday 6pm is 2 days
Friday 6pm to Saturday 6pm is 3 days
He was raised by 6pm on Saturday for when the ladies came the first day of the week (which started at 6pm Saturday according to the Jewish time) they found the tomb empty!

Unfortunately, while trying to separate from the non-believing Jews the Church threw out the baby (Biblical holidays) with the bath water (un-Biblical customs)! There was no reason to stop the Holidays. These days did not bring bondage they brought people closer to God. Y’Shua and Paul both celebrated the holidays. The holidays should be analyzed according to the Bible whether or not they are Jewish.                         A non-Jew may choose voluntarily to conform to certain observances, celebrations, or customs which are both Jewish and rooted in Scripture. Such practice is not Judaizing. Following a Biblical custom is far different from being bound by a required practice (Wilson 1989, 26).                                                                                                           Y’Shua’s ministry, death, and resurrection, has made it possible for all believers, Gentiles and Jews, to maintain the righteous principles of the law (or G-d’s instructions) without being encumbered with all the cultural baggage of Talmudic Judaism (Judaizing).