The MINISTERIAL BULLETIN
Published by
February 26.
1992
THE PASSOVER,
OLD AND NEW
by Ronald L. Dart
The Old Testament Passover
When exactly was the Old Testament Passover?
It may seem a trivial question, but there is a difference of opinion on the
subject, and it can become important when we consider the implications for the
New Testament Passover.
The question focuses on a simple conflict. In
the Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke all say that Jesus observed the
Passover on the night before he suffered (See Luke 22), while John says just as
plainly that the day of the crucifixion was the "preparation of the
Passover" (John 19:14), and that the Jews had not yet eaten the Passover
the next morning (John 19:28).
Scholars have debated this apparent conflict
from time immemorial, arriving at a variety of conclusions. One school of
thought concludes that the Jews had somehow erred in the years before this time
and had begun observing the Passover a day late—on the 15th. The original
Passover, according to this view, was killed at sundown beginning the 14th. The death angel passed through Egypt that
night, Israel spoiled the Egyptians through the day of the 14th, and actually
started out of Egypt after sundown that night—the 15th.
The origins of this doctrine in the WCG
antedate my involvement, but I am reasonably sure that this was HWA's attempt
to resolve the seeming conflict in the Gospel accounts. I don't believe that it
arose solely from an examination of the Old Testament records. Many of us
encountered this problem going through college. We immediately saw the conflict
between HWA's explanation and the record in the Torah. We knuckled under in
time, but we never really examined whether there might be a better way to
reconcile the Gospel accounts (church government played a role in this).
I started my current study on this from a
strictly Old Testament point of view. If I did not have the Gospel accounts, I
wondered, what would I conclude about the time of Passover observance in the
Old Testament.
I started my study in the most natural place
to start—Exodus 12 and the first observance of the Passover. There is one
important distinction to be noted before starting. The Passover of law—the
statutory Passover, if you will—was somewhat different from the first Passover.
In later years, the priesthood made some accommodations from the original.
There was a time when sacrifices could be done anywhere by individual family
members. In later years, this was forbidden. By the time of the kings of
Having acknowledged this, I went to Exodus 12
and read the entire chapter carefully. The first item of special note was verse
six:
And ye shall keep it up until the
fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole
assembly of the congregation of
Evening, according to the Bible, is sunset.
But at the place which the LORD thy God
shall choose to place his name in, there
thou shalt sacrifice the passover at
even, at the going down of the sun,
at the
season that thou camest forth out of
HWA said that the lamb was killed at sunset
as the 14th began, and that
The difficulty arises
because there are two sunsets associated with each day, one at the beginning
and one at the end. If the Passover was sacrificed at sunset, which sunset was
it? And which day was it in? It most assuredly had to be "in" the
fourteenth when the Passover was killed. It might conceivably have been killed
just after sundown beginning the day, or just before sunset, ending it.
In the fourteenth day of the first month
at even is the LORD'S passover (Leviticus 23:5).
And in the fourteenth day of the first
month is the passover of the LORD (Numbers 28:16).
Whatever else we may conclude, the Passover
lamb was plainly killed between the
sunset ending the thirteenth, and the sunset ending the fourteenth. Then, they
were to eat the lamb in the evening that followed. Nothing was to be left over
until the morning. In the one scenario, the lamb was eaten between sunset and
morning on the fourteenth. In the other, it was done on the fifteenth.
And they shall eat the flesh in that
night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with
bitter herbs they shall eat it... And ye
shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and
that which remaineth of it until the
morning ye shall burn with fire (Exodus 12:8-10).
The next item in the instructions is of
special interest:
And thus shall
ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff
in your hand; and
ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover (Exodus 12:11).
This is not a part of the instructions for
the statutory Passover to be observed through their generations. It was an
instruction for the original Passover only. There is only one way to understand this verse. They
were expected to leave home without going to bed. They would leave shortly
after eating the meal, because it was to be eaten in haste. Therefore, their
departure took place in the morning immediately following the evening when the
Passover lamb was killed. That departure may even have been in the dark hours
after midnight—well before dawn. It is either the morning of the 14th, or the
morning of the 15th.
Having given instructions about eating the
lamb in haste, God explains that the death angel would pass through
The next verse speaks of "this
day," and the only antecedent possible is the day on which the passover
was eaten and the death angel passed over. "This day" is then said to
be a feast and a memorial. It is a seven day
festival, not an eight day festival. It is called the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, and the first and seventh day were to be holy days (verses 15-17).
"This day," i.e. the day of the
eating of the Passover lamb, etc., is correlate with the first day of Unleavened Bread and the
day God brought them out of
Verse 18 adds quite a bit to the picture:
unleavened
and get you
forth from among my people, both ye and the children of
There
are only two ways to take this. Since there are only seven days of Unleavened
Bread, then the festival includes one of two possible sets of dates (depending
upon what is meant by "at even"). Either the festival is from the
14th through the 20th or from the 15th through the 21st, depending on whether
we start at the beginning or ending of the 14th. (There have been those who
argued that the first day of Unleavened Bread and the annual holy day are on
the 14th.)
It is also logical to assume from the expression
here, "the fourteenth day of the month at even," that the beginning
of the Days of Unleavened Bread corresponds roughly with the time of the
Passover sacrifice which was also on "the fourteenth day of the month at
even." To get away from this obvious correlation would take more
intellectual gymnastics than most of us are prepared to do. More important,
there is nothing in the texts so far to require it.
The children of
And Pharaoh rose
up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians;
and there was a
great cry in
not one dead.
And he called for Moses and Aaron by
night, and said, Rise up,
and get you
forth from among my people, both ye and the children of
and go, serve
the LORD, as ye have said. (Exodus 12:30-31).
Just how fast did all this happen?
And the
Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them
out of the land in haste; for
they said, We be all dead men. And the people
took their dough before it
was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound
up in their clothes upon their shoulders
(Exodus 12:33,34).
All this seems to have happened before daylight on the morning after the Passover was eaten. The following verses speak of the Israelites "spoiling" the Egyptians (verses 35, 36). Exodus 3:22 and Exodus 11:2 suggest that this had already been done, but it could also fit right here in the account. The Israelites did not have to go anywhere to spoil the Egyptians. The Egyptians came to them to thrust them out. When the Israelites asked for gold and jewelry, the Egyptians were glad to give it to them to get them out. This is entirely consistant with the near panic of the Egyptians ("we be all dead men!"), and their urgency to be rid of these people. "Give them anything they want, just get rid of them." All this is totally inconsistent with a theory that Israel tarried all day the next day and then left at night.
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt,
for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of
Egypt, and could not tarry,
neither had they prepared for themselves any victual (verse 39).
This is why the Israelites were to eat the
Passover fully dressed and ready for travel. They weren't even given the option
of sleeping for a few hours, much less waiting until the next night to leave.
Note that they were "thrust out of
The following verses summarize the importance
of this event:
And it came to pass at the end of the
four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day
it came to pass, that all
the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt It is a night
to be much
observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this
is
that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations (verses 41, 42)
The "night of the Lord" is the
night of the death angel, and the night when the Israelites were "thrust
out of
Exodus 12 is a description of the events of
one important night in the history of
According to the record of Exodus 12, the
"night to be much observed" is the night of the Passover. It is the
night when they were "thrust out." But was this night the 14th or the
15th?
In the
fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened
bread
unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:5, 6).
The feast of unleavened bread was previously
described in Exodus 12:8 this way:
In the first month, on the fourteenth
day of the month at even, ye shall eat
unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day
of the month at even.
Now we have an answer to our earlier question
about this passage. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the 15th, not the
14th. The 14th day of the month "at
even" marked the beginning of the 15th. Thus the Days of Unleavened
Bread are from the 15th through the 21st. The instructions for the Day of
Atonement follow a similar pattern. The Day of Atonement was on the 10th, but
it is said to have begun on the ninth day of the month "at even"
(Leviticus 23:27, 32).
Thus follows the conclusion that the Passover
lamb, also killed on the 14th day of the first month at even, was killed at the
end of the 14th.
The record in Numbers is not at variance.
And they departed from Rameses in the
first month, on the fifteenth day of the first
month; on the morrow after the passover the children of
hand in the sight of all the Egyptians
(Numbers 33:3).
This is a similar usage to that found in
Genesis 19:33, 34:
And they made their father drink wine
that night: and the firstborn went in,
and lay with
she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto
the younger, Behold, I
lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink
wine this night also; and
go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
In normal usage, the events of the morning
following a night's activities are said to be "on the morrow."
The record of Deuteronomy is next:
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the
passover unto the LORD thy God:
for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought
thee forth out of
Thou shalt
and the herd, in the place
which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.....
And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days;
neither shall there
any thing of
remain all night until the
choose to place his name in,
going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out
of
There are a few important clues here. First,
we have already discussed the thrusting of the Israelites
out of
Also important is verse six. The commandment
is to sacrifice the Passover at sunset "at the season that you came out of
Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened
bread: thou shall eat
unleavened bread seven
appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou
This leaves Deuteronomy 16:6 saying that we
are to sacrifice the Passover at sunset, at the appointed time of the Exodus.
That appointed time was the night of the 15th.
If I were sitting on a jury to decide this,
and all I had was the Old Testament record, I would have to decide that:
1. The Passover lamb was killed late on the
14th, just before the sunset beginning the 15th. Later records suggest that
"in the evening" came to be interpreted as the time of the evening
sacrifice—about three in the afternoon.
2. The Passover was eaten after
sunset—actually on the 15th.
3. The death angel passed over at midnight on
the 15th.
4. The time after midnight could be
considered morning, because Pharaoh summoned Moses while it was still dark and
Moses apparently went. (It is possible, however, that Pharaoh sent messengers
to Moses, and that Moses never actually saw Pharaoh—see Exodus 10:28,29.)
5. The urgency of the Egyptians to get rid of
the Israelites precluded any possibility of the Israelites going to bed (or
waiting until the next night) and is compatible with the commandment to eat the
Passover fully dressed, with shoes on and staff in hand.
6.
7.
Having so concluded, then there is reason to
take another look at the Gospel accounts to see if there is a way to understand
them without a convoluted explanation of the Old Testament records.
The New Testament Passover
For generations a favorite question of commentators
has been whether Jesus really observed the Passover, as the Synoptic Gospels
state, or whether John was right in placing the Jewish Passover after the
crucifixion. We have long believed, for varying reasons, that Jesus kept the
Passover 24 hours before the Jews. The question is of some relevance because of
continuing arguments from some quarters that we should be observing the
Passover on the 15th "according to the law."
Last year, I studied the question again from
the point of view of a member of a jury who has gone over the statements of the
witnesses (the four Gospel accounts), reviewed the testimony of the experts
(scholars), and considered the arguments of the lawyers (commentators and
scholars). Some of what follows was published in a Ministerial Bulletin at that
time.
I believe that while certainty in these areas
may be denied us due to the passage of time and the lack of access to the
witnesses for cross examination, there is sufficient testimony to establish the
important aspects beyond a reasonable doubt.
As a responsible member of the jury, I find
that Jesus was crucified on the morning of the 14th of Nisan and died at about
the time that Passover lambs were being killed in the temple. I find no
indication of fraud, prevarication, or dissembling among the witnesses,
although I see some evidence of ax-grinding in the expert testimony. Nor is
there any indication of important lapses of memory. Rather there are different
perspectives presented, and some indication that one witness may have seen
meaning and sensed problems not addressed by the others. Consider the
differences in the accounts. While John recounts the supper on the night before
the crucifixion, he does not call it the Passover. In fact, he seems at pains
to say that it was before the
Passover (John 13:1, 2). To be sure, the expert witnesses had arguments against
this, but I don't believe they would convince a jury. (Scholars have the luxury
of finding endless explanations for difficulties without ever coming to a
verdict. A lawyer in court doesn't have that option. His case is going to be
given to a jury for a verdict.)
John also calls the day of the crucifixion
"the preparation of the Passover" (John 19:14) and makes note that
the Jews did not want to be defiled lest they be unable to eat the Passover
(John 18:28). The expression "eat the Passover" is similar to that
used by Jesus in Luke 22, and there is no more reason to explain away the one
than the other.
In summing up, the lawyer might put it to the
jury this way: "You have heard John testify that the supper was before the
Passover, that the day of the crucifixion was the preparation for the Passover,
and that the Jews had not yet eaten the Passover."
Then, I think he would put Mark and Matthew
on the stand. Mark's testimony reads this way: "After two days was the
feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the
scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they
said, Not on the feast day lest there
be an uproar of the people" (Mark 14:1, 2; see also Matthew 26:5). This,
taken as a plain statement of intent, bears much weight. It does not depend on
analysis or knowledge of customs. They intended to do murder, and they ruled
out the 15th of Nisan. They wanted him dead before the feast, not on the feast. This does not prove that
they were successful, but it does show intent.
In view of other testimony, it seems
inconceivable that any executions would have taken place on the annual holy
day. The concern that the bodies not remain on the stake on the Sabbath was
just as valid for the feast day if not more so. The rush to get the bodies
buried before the Sabbath only makes sense if the day of burial were not a
Sabbath (or a feast day—a juror is allowed to take common sense into
consideration).
A crucifixion on the 15th raises another
problem. Since they were hurrying to get Jesus buried before sunset, then the
crucifixion would have been on Friday. Apart from the "three days and
three nights" difficulty, there are calendar considerations. The rules of
the Hebrew calendar, as we know them, never allow the 15th to fall on a Friday.
There is no way of proving that these rules were in effect during the ministry
of Christ, but the concept behind them was just as valid then as now—perhaps
more so. It was seen as undesirable to have a feast day as the preparation day
for the weekly Sabbath.
With all the testimony in hand, the simplest
conclusion is that Jesus and the Pharisees both observed the Passover, but a
day apart. The best case calls for a scenario that reconciles the testimony of
all witnesses rather than having to decide which witness is mistaken.
The expert witnesses have offered several
explanations to account for this possibility, and I suppose I could take my
pick of them. It has been suggested that the term "Passover" is of
broad meaning, being applied to a day (the 14th), a lamb, a meal, a season, a
seven day festival, and to the feast day (the 15th). It is not unreasonable to
suppose that a mere variant in usage accounts for the difficulty. Some even
suggest that more than one meal was loosely called "eating the
Passover." There seems to be little doubt that the term
"Passover" could have been applied to a pre-Passover meal. It might compare
to a family today eating their "Christmas dinner" a day early because
it was the only day they could all be present. The meal Jesus and the disciples
ate would then be a "nominal" Passover.
Yet another theory advanced is that this
Passover is simply an exception. This might accord with Jesus' statement:
"With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer." The word for desire here signifies an intense, heartfelt desire.
It is, in fact, usually translated "lust" in the NT. Not only is it a
strong word, it is doubled: "With great longing have I longed to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer." The last phrase, "before I
suffer," can be taken to suggest that this Passover was an exception. He
would not be able to take the statutory Passover with them, because he would be
in the grave at the appointed time.
But expert witnesses and legal arguments have
failed to establish whether this Passover was merely a nominal Passover, or an
exceptional Passover observed early. In either case, if would not have been Jesus' intent to change the law relative to the
statutory Passover. Those who have argued that the church should observe
the Passover on the 15th are correct this far. There is no change in the law,
and the 15th is still a "night to be much observed."
What, then, of the "Lord's Supper,"
the memorial of the Lord's death instituted at Jesus' last supper? Should it be
observed on the 15th with the Passover? I think not, for these reasons:
1. The Lord's Supper was not a part of the
statutory Passover—the Passover of the law. It was instituted as a new thing on
the night of the 14th, and there is no compelling reason that it should be
moved.
2. There has been an assumption that Jesus changed the symbols of the Passover—i.e.,
from a lamb to bread and wine. It seems, however, that they ate a
"Passover" and that He then
established something entirely new. It is important to know that the bread
and wine of the "Lord's Supper" do not in any way represent the
Passover meal. They represent the death of "The Lamb of God that
taketh away the sins of the world." In the process of eating them, we show
forth the Lord's death (I Corinthians 11:26). His death took place on the 14th
at the time of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. Therefore, it is not necessarily
an error to refer to the symbols of Christ's shed blood and broken body as
"the Passover," but it may be confusing, because the Passover is the
following night.
3. Paul, in correcting the Corinthian
observance of this reminded them, "For I have received of the Lord that
which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread" (I
Corinthians 11:23). Paul's testimony includes not only the manner of the
supper, but the time. The time was the night before the statutory Passover.
4. Paul also separates the memorial from any
meal in telling them to eat supper at home and come together for the memorial.
In this sense, the ''Lord's Supper" is not supper at all.
5. Finally, the memorial is not a substitute
for the Passover meal, but a memorial of Christ's death: "For as often as
ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he
come" (I Corinthians 11:26).
As a member of the jury, I find that Jesus
did not observe the statutory Passover the night before His crucifixion. He may
have observed a nominal or an exceptional Passover. He established a new ceremony, not as a substitute for
the Passover meal, but rather as a symbol of His own death. Years later, in
speaking of this new ceremony, Paul makes no mention of the Passover, insists
that the ceremony be separated from any meal, and includes the time of the
service as a part of what Jesus revealed to him. It was in "the night in
which he was betrayed." Jesus was then killed on the afternoon of the
14th, near the time when the statutory lamb was killed."
The Passover For Today
For a long time, we observed the Passover on
the 14th and the "Night To Be Much Observed" on the 15th. Some have
tried to move the memorial to the 15th while others have wanted to get rid of
the "NTBMO" because it was the Passover, and we observe that on the
14th.
We are doing the right thing, but our
nomenclature has some people confused, and has left the membership vulnerable
to would-be teachers. What we are observing on the night of the 14th is not the Old Testament Passover supper. It is the
memorial of Christ's death as our Passover lamb. What we are observing on the
night of the 15th is not a festival called the "Night To Be Much
Observed." It is the Feast of the Passover.
Oddly, no name is ever given to the memorial
of Christ's death. The "Lord's Supper" has been used for generations,
but it is based solely on I Corinthians 11, and the usage there is tenuous.
What exactly is this ceremony?
It is the
communion of the Body and Blood of Christ (I Corinthians 10:16, 17).
It is the
memorial of Christ's death (I Corinthians 11:26).
It may not be wrong to call it the
"Lord's Supper," or even "The Passover," but it is not the Feast of the Passover, or even a
substitute for it. It should be observed at the time it was instituted. There
is no justification for moving it to the 15th in an attempt to "obey the
law."
On the other hand, it would be a mistake to
ignore the commanded festivities on the Passover night. It has every bit as
much meaning for Christians as for Jews. We should observe the memorial of
Christ's death, or the Lord's Supper, on the night of the 14th. Then, the
following night, we should observe the Feast
of the Passover. It should be for all of us a "night to be much
observed," but that is not it's name. It is the Passover.
How To Do It
We do not, nor can we, observe the statutory
Passover of the Old Testament. There is no temple and no sacrificial lamb.
Under no circumstances should we be out killing a lamb before sunset—Christ is our Passover, and we must
never allow any confusion on the point. But God told Moses that this was a
"night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of
There is no way that we should allow this
night to pass without special observance. It should be more than just another
pot luck or just another dinner out at a restaurant. The Feast of the Passover
should involve a major effort to get together with brethren and/or family. On
this night, of all nights, no one should be left alone when it is in our power
to do otherwise.
We should pull out all the stops in food
preparation, decoration, and festive activities. Since it is a "night to
be much observed," it wouldn't be wrong to stay up late—even until
midnight (we could then read the passage about the death angel). It is not
merely a night to eat and drink—it is a night to remember. It is the things that
we remember that make this night different from other nights. (If we are going
to make it a late night, then we should have the "holy convocation"
the next afternoon, and no potluck the next day.)
Among the things that we should remember is
that the Feast of the Passover is a celebration of freedom. The Israelites were
not the only people ever to suffer from the hateful bondage imposed by their
fellow man. But even that bondage was mild compared to that suffered by those who are today in bondage to sin. They may be
nominally free, but the horrible results of sin take away their freedom every
day that they live.
Since the original Passover was a family
occasion, what if we involved children in the program for the evening? What if
we had them memorize (or read) questions to be asked on cue. Then, someone
could read from an appropriate passage. Here is a sample of what might be done:
| Child #1: Why is this night different from other nights? | Reader #1: Exodus 12:1-8 |
| Child #2: Why do we eat bitter herbs with this meal? | Reader #2: Exodus 1:8-14 |
| Child #3: How were the Israelites to eat the Passover? | Reader #3: Exodus 12:11-17 |
| Child #4: Why were they to eat so fast? | Reader #4: Exodus 12:21-42 |
| Child #5: But we were never in slavery, were we? | Reader #5: Romans 6:12-23 |
| Child #6: Why don't we kill a lamb like the Israelites did? | Reader #6:1 Corinthians 5:7-8 |
| Child #7: Did Jesus preach about freedom'? | Reader #7: Luke 4:16-21 |
| Child #8: Are there many people who are slaves? | Reader #8: Romans 8:14-23 |
| Child #9: How can people become free? | Reader #9: John 8:25-36 |
This could be done at any time during the
evening, and could even be spread out through the evening. Some of it could be
done during the meal, between songs, after the meal—anytime. I would use the
Living Bible or RSV. The King James Bible isn't the easiest to read aloud and
be understood.
It is not my intent here to lay out a new law
of festival observance, but to suggest ways in which we can worship God on His
festivals and derive greater meaning from them. Please don't feel bound by
these ideas, and please don't judge
others who do it differently.