The Gospel of Luke &

the Passover

In Luke 22:1, 7, 8, 11, and 13 we read of "the Passover," and in

verse 15, "this Passover." What was Luke talking about in these

verses? What is "the" Passover, and "this" Passover? Does the

word "Passover" have several different meanings? Was this final

meal Jesus ate with His disciples the traditional "Passover"? Was

He instituting a "new" "Christian Passover"? What is the truth?

Let's go back to the basics, and review this question step by step,

like a thorough, painstakingly detective, gathering every piece

of evidence, so we can solve this Biblical mystery!

William F. Dankenbring

Obviously, there is great controversy over these verses, as to whether the dinner Jesus had that night was "the Passover," or a "modified Passover," or a "Passover-type" or "style" meal, or a "going away banquet" or even a "graduation banquet" which He gave for the disciples since they had finished a course of "instruction" with Him which lasted three years.

A key to Bible study is to always begin with the clear, obvious verses, and then to proceed to the unclear, nebulous ones. This rule helps prevent many mistakes in interpretation. Another important rule is to always be sure to get the "context" of the verses in question. Understand the over-all picture. A third valuable rule could be put this way: NEVER ASSUME. Always probe beneath the surface, and never be satisfied with superficial, shallow "opinions."

Just what is the scene pictured in the 22nd chapter of Luke? Let's look at this chapter, verse by verse, and match these verses up with other clear and easily understandable verses, so we can "prove" the truth, carefully, as we go along, taking nothing for granted.

The Different Uses of the Word "Passover"

Notice verse 1. Luke explains what he means by "the Passover" in this verse. He writes, "Now the Feast of Unleavened

Bread drew near, which is called the Passover." Thus in Luke's terminology, the term "Passover" sometimes refers to the entire feast of Unleavened Bread!

Now notice verse 7: "Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed." In this verse the "Passover" which must be "killed" has to refer obviously to the "Passover lamb" which was killed. My margin in the NKJV Bible says, "sacrificed." You don't "kill" a day, or a meal, but you do kill an animal, in this case "the Passover lamb." The day the lamb was killed or sacrificed was Nisan 14, the day before the actual "FEAST" started, which was the 15th through the 21st (seven days). The 14th of Nisan was also called a "Day of Unleavened Bread," in this verse, because on that day all leaven was destroyed or removed -- it was the "Preparation Day" for the Festival.

Obviously, then, we have proved that the word "Passover" itself can have several different meanings. It clearly does not always refer to the dinner itself where the Passover lamb is eaten! That much we have proven already!

The word "Passover" itself is interesting and important to understand, then. Strong's Concordance points out, in its definition of the Greek word pascha, from which we get the English word "Passover" in the New Testament, that this word means or signifies: "the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival, or the special sacrifices connected with it)."

In the Old Testament, the word "Passover" is translated from the Hebrew word pesach, from pasah, a primitive root meaning "to hop, i.e. (fig.) skip over (or spare) . . ." Pesach itself means "a pretermission, i.e., exemption; used only tech. of the Jewish Passover (the festival or the victim)."

Thus, when the term 'Passover" is used, it can refer to several different aspects of the Passover Feast -- the seven-day Festival itself, the Passover seder meal observed at the beginning of the 15th of Nisan, the Passover lamb sacrificed during the afternoon of Nisan 14, and the other sacrifices killed during the Festival. In effect, anything connected with the Festival could be called "the Passover," as it would constitute PART of the Passover. The season of the year is even called the "Passover season," meaning the Spring, the time of the year when the Passover is observed!

The "Preparation" of the Passover

Now let's look at verse 8: Jesus sent Peter and John telling them, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." In context, then, He is telling them to "Prepare for the coming Passover Feast" -- all the seven days of "Passover" (verse 1). They had to prepare -- that is, obtain "unleavened bread," and all the things necessary for observing the Passover for seven

days. That is why this day was called a "Preparation Day." Jesus was telling His disciples to "PREPARE" for the up-coming Passover -- that is, to "GET READY" and "make preparations."

Actually, Nisan 14, when the Passover lambs are killed, in the afternoon, between 3 and 6 PM, is the final "preparation day" for the Passover Festival! The "preparation days" begin on Nisan 10, when the lambs are selected (Exodus 12:3). It was actually on the morning of Nisan 13 when Jesus told His disciples to "go and prepare the Passover." How do we know this?

The answer is simple: After this final supper, Jesus was seized by the Pharisees and Sadducees, interrogated that night, condemned by the Sanhedrin the following morning (Matt.27:1-2), and delivered to Pilate for judgment that same morning (verse 2). Pilate then sent Him to Herod (Luke 23:1-12). This had to be the daylight portion of Nisan 13. Herod then sent Jesus back to Pilate, and we read in the book of John:

"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth,

and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the

Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

"And it was THE PREPARATION OF THE PASSOVER, and

about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!"

(John 19:13-14).

Now when was the "sixth hour"? In his gospel, John always used JEWISH TIME reckoning (see John 4:1-6). The "sixth hour" meant TWELVE NOON, according to OUR time reckoning, today! Jesus said, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" (John 11:9). Daylight begins around 6 AM in the morning and ends around 6 PM in the evening. But in Jewish time reckoning, the first hour of daylight is hour "one," and therefore the "sixth hour" would be TWELVE NOON, our time -- the middle of the day! That is when Pilate finally condemned Christ to be crucified!

This had to be Nisan 13, the middle of the day. Then Jesus was whipped, scourged, and delivered to prison, and was led out to be crucified the next morning, and was nailed to the stake at the "third hour" of the day -- NINE A.M., in the morning, our modern time (see Mark 15:20, 23-25). This could not have been the same day Pilate condemned Christ to death, because that sentencing occurred at twelve noon, the middle of the day, and Jesus was nailed to the stake at 9:00 A.M., in the morning of the day He was crucified! Otherwise, we would have the strange anomaly of Christ being crucified three hours before He was judged and condemned!

The preparation period for the Passover, then, was from Nisan 10 through the 14th, when the lambs were killed in the afternoon -- at the very time Jesus Himself, our Passover Lamb, died on the cross (I Cor.5:7). Killing the lamb was just the final part of the preparation needed to properly observe the Passover Feast.

During the preparation period, all leaven had to be put out of the homes of the people, and gotten rid of, and preparations had to be made for the obtaining of unleavened bread, wine, groceries, rooms had to be cleaned and or rented, and other preparations for the Passover dinner on Nisan 15, and the rest of Passover week, had to be made.

Thus the days from Nisan 10 to the 14th of Nisan was a very busy, sometimes hectic, time of "preparation." Finally, on the afternoon of the 14th, the lambs, themselves, had to be taken to the Temple, and inspected by the priests to be sure they were "kosher," and had no blemishes, and then had to be killed during the afternoon of Nisan 14, between roughly 3 and 5 o'clock, as Josephus the Jewish historian states.

When the Lambs Were Killed

Josephus, a leading Pharisee and Jewish general of the first century, and the greatest Jewish historian of ancient times, wrote concerning this subject. In his book Wars of the Jews, he declared: "So these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the PASSOVER, WHEN THEY SLAY THEIR SACRIFICES FROM THE NINTH HOUR TO THE ELEVENTH . . ." (Wars, Bk.VI, ix, 3).

Edersheim describes the preparations of the Passover in his book The Temple: Its Ministry and Services --

"The special preparations for the Passover commenced on the evening of the

13th of Nisan, with which, according to Jewish reckoning, the 14th began, the

day being computed from evening to evening. Then the head of the house was

to search with a lighted candle all places where leaven was usually kept, and to

put what of it he found in the house in a safe place, whence no portion could be

carried away by accident. Before doing this, he prayed: 'Blessed art thou, YHVH,

our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments,

and commanded us to remove the leaven.' And after it he said: 'All the leaven

that is in my possession, that which I have seen and that which I have not seen,

be it null, be it accounted as the dust of the earth.' The search itself was to be

accomplished in perfect silence and with a lighted candle. To this search the

apostle may have referred in the admonition to 'purge out the old leaven' (I Cor.

5:7)" (p.172).

Edersheim continues about events during the daylight portion of the "preparation day" of Nisan 14:

"Early on the forenoon of the 14th of Nisan the feast of the Passover may be said

to have begun. In Galilee, no work was done all that day; in Judaea it was continued

till mid-day; the rule, however, being that no new work was to be commenced, though

that which was in hand might be carried on. . . . The strictest opinion fixes ten o'clock

as the latest hour when leaven might be eaten, the more lax eleven. From that hour

till twelve o'clock it was required to abstain from leaven, while at twelve it was to be

solemnly destroyed, either by burning, immersing it in water, or scattering it to the

winds.

Edersheim points out that the regular "evening sacrifice," of the Passover day, was slain an hour earlier than on other days -- at 1:30 in afternoon. Customarily, on most days it was slain at 2:30 P.M. and offered at 3:30, but on the eve of Passover it was killed an hour earlier. (If Nisan 14 fell on a Friday, then it was killed two hours earlier, or at 12:30 in the afternoon, so as to prevent any breach of the Sabbath day, so that all Passover sacrifices would be accomplished before sunset and the beginning of the weekly Sabbath.)

The Passover lambs had to be slain also, as part of the "preparation" for the Passover. They had to be slain at the Temple or sanctified areas. Edersheim describes the scene thusly:

"It was done on this wise: -- The first of the three festive divisions, with their

Paschal lambs, was admitted within the Court of the Priests. Each division must

consist of not less than thirty persons (3 x 10, the symbolic number of the

Divine and of completeness). Immediately the massive gates were closed

behind them. The priest drew a threefold blast from their silver trumpets

when the Passover was slain. Altogether the scene was most impressive.

All along the Court up to the altar of burnt-offering priests stood in two rows,

the one holding golden, the other silver bowls. In these the blood of the Paschal

lambs, which each Israelite slew for himself (as representative of his company

at the Paschal Supper), was caught up by a priest, who handed it to his colleague,

receiving back an empty bowl, and so the bowls with the blood were passed up

to the priest at the altar, who jerked it in one jet at the base of the altar. While

this was going on, a most solemn hymn of praise was raised, the Levites lead-

ing in song, and the offerers either repeating after them or merely responding

. . ." (p.175).

"If the 'Hallel' had been finished before the service of one division was completed,

it was repeated a second and, if needful, even a third time. . . . Next, the sacrifices

were hung up on hooks along the Court, or laid on staves which rested on the

shoulders of two men (on Sabbaths they were not laid on staves), then flayed,

the entrails taken out and cleansed, and the inside fat separated, put in a dish, salted,

and placed on the fire of the altar of burnt-offering. This completed the sacrifice.

The first division of offerers being dismissed, the second entered, and finally the third,

the service being in each case conducted in precisely the same manner. Then the

whole service concluded by burning the incense and trimming the lamps for the

night" (p.177).

Thus the Passover preparation day of the 14th of Nisan was filled with activity, as the people got ready for the Passover seder/dinner at the beginning of Nisan 15.

The Greek Word "Hemera" Means "TIME"

Now, let's go back to our story in Luke 22. According to the account, the "day" or "time" came when the Passover must be killed (verse 7). The word "day" here is the Greek word hemera and can mean "a period of opportunity for service," or "a period of undefined length marked by certain characteristics" (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary, part 2, page 146). It can be translated "period" or "time."

Thus the time came when the Passover must be celebrated, and Jesus at this time told His disciples to go into the city of Jerusalem, find a man bearing a pitcher of water, follow him into his house, and inquire about the guest-chamber where Christ and His disciples could "eat the passover" (verse 11) -- that is, celebrate the upcoming seven day Passover Feast!

Asking the Impossible?

IF this very evening was the time they were going to eat the Passover, and Jesus at this very late moment told them to "go and prepare," wasn't He asking them to do the well-nigh impossible? Would it not have been a little late to think about beginning preparations? What about the lamb? What about taking the lamb to the Temple, having it properly approved, then killed, and roasted? No way could this have occurred as the sun set at the start of Nisan 14!

Rather, Jesus gave these instructions to His disciples in the morning of Nisan 12 -- a Monday that year. They did so, and had a special dinner that night, still anticipating the upcoming Passover (see John 13:1), which had not come yet! Then, that evening, the Jews took Jesus into custody, and presented Him to the Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again, during the daylight portion of Nisan 13. After being condemned at twelve o'clock noon, Pilated had Jesus scourged and beaten, and then placed in a holding cell until the morning of Nisan 14. According to Jewish law, as shown in the Mishnah, a condemned "criminal" could not be condemned the day before a Festival, nor could he be condemned and put to death on the same day. Therefore, Jesus had to be condemned at least two days prior to the Passover (Nisan 13), and put to death on Nisan 14, the day before the Passover (Nisan 15) Holy Day. Write for our special Prophecy Flash issue, "Jesus' Last Week," which explains all these things in great detail!

Now imagine for a moment. If Jesus was referring to "preparing the Passover," to eat it, including the lamb, the evening (beginning) of Nisan 14, that very night, then He was totally ignoring the original Passover commandment! He would have been celebrating the Passover at the WRONG TIME, the wrong evening, and He would have had to kill the Passover lamb on the 13th of Nisan -- something nowhere commanded in Scripture! Rather, God says the lambs were to be slain "in the evening" of the "fourteenth day" (Exodus 12:6) -- that is, the ENDING portion of the day! The EVENING of the 14th means the END of the 14th! Notice!

The Original Passover Commandment

God commands, "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" (Exodus 12:18). This describes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The actual days of the Feast are Nisan 15 through Nisan 21.

"In the fourteenth day of the first month AT EVEN [evening, end of the 14th]

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" (Lev.23:5-6).

Now notice! God said we are to keep the Feast from the 14th at evening till the 21st at evening (Exo.12:18). If evening means the FIRST PART OF THE DAY, then the Feast would be have to be the seven days from Nisan 14 to the end of Nisan 20! But here in Leviticus 23 God plainly says the Feast begins on the 15th and lasts through seven days. Therefore, counting seven days beginning with Nisan 15, makes the Feast last through Nisan 21, "at evening." Obviously, the "evening" of Nisan 14 means the ENDING PORTION of the day, and the "evening" of Nisan 21, means the ENDING PART of that day!

Was Jesus Christ breaking this command, and telling His disciples -- at the very last minute, as it were -- to "prepare" to keep the Passover, which would be observed just a few hours later? In the first place, would He CHANGE the time and manner of observing the Passover? Secondly, wouldn't He have been putting a real burden on them, if He meant to keep the Passover that very night?

Notice! If it was already the beginning of the 14th of Nisan, and the sun had already set, and NOW He tells them, "Prepare the Passover," which was to be kept that very night, WHAT A PREPOSTEROUS SITUATION! The disciples would have been beside themselves -- utterly frustrated! How could they possibly prepare in such a SHORT TIME INTERVAL?

If the Passover was that very night, then surely He would have advised them much sooner to begin preparations for it! The common interpretation of this passage makes Jesus out to be a disorganized, confused individual who asked His disciples to "prepare" for the Feast, but waited till the very last minute to do so! If we assume the traditional Passover was that very night, then they had to kill and roast the lamb, themselves, that very night, without taking it to the Temple for the priests to approve of it (the Temple was closed at night). This would have taken hours.

The whole idea is preposterous nonsense!

No, the fact is Jesus told His disciples to prepare DAYS in advance -- the actual day was Monday, Nisan 12. That night, Nisan 13, He held the "last supper." Later that night, He was arrested, and arrayed before Pilate and Herod the next morning, and finally condemned by Pilate at 12 o'clock NOON on Nisan 13. And He was finally crucified at 9 o'clock in the morning, of Nisan 14 -- the very day the Jews killed their Passover lambs!

The "last supper" therefore has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the Passover dinner itself! Those churches and ministers who confuse the two things are totally and sadly mistaken. They should know better!

Now if Jesus was indeed setting us an example to take the "Passover" that very night, then it should be obvious that He and the disciples did not eat until about 10-12 P.M.! The sun would have set around 6:00 P.M., then they would have gone into Jerusalem to find the man, and followed him to his house, then they had to make the room ready and prepare for the "Passover." The lamb had to be roasted (if this was a true "Passover"), and certainly all these preparations would have taken from 7:00 P.M. until about 11:00 P.M. or even later. If this is what modern churches believe to be the Passover, then WHY don't they keep it about 11:00 P.M?

The whole idea reeks of folly and foolishness!

But even worse, this interpretation makes Jesus out to be a disobedient, lawless, impudent individual who flouted and changed the very Passover LAWS of GOD -- yet He plainly says He did not come to "change" the law, but to "fulfill" it -- that is, to observe and keep it and fill it to the brim and running over! (Matt.5:17).

"Eating the Passover"

Now notice verse 11: The disciples were to ask the man they encountered in the streets where the guest room was which Jesus would use to "eat the Passover with My disciples." What does Jesus mean here? Is He necessarily referring to the Passover dinner, which was held on the beginning of Nisan 15? That would be impossible, since He knows He will BE the "Passover lamb" of God, sacrificed the next day, at the time of the Passover sacrifice (I Cor.5:7-8). He knew He would not be eating the traditional, normal Passover with them. So what could He be referring to, here?

Let's remember the context, and the fact that "Passover" can have several different meanings! As Ezekiel the prophet says, "In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the passover, a feast of seven days" (Ezek.45:21). They ate the Passover, then, feasting, and celebrating, for SEVEN DAYS! Therefore, when Jesus spoke of "eating" the Passover, with His disciples, He meant celebrating the FEAST -- not eating the first seder/meal with them, when He knew He would be dead!

Again, as Luke 22:1 shows, the seven-day Feast itself is called the "Passover." The term "Passover" can refer to any part or aspect of the Passover Feast, or else the ENTIRE SEVEN DAY FEAST. Jesus had obviously arranged with this man to "rent" or obtain this room for the entire Festival, during which they would be feasting, eating unleavened bread, and rejoicing before God.

Jesus did "eat the Passover" with His disciples after He arose from the dead, for the remainder of the Feast. However, it

should be obvious that He did not eat the "Passover lamb" with them that year, because He was our Passover lamb, being sacrificed at the very time the Jews were sacrificing their lambs (I Cor.5:7).

What The "Lord's Supper" Really Was!

But what, then, was this special meal, or dinner, they were to have that very night? Could it also have been classified or considered as "part of the Passover"? It was certainly a very special occasion. But it occurred BEFORE Passover Week! It occurred on one of the prior "preparation" days. It was a meal that concluded the final instructions Jesus had to give His disciples, before His impending death. It was certainly very special. But it was not the "Passover"!

Rather, as David Stern writes in a footnote of the Jewish New Testament Commentary, this was a kind of banquet celebrating the conclusion of a period of study and instruction, after completing a course of special education. They had been with Jesus three years. They had completed a couse of religious instruction, to prepare them to become apostles. And, this was a final meal celebrating their accomplishment, and preparing them for the future, when He would no longer be literally among them on the earth.

Says David Stern:

"However, Joseph Shulam has suggested that it may have been not the Seder but a

se'udat-mitzvah the 'celebratory banquet accompanying performance of a command-

ment' such as a wedding or b'rit-milah.

"Here is the background for his argument. When a rabbi and his students finish study-

ing a tractate of the Talmud, they celebrate with a se'udat-mitzvah (also called a

se'udat-siyum, 'banquet of completion,' i.e., graduation)" (Jewish New Testament

Commentary, page 77).

According to Joseph Shulam, "since Yeshua knew he was to die, he may have regarded it as appropriate to complete his disciples earthly 'course of study' with a banquet" (ibid.). Says David Stern, "This solution would also resolve the perceived conflict between Yochanan [the gospel of John] and the Synoptic Gospels over the timing of the Last Supper" (ibid.).

The "Last Supper" is certainly a most amazing story in itself. It is the subject of much controversy and heated argument. Some claim it was the Passover seder itself, but as we have seen, it had to have occurred BEFORE the real Passover seder would have been celebrated (the night of Nisan 15).

"They Prepared the Passover"

Luke 22:13: ". . . they prepared the Passover." Of course! The disciples did as Jesus instructed, found the man, followed him to his house, and were led to the room, which they prepared for the coming Feast of Passover, stocking up with supplies, and their Festival needs. They also prepared a meal for that night, since none of them had yet had supper. This meal, this very evening, would constitute a sort of "kicking off meal" for the whole Passover celebration which would last the rest of that day and the following seven days! It would also be a sort of "final banquet," finishing off the three-year course of study and discipleship of the disciples with Jesus.

But this "kick-off" meal or banquet could not have been the traditional "Passover" seder or banquet itself, as some insist! Remember, one of the keys to understanding the Bible is to put ALL the relevant Scriptures together, before you draw any conclusions! In this case, let's now turn to the book of John, and see what he says about this final "meal" itself. Does the apostle John say it was the "Passover"? Notice!

The Gospel of John

The apostle John records this event: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that HIS HOUR HAD COME that He should depart from this world, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being served ["ended" is a poor translation; my Bible margin says, "during supper"], the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus . . . rose from SUPPER . . ." (John 13:1-4).

Notice! This was "before the Feast of the Passover"! Therefore it could not have been the traditional, normal Passover! Supper was still being served when Jesus arose to wash the disciples' feet. John nowhere calls this meal a "Passover." He simply calls it "supper."

At this "supper" they ate regular "bread," because the Feast had not yet begun (verse 1). The Greek word for 'bread' used for this evening's bread is artos and normally refers to leavened bread unless qualified otherwise with a modifier. The Greek word for unleavened bread is AZUMOS. The bread Jesus and the disciples ate this evening was the kind that one would "dip" into a gravy, as a "sop." Jesus told John, when he asked Him who would betray Him, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it" (John 13:26). "And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, What you do, do quickly" (verse 27).

The next verse explains that no one knew why Jesus said this to Judas. "For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, 'Buy those things we need for the Feast,' or that he should give something to the poor" (verse 28).

Now if this was the PASSOVER DINNER, doesn't it seem strange that the disciples thought Jesus was sending Judas away from the Passover, right in the middle of it, to BUY GROCERIES FOR THE FEAST?

That makes no sense at all!

If this was the Passover, then the markets would have most likely been closed, and certainly no shopping would be allowed to interrupt the very Passover dinner itself! The very fact that the disciples had such a thought in their minds indicates plainly that they knew this meal itself was not the Passover, but indeed was a very special meal eaten together as a "love banquet."

Now notice Luke 22:14: "And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him." This compares with John 13:1: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father . . ." In neither passage does it say that the "hour" of the Passover had come! Rather, it was the "hour of His betrayal" that had come. Jesus knew that this night would be His last with His disciples, until after His forthcoming death and resurrection.

"With Fervent Desire . . . THIS Passover"

Now we come to the most enigmatic, perplexing verse of all. This is the verse which is the most misunderstood verse in all the New Testament, I believe. Notice! We have been studying this subject in context, bringing together all the related Scriptures. Now we come to Luke 22, verses 15-16. Here Jesus said to the disciples:

"With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

Let's take a spiritual microscope to this verse, and analyze it very carefully. Let's notice what it does say as well as what it does not say.

What, then, did Jesus mean when He said, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer"? The word for "desire" in this verse is an unusual word, epithumia in the Greek, and means "a longing, especially for that which is forbidden" (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, #1939). The word for "desire" in this verse is very important to understanding the context of Jesus' words. Says Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, "desire, craving, longing," "specifically

for what is forbidden." This is the "strongest expression of intense desire," whether good or bad, says the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Critical-Experimental Commentary.

In other words, Jesus here very likely was saying He desired to eat the normal, traditional Passover with His disciples, which would be held on the following evening, but He knows that such a thing will be impossible -- that it is forbidden -- that for Him to fulfill God's PLAN He must be dead and in the grave that evening, and therefore it is forbidden and impossible for Him to eat that Passover seder meal with them, with all its special meanings and integral significance!

Suppose a man was talking to a friend in the world, and told him a few days before Christmas, "With desire I have desired to celebrate this Christmas with you before I leave, but unfortunately I have to take a long trip and won't be here for the holiday. But I won't be able to keep Christmas with you until many years from now." In other words, it is nothing more than pure assumption on the part of some to conclude that this verse proves Jesus was celebrating the Passover that very evening! This verse proves nothing of the kind -- in fact, it implies the very opposite, when we understand the context!

The Critical-Experimental Commentary points out:

"The last meal one is to partake of with his family or friends before his departure

even for a far distant land, in all probability never to see them again, is a solemn and

fond one to any thoughtful and loving person. The last meal of a martyr, of Jesus with

his friends in the truth, before being led forth to execution, is still more touching. But

faint are these illustrations of the emotions with which Jesus now sat down supper

with the Twelve. All the sweetness and all the sadness of His social intercourse with

them, from the day that He first chose them to be with Him, were now to be concentrated

and heightened to their utmost intensity during the brief hour or two of this their last meal

together. But this was no common meal, nor even common passover."

Thus far we have shown much evidence that this final meal was certainly not the normal or typical "Passover," as there is no mention of lamb, it was held several nights before the customary "Passover" dinner of lamb, herbs, and unleavened bread, and Jesus and the disciples ate regular "bread" which they dipped at this meal. John specifically calls it a "supper," not the Passover. It was, in actuality, "the Lord's supper."

A Careful Comparison

Let is do a comparison of this final meal with the traditional Passover:

Traditional Passover The Last Supper

(Differences)

1. Held on Nisan 15, at night 1. Held on Nisan 13, at night

2. Sacrificed Passover lamb eaten 2. No sacrificed lamb eaten, but Lamb of God present