Author Topic: Crucified on Passover  (Read 1612 times)

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TomAnthony

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Crucified on Passover
« on: June 23, 2015, 08:02:08 pm »
I contend that the greatest and most inspirational aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ is one that sadly receives very little attention. What I am referring to is the fact that Jesus did not die on a random or arbitrary day but rather He completed His ultimate assignment on an incredibly significant day. Jesus was crucified on the anniversary of what I contend was the most significant day in the history of the Hebrew people. If anyone is interested in this topic I will post more.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2015, 08:05:55 pm by TomAnthony »

macuser

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Re: Crucified on Passover
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2015, 09:55:37 pm »
Hello Tom

I agree with you. It even goes back to the lamb offered to take the place of Abrahams son on the alter. There are many examples of the substitution Christ made.

The only Lamb that is worthy.

Mac

TomAnthony

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Re: Crucified on Passover
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2015, 02:59:48 pm »
The 12th chapter of Exodus explains what happened on the Passover (Pesach in Hebrew). In the first two verses of this chapter we learn that immediately before the occurrence of the Passover that the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to observe a particular calendar .

Exodus 12:1-2 - The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."

On the tenth day of the first month every Hebrew household was to select an unblemished year old lamb (or goat). The lambs were then to be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month.

Exodus 12:6 - Take care of them until the 14th day of the month, when all members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

The Hebrews were then to apply the blood on the door frames of their houses. Those families that followed these instructions were protected from the Lord's judgment. Those families who did not follow the instructions, including the Egyptians, did not receive the protection. At midnight following the 14th day of the first month the Egyptians suffered the loss of their firstborn by the hand of the Lord. That very night Pharaoh, who lost his own son, finally granted the Hebrews their long awaited freedom. The Hebrews, who had endured slavery for many generations, were finally free.

The Hebrews were commanded to always remember the day of Passover. They were to commemorate that day each year on its anniversary, the 14th day of the first month.

Exodus 12:14 - This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance.

Now let us consider the New Testament and let us examine the day that the Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed relative to the calendar that the Lord had Moses observe. If we consider the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke we might come to the conclusion that Jesus died on the 15th day of the first month (the day known as the feast of Unleavened Bread). These three gospels identify the Last Supper, which took place on the evening before the Lord's death, as a Passover supper. Since the Passover is always celebrated on the evening of 14th day of the first month one may assume that Jesus died on the 15th day of the first month.

The gospel of John is somewhat more definitive then the synoptic gospels in identifying which day Jesus died in relation to the ancient Hebrew calendar. John's gospel suggests a different day. John records that on the morning of the day that Jesus was crucified, the Jewish leaders who intend to see Jesus killed, would not enter the residence of a gentile. They considered that this action would defile them and make them unfit to participate in the Passover meal that they intend to eat later that day.

John 18:28 - Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.

Based on the gospel of John, we can recognize that Jesus was crucified on the very day that the Jews commemorated Passover. John's gospel goes even further so as to specifically identify which day Jesus died in relation to the calendar observed by Moses.

John 19:13 - When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover;

According to John Jesus was crucified on the day known as "Preparation of the Passover." Now this requires some explanation. In the ancient Hebrew calendar a new day begins at sundown. The Passover lambs were sacrifice on the 14th day of the first month. However the actual Passover event, that is where the Lord's death angel passed over the homes with the blood applied, occurred at about midnight early on the 15th day. For this reason many Jews, apparently including John, Passover is considered to be the 15th day of the first month. Therefore using John's terminology the "day of Preparation of the Passover" is a reference to the 14th day of the first month.

So based on John's gospel Jesus died on the 14th day of the first month. This would be the very anniversary of the day the original Passover lambs were slain! Surely this was not coincidence but rather was done according to the very plan of God. Without question the occurrence of the original day of Passover was the foretelling of the Day the Lord would provide His own Passover Lamb for the sake of the entire world!

Over the years I have learned that very, very few Christians have taken the time to familiarize themselves with actual operation of the ancient Hebrew calendar referenced in the 12th chapter of Exodus. Now this would be the only divinely instituted calendar. There is a profoundly significant aspect to the day of Passover as it relates to this calendar. Since I have run out of time today I'll have to save this explanation for another posting.   

TomAnthony

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Re: Crucified on Passover
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2015, 01:46:37 pm »
There are few Jewish people today that actually have an understanding of the operation of the ancient Hebrew calendar. This is the calendar that is referenced in the 12th chapter of Exodus. An understanding of this calendar among Christians today is almost nonexistent. This is unfortunate because this calendar, which is quite simple, glorifies the day of Passover which in turn glorifies the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. To understand this calendar, which was observed by Moses, is to understand that the day of Passover is its very cornerstone. Passover truly is the day of days within this calendar!
 
The modern Jewish calendar, which is observed today, was instituted about three and a half centuries after the time of Christ. This calendar is an approximation of the ancient Hebrew calendar that was instituted by Moses. The ancient Hebrew calendar was still in use during the time of Christ. This original calendar required physical observation of the new moon where as the modern Jewish calendar is entirely based on rules and formulas. These rules and formulas replace the need for anyone to physically observe the occurrence of the new moon. There are many special rules and formulas that define the modern Jewish calendar. This calendar is quite complex. In contrast, the ancient Hebrew calendar is very simple to understand.

The Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle. This is to say that a new month begins with the occurrence of the new moon. Now the lunar cycle, that is the time period from one new moon until the next (or the time period of one full moon until the next), is about 29 and a half days. Consequently every month in the Hebrew calendar has either 29 or 30 days.

The new moon first appears immediately after sunset. The new moon appears as a thin crescent and it sets in the western horizon shortly after sunset. Back in the days of Christ, it was the responsibility of the Sanhedrin to officially declare the occurrence of the new moon. This announcement was called Rosh Chodesh. This announcement would mark the first day of a new month (incidentally, a new day begins at sunset in the Hebrew calendar because the new moon is first visible at sunset). The full moon always occurs on either the 14th or 15th day of the month. Toward the end of the month the moon wanes back into a thin crescent. At the very end of the month, for about a two day period when the moon is between the earth and the sun, the moon will not be visible. When the moon again reappears as the new moon, a new month begins.
 
Passover is commemorated on the evening of the 14th day of the first month. This is the time of the full moon. Even in this modern day, Passover is always commemorated at the time of the full moon.

In the opening scene in Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, Jesus is suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. The next day He will be crucified. What I find interesting about this scene is that it opens (the very opening of the movie) with a shot of a beautiful full moon high in the night sky. The fact that there was a full moon present that night was quite correct. This is actually a very simple deduction. Jesus died on the anniversary of Passover which always occurs at the time of the full moon.

Twelve months in the Hebrew calendar are about eleven days short of a solar year. Now if every year in the Hebrew calendar had twelve months than the day of Passover (the 14th day of the first month) would occur earlier and earlier each successive year. Eventually Passover would occur in Winter. However Passover always occurs in Spring. The commemoration of Passover in Spring is actually a directive that the Lord gave to Moses.

Deuteronomy 16:1 – Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night.

Aviv is the first month in the Hebrew calendar (the first month has also been known as Nisan since the Babylonian captivity). Aviv is also a Hebrew word that is a reference to Spring. 

Back in the days of Christ the Sanhedrin announced the beginning of a new month with the occurrence of the new moon. The Sanhedrin had the additional responsibility to make sure that Passover always occurred in Spring. If in a given year, it appeared that Passover was going to be commemorated in Winter, which is too early, the Sanhedrin would then append a 13th month to the prior year. By delaying the first month by one month allowed Passover to be commemorated in Spring. Approximately 7 times every 19 years the Sanhedrin would append a 13th month to a given year for the purpose of making sure that Passover never advanced into Winter.

A question could be asked – how did the Sanhedrin determined the start of Spring? The answer is that they considered the vernal equinox (the vernal equinox occurs when the sun is directly over the equator, generally about March 21st) to be the start of Spring. Back in the time of Christ Passover could be commemorated as early as the vernal equinox but never any earlier.

Back during the time of Christ Passover was always commemorated at the time of the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This remained true when the modern Jewish calendar was first instituted about 1600 years ago. However, the modern Jewish calendar has acquired several days of error since its inception. In this modern age Passover is commemorated at the time of the second full moon after the vernal equinox in about one out of every five years.

To summarize, the ancient Hebrew calendar, the one the Lord instructed Moses to observe, can be understood by two simple rules. The first rule is that a new moon begins a new month. The other rule is that Passover must never be observed before the start of Spring. A 13th month is appended to the prior year if Passover would otherwise occur before the start of Spring.

It is Passover that determines when the first month occurs. The first month then determines when the other months occur. If you understand the ancient Hebrew calendar then you understand that Passover is its cornerstone day. If you understand the ancient Hebrew calendar you then understand that the Lord intended Passover to be the very focal point of His calendar!

For many years now I have trying to get others to recognize the incredible significance of the day of Passover. It doesn't happen very often but every now and then I am able to get some else to understand this. How inspiring it is to truly understand the ultimate significance of the Passover!   
« Last Edit: June 27, 2015, 07:57:36 am by TomAnthony »

TomAnthony

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Re: Crucified on Passover
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2015, 05:40:00 pm »
Few Christians today are aware that the very first Christians commemorated Passover as the day the Lord provided His own Passover Lamb for the sake of the entire world. The concept of commemorating the Lord Jesus Christ's supreme sacrifice on the same day that the Jewish people commemorate Passover may seem like a strange concept but this is exactly what the earliest Christians did. The great holy day of the Jews was also the great holy day of the first Christians.

We can recognize that Paul was an observer of the Passover. Paul instructed the church at Corinth, a gentile church, to commemorate Passover.

1 Corinthians 5:7,8 – Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Scholars who study earlier church history are aware of this practice of commemorating Christ's sacrifice on Passover, the 14th day of the first month of the ancient Hebrew calendar. Scholars now refer to this practice as Quartodecimanism. The word Quartodecimanism is based on the Latin word for the number fourteen.

The practice of commemorating the Jewish day of Passover as the day that Christ died continued for at least a century and a half after the time of Christ. A very contentious debate took place in about the year 190 AD concerning whether or not it was proper to commemorate Christ's sacrifice on the great holy day of the Jewish people. Polycrates, the leader of the church at Ephesus, strongly defended the practice. Victor, the leader of the church at Rome, vigorously opposed the practice.

Victor became very upset with a letter he received from Polycrates in which Polycrates strongly defended the practice. Victor became so enraged with this letter that he sent out his own letters to other churches in the Roman empire in which he attempted to have these churches break off fellowship with Polycrates and the church at Ephesus. After the time of Victor there is little evidence indicating that Quartodecimanism continued.

A question to be asked is if Jesus did indeed die on the very anniversary of the sacrificing of the Passover lambs in Egypt then is this not profoundly significant? Should it not be obvious that Lord brought about both of these days and that the first was the foreshadowing of the latter? Why should there have been such opposition to the custom of commemorating the Jewish day of Passover as the day Jesus died? One answer clearly has to do with antisemitism.

To know much at all about the history of organized Christianity down through the centuries is to know that the organized church has been a horrific tormentor of the Jewish people. Antisemitism within the church did not first begin in the middle ages with the crusades and the inquisition. Antisemitism within organized Christianity can be traced way back to the early centuries.

Constantine is often considered to be the Roman emperor who first unified church and state. In the year 325 AD a council of churches was held in Nicaea of Asia minor. Representatives from many churches in the Roman empire came to attend this gathering. One subject of discussion at the council was which day of the year was to be regarded as the holiest day, the day set aside to most glorify Jesus Christ. Now Constantine, who spoke at this council, was fully aware that in an early time many Christians did indeed commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the great holy day of the Jewish people. On this subject Constantine addressed the council with the following words:

"And first of all, it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul. For we have it in our power, if we abandon their custom, to prolong the due observance of this ordinance to future ages, by a truer order, which we have preserved from the very day of the passion until the present time. Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Savior a different way."

I believe that a tremendously profound truth of Christianity was lost in the early centuries. To disregard the following truths is to ignore what I regard to be the greatest single testament that authenticates the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, these truths also proclaim His position as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. They are as follows:
     1 - God had Moses institute a calendar.
     2 - The day of Passover was both the central day and the focal point of this calendar.
     3 - The ultimate purpose of God in bringing about the day of Passover was to foretell the day that He Himself would provide a Passover Lamb for the entire world, for both Jew and Gentile alike.

My faith and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ are not based on wishful thinking, but rather on powerful evidence. Although by no means is it the only evidence, the greatest single proof to me that the Gospel is true is the timing of the great sacrifice made by Jesus relative to the original Hebrew calendar. When I consider the many profound parallels between the original day of Passover and the day that Jesus became the Passover Lamb of God, I see the most persuasive proof that this Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Savior of the world, as well as my personal Savior.

Those early Christian leaders (including Constantine) who felt that it was improper to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the Passover were most definitely wrong! Because of their stance, a most magnificent truth largely has been ignored by organized Christianity for centuries. Yet I have no doubt that one day in the future, this omission will be rectified. One day, Christians again will recognize fully the profound relationship between the original Passover and its spiritual counterpart.

Bob

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Re: Crucified on Passover
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2015, 06:01:59 pm »
Crucified on Passover
 By Tom Anthony

$14

https://books.google.com/books?id=pF0lPn-vig4C&dq=God+had+Moses+institute+a+calendar&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Now go away Tom😡