Let us now look at the time of Jesus' ministry, as He prepaired Himself for the passover and to offer Himself as the Lamb slain for sin.
Starting in Mathew the 16th chapter, in the 21st verse, Jesus began to teach His disciples from that time forth, the understanding of how that He must go into Jerusalem and suffer and be killed and how that afterward He would raise again from the dead.
Matt 16:21
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Matt 17:22-23
22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
The time was nearing when Jesus would offer Himself up as the Lamb slain for sin and He knew it was going to be hard for those who loved Him to accept this fulfilment of prophesy. It was also important to Him that we should know that He was the one chosen of God to be the Messiah that the old testament spoke of. For this reason Jesus began teaching His disciples the things that would take place on the passover.
This same revelation is given to the desciples of Jesus in
Mathew 20;17-19, Mark 10:32-34, and then again in Luke 18:31-34. As I study these accounts of where Jesus is teaching to His desciples, the things which must come to pass concerning His death and resurrection, I notice in the account recorded in Luke, that the Lord shows us a peculiar thing about the desciples. He tells us in Luke 18:34 that even though He explained to the desciples about the things which were about to take place when they got to Jerusalem, they didn't understand what Jesus was telling them for the meaning of these things was hid from them.Luke 18:31-34
31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
I ponder this question in my own mind.. why would Jesus clearly tell them the things which were about to take place and yet not give them the understanding of what it all meant? I wounder, is it possible that the Lord knew that if His desciples understood the meaning of these things, it might be revealed to those who were to actualy pursicute and crucify Him, thereby allowing the devil to understand that if he carried out his plan to get rid of Jesus (having Jesus crucified on the cross of Calvary; hoping that by killing Him he would prevent Him from destroying what he was trying to do concerning the people he stole away from God in the garden of Eden to begin with) that he would realy only be allowing himself (Satan) to be the very instrument God used to redeam us from the grip of sin (he Satan, had drawn us into), by putting to death the very offering needed to pay for the sin which seperated us from our true Father in Heaven. Perhaps Judas would not have betrayed Jesus if he had understood the things which were told to him.
( simply food for thought, not biblicaly substantiated)However, it is clear to see that Jesus wanted these things to be shown, to be known before they actualy took place, so that we might know for certain that it was the forgoing plan of God in the redemption of man from sin. Knowing that we today, by the proper dividing of God's word, would be able to see the understanding of these things and allow us to grow in faith concerning the things of God.
During the time they were in Bethany, a town just outside of Jerusalem, he took His desciples to visit a man living in Bethany, Simon the leper. While in Simon's house there took place an event which the desciples again did not understand the reasoning for. A certain woman came to Jesus having an alabaster box which held a very precious ointment and poured it on His head while they were eating. Jesus, once more explained to the disgruntled desciples that what she did, was in preperation of His burial. Again, He wanted us to see clearly that He was fulfilling the leagal requirement of a sacrifice having to be offered (Lamb slain) for the sins of mankind, He was that Lamb slain, thus the reasoning for his being anointed with oil in preperation of His own sacrificial death on Calvary.
Matt 26:6-13
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Now, as they were in Jerusalem, Jesus began to make plans for the passover and began to give His desciples dirrection in what needed to be done that they together might partake of the feast of unleavened bread, preceeding the actual passover itself.
Matt 26:1-2
26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
I believe that as we study into this particular time of celebrations, that we will find it to be a celebration which lasted many days. The first day of the month being a day of convocation (set apart, recognized) when they would set themselves apart from the normal activities of life and begin a cleansing prosses that would lead up to the 7th day of the month which would be another day of convocation as well as a feast would be eaten, for 7 days they were to eat no leavened bread, from the first day even until the 7th day.
Ex 12:15-16
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
Ex. 13:6-7
6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
Than on the 14th day of this month was the actual passover, followed by the 15th day which was the feast of passover.
Num 28:16-17
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
This all being done in the month Abib (April).
Ex 13:3-5
3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
5 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
Ex 23:15
15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Ex 34:18
18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
Deut 16:1
16:1 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 Egypt by night.
(The foregoing verses being to show just how important to the Lord it was that we know just which month the passover is in.)
Turning again now to the New Testament and looking at Jesus and His importance to this day of passover;
Matt 26:17-21
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
See also
St. John 13:1John 13:1
13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
It is important to notice here that the Lord made it clear that the events concerning His seperation from His followers and His scourgings by the Gentiles all took place (before) the feast of the passover.
(Remember, the feast of passover was on the 15th day of Abib (April) .. Jesus, as we see by scripture, "is" the passover Lamb, which was to be offered for sin "on" passover, which passover itself is the 14th day of Abib (April).
Num 28:16-17
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Lev 23:5-6
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
6 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.
Deut 16:1
16:1 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 Egypt by night.
Now in the books of
St. Mark and St. John we see this reinterated again as they took Jesus to the hall of judgement. It was the leaders of Israel (the priests, scribes, elders, and whole council) which took Jesus before Pilate to be judged and condimned. We know it was before the feast of passover because they wouldn't enter into the judgement hall, (by law, if they had enterred into the judgement hall the would have been unclean and could not have partaken of the passover). Remember, these religious leders were sticklers about keeping the law in the flesh, sadly though, they did not have the Spirit of the law in their hearts.Mark 15:1
15:1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
Mark, here clearly states who it was that took Jesus in before Pilate, the following verse in John tells us that it was before the passover.
John 18:28
28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
Now, we will look at the actual time of Jesus' crucifixion. First we see Pilate reasoning with the Jews to let Jesus go on the passover, for it was a custom for him to release one prisoner to the jews (of their choise) on passover.
John 18:38-39
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
John 19:7-12
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
9;
Studying the Jewish laws, we find where it was the priviledge of a near kinsman of a person who had been sold into bondage, to purchase them back from that bondage, but it had to be a free will decission, they were not forced nor bound to purchase them back from that bondage. That's why in verse 11 above, Jesus told Pilate he could not have power over Jesus' life unless it was given to him, it was Jesus' free will decission to give Himself up for those He loved and pay the price to purchase them back from the bondage of sin. We see this very clearly in St. John 10.
John 10:15-18
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Jesus clearly stated to us that He was laying down His life for those he loved, and that He was doing it in complete fulfilment of the requirements of the laws of God, given to the children of Israel.
Matt 5:17
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.