The sacrifice of Christ or lamb of God is supposed to be a yearly "memorial" to replace the original Passover sacrifice since the original was a shadow of things to come. The bread and blood part of the "ritual".
I must admit, when I first read your post, I had to do a double take and ask the question, did I just understand you correctly. After reading your subsequent posts, I have to conclude that I indeed did read you correctly.
As much as I don't really want to, I must challenge you with regard to this. Please note, it is done in love as for a brother. You are free to do with it as you will. Perhaps it has merit, perhaps it does not. I shall try to keep this short and to the point, yet enough for most to perhaps understand.
Question: Can Jesus both have eaten the Passover and been the Passover in the same month of the same year?
Question: How long would it take from the time the lamb is slain, which could only be done in the place where YHVH chose to place haShem (Cf Deut 16:2, 6). Then taken back to the place in which whoever was staying, and was roasted whole, until it was time to eat of it?
IMO, this must be considered, for in the realization of this, it further helps us to understand the timing.
The Passover is a sacrifice, it is not a "day". It is a sacrifice in a prescribed month, on a prescribed day, at a prescribed time(frame). Yes, there is also a "second" Passover in the second month for those away on a journey or "unclean" on account of a dead body (Gee, I wonder why), cf BeMidbar 9 ; 19:11.
"These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD's Passover." Leviticus 23:4,5
The idea of Passover as an "appointed time" is expressed by the words of Yeshua as he prepares to meet his own appointed time in Jerusalem. In Mathew 26:17,18, Yeshua calls Passover "my appointed time." In saying this, the Master has identified the appointed time of the Festival of Unleavened Bread as his appointed time.
The Passover (sacrifice) is given to be upon the 14th between the evenings. "Unleavened Bread" does not begin until the 15th. The Passover is to be eaten with unleavened bread, the feast of
unleaven is for
seven days only. The Passover seder is the meal that (pardon my expression) *kicks off* the feast so to speak. (cf Exodus 12:8)
Otherwise, it would require 8 days of unleavened bread.
Let's look a little closer:
Exodus 12:6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them "at twilight" (bein ha-`arebim).
Leviticus 23:5 The LORD'S Passover begins "at twilight" (bein ha-`arebim) on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD'S Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
Numbers 9:3 Celebrate it at the appointed time, "at twilight" (bein ha-`arebim) on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations."
This fairly well establishes the month and day. It is upon the 14th day of the first month. However we have also encountered the first problem as well:
"At twilight", or bein ha-`arebim; When is this? IMO, we need to establish this for the sake of clarity and in order to achieve a proper understanding of this.
Bein ha-`arebim is "between the-evenings". Does this help us at all? Not really. So let's see if perhaps there is something within the Scriptures that will give us the needed clarification.
Deuteronomy 16:6b there you must sacrifice the Passover "in the evening, when the sun goes down" [ba-`arev ke-vo' ha-shemesh], on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.
ba-`arev ke-vo' ha-shemesh: In the-evening, as-to_go the-sun.
IMO: This clarifies the meaning or timing of bein ha-arebim.
The Exodus itself will further clarify this as well as help set the timeline;
Exodus 12:29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
Numbers helps further solidify this: 33:3 The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover.
From the Exodus account, we can see that they slew the Passover and applied the blood. Midway through the night, the firstborn were slain. During the night (that very night) Pharaoh summoned Moses and commanded them to leave. According to Numbers, they set out on the 15th, the day after the Passover.
To sum up to this point: The Passover lamb was to be slaughtered on the 14th of Aviv (Nisan), as the sun was to go down (prior to sunset).
According to Josephus, the "sacrifice(s)" were slain between 2 and 5:
Wars of the Jews 6.9.3 (Book 6, Chapter 9, Verse 3) we find; ...upon the coming of that feast which is called the Passover, when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour till the eleventh, but so that a company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice...
I think that perhaps a brief look at the Feast of Unleavened Bread is perhaps warranted here:
Numbers 28:17 On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast. 18 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
Leviticus 23:6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD'S Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
Note: The 15th of Aviv is a shabat shabaton and mele'ket `avodah lo'.
Exodus 12:18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, "from the evening" (ba-`erev) of the fourteenth day "until the evening" (ba-`arev) of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. 20 Eat
nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread."
Exodus 12:18 says we are to eat unleavened bread from the evening of the 14th, to the evening of the 21st. Is there a contradiction? Not at all. Is this eight days instead of seven? Not at all. From sunset ending the 14th / beginning the 15th, until sunset *ending* the 21st are the seven
'days'.
In Exodus 12:18, we have ba-`erev' and 'ba-`arev. Why the slight difference with regard to the 'nikud' (vowel points) here? If we go through the Scriptures and do a comparison of these, it becomes very clear. Ba-erev is used of 'evening' following / after that day (after sunset). Ba-`arev is used of 'evening' which ends that day (prior to sunset). That is not as clear as I would like for it to be, hopefully you will understand it as intended.
Take a look at Yom Kippurim for clarity as well.
There are some peculiarities of things as recorded in the New Testament, which seem to cause a great deal of confusion:
1) The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are used as almost interchangable terms.
2) The "day of preparation" spoken of *is* the 14th of Aviv.
3) The day following the preparation day, is referred to as a shabat, which is the shabat shabaton that is the 15th of Aviv, the first day of "Unleavened Bread".
Luk 22:7 And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed.
Again, the Passover is sacrificed upon the 14th, "Unleavened Bread" does not begin until the 15th.
John 13:2a The evening meal was being served...
Interesting choice of words.
The bread broken, was artos.
In John 18:28 they wanted to be able to eat the Passover
<time gap, skipping ahead>
Joseph requests body as the evening approaches (Matthew 27:57, Mark 15:42, John 19:38) and the "shabat" (first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) was about to begin (Luke 23:50-54, cf John 19:31).
How long did it take for Joseph of Arimathaea to go to Pilate, get permission, buy new linen, return, remove the body from the cross, transport the body, wrap the body, and *then* place the body in the tomb? (cf
Matthew 27:57-60,
Mark 15:42-46,
John 19:38)
Sundown, Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, the 15th of Aviv (a Thursday). A day
of no regular work.
<snip>
