summary of the book

[ 14 J The Passover

The Passover is at the heart of God's rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. To distinguish them from the Egyptians, God instructs the Isra- elites to undertake a special ritual involving a distinctive sacrificial meal. As a result the LORD promises to "pass over" their houses when he strikes down all the firstborn males in Egypt (Exod. 12:13, 27). Such is the importance of the occasion that later generations of Israelites were not to forget what the LORD had done in delivering their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. For the Israelites, the Passover was the most significant redemptive event in their history. It was both their divine deliverance from harsh oppression in Egypt and their first step toward becoming a holy nation.

Introduction

The account of the Passover in Exodus 12-13 forms the conclusion to the cycle of episodes that have demonstrated God's power to Pharaoh and the Egyptians (7:8-11:10). In the light of the divine pronouncement that "every firstborn son in Egypt will die" (11:5), 12:1-13:16 recounts ensuing develop- ments. The unique way in which the Israelite firstborn are protected from death furnishes the designation for this remarkable occasion: "the Passover" (cf. 12:11, 13, 23, 27).

The narrator not only recounts the main events of the first Passover thr h a skillful use of dialogue, but by the same technique he also highlights ohu:w the Passover should be remembered by generations of Israelites F

• or seven

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02

T111 .\1 ,1 , TIII\II' 1)/ 111 1 1' 1,1 , 1 1 11 , 11

days eac h rear 1hey will cdd,r,11c rhc Feasr of Unlcavc:ned Bread ( 12: 14-20· 13 :3- 10). Sevc: ra l 01hn rcfcrcn~·cs undcrline rhe dose assoi:iarion bctwccr; un /eav:ncd hrea d and the l'assm·e r ( 12:34, 39). Gi,·en rhcir swift departure fron~ Egnn: rr w.1s nor p w.srh/e for rhc lsra c:lr res to obserl'e rhis fea st until the hrst a nnrwrsar~· o f rhe exod us (d. Num. 9: 1- 14). In conj unction with the Fea st of Un leavened Brea d , rhe Israelites were ro com me morate rhe Passover rhrough 1hc ea t ing of a ~-car-o ld lamb or kid ( 12 :24-27, 42-50). r Celebra ted o n rhe even ing o f the fourteenth day o f the first month , the Passover preceded the s tart o f th e Fc:asc of Unleavened Bread, which began on the fifteenth d and conrinued until the twcnrr- first day of the month (cf. 12: 18). Additio nal? to commem o rate the su n ·i1·,1 / of rheir firstborn son s, the Is raelites were co n~ ma nded to g ive rhe LORD all future firs tborn sons and male animals (13: 11-16) They belonged to G o d in a uniqu e way b ecause they had been delivered fron~ dea ch. These various activities we re an ongoi ng test imo ny to how the LOilD h:1d not on ly brought them o ut of Egypt with his mighty h and (c f. 13:3 9 I 6 ), b ur had a lso taken t he fi rst step toward bestowing on them the spe~ial sta tus of ho ly nation .

The Acco unt of the Passover

Exod us 12: 1-28 is composed of t wo sp eeches co ntaining ins tru c t io ns for the activities associated with the Passover. Although pl a ced s ide by side, t he speeches are possi bly given days apart. The first speech (12:1-20) is delivered by God to Moses so me days before the first Passove r nig ht; verse 3 records instructions concerni ng the selectio n of the Passover Iamb o r kid four days before the Passove r is o b served. In the seco nd speech (12:21-27) Moses ad - dresses the elders of Israel, directing th e m how t o o bserve th e Passover. The second speech complements the fir st, providing additional inform a ti o n o n va rious aspects of the Passover celebration. Through th ese two speeches the narrator highlights th e events leading to the strik ing d own of the Egypti an firstborn a t midnight on the fourteenth day of th e m onth (12:29). T he two speeches parallel each other, both conclu din g with detailed g uid a nce for fu - ture commemorations of the Passover (12:14-20, 24-27). Since the reader is able to reconstruct a picture of the events that take place from the co ntent o f the two speeches, th e au thor refrains from describing the fulfillm ent of the in structions; he m erely comm e nts, " The Isra elites did jus t w h at the LORD

commanded Moses and Aaron" (12:28) . Various p redicti o ns made in 11 : 1-10 a re fulfilled in 12:29- 36. A t midnight

t h e LORD s trikes down all t h e Egyptian firs tborn, ca u si n g the people to wail

I. The Hebrew word seh (Exod. 12:3-5) denotes either a lamb or a goa t. The NIV rranslati on "Passover lamb" in I Cor. 5:7 is unforrunarc. A more accur:ire rendering of rhc verses is "For Chrisr, our Passover, has been sacrificed ."

T11,. P1i ::-. ~ov , R

II . ( 1 z -29-30; cf. 11 :4-6). z After s.·umm o nin g Moses a nd A f I JIil ) · II - h I aron o r the ' . . Ph 1raoh evc nt11 a Y permits t e s raclites to leave . cl ' .

I• ·ii trr nc , · . cl . un con rtr o nall y 111 · , 7. -f 11: 1) . Asmstructc 11111 :2,thels raclitcsaskfo cl . (11:J I-.,-,c · . . f .1 , d I ,, " _ r an receive from . •·in s " articles o s1 vc r a n go d a nd clo thing" (12-35) Th he E~)'Ptl• · " . _ . · · cse a rc r

1 ·v ·n because the LORD had m ade the Egyptians favor bl d' d

free:)' ~r c ,, . 22· 12·36· f . . a y ispose l th cpco ple (3.2 1- , · ,c. 11.3). Thesegifrsa re aform f . 1 10w :Hl . h ' h h E . o pa n1 a ·on for the way Ill w IC t c gyptians ha d treated th e I 1· rc:p,1r:Hr . s ra e 1tes as

sl·1vcs (cf. Gen . 15: 14). . . . . • xi· 1 Pharao h ' s pe rm1 ss1o n the lsraehtes begm their 1·olirney t f d \ rr 1 • • o rec om

ling fro m Rameses to Sukkoth (12:37-41). At last after 430 h by rrave I f • yea rs, t e

I, ·ire able ro leave Egypt as a resu to the mighty wonders p f d peop ~ , 3

er o rme b)' rhc LORD ,

The acco unt of the [sraelites' departure is interrupted by 12:42- 50 which records " regul a tion s for th e Pas~over." These regula tions apply to both ;he first

P ver and la ter co mmemorations (cf. 12:42) . The section ends by . . asso ' . . menr1onmg

rhc o bed ien~e of th e [sraehtes, with_ verse 50 correspondin g closely t o lZ: 2S, possibly indicatmg that the m s trucno n s belong there chronologically. By o r- dering the ma te nal as he doe~, t~ e narrator bnngs togeth e r in 12:42-l3 :l 6 th e chree ways 111 which the Israeli t es deliverance from Egypt is t o be celebrated: by reenacting the Passove r (12:43-49) , by keepm g the Feast of Unleavened Bread (JJ:3-10) , and by consecr_atmg as hol y to God ever y firstbo rn male (13: 1 l-l6) .

rn 12:51 rhe narra tive picks up where 1t left off in verse 41 by repea tin - ·1 ( " I d ""d' .. ,, gvanous dera1 s e.g., on t mt very ay, 1v1s10 ns · the NIV so mewh t b

. . ' a o sc ures how sinul a r the two verses a re m the H e brew t e xt) On the da c II · h

· f I - fi · Y 10 ow mg t e desrrucnon o t 1e Egyptian rstborn m a les God a nnounces t M h

I . . " ' o oses t at

rhe Jsrae ires must se t apart as special the firs t offspring of eve b I I I . I" (l3 ? . ry worn , . . . w 1ct 1er mman or amma =-) . M oses 111 turn expaiid . h. d. •

. ' s on t IS 1recuve as he conveys 1t to the people (13:11-16). It is preced ed h 6 · . d. h I b . ' owever, y msrruc-

t1ons regar mg t e ce e r auo n of the Feast o f Unl ea d B d ( Al h h M d

. . vene rea 13:3-10). t oug oses an Aaron were divme ly instructed 6 h- f -

( 2 20 • • a o ur t IS east ea rli er

1. :14- ), It IS only n ow tha t the people learn o f I.t M ' h h I · 13 3 f ' · oses s speec to r e

peop e Ill : -1 6 a ll s neatly into two h a lves which parallel h h I I ' eac o r e r c ose y.

2. The precise idcnrity of "the destroyer" (12.23) . _ tion of ,,. 23b is "he will not permit d . · is not revealed 111 Exodus. A better transla- J E d estructron to enter your houses " . . xo . 12:40--41 states that the Israeli tes liv ·d . E l .

15:13 implies thar the descend t f Ab h c in gypt or 430 years (cf. Gal. 3:17); Gen. Though the larger figu re of 430 an so (drab am were opp ressed for 400 y<:ars (cf. Acts 7·6) they enjoyed after fi rst . . _ycaErs cou e interpreted as incl uding the period of peace that.

amvrng 111 gypt d · h - f that Joseph is said to have I' d f 7 1 unng t e nme o Joseph, ihis is at odds with rhe fact of this latter figure th .' _1vcd for yea rs.· after hr s famil y joined him in Egypt. On the: basis

. ' c perJO o oppres . Id h maxrmum (i.e. , 430 - 71 = 359) p. h· . sron cou not ave lasted more than 359 yea rs at the rs to interpret the refcrcr1 4.00cr .1ps the srmplest way to reconcile these various time periods

· · I ce to yea rs 111 G , 15 13 rnrrra phrase, "your seed wi ll be so.' ."_n. : as a round number referring back to the srmply ihe period of oppression. 1ourners 111 a land that is no t theirs" (my trans.) , and nor

203

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T111 ~ I A I N T111 ., 1 1 , 1)1 111 1 Pl :.. l r\l l ll\ 11

Bo th begin with refe rences ro th e people's_ taking possession of the land of Can aa n in fulfillm ent of God 's oath to their ancestors ( 13:5 , 11 ). Next co instructio ns regarding the commemora ti on of the Israelites' deliveran ce fr:e

I I . f I . · · m Eg ypt (13:6- 7, 12 - 13), and r 1c exp an.m o no t 1ese acriv1t1es to the children (13:8, 14-15). Finally, both halves arc marked by similar endings, concludin with t he co mment that "the LOR D brought you out of Egypt with his might; hand " (13:9; cf. v. 16).

The Purpose of the Passover Ritual

At the heart of the Passover ritual is th e slay in g of a lamb O k.d h . f · bl d I d r

1 • t e smean o its o o on t 1e oorposts, a nd the ea tin g of its meat (12·6-ll ng

The de rail s of the riwa l closely pa rallel those relating to sa :fi ' 21

- 22

). · fi . en ces and ti · 1s con rmed by the comment in 12:27, "It is the Passovers ·fi'

115

L ,, I . . . acn ce to th

O RD . A tho ugh rcsemblmg o ther sacnficial offerings the Pass e . . . . . . . . , over ce remony 1s urnq uc, rcflectmg its peculiar h1stoncal settmg. Coming befo re th bl· h

f . . e esta 1s _

ment o the Aa ro111c priesthood (Lev. 8:1-9:24), Moses commands "all the elders of Israel " to slaughter the Passover victims (12:21). In keeping · h •

h · · I h • f wit its 1sron ca context, t ere 1s no re e rence to the central sanctuary, which i fi

. . d S. . ft h d s r st

msmu te at 111a1, a er t e exo us (~0: 24-26; 24:4; 27:1- 8). Although other sacnfices a re normally offered up dunng daylight, the Passover is sacri ficed at "twilight" since this is probably the most convenient tim e due to the exploi- tation of the Israelites by the Egyptia ns. Finally, the timing o f the Passover to the fourteenth day of the m onth places it close to the full moon, the most suitable period in the monrh for undertaking the activities associated with

the exodus from Egypt. Special a ttenrio n is focused o n th e use made of the animal's blood: it is

s mea red on the sides and top of the d oorframe of the house (12:7, 22). Although some scholars emphasize the a potropai c purpose of this action, des igned to protect those within from hostile powers wi th o ut (cf. 12:13, 23), others suggest that the blood was used to purify the Israelite ho uses. This la tter proposal is supported by th e mention of h yssop (12:22) , which is elsewhere associated with ritu al purification (e.g., Lev. 14:4, 6 , 4 9, 51, 52; Num. 19:6, 18).

An equa ll y important part of the Passover rite is the eati ng of the sacrificial ani mal 's flesh. Everyone in the Israelite community is to participate (12:47) , and for each ani m a l s laughtered there mu st be an adequate number of people to eat all the meat. Special instructio ns are give n concerning the cooking of the m eat : the entire animal is roasted, not boiled (12:9) ; the m eat must be ea ten indoors; and the a nimal's bones mu st not be broken (12:46). Any meat that

remains must be burned in the morning (12:rn) . . . . all Various factors sugges t that the Passover 1s very s1gmficant the~l~gtc . Y.

- • · · I · l · der to d 1stmgU1sh Why did God o n this occas10n requ ire a sp ecta nrua 111 or

T 11 1 l' A~ , o v , R

h . Eg•yptians? With p revious affl ictions, God ensured , I. • · fro m t c 1· ff d O h. I . lsra.: 1rcs . I ,. ,· (T used that the Israc 1tcs were not a cctc . n t 1s I ll t ll ·I L1C l ll~ '

: 1rhour :111 Y ri ' I , ho uses of th e Israelites be marked with bloo d ? In " h 111 ust t 1c . b ·

.,,1sion, w Y h f the Egyp t ian firstborn males 1s taken to ea punish- oc ·f he deat O · h h Id h I 1· I b . -1 lirion , 1 t . t of th e Isra eli tes, w y s ou t c srac 1tcs a so e ,1 , ,

1 • rre·ttmcn

,11 r for t icir d' h' Thi·s latter consideration suggests that th e death of 111, J · I cat . I rcarcn c wir

1 .' I s more than the punishment of the Egyptians. In

ri •. ns mvo ve . . . he firsrbo rn so I I . t no distincti o n 1s made between th e Israeli tes and

r f I dea r l t irc a ' h h 1· . Crms o tie · h • fi srbo rn so ns face death. W at saves t e Israe 1tes 1s r · . a II t eir r " . . .

rhc Egypna ns. · I he Israeli te understa ndmg of Passover 1s the idea that P Over Centra to t he ,1ss . d h

r d r ers from eat . . . irs rirual e iv hat all fi rst born so ns a nd m ale a 111 mals w ill be struck . · to account r . .

Taking 111

to obse rve th a t t he descnpnon of the Passover meal I . . . importan t h A . . . E d deac, it

1 _s I dtires for co nsecrati ng t e aro111c pnests 111 xo us

I alle s proce . . h d ose Y par,_ . 8 Va riou s eleme nts comprise the ntual by wh1c Aaron d Lev1ncus • ' 1· · d · 29 an art fro m all o th er lsrae 1tes 111 or er to serve as pnests

d h •. ·ons are set ap an is

5 b constructed tabe rnacl e.4 Of these elements, a number . h. the soon-to- e . . fi f

wit 111

II I c res of th e Passover. First, a ra m 1s sacn ced to atone o r I ly para e ,eatu . . . .

c o~e . ' 5 d o me of the animal's blood 1s sp n nkled o n the extrem1t1es their sm . econ ' s fi d b · Th. d h . b d' to cleanse them from all de lement ca use y s111. 1r , t ey

of their o ies . I' B . " h I " h · f the sacrificia l a111ma s meat. y consum111g o y meat, t ey e-ir po rn ons o · h .

• I . e 111 ade ho ly a necessa ry requirement befo re they can serve w it 111 themse ves ar , ' . I I I O ll fin es of the ta bernacle . Fourth, unleavened bread 1s a lso ea te n as t l C 10 Y C

Of the S acrificial meal. Together these fo ur elements en able Aaron and pa rr , his sons to be consecra ted or sanctified as priests.

Although th ere are differences of deta il , si milar elements unde rl ie the Pass- over, sugges ting that it too functions as a co nsecration rit ual. The sacrifice of the animal atones for th e sin of the people, the blood smeared on the doorpo sts purifies those withi n , and the eating of the sac rificial meat a nd u nleavened bread sanctifies those who consume it. By participating in the Passover ritual , the Israelites a re endowed w ith a h o ly status (cf. 19:6 ), m ak ing it possible for God, the Holy One, to come and dwell in their midst .

Though every Israelite wh o participates in th e Passover is endowed w ith a holy srncus, it is especially noteworthy that the firstb o rn males a re perceive d as hav mg an even holi er status. Since they a lone have been delivered fr o m death , they now belong to God , th eir redeemer, in a unique way. Attention 15

drawn to thi s in 13: 11-16, wh ere God gives ins tructions to Moses relating ;o t~~ -future ransom of firstborn sons and male animals. Later, in Numbers ' al Ittonal lll Structions are g ive n whereby every firstb o rn Israelite m a le is

rep aced by the I b f . . ' t k h . ma e mem ers o the tnbe of Lev1. The LORD says : " I have a en t e Levnes from h I 1· .

among t e srae ttcs 111 place of the fi rs t male offspring 4. For more on the co . f

nsec ration ° th e Aaronic priests, sec chap. 16 below.

2('

~

206

T 111 M "'' I 11 1 '" .. 111 I It I p I , l \ I I ll t 11

of even· l,r·1 · lit , · 7·1 L · · c I · • · • c l II nman. 11: L'\" ll es arc llllllL' ,o r ·1II tu: hrstbor11 ~ ·

(N . 1 , .. · · . ' ·. · .. re m111e" 11 111 : 3. 1 - - 13a ; cf. 1 S: 15- 17) . A H1rn1111 ~ that the hrstborn belo ng to h ' .

a s re - I I L · 11Tl in • . . u :1 way. t 1~ ORD Im meJ_i:ttely goes on ro say: " \Xlhen I struck down all the firstborn m Egypt. I sanct1hed for myself every firstho rn in Is rael wh . h

. . " , et er m .i n or .1n1m :1I. Thev .ire to be mine . I am the Lo1w (N um . 3 :13 alt ) A h

. , . . st ese remark s make clea r, no t o nl y do the firstborn Israelite males belong t o God • ;~n l'XCeptional w ay, b tu they have a ls~> been sanctified or made ho ly by hi~~ f o r t h is re.1so11 , a s s ubsnrutes for the firstborn males, the Levites arc viewed h :wing a hnl y status that exceed s that of other Israelites. Con sequently, th:s an.: distin gu ished from a ll the other tribes and given special responsibilitie~ rel :ning ro the tabernacle, G o d 's ho ly dwelling p lace (cf. Nu m . 3:40-51; 8:5-26) .

T h e s recial s t a rus of the firstborn m ales appears ro derive from the fact th at God h as ran som ed them fro m death . Thoug h the text of Exodus itself does n ot cx rli ci rl y mention ranso ming fro m d e ath , this seems to be implied h y what is s aid in 13: 11 - 16. Every firstborn male, both human and a nimal, belongs ro God in a unique way b ecause he has saved them from death. In the lig ht of t his, it is worth recalling that in G e nesis 3, the expulsion of Adam and Eve fro m the Ga rden o f Eden is lin ked to both punishm ent involving " death" and rhe loss of royal and pries tl y s tatus. As a result of the Passover, " d eath" is overcome, and h o lin ess is besrowed on the Is raelites.

Old Testament Summary

The divine deli verance of rhe Israelites from Egypt com es to a dramatic cli- max in th e events associated w ith the Passover. Later ge nera tions a re never ro forger thi s uni q ue event, w hi ch s ig nals the beg innin g of the process by which the LORD establishes Israel as his holy people. For later generations, the events

and idea s associated with the Pa ssover become a p a ra digm of God 's saving

a ctiviry, in rnlv in g the d e fea t of a tyrannical oppressor, ransom from d eath,

and restoration to a holy s t a tu s.

New Tes tament Connections

The cru ci fixion of Jesus, the centra l redemptive event in the New Tes t a ment,

is in vario u s ways linked to the Passover, the paradigm atic saving event of the

Old Testament period. First, t h e Gospels all hig hlig ht h ow the death of Jesu s

took place in J e ru sale m when the Jews were commemoratin g the Passover by

keeping th e Feast o f Unleaven ed Bread. Second, the Synoptic Gospels (Mat-

t hew, Mark , and Luke) present th e Last Supper as a Pa ssover meal (M att .

26:17; M ark 14:12; Luke 22:7-8), emphasizing its impo rta nce a nd the sp ecial sign ificance of J esus 's words and actions. This final m e a l of J esus and his cl os-

est discip les is la t e r co mmem o rated in the Lord ' s Suppe r ( I Cor. I I :23- 33) .

T111 "" "'OV I It

. • 1 . k•-·d to the offering up o f the Passover

1 f Jesu s 1s 111 ~ , b . I c :1c1u:1I d ca t i o d this by o bserving th a t , because Jesus s o n es -rh1rt(, 111 hn \ c;ospel allu cs rbol . h · t of the Passover sac rifice (John 19:36;

·(i ce. 0 . d . I rcscm cs t ,l . . . · h. . ,,,en I · cikcn his c.H i . . a de even m o re e xplicit rn I Connt ians

I ,r ' - . necnon , s m .1rc '.10 d 11:46 ). rh1s con I b h as bee n sacrificed . " Fo urth , the concepts f 1:xo • - 11 sover am , ' · . · d , · ,, . C hrist, our as

1 •· g) a nd sanctification arc a ll associ a te

_ 7 ·· r o r •fi · n (or c ean s rn , k ) : : cnt pun cano •fi . I death as the " Lamb o f God, who ta es f . rone1n ' . h J ,s ' s s acn c1a , o ., ' . Gospel wit es L . h I ·29· cf I ·36) Additionally, John draws at-

. J hn s Id' " (Jo n - , · · · in o I c sin of the wor d. 1· c from death and redempti on from slavery

vay fl of c 1vcranc • d :I'. ;rion ro the th em es All these reflect a s tron g Passover typology, assocwte rd .· a nd rh e devil. d J esu s C hrist.s Finall y, althou g h o th e r mter- ro sin d ccntere on . . h d h f

· h •incw exo us_, p l · lB-l9probablyalsoassoc1atest e eat o w1r ·. are possible, 1 erer . p reran o ns • p ·over s acri lice . . Jesus wirh rhe as~ifficu lt y must be recognized regardmg the New Testament

One parncular h f J vi.th the Passover. In the Old Testament the . f he dear o esus " . I S socia non ° t .

1 ffere<l up befo re the e atmg o f the Passover mea •

a ·nce 1sawayso 1· Passover sacn . ersed in the New T esta m ent; the Passover mea ts ' h'. pattern is rev . h b

However, t is . b f e the crucifixion of J esus. One soluuon as een ro h eventng e or . h k l

~:1ren on r c 5

r was on ly a preparatory meal, w h1c coo p ace on h t the Last uppe h h . . .

argue t a c h al Passove r celebration. Althoug t ts 1s a conve111ent · ~oretere · h

rhe eveningk _ . to acco unt how che Synoptic Gospels emph a size t e I non ta tng tn ' • · h ' exp a na . ' c h ·s meal it is difficult co imagme chat 1c coul d be anyc mg

reparanons ro r t 1 ' • . P h han the Passover meal itself. . or er t

1 · c solution may li e in the observation chat John does not ex-

An a rernanv ' . . . . .

1 h tJesus was crucified a t the ver y tim e when the Passover vtet1 m s

phc1r y say t a •ffi I . b

· sl·iug htered at the temple. Perhaps John encountered no d1 cu cy_ 111 were ctng ' . .

h f t that J esus was crucified a day after the o che r Passover s acnfices. What

r e ac f . d I h . . 6 mattered to J ohn was the m a nner a nd pu rpose o his ea t 1, not t e t1m111g.

5. Cf. I'. M. Hoskins, " Deliverance from Death by the True Passover Lamb: A Signific:rnc Aspect of the Fulfillment of the Passover in th e Gospel o f John," JETS 52 (2009): 285-99; idem , "Freedom from Slavery to Sin and rhc Devil: John 8:3 l-47 and the Passover Theme of chc Gospel of John ," TJ 3 1 (2010): 47-63.

6. John may have believed that che timing of Jesus's death accu rately fultillcd the OT regu - lations regardi ng the Passover sacrifice. T his observation is based on the premise that the timing of the Passover celebrati on in the NT peri od differed from that intended in the o riginal OT instructions due to an important change concerning the way in which the start o f the day was reckoned. Although the original OT Passover regulations presu p pose rhar th e d ay begins a t s1111rise, from the sixth century BC onward the Jews followed the Babylon ian system of reckon- ing the day as beginning at sunset. T hi s change has important implications for th..: timing of 1hc Passover sacrifice.

John observes that the crucifixio n rook place o n "the day of Preparation of the Passover" (19:14; cf. 19:31 ) and that the next day was to be a "special Sabbath " (19:3 1). This special Sabba1h clearly refers to the first day of the Feast of Un leavened Bread . If we assum e.: that th is spmal Sabbath coincided with a normal Sabbath (i.e., it fell on a Saturday), th<.:n we may con- clude 1hat Jesus was c ·fi ·d h F 'd · d ' I · · · ruci c on t e fl ay 1mme 1ate y preceding the beginning o f the Feast

207

r II lo M A I N T II k M I: S O I· T II I' P I: N r AT I: LI C II

~

By linking the crucifixion of Jesus to the Passover, the New Testament church drew attention to the redemptive nature of Jesus's death. Like the original Passover sacrifice, his death atoned for the sin of the people, his blood purified and cleansed believers, and his body sanctified those who ate it at the Lord's Supper. Paul alludes to this in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, where he emphasizes how believers, by eating bread and drinking wine that represent respectively the body and blood of Jesus Christ, participate in his sacrificial death (cf. John 6:53-56). As a result of Christ's atoning death, individuals are made holy and

perfect (cf. Heb. 10:1, 10, 14; 13:12).

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of Unleavened Bread. Since in NT times the day was reckoned as beginning at sunset, sunset on Friday marked the beginning of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (that is, the fifteenth day of the month). If the Passover meal was eaten on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, this would have been the Thursday evening (as implied in the Synoptic Gospels) . We may assume that Jesus and his disciples followed the custom of their day and ate the Passover on the Thursday evening.

If the timings of the Passover had been reckoned on the basis of the earliest OT regulations, when the day was viewed as starting with sunrise, the following scenario would have occurred. Assuming that the day began at sunrise, the first day of Unleavened Bread (the fifteen th day of th

e month) would have commenced on the Saturday morning, not the Friday evening. The Pass- over sacrifice would have been offered up on Friday afternoon , with the meal being eaten on the Friday evening, the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. Possibly John saw in the dea th of Jesus on the Friday an exact fulfillment of the Exodus instructions for keeping the Passover.