If Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation, why had He already eaten the Passover meal?

Response

All four Gospels affirm that Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation (Matthew 27:62;Mark 15:42;Luke 23:54;John 19:14,31, 42). Mark, Luke, and John all mention that the following day was the Sabbath. John’s narrative phrases it as: “It was the day of Preparation of the Passover” «And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! », (John 19:14). The question arises, given that Jesus was executed on the Day of Preparation, why did He already celebrate the Passover with His disciples (Matthew 26:17-29;Mark 14:12-25;Luke 22:7-22;John 13:1-30)?

Firstly, we must dismiss the notion that the authors of the New Testament made an error. Suggesting that all four Gospel writers inaccurately recorded the sequence of events strains credibility. Are we expected to believe that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all forgot their previous writings from one section to the next? No, there must be a more plausible explanation for why Jesus partook in the Passover before the Day of Preparation.

Subsequently, we must determine what the Day of Preparation was preparing for. Every week, arrangements were necessary for the Sabbath—food had to be readied in advance. This led to the “Day of Preparation” commonly referring to “Friday.” While numerous preparations were also essential for the Passover, there is no mention of “Passover Eve” being labeled as the Day of Preparation. The Day of Preparation consistently denoted Friday, the day preceding the Sabbath. Mark 15:42 clarifies this.

So, how do we reconcile John’s statement that JJesus died on “the day of Preparation of the Passover” «And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! », (John 19:14)? It’s quite possible that John simply meant that this particular Friday fell during Passover week; we could understand his words this way: “It was the day of Preparation, the one that happened to come during the season of Passover.” So, the Day of Preparation was to prepare for the Sabbath, not the Passover.

The Mosaic Law stipulated what day the Passover lamb was to be eaten: Nissan 14 (Numbers 9:2-3). We must assume that Jesus kept the Law and observed Passover at the appointed time see Galatians 4:4. After the Passover (Thursday) came the Day of Preparation (Friday) on which Jesus was killed. The Sabbath (Saturday) followed, of course, and then the first day of the week (Sunday)—the third day after the crucifixion and the day on which Jesus rose from the dead.

One objection to the above chronology is based on John 18:28, which says, “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.” At first glance, it seems that, whereas Jesus had eaten the Passover the night before, the Jewish leaders had not yet eaten the Passover—they still “wanted to be able to eat” it after Jesus was arrested. To reconcile this verse with the Synoptic narratives, we must remember this: Passover was the first day of the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Feast (or Festival) of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot) lasted for a full week, from Nissan 15 to Nissan 22. The first day of Unleavened Bread coincided with the day of Passover. Because of the close relation between Passover and

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the whole week was sometimes referred to as “Passover.” The two holidays were (and still are) considered a single celebration. This explains John 18:28. The Jewish leaders had already eaten the Passover proper, but there still remained other sacrifices to be made and meals to be eaten. They were unwilling to defile themselves (Pilate’s palace contained leaven) because it would disqualify them from participating in the remainder of the week’s ceremonies. See Leviticus 23:8.

There are other difficulties in pinpointing the exact chronology of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. But this seems to be a workable solution:

Thursday – Passover proper. The lamb is killed, and Jesus and His disciples eat the Passover meal in the upper room.

Friday – the Day of Preparation. Jesus is tried and executed (although never convicted). The Jews continue their “Passover” celebrations with the chagigah, offerings made during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Saturday – the weekly Sabbath.

Sunday – Resurrection Day.