Passion Week
& The Spring Feast Days
The events of Passion Week, the last days of Jesus'
life,
occurred exactly on feast days,
continuing the unfoldment of God's plan for our redemption and return
to at one-ment with the Almighty.
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Day
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
lamb
crucified
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15
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16
lamb
raised
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Night
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10
lamb
set aside
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11
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12
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13
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14
lamb
arrested
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15
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16
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10th of Abib (Nisan) - Lamb chosen
& set aside
On Palm Sunday, at sunset - the start of the 10th day of the first
month (Mk 11:11),
Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem and was accepted by the people as
the anointed one,
the Messiah or Christ.
He was anointed with praise and palms. The Lamb was chosen.
14th of Abib (Nisan) - Passover
On Thursday night of Holy Week - the start of the 14th day,
Jesus observes the Passover meal with his disciples.
He confirms the covenant with them, an everlasting relationship with
God.
[Gen 17:7; Ezek 37:26-27; Ps 105; Heb 10:16]
Jesus makes the covenant anew by his living example,
by living life with the law in his heart
and
mind.
Jesus has opened the way to the inner sanctuary and is leading us to
the time
when all will carry the law in their hearts and minds (Jer 31:31).
Jesus ties the Passover memorial, the freeing from the bondage of sin,
with the sin offering, the daily sacrifice,
by connecting the bread & wine to his sacrifice.
We are to remember him and the sacrifice of his precious life,
the price for the blood sufficient to cover our sins,
when we make our confession and repentance and contemplate our
restitution
while observing the ongoing daily sacrifice and praise (Heb 7:23-27).
On Friday afternoon, on Passover - the same 14th day of Abib,
our powerful and compassionate Lord,
in obedience to God the Father,
laid down his life and became the perfect sacrifice,
providing the only blood sufficient to pay the price of the sin
offering (Heb 10:19).
15th of Abib (Nisan) - Start of Unleavened Bread
Friday at sunset was the start of the feast of unleavened bread.
Since this day is an annual Sabbath and Friday sunset began the weekly
Sabbath,
this made this 15th of Abib for that year a High day (Jn 19:31).
16th of Abib (Nisan) - Wave Sheaf for
that Year
Sunday, being the day after the weekly Sabbath during
unleavened bread (Lev 23:15),
was the wave sheaf of the first fruits of the harvest.
The resurrection of Jesus fulfilled this feast day. He is the
firstfruits of
mankind.
The Prophecy of Jonah
Just as Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the beast,
so would the son of man spent 3 days and nights in the "heart of the
earth" (Mt 12:40).
If Jesus had just said "in the earth" it would mean buried, but he
meant into the hands of Satan.
On Thursday night, Jesus was arrested and taken by the beast. This
begins the 3 days.
(Please note that Mk 8:31 & Lk 24:7
make clear that the three days includes his arrest & trial.)
Jesus was in the heart of the earth 3 nights and days and on the 3rd
day was raised.
Controversies
& Comments
The Sign of Jonah - 3 Days
Some raise a controversy that Jesus rising during the 3rd day
was not 3 complete days and should
be,
but the Bible is consistent on this use as shown by the following:
Mt 20:19 "... On the third day he will be raised again." [Not "after"
three days]
Acts 10:40 "... God raised him from the dead on the third day ..."
Gen 42:17-18 "And he put them all in custody for three days. On the
third day, Joseph ..."
released all but one.
Esther 4:16-5:1 "Go, ... fast ... Do not eat or drink for three days,
night or day. I ... will fast as you do.
When this is done, I will go to the king, ...
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner
court of the palace, ..."
Start of Unleavened Bread and
Preparation Day
There has been some confusion & controversy over the start of
unleavened bread
due to references made to its start on Thursday & Friday and to
"Preparation Day".
Originally, the lamb was eaten on the start of the 14th day (after
sunset) and prepared
before that
but tradition changed this so that it was prepared and eaten the next
day (end of 14th, start of 15th).
Jesus observed the original but was crucified when most were killing
their lambs the next day.
Footnotes in the NIV translation put these in perspective:
On Thursday, before the evening meal, the apostles make
reference to
the
first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and making preparation for
eating the Passover:
Footnote to Mt 26:17 "the first day
of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The 14th of Nisan,
it was also called the preparation of the Passover. The Passover meal
was eaten the evening of the
14th after sunset - and therefore technically on the 15th, ... The
Feast of Unleavened Bread
lasted seven days, from the 15th to the 21st of Nisan (see Lev 23:5-6),
but in the
time of Christ the entire period, Nisan 14-21, was referred to under
that name ..."
Footnote to Mk 14:12 "the first day
of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Ordinarily
this would mean the 15th of Nisan, the day after Passover ... However,
the added phrase,
'when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb,' makes it clear
that the 14th of Nisan
is meant because Passover lambs were killed on that day (Ex 12:6). ..."
Preparation Day: Some see this as preparation for the weekly Sabbath.
Whether seen as this or preparation for the Passover, both occurred on
the same day that year.
Which Sabbath Does the Wave Sheaf
Follow?
The sheaf of first fruits is to be waved before the Lord on the day
after the Sabbath (Lev 23:11).
Some say this refers to the annual Sabbath that begins Unleavened Bread
and
others say it refers to the weekly Sabbath that will occur during the 7
day feast.
Whichever Sabbath it should follow, both occurred on the same day that
year.
(Please note Lev 23:16: For the Feast of Weeks to begin the day
after the 7th Sabbath,
the count had to begin using the weekly Sabbath.)
It is interesting to notice that because the observance of eating the
Passover lamb changed by Christ's time
to be a day later, it allowed Jesus to both observe and change the
memorial on the feast day
yet still be sacrificed on the feast day when all the lambs were being
sacrificed around him.
The Lord God Almighty has everything carefully planned!
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First Posted: 4/17/05
Last Updated: 2/09/07