Did the Lord's Supper Replace the Passover? Part 1

Did the “Lord’s Supper” Replace the Passover?

Should You Celebrate Both Events?

Chapter 34 Preview: Did Jesus (actually Yeshua, off site) abolish the Passover during His “Last Supper” (not a Biblical phrase) before He suffered or did He add tremendous additional solemnity to an already important historical ceremony? Had He intended to cause a single jot or tittle to pass from the Law wouldnt He have said so? The situation is like the Sabbath issue—if He had intended to change the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day wouldnt He have mentioned it?

The Lord’s Supper, or as I call it, Yeshua’s Supper, is spiritual Preparation for the Passover! Tragically, most Christians “prepare” for various aberations of the the Passover but dont actually observe the Passover. Judaism, on the other hand, observes the Passover but is not spiritually prepared! They rejected the Lamb of God.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Clean out your old leaven, so that you can be a new mix of dough, as you are unleavened. For the Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. YMES

Has Passover changed?

Matthew 5:18 Assuredly, I tell you, that until heaven and earth arrives* [1], not one yoth [2] or one vowel point* [3] will pass away [4] from the Law, until everything *comes into existence* [5]. YMES

It was not until during my thirty-third commemoration of the “Passover”, in 2006, that I realized that I had not—at least not technically—ever celebrated the Passover! As I read Ezekiel’s account (45:21) of the future Passover observance in the millennium—without a “Lord’s Supper”, I suddenly realized that the original Passover will be intact even then! A flood of Scriptures started coming to mind. While I was aware of the inaccuracy of calling the “Lord’s Supper” or “communion” or “Eucharist” the Passover—because all of the symbols are different and the timing is different, I still held to the opinion that I had been taught that the Supper that Yeshua kept with His disciples somehow replaced the “Old Testament” Passover. Even Richard Fix, in his excellent article entitled The New Covenant Passover would be the first to admit that “Passover” is not the correct name for our commemoration that features the bread, the wine and the foot washing. As he was writing the article we discussed the title and he opted to keep it for lack of a better term without baggage. At the time, I remember having more of a problem coupling it with “New Testament” or “New Covenant”—which I still take exception to, because that Covenant with the twelve tribes is not remotely in effect yet!

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Behold, the days come, says [Yehovah’], that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says [Yehovah]. 33 But this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says [Yehovah]: I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people: 34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know [Yehovah]; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says [Yehovah]: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. WEB

I use the less common term “Yeshua’s Supper” instead of the “Lord’s Supper” or “communion” because it does not carry with it so many superfluous notions that have been added by others.

Interestingly, in the Greek based versions, the only reference to the “Lord’s Supper” says that the meal is NOT the Lord’s Supper, because of their carrousing:

1 Corinthians 11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. KJV

The Aramaic would read more like this:

1 Corinthians 11:20 When you are assembled together, you eat and drink inappropriately for the Messiah’s supper. YMES

The merging of Passover and the “Lord’s Supper” traces back to the Catholic “Church” (off site), if not further back:

“St. Augustine has said that Our Lord held himself in his own hands and commenced the sacrifice of the New Covenant Passover as He was transforming the old.”

“The understanding in the Catholic Church is that the gifts (bread and wine) are consecrated during the Words of Institution amid the Canon of the Mass. In the western or Latin Church, the consecration is emphasized as being the Divine action in and through the Words of Institution, by which verba a priest is said to act ‘in persona Christi’ (in the person of Christ) as the physical and personal instrument through which Christ is present and acting.”

The point of this chapter, and the next one, is to differentiate the “Master’s Supper” from the Passover and to show that BOTH should be observed!

[For reference sake notice that in Luke 22:1, 7 that the terms Days of Unleavened Bread and Passover are frequently used interchangeably. The actual Passover sacrifice took place just prior to the “seven days” in “preparation” for them, but may be referred to for convenience sake as Passover. Passover also refers specifically to the lamb itself in some contexts.

Luke 22:1, 7 The Feast of Unleavened Bread, that is called the Passover, was approaching .... 7 The Day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when it was necessary* for the Passover to be sacrificed. YMES

Consider this passage from Exodus and then ask yourself if we can assume that Yeshua changed the Passover. Did He replace the Passover or did he create a separate observance to explain the new significance of the Passover that He would not live to celebrate with His disciples?

Remember that we read “This day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a Feast to [Yehovah]; throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. WEB”

Yeshua became our Passover Lamb. Hours before His death on the cross! (off site), and minutes before His arrest, He carefully explained to the disciples the purpose of the sacrifice that He was about to make—ON Passover EVENING! As usual, they did not grasp the seriousness of the events taking place before their very eyes. So He explained the gravity of His last meal with His disciples just prior to His death, telling them that the flesh of the Passover Lamb actually typified His slain body. In like manner, He also explained again the significance of His resurrection to them just hours after His resurrection, because they hadnt gotten that either—none of His followers awaited His resurrection at the garden tomb. Only His enemies awaited that event!

Note that “the sacrifice of the” Passover is eaten during the “Feast”, tho it was killed immediately prior to the Feast. The Passover sacrifice itself, on the 14th, is not a Feast Day since it only pertains to the evening.

Exodus 34:25 You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the Feast [02282, chag] of the Passover be left to the morning. WEB

In ancient Israel a person would have been deported from the nation if they ate leavened bread during “Passover” (Feast of Unleavened Bread):

Exodus 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away ‘yeast’ [leaven] out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. WEB

In Ezekiel’s prophecy, Passover and Unleavened Bread go together.

Ezekiel 45:21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a Feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. WEB

Because Yeshua’s Supper precedes the Passover, Yeshua served ordinary leavened bread!

Leavened Bread at the Yeshua’s Supper!

When Yeshua said that He was “the Bread of Life” He was referring to ordinary leavened bread (artos)!

There is a special term in Greek for unleavened bread. It is used frequently in the Greek Scriptures. It is called “azumos” and it is the word that is always used in reference to bread used during the Days of Unleavened Bread:

In the Hebrew Mats-tsaw’, “unleavened bread”, would have been sweet. However leavened bread is sour by comparison because the yeast creates a “sourdough bread”:

Further, in the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek lexicons (dictionaries) it emphasizes that unleavened bread is sweet. “Sweet” or “sweetness” is used three times in the definition!

Yet when Yeshua described the bread that He used at His Last Supper He used the generic term “artos” which 71 times out of 72 is used for ordinary leavened bread in the Newer (Greek) Scriptures. Traditionally artos was broken—not cut—and this is exactly what Yeshua did at His last supper—He broke artos. Matthew, Mark and Luke all agree. In every instance where they speak of the bread of Yeshua’s last supper they use the generic term which does not specify unleavened bread. So in this new institution Yeshua did not specify unleavened bread. So use whatever you like, I prefer leavened bread so as not to celebrate an “eighth day” of Unleavened Bread.

Further, because there are four places where the KJV uses “shewbread” (a.k.a. “showbread” or better yet “show bread”) where the Greek word is still “artos”, I decided to see if show bread is ever referred to as unleavened—Biblically. Of the 18 chapters in the Hebrew Scriptures where “show bread” is used, only one of them also contains the word “unleavened”, and this reference distinguishes “show bread” from “unleavened wafers”—wafers being defined as “thin cakes” (1 Chronicles 23:29).

Show bread is the “twelve loaves of wheaten bread, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel, which loaves were offered to God every Sabbath, and separated into two rows, lay for seven days upon a table placed in the sanctuary or front portion of the tabernacle, and afterwards of the temple”. Thayer’s Greek Dictionary”

Here is the definition of the “bread” used at the Yeshua’s Supper:

Many (Sabbatarian) “Churches (off site) of God” teach that the Jews did not know when the Passover was in the first century—that they were celebrating the wrong day—and that Yeshua kept the “real” Passover with His disciples! They believe that when He was crucified, a day later, it was a false Jewish Passover! Yet for Israel, during the Exodus Passover, the Passover was prepared toward the end of the 14th of Abib and was eaten early on the 15th. Yeshua’s Supper was eaten the evening prior to the Days of Unleavened Bread, nearly 24 hours prior to that. They find it more palatable to “move” the Passover date than to acknowledge the new institution.

Yeshua didnt have a problem with the date when He was twelve. Perhaps they think He was too young to know better:

Luke 2:41-42 His people went up to Jerusalem every year, at the Feast of the Passover. 42 When He was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, as *prescribed by the Law* [1485] YMES.

During the Exodus Passover, the sacrifice was prepared toward the end of the 14th of Abib (Preparation Day) and was eaten on the 15th. Yeshua’s Supper was eaten the evening prior to the Days of Unleavened Bread, nearly a full day prior to that. This misconception concerning the timing results in their using unleavened bread at Yeshua’s Supper, which results in celebrating seven plus days of unleavened bread instead of seven:

While noting the exact seven day duration of the Feast, also note that “the first day” is when you should get the leaven out. Toward the end of this page, I’ll show you why I believe that “the first day” is a reference to the Preparation Day.

Exodus 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away ‘yeast’ [leaven] out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. WEB

Leviticus 23 5-6 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is [Yehovah’s] Passover. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to [Yehovah]. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. WEB

Numbers 28:17 On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a Feast; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. WEB

Twelve other Scriptures mention that Unleavened Bread lasts “seven days”! Had part of an eighth day been necessary, certainly we would have been instructed about it in one of the 13 accounts! Furthermore the symbolism is different. In the Exodus Passover, unleavened bread and a lamb were used. While the lamb was slain late on the 14th of Abib, it was eaten early on the 15th—the beginning of the First ZHoly Day of Unleavened Bread. The unleavened bread represented the hurried preparation that the bread was made in. Perhaps this is analogous to the hurried manner that Yeshua was killed in, prior to the Holy Day by the Jews, so as not to “defile” the day.

In the sect that I was a member of for many years they explained that the “actual Old Testament” Passover took place during the time that Yeshua was explaining the symbols of the bread and the wine during His Last Supper. They said that the Jews simply did not know when the “real” Passover was! For years Yeshua’s enemies looked for an excuse to kill Him. Certainly if He had been observing a different Passover than the Jews, they would have had their issue!

While it is not a sin to use unleavened bread at Yeshua’s Supper, it is interesting that two billion people assume that it is essential!

Yeshua did not eat that final Passover with His disciples “by any means”!

What did Yeshua mean when He said that He had “earnestly desired to eat this Passover” with His disciples? Should we assume that He was saying that He wanted to celebrate this Supper with them and that He was calling that Supper “this Passover” and that after that “last Passover supper” He would not celebrate another one for a long time? No, that is not what He meant. Just prior to His arrest, Yeshua clearly stated that He would not eat a Passover with them “by any means” until the everlasting Kingdom is established!

Luke 22:13-16 They went, and found it as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 14 When the time arrived, Yeshua came and sat; and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 He told them, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you, before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, “From now on I will *no longer* [3765] *BY ANY MEANS* [3364] eat it, until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of Yehovah’. YMES

The KJV says “I will not anymore eat thereof” instead of, “I will no longer BY ANY MEANS eat”.

The literal Greek wording is: “I say for to you that NEVER IN ANY WAY I eat of it, until when it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” —The Interlinear Bible

Couldnt it be that Yeshua simply meant that He wished that He could remain alive to celebrate this particularly crucial Passover with His disciples as He had done all of His life? Did He want to BE the Passover or did He “earnestly desire” to celebrate it with His disciples? According to Mark it is apparent that He had hoped for an alternative solution to atone for the sins of mankind. Had He actually eaten that Passover with them it would have been because the alternative outcome that He had prayed for had occurred. Notice what He said even after the Supper:

Mark 14:35-36 He advanced a little, and fell to the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour [of His death] might pass from Him. 36 He said, “Father, My Father, you can do anything. Let this cup pass from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours”. YMES

Think about it. Would Yeshua have symbolically eaten His own flesh?

The fact that the disciples were all gathered together in an upper room in advance of the Passover in no way implies that they were preparing for an “early Passover celebration”. In fact every indication is that the room was reserved for not only the Preparation Day but also for the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread. That would also explain why they were all assembled together on the eighth day following that fateful supper, in the same room. They were celebrating the Last Day of Unleavened Bread according to the statute (Leviticus 23:8)!

John 20:18-28 Then Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Master; and that He had said these things to her. 19 On the evening of the First *of the Sabbaths*, the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Yeshua came, and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you” ... 24 But Thomas, who was called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not there with them, when Yeshua came.... 26 After EIGHT days [inclusive of the Preparation Day], the disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Yeshua came, while the doors were locked, and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you”. 27 He said to Thomas, “Put your finger in here, and look at My hands; and reach out your hand and put it into My side, dont be unbelieving, but believing”. 28 Thomas said, “My Master, and my God”! YMES

Many Bible versions would have you believe that the disciples were staying in their own homes during the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

I checked the NKJV; WEB; ASV; BBE; DBY; KJV; the WBS and the WEY, and they all say that they went to their “own home”; “homes” or “houses”.

Of those I checked, only a couple “literal” translations had an acceptable translation:

John 20:10 The disciples therefore went away again unto their own friends ... YLT

Surprisingly, despite all of the copycatting, the word translated as “homes” [Strong’s #1438] has absolutely nothing remotely to do with homes!

Again, it should read:

John 20:10“Then the disciples went away again to themselves”.—The Interlinear Bible

They were actually celebrating the entire Feast together just as Yeshua had done as a child:

Luke 2:41-43 His people went up to Jerusalem every year, at the Feast of the Passover. 42 When He was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, as *prescribed by the Law* [1485]. 43 When the days were completed, they returned; but the Boy Yeshua remained in Jerusalem .... YMES

As the Passover event drew near, early on the 14th, Peter and John were preparing for a typical Passover!

Luke 22:7-13 The Day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when it was necessary* for the Passover to be sacrificed. 8 Yeshua sent Cephas and John, and told them; “Go and prepare the Passover, *for eating* [5315]”. 9 They asked Him, “Where should we prepare it”? 10 He told them, “When you enter the city, a man will meet you bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him; 11 and where he enters, say to the owner of the house, “Our Rabbi asks if there is a *lodging house* [2646] where He may eat the Passover, with His disciples? 12 Then he will show you a large upper room that is furnished. Make preparations there. 13 They went, and found it as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover. YMES

Notice that even as the Last Supper was taking place, the disciples understood that it was the time to “prepare” for the Passover. They believed that Judas was still out buying “something necessary for the Feast” during the Supper, so the Holy Day certainly hadnt started yet.

John 13:25-30 Then that disciple fell on the Yeshua’s chest, and asked Him, “Master, who is it”? 26 Yeshua answered, “The one, to whom I give bread when I have dipped it”. Then Yeshua dipped the bread, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 After the bread, then Satan entered into him. Yeshua said to him, “What you do, do quickly”. 28 No one there knew what He had said to him. 29 Some of them supposed, because Judas held the money box, that Yeshua had asked him to buy something necessary for the Feast, or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Judas took the bread at once, and went out immediately. It was night when he left. YMES

Yeshua Himself said that the Supper was before the Passover:

John 13:1-2 Before the Feast of the Passover, Yeshua knew that the time had come when He should depart from this world to the Father. He loved His own people, who were in the world; and He loved them to the end. 2 *During supper*, Satan put into the mind of Judas Iscariot ... YMES

Believing that Judas was simply preparing for the Passover would have been the logical supposition. The Passover Feast was going to take place the following evening.

After all, all of Israel was preparing for the Passover—it was “Preparation Day”!

In fact all four references in the Bible to Preparation Day refer to the day before the First Holy Day of Unleavened Bread—never to a weekly Sabbath! If it were not the “real” Preparation, certainly Mark or John would have said so!

Mark 15:42-43 As it was the evening of the Preparation Day, which precedes the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Ramath, an honorable counselor, who also waited for the Kingdom of Yehovah, came, and dared to go to Pilate, and begged for the body of Yeshua. YMES

John 19:14 It was the Preparation Day for the Passover; .... YMES

John 19:31 Because it was the Preparation Day, the Jews said, “These bodies must not remain all night on the cross; because the Sabbath was approaching; and that particular Sabbath was a Great* [megas] Day”. So they asked Pilate, if they could break the legs of those being crucified, and take them down. YMES

John 19:42 There they laid Yeshua, because the the Preparation Day *was almost over*, and because the tomb was near. YMES

To recap, it is evident that all during the Preparation Day and right up until the Supper had begun, the disciples still did not grasp that Yeshua would be dead by the next evening! Had He been perfectly blunt about telling them, perhaps they would not have been able to cope with His final instructions. So He simply chose to have them prepare to eat the Passover Feast as usual. After they had gotten rid of the leaven in the room and made the other preparations, He then began to break the news to them, but obviously not in a way that was sufficiently disturbing to keep them awake! (Mark 14:37)

Preparation for the Sacrifice

Preparing for the Passover involved preparing a lamb for sacrifice.

2 Chronicles 35:4-6 Prepare yourselves after your fathers’ houses by your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. 5 Stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers’ house of the Levites. 6 Kill the Passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of [Yehovah] by Moses. WEB

In chapter 29 part 2, I showed that “the Angel of the Lord” in the Hebrew Scriptures is always the One who became Yeshua. With that in mind, it was Yeshua who called to Abraham from heaven and replaced his son Isaac with a ram!

Genesis 22:11-13 The Angel of [Yehovah] called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Dont lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God [the Father], seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. WEB

The irony is that this same Yeshua later had to replace the Passover rams with Himself!

For now we no longer need to prepare a lamb for sacrifice. Yet for Israelites AND THEIR NEIGHBORS living into the Kingdom of God they will apparently need remedial training. They must start from scratch:

Zechariah 14:15-21 So will be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that will be in those camps, as that plague. 16 It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, [Yehovah] of Armies, and to keep the feast of ‘tents’ [Tabernacles]. 17 It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesnt go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, [Yehovah] of Armies, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt doesnt go up, and doesnt come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which [Yehovah] will strike the nations that dont go up to keep the feast of [Tabernacles]. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that dont go up to keep the feast of [Tabernacles]. 20 In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO [YEHOVAH];” and the pots in [Yehovah’s] house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to [Yehovah] of Armies; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of [Yehovah] of Armies. WEB

Ezekiel chapters 40 thru 48—nine fully prophetic chapters—describes the organizational structure of the coming Third Temple in the Kingdom of God with no mention of a later cessation. Chapters 44-46, particularly pertain to the revived sacrifices. The context flows smoothly into chapter 47 with a detailed description of the “river of water of life” that John further described in Revelation 22:1-2. From there the prophecy ends with chapter 48 detailing the redistribution of the Middle East back into the hands of all of the tribes of Israel. But this is another story. For now I will simply point out some astonishing yet to be fulfilled prophecies concerning “My appointed Feasts” that most people wish could be interpreted as historic because it goes against their entire Theology:

Ezekiel 44:1-24 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut. 2 [Yehovah] said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for [Yehovah], the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before [Yehovah]; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. 4 Then he brought me [Ezekiel] by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, the glory of [Yehovah] filled the house of [Yehovah]: and I fell on my face. 5 [Yehovah] said to me, son of [Adam], mark well, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I tell you concerning all the ordinances of the house of [Yehovah], and all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every exit of the sanctuary. 6 You shall tell the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord [Yehovah]: you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, 7 in that you have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when you offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My covenant, to add to all your abominations. 8 You have not performed the duty of my holy things; but you have set performers of My duty in My sanctuary for yourselves. 9 Thus says the Lord [Yehovah], No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel. 10 But the Levites who went far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up My hand against them, says the Lord [Yehovah], and they shall bear their iniquity. 13 They shall not come near to Me, to execute the office of priest to Me, nor to come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Yet will I make them performers of the duty of the house, for all its service, and for all that shall be done therein. 15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord [Yehovah]: 16 they shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister to Me, and they shall keep My instruction .... 23 They shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 In a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to My ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts; and they shall make My Sabbaths holy. WEB

While I once thought that the descendants of the transgressors of Israel fulfilled the above, I now believe it to be cause and effect within our own generation.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

The “Lord’s Supper” or Yeshua’s Supper is spiritual Preparation for the Passover! Again, it’s tragic that Christians “prepare” for the Passover but dont actually observe the Passover while Judaism, observes the Passover but is not spiritually prepared!

Yet unlike the Passover, the Yeshua’s Supper is temporary in nature!

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread, and drink from this cup, you commemorate the death of our Master, UNTIL He returns. YMES

So we should be celebrating Yeshua’s Supper, followed by the Passover Feast the next evening, that initiates the seven days of Unleavened Bread “UNTIL He returns”:

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Dont you know, that a little leaven leavens the whole mix of dough? 7 Clean out your old leaven, so that you can be a new mix of dough, as you are unleavened. For the Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed in our place. 8 So let’s celebrate the Feast [1] [of Unleavened Bread], not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of wickedness and bitterness, but with the leaven of purity and sanctity. YMES

[1] Strong’s #1858, is often translated as “keep” in this verse, which is rather vague. It is a word used only once in the Bible. It literally means “celebrate the Feast”.

Yeshua could not really be our Passover sacrifice if He had been killed on the wrong day. If He had died at any other time He would not have been sacrificed according to the plan of God—He would not have been sacrificed as our Passover!

You are not to allow anyone to judge you concerning God’s Holy Days. Today even “the body of Christ” is not reliably competent, much of the time, to make sound judgments concerning the things of God. One thing is certain—the Holy Days have never been “shadows of” a near miss!

Colossians 2:16-17 So, dont let anyone *pronounce judgments* [2919] against you about eating and drinking, or about *various aspects* [3313] of the Feast days, and new moons, and Sabbaths; 17 which are shadows of things to come, *except the body of the Messiah*. YMES

Yeshua is not our “Lord’s Supper” and He is not our Easter. If Passover had been phased out, Paul would have said so. Instead we see him verifying that Yeshua is still “our Passover”!

If your Bible mentions Easter (off site) then you are reading a King James version—specifically Acts 12:4. It is ludicrous to assume that King Herod stopped killing the Saints (off site) long enough to celebrate Easter! The context in this disputed verse unmistakably shows that Herod was busy killing the Saints! Only the KJV uses the word Easter which should have been translated as “Passover” (Greek: Pascha) as it is in all 28 other scriptural passages. The James boys were under great pressure from the King to change a few things. It would however make perfect sense for Herod not to have wanted to offend the large Jewish population—it was his job to keep them peaceful under Roman control. That is why he gave them Yeshua, the “innocent man”, to crucify. If anything, had Yeshua’s followers been celebrating Easter (they were not) there would have been even greater persecution on that day. Having religious strife between the Jews and Yeshua’s followers was not in the interest of the Roman occupation. That is why the Roman soldiers were told to deny the resurrection! It is surprising the number of WEBsters trying to defend the KJV use of Easter!

It is a special opportunity for those of us who believe but have not seen the many miracles that our predecessors did in the wilderness or during the days that Yeshua visibly walked the earth.

John 20:29-31 Yeshua replied, “Because you have seen Me, you believe. Blessed are those, who have not seen Me, and believe”. 30 Yeshua did many other signs before His disciples that arent written in this book. 31 But these were written so that you can believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of Yehovah; and that when you believe, you can have eternal life in His name. YMES

I personally dont believe that it was carved in stone that the Messiah had to die. I dont believe that there was a script written where it was not possible that all of the miracles of Yeshua and His testimony had to be rejected, tho it was a likely outcome. Yeshua Himself did not know until the last minute whether or not He might be spared—just as Abraham was allowed to spare his son from being sacrificed—at the last possible second. The The Seventy “Weeks” Prophecy might have had an alternative outcome.

“not My will”

We know that Yeshua wanted for that “cup” to be removed from Him, yet His prayer was: “not My will but Yours”. With that in mind He had earnestly desired to eat the Passover with His disciples rather than BE the Passover. Even during the the early part of the Preparation Day for the Passover Yeshua was still optimistic that He would somehow be spared at the last second. Even as Judas was plotting to betray Him He still had hope. That all changed “when it was evening”. The Father had undoubtedly spoken to Him only shortly before the “Lord’s Supper”. It was only then that He was able to say “most certainly”, or definitely, that He would be betrayed to death.

Here is the chronology, from Mark’s account, moving from His hoping to “eat” the Passover, until the evening when He knew that He “was” the Passover:

Mark 14:10-18 Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the leading priests, in order to betray Yeshua to them. 11 When they heard him, they were thrilled [5463]; and they promised to pay him off. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Him. 12 On the First day of Unleavened Bread [Preparation Day], when the Jews sacrifice* the Passover, His disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to go, and prepare for You to eat the Passover? 13 He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, “Go to the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, tell to the owner of the house, “Our Rabbi asks, ‘Where is the *guest room*, where I may [implying: or may not] eat the Passover with My disciples”? 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; make preparations there for us. 16 His disciples went, and entered the city, and found it as He had told them, and they made preparations for the Passover. 17 When it was evening, He came with His twelve. 18 As they were eating, Yeshua said, “It is certain that one of you eating with Me will betray Me”. YMES

In verse 14 it appears to me that Yeshua was deliberately being vague with His words concerning whether or not He would be there. Very shortly afterward there was no doubt—He was to be the Passover rather than eat it.

What About Matthew 26:18?

The following verse is a seeming contradiction. But there are two deliberate alterations in most English translations. These alterations are easy to verify using a lexicon of the Byzantine/Majority text base such as Green’s The Interlinear Bible. However, the Alexandrian text base, which is unreliable, also does not have Yeshua eating the Passover. These mistranslations are not a case of the translators choosing English terms that are not quite the equivalent of the Greek. They are falsifications—one a deletion and the other an addition!

Matthew 26:18 Say to him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; [omission] I will keep the Passover ‘at thy house’ [addition] with my disciples. KJV

There is a curse for omissions and additions!

Revelation 22:18-19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, that if anyone adds to them, Yehovah will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. [1] 19 If anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, Yehovah will take away his destiny* [3313] from the tree of life, and from the holy city that is described in this book. YMES

The first “error” is the omission of the critical words “near thee” (Strong’s numbers 4314 and 4571). Young rendered this faithfully in his translation. Hold that thought. Here it is:

Matthew 26:18 ... and he said, Go away to the city, unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher saith, My time is nigh; NEAR THEE I ‘keep’ [4160, 2d1: literally “institute”] the Passover, WITH MY disciples. Young’s Literal Translation.

The second fabrication in Matthew 26:18 is the added words “at thy house”, it should simply read “with My disciples”!

Another house trick! This time another word was corrupted. Yeshua did NOT say He was going to celebrate the Passover at the man’s house! Strong’s 4571 has nothing remotely to do with a “house”, but most Bibles leave it in rather break with tradition.

Strong’s 4571, “se” is translated as “thee” 178 times in the AV, 16 times as “thou”, twice it was omitted and once as the fraudulent “thy house”.

Incidentally, the Aramaic correctly says “among my disciples”.

Yeshua really did keep the Passover NEAR His followers because He was being slain as the sacrificial Lamb! Notice that this is the only place in the Greek Scriptures where it says “keep the Passover”. Elsewhere it says “eat the Passover” but keeping the Passover is the terminology associated with a lamb being killed! The phrase is used thirteen times that way in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The text has been made to say that Yeshua would “keep” the Passover Feast with His disciples, but He didnt! He WAS the Passover, therefore He could not “eat” it! The NKJV, the ASV, the BBE, the DBY, the WEB, the WBS and the WEY all have these alterations in them. Kids in school who all have the same bizarre wrong answer on a test are considered cheaters! Green’s Literal, a favorite of mine, is correct.

The translations of Mark and Luke also say “shall” or “will”, where “may” should be used.

Luke 22:11 ... Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the Passover with My disciples? KJV

The Greek omits the word “I” altogether, but assuming it should be there, then “shall” or “will” are also assumed. Since He still was not certain that an intervention would take place it should say, “where I may eat the Passover with My disciples” which would allow for a degree of uncertainty.

The translators, believing that Yeshua kept a Passover (of some sort) “corrected” the Scriptures to reflect their own preconceived assumptions! A complete interlinear that gives a Strong’s number for almost every word is very helpful for we “Englishmen” to figure this out.

Also in the same context (verse 8) where it says: “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” The word “we” was added. “You” could just as easily have been said. Yeshua could have specified exactly who was going to be at the Passover meal (should it take place) that He so strongly desired to attend, but He was not certain that He would be spared, so He was deliberately vague on the guest list! The Preparation day, and it’s evening meal, was as close as Yeshua got to having a Passover celebration.

Did ANY of the disciples actually participate a Sader Passover meal the following night, immediately after Yeshua was crucified? The event that centuries of practice runs had pictured had just taken place right before their eyes! The Jews had hurriedly killed Yeshua so that His dead body would not mar their festivities, but which of the disciples would have even been thinking about a Sader meal after such a tragic murder/sacrifice?

Presumably they had all witnessed the crucifixion:

Luke 23:48-49 All the crowds that had gathered on seeing this spectacle returned, beating on their chests. 49 Everyone who knew Yeshua was standing at a distance, as well as the women who came with Him from Galilee; and they saw these things. YMES

There is a phrase that I would like to address. Which day is “the First Day of Unleavened Bread”?

The disciples were confident that it would be Passover as usual, so they asked:

Matthew 26:17 On the First Day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Yeshua, and asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover” YMES?

Were they running late? Even the people I know who understand that the Passover sacrifice precedes the Feast, continue to use “the First Day of Unleavened Bread” to describe the Holy Day of the 15th. However the context itself explains that the “First Day” is an alternate phrase for Preparation Day! It is the First Day of an eight day “season”—the last seven of which are unleavened.

The parallel accounts also indicate the Preparation Day in the context by the use of the word “sacrifice”. Note that the disciples were making preparations for the Passover on the same day that the other Jews were. Again, the 1st day is the Preparation day, the day of the sacrifice:

Mark 14:12 On the First Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Jews sacrifice* the Passover, His disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to go, and prepare for You to eat the Passover? YMES

The final reference to “the First Day of Unleavened Bread” also counts the Preparation day (for the sacrifice) as the First Day.

Luke 22:7 The Day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when it was necessary* to sacrifice the Passover. YMES

If you think it strange that “the First Day of Unleavened Bread” is not the Holy Day, then this might be a similar surprise:

Here is what the KJV says:

Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day [added word] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. KJV

Now consider the more literal Greek from Young’s Literal Translation. J.N. Young was among the most objective translators:

Matthew 28:1 And on the eve of the sabbaths [sabbaton], at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths [mian sabbaton], came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre ... YLT

“Sabbath” and “week” are the same Greek word—“sabbaton”. So which is it?

Here is how it is in the YMES:

Matthew 28:1 Sabbath evening, as the *first of the Sabbaths* [Sabbaton, 4521], began to *draw near*, Mary of Magdala, and the other Mary came to view the tomb. YMES

Long story short, every time the Bible says: “the First Day of the Week” it is really referring to the first day, counting from the Sabbath, of the seven Sabbath long countdown toward Pentecost, as this link shows!

Those who take solace in “the first day of the week”, thinking that it is weekly Sunday worship, should know that this wording clearly points to the true Sabbath and a Holy Day!

In Part 2 we will look at what might be said during the celebration of Yeshua’s Supper.

Some Scriptures are from the “New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.” “Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.”