The First Passover and the Passover When the Lord Jesus Was Arrested and Crucified

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Sermons in the Year 2025
The First Passover and the Passover
When the Lord Jesus Was Arrested and Crucified

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Dear Church,

Today, 04/12/2025, is the Passover of the year 2025. On this occasion, let us together examine the sequence of events that took place during the first Passover and also explore the timing when the Lord Jesus and His disciples observed the Passover on the night He was arrested.

The Passover is the first of the seven feasts that represent the seven ministries of Christ, ordained and established by the God for the people of Israel.

The Passover was appointed by the God to be held on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. It was also the day on which the God brought down the tenth plague upon the Egyptians by killing all their firstborns, both humans and animals, and delivered the Israelites from their slavery by bringing them out of Egypt into the land of Canaan. The name “Passover” means that the God passed over the houses of the Israelites while He was striking the Egyptians.

The first Passover occurred in 1446 BCE [1] and is recorded in Exodus chapter 12.

Passover commemorates the event in which the God protected the Israelites and delivered them from bondage. The Passover is a prophetic image of the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificing His life and offering it as an atonement for mankind. Through the shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood, humanity is passed over by the God for their sins, brought out of eternal death, and into eternal life.

From the time of the Lord Jesus until now, the Israelites have slaughtered the Passover lamb between 3 and 5 PM on the 14th day of Nisan. The Passover meal takes place after sunset on the 14th, which marks the beginning of the 15th day. It is very likely that this has been the manner in which the Israelites have observed the Passover since after the 70-year period of exile in Babylon.

However, the timing of the lamb’s slaughter in this manner does not align with the command of the God as recorded in the Holy Scriptures:

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Exodus 12:5–6)

According to the Holy Scriptures, a day includes two evenings: the evening at the beginning of the day and the evening at the end of the day.

  • The evening at the beginning of the day starts right after sunset and lasts until complete darkness covers the land. In the Middle East, on the day of Passover, this period lasts on average about 30 minutes.

  • The evening at the end of the day begins around 3 PM and continues until sunset.

A new day, according to the Holy Scriptures, begins right after the sunset of the current day.

The phrase “between the two evenings” refers to the period immediately after the sun has set—when the old day has ended and the new day has begun. The first evening is the evening at the end of the old day. The second evening is the evening at the beginning of the new day.

Therefore, on the 14th day of Nisan, the Passover lamb being slaughtered “between the two evenings” means it was killed during the evening at the beginning of the 14th day—that is, right after sunset, marking the end of the evening at the end of the 13th day. This is exactly as the Word of the Lord affirms:

“Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:5–6)

After the lamb was slaughtered and roasted over fire, the Israelites ate its meat together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. On that same night, the God brought judgment upon the land of Egypt.

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” (Exodus 12:8)

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” (Exodus 12:12)

The phrase “that night” and “this night” in the two verses above refers to the night of the 14th. The night of the 14th begins right after sunset and continues until sunrise of the 14th day.

If the lamb was slaughtered during the time immediately after sunset of the 13th—at the beginning of the 14th—then the timing of the Passover meal was likely around 7 or 8 PM on the 14th day.

Below is the sequence of events that took place during the first Passover, as recorded in the Holy Bible:

1. After the sun had set at around 6:15 PM on the 13th, ending the 13th day and beginning the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the Passover lamb was slaughtered. This was the time “between the two evenings”: the end of afternoon of the 13th and the early evening of the 14th.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Exodus 12:5–6)

2. After the lamb was slain and roasted over fire, the Israelites ate the Passover meal at around 7 or 8 PM on the 14th of Nisan.

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” (Exodus 12:8)

3. Around midnight on the 14th of Nisan, all the firstborn of both man and beast in the land of Egypt were struck down by God.

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.” (Exodus 12:29)

4. Still during the night of the 14th of Nisan, likely around 1 or 2 AM, the Pharaoh of Egypt summoned Moses to his palace to give him permission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

“And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” (Exodus 12:31–32)

5. From the time the Passover lamb was slain in the evening of the 14th, the Israelites were not to go out of their houses until morning of the 14th of Nisan.

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.” (Exodus 12:21–22)

6. During the daylight hours of the 14th day, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, gold, and clothing.

“And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment.” (Exodus 12:35)

7. After sunset, ending the 14th and beginning the 15th of Nisan, the Israelites set out to leave Egypt. Their first journey was from Rameses to Succoth.

“And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.” (Exodus 12:17)

“And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.” (Exodus 12:37–39)

“And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.” (Numbers 33:3)

“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” (Deuteronomy 16:1)

Rameses was the fertile land where the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt (Genesis 47:11). With children, livestock, and animal-drawn carts carrying their possessions, the average traveling speed of the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt would have been about 2 kilometers per hour. The distance from Rameses to Succoth was approximately 20 kilometers. Therefore, the Israelites would have needed about 10 hours to travel that distance, including time for rest. If they departed from Rameses at around 7:00 PM on the 15th, they likely arrived at Succoth around 7:00 AM on the same day.

The important points we need to remember are:

  • The Passover lamb was slain immediately after sunset, marking the end of the evening of the 13th and the beginning of the evening of the 14th day of the month of Nisan.

  • The Israelites ate the Passover meal at around 7 or 8 PM on the 14th day of Nisan.

  • The Israelites began their departure from Egypt at around 7 or 8 PM on the 15th day of Nisan.

According to the record in the Holy Scriptures, the Lord Jesus and His disciples partook of the Passover meal at the exact time recorded in Exodus 12:8.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke clearly recorded the timing when the Lord Jesus and His disciples observed the Passover, on the night He was arrested, as follows:

Matthew 26:17-21

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You desire that we shall prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; at your house I will keep the Passover with My disciples.” ‘ ”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

20 And when it was evening, He was reclining to eat with the twelve.

21 Now while they were eating, He said, “Assuredly I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

Mark 14:12-18

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You desire that we go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”

13 And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.

14 And wherever he may enter, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ‘

15 “Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”

16 So His disciples went away, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

17 And when it was evening, He came with the twelve.

18 And while they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you eating with Me will betray Me.”

Luke 22:7-14

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Pascal Lamb must be killed.

8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”

9 So they said to Him, “Where do You desire that we shall prepare it?”

10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he goes in.

11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ‘

12 And that man will show you a large, furnished upper room; there prepare it.”

13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

14 When the hour had come, He reclined to eat, and the twelve apostles with Him.

Although the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days, from the 15th to the 21st day of the month of Nisan, the Israelites began eating unleavened bread on the evening of the Passover—that is, after the beginning evening of the 14th day.

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.” (Exodus 12:18)

The following phrases:

  • “The first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread” (Matthew 26:17);

  • “The first day of Unleavened Bread” (Mark 14:12);

  • “The Day of Unleavened Bread” (Luke 22:7);

refer specifically to the 14th day of Nisan, when the Israelites began eating unleavened bread during the Passover. This day is different from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the 15th of Nisan. On the 14th, the Passover lamb was slain in the evening, immediately after sunset, marking the end of the 13th day. A few hours later, at about 7 or 8 PM on the 14th, the Israelites ate the Passover.

This means the Passover lamb was slain in the evening and eaten that same night—on the 14th. None of its meat was to be left until the morning of the 14th, according to the Lord’s command:

“And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.” (Exodus 12:10)

Based on the records of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we understand that after sunset on the 13th—just as the 14th day began and the Passover lamb had been slain—the Lord’s disciples came to ask Him where He wanted to eat the Passover. Peter and John went and followed the instructions of the Lord Jesus to make preparations for the Passover meal. They met a man in the city of Jerusalem and told him that the Lord and they would eat the Passover with his household. That man may have been Mark. A few hours later, the Lord and His disciples arrived and partook of the Passover meal.

Thus, the Lord Jesus and His disciples kept the Passover at the exact time commanded by God in Exodus chapter 12.

However, the priests and the Pharisees of that time—and likely the majority of the Israelites—observed the Passover later than the time appointed by God. According to the record of the Apostle John, they slaughtered the Passover lamb in the evening, before sunset at the end of the 14th day. A few hours later, after the 15th had begun, they ate the Passover meal. That is why on the morning of the 14th, when the Lord Jesus was brought to Pilate’s judgment hall, they did not enter in, so that they would not be defiled.

“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium, lest they might be defiled, but so that they might eat the Passover.” (John 18:28).

The account of the Apostle John in John 13:1-2 has led to some confusion, as it seems to contradict the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This is because John’s wording leads readers to understand that the Lord Jesus’ Passover meal took place “before the Feast of the Passover.”

John 13:1-2

1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And after supper, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him.

But we can understand John 13:1-2 as follows: The phrase “Now before the feast of the Passover” refers to the time just before entering the first evening of the 14th, which is before sunset at the end of the 13th. The phrase “And after supper” refers to the Passover meal around 7 or 8 PM on the 14th. This means that before the Passover meal took place in the evening of the 14th, the Lord Jesus was already aware that the Passover day was the day He would be arrested and killed to complete the redemption of mankind. Understanding it this way, John 13:1-2 does not contradict Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Only John records the incorrect timing of the Passover observance by the priests, the Pharisees, and the majority of the Israelites, as seen in John 18:28. The slaughtering of the Passover lamb and the eating of the Passover meal at the wrong time likely began after the Israelites returned from 70 years of captivity in Babylon. During those 70 years, they did not celebrate the Passover, nor did they offer daily sacrifices to God, because they were living in captivity and the Temple of God had been destroyed.

After the Temple of God was rebuilt, the offering of sacrifices in the morning and evening, along with other sacrifices in different circumstances, was reinstated. Since the sacrifices were offered in the evening and slaughtered between 3 and 5 PM, during the afternoon prayer time, it is likely that the Passover lamb was also slaughtered at the same time, which led to the Passover meal being eaten in the evening of the 15th, instead of the evening of the 14th. This was a careless decision made by the priests, causing the slaughtering and eating of the Passover lamb to no longer align with the time God had prescribed in Exodus 12.

Here is the sequence of events that occurred on the day of the Passover when the Lord Jesus was arrested and crucified, as recorded in the Bible:

1. After sunset, marking the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th, the Lord Jesus sent His disciples into the city of Jerusalem, to the house of a man, possibly Mark, to inform him that the Lord Jesus would eat the Passover meal with him.

2. A few hours later, around 7 or 8 PM, the Lord Jesus and His disciples arrived to partake in the Passover meal.

3. During the meal, the Lord Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and taught them many things.

4. During the meal, Satan entered Judas Iscariot, prompting him to betray the Lord.

5. From the Passover meal, the Lord Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.

6. The Lord Jesus and His disciples went out of the city and into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

7. Around midnight, Judas Iscariot, under the command of the high priests, led the temple guards to arrest the Lord.

8. The Lord Jesus was brought before the High Priest Caiaphas.

9. The Lord Jesus was brought before the Governor Pilate.

10. The Lord Jesus was brought before King Herod Antipas.

11. King Herod Antipas sent the Lord Jesus back to Governor Pilate.

12. Although Governor Pilate had declared the Lord Jesus innocent at least three times, under the pressure of the Jewish people, he ordered the Lord Jesus to be crucified.

13. The Lord Jesus was scourged and mocked by the Roman soldiers.

14. The Lord Jesus carried the crossbeam of the cross, walking from the city of Jerusalem to Golgotha.

15. The Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross at Golgotha.

16. From the sixth hour to the ninth hour, darkness fell over the land.

17. Around the ninth hour, the Lord Jesus breathed His last.

18. There was an earthquake, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

19. Many tombs were opened, and many saints were raised to life.

20. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried the body of the Lord before sunset on the 14th.

The Passover lamb being slaughtered symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ dying in place of humanity, bearing the punishment for mankind’s sins (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7). Those who eat the lamb’s flesh symbolize those who believe in the salvation of God (John 6:53-56). The blood of the lamb that was smeared on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it was eaten symbolizes the holy blood of Christ protecting and rescuing those who believe in God’s salvation (Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

God’s act of killing the firstborn in the land of Egypt demonstrates His sovereign power and symbolizes the punishment for sin (Exodus 12:12). The Israelites taking the possessions of the Egyptians was a payment for the years they had been enslaved to Egypt and also symbolizes God’s people gathering and using the resources of the world to serve themselves and to worship God in a new way of life (Exodus 12:35-36). The Israelites’ departure from Egypt at night symbolizes how those who receive God’s salvation are rescued from the darkness of sin (Colossians 1:13). The Israelites’ departure from Egypt on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolizes how God’s people are delivered from a former life of slavery to sin and enter into a life of holiness in God’s salvation (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “Passover Lamb,” who gave His life to redeem humanity from the consequences and power of sin. From the Passover meal, He instituted the Lord’s Supper with unleavened bread and grape juice used during the meal (Matthew 26:26-28). The unleavened bread symbolizes His innocent body that suffered for the punishment of humanity’s sin, and it also symbolizes the new, holy life of those who believe in His sacrificial death. The grape juice symbolizes the holy blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which cleanses the sins of those who believe in His sacrificial death, and it also symbolizes the abundant life that God gives His people in the New Covenant (John 6:56).

One detail we need to pay attention to is that the grape juice used in the Passover and the Lord’s Supper is not wine. Wine is fermented grape juice.

The New Testament uses the word “οἶνος” (oinos) /oy’-nos/ (G3631) to refer to wine, as in the event when the Lord Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, or the warning against drunkenness in Ephesians 5:18, or Paul’s advice to Timothy to drink wine occasionally in 1 Timothy 5:23.

In Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, and Luke 22:18, the Lord Jesus clearly states that He “will not drink of the fruit of the vine” and that He will “drink of the new fruit of the vine,” helping us understand that the drink at the Passover and the Lord’s Supper is unfermented grape juice. This fits with the consumption of unleavened bread.

The Passover takes place in the month of Nisan, which is about 4-6 months after the grape harvest. Therefore, the grape juice used in the Passover is often specially preserved, such as by boiling it into syrup and then diluting it to maintain its freshness. However, the Israelites, perhaps since the time of their Babylonian captivity of 70 years, followed a tradition of using wine in the Passover meal. Many churches that bear the name of the Lord have also followed the Roman Catholic Church in using wine in the Lord’s Supper.

God’s people should use unleavened bread and grape juice in the Lord’s Supper.

We conclude this study here.

May the Word of God sanctify us and strengthen us. May we all stand firm in faith and remain faithful to the Lord until the day Christ returns. May the love, grace, and fellowship of the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, cover all of you. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
04/12/2025

Notes:

[1] https://biblearchaeology.org/research/topics/ancient-manuscripts/3518-new-evidence-supporting-the-early-biblical-date-of-the-exodus-and-conquest

About Using “*God” or “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible uses a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as “*God” or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.