Quote:
Originally Posted by jediwill83
Interesting thread...really looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
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A few facts for consideration:
The Sadducees and the Pharisees differed on their interpretation of
Lev 23:10-15. The Pharisees maintained that the Passover lamb was offered on 14 Abib, the 15 Abib was the first day of unleavened bread (a sabbath) and the day after that sabbath was the waving of the firstfruits (on the 16th of Abib). Pentecost was 50 days later. Whatever day of the week the 16th of Abib fell on, Pentecost would fall on that same day of the week 7 weeks later.
The Sadducees maintained the lambs were offered on the 14th, the 15th was a sabbath, but the firstfruit sheaf was waved on the day after the WEEKLY SABBATH that fell during the feast of unleavened bread. Thus it would always be waved on a sunday, and Pentecost 50 days later would always be on a sunday as well.
Many priests were aligned with the Sadducees (but many others weren't). In any event, the Pharisees controlled much of the official interpretation of torah, so the actual practice at the temple was in accordance with Pharisee understanding not the Sadducee understanding. In other words, the actual first century practice was to offer the lambs on 14 Abib, 15 Abib was a sabbath, and 16 Abib was the waving of the firstfruits, and Pentecost was 50 days later.
Now, the method or schedule was as follows: During the daytime portion of 14 Abib, from about noon to late afternoon, the lambs were killed at the temple. The offeror would take the dead lamb home and roast it. That night (the beginning of 15 Abib, a sabbath) the family or household would eat it and have prayer, singing, and recounting the Exodus story. Then after the sabbath of 15 Abib, a sheaf of thefirstfruits would be brought to the temple to be waved, on the 16th of Abib.
If the Lord died about the same time as the passover lambs were being killed in the temple, then the Last Supper could not have been a standard Passover meal. The lamb they would have used would have been killed at the temple on the 13th of Abib, something the priests would not do. So it could not have been a Passover meal.
On the other hand, if it WAS a Passover meal, then the last supper took place at night on a sabbath, but this seems contrary to Judas going out that night and making a financial transaction with the leaders to betray Jesus. Also
John 13:29 indicates the disciples did not think it was a sabbath. So clearly that event was not on 15 Abib, which means the last supper was not a Passover supper.
But in turn that raises the question about
Luke 22:8-15. Which implies it WAS a Passover meal. Although, the text doesn't REQUIRE it to be. They were getting ready, and had a fellowship meal on 13 Abib in anticipation of a Passover meal the next evening. There is precedent for this in rabbinic custom, where a rabbi and his students share a special meal at the students' "graduation" if you will the day prior to a major feast.
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