Point 1: The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) claim that the Last Supper was a Passover Dinner. Since Jews celebrate holidays the starting on the preceding day at sunset, that means that Jesus was crucified on the 1st day of Passover. In case you are not aware, the 1st day of Passover is the 15th day of the month of Nisan. "Now on the 1st day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to him, where do you wish us to prepare for you to eat the PASSOVER SUPPER." Matthew 26:17 "On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, [the] disciples said to him, where do you wish us to go to prepare the PASSOVER for you to eat? Mark 14:12 "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover had to be slain. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare for us the PASSOVER MEAL, that we may eat it...And he said to them, I have earnestly and intensely desired to eat this PASSOVER with you before I suffer." Luke 22:8,15 Point 2: The Gospel of John claims that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation for the Passover which occurs on the 14th day of Nisan: "Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might be fit to eat the PASSOVER [supper]. John 18:28 "Now it was the DAY OF PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER, and it was about the sixth hour, he said to the Jews, See, [here] is your king." John 19:14 "Since it was the DAY OF PREPARATION, in order to prevent the bodies from hanging on the cross on the Sabbath - for that Sabbath was a very solemn and important one - the Jews requested Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away." John 19:31 "So there, because of the Jewish DAY OF PREPARATION [and] since the tomb was near by, they laid Jesus." John 19:42 Further proof that John disagrees with the Synoptic Gospels that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder: "It was BEFORE the festival of the Passover...they were at supper..." John 13:1-2 "Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the festival,' or telling him to give something to the poor." John 13:29 The Last Supper in John could NOT have been a Passover Seder like in the Synoptic Gospels because when Judas left, the others thought he might be going out to buy supplies for the festival. If they were eating the Passover Seder, that would mean that the holiday had already begun and Judas would have been unable to buy supplies! Buying and selling are NOT allowed on the Holidays and Sabbaths! "It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the Sabbath - since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity - the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away." John 19:31 If Jesus was crucified on the 1st day of Passover, why would they have to get him down before the beginning of the Sabbath?! They were already desecrating a very Holy day. If that was a factor, the Jews wouldn't have asked Pilate to crucify him on that day in the first place. Summary: The Synoptic Gospels are clear that Jesus was crucified on the 1st day of Passover and the Gospel of John is clear that the Passover holiday had not yet begun when Jesus was executed. This is a contradiction! Jesus was either executed on the 14th or the 15th of Nisan, but not both. The Bible was written by men who made mistakes. The Gospels were not penned until decades after the events described and are not eyewitness accounts. Some people try to claim that Jesus celebrated an Essene Passover with his apostles and was then crucified on the day preceeding the Pharisee Passover, but the Essenes used a 364 day calendar in which Passover always fell on a Wednesday. This means the Essenes would have eaten their Passover dinner on a Tuesday evening. Since Jesus was crucified on a Friday, he could not have celebrated an Essene Passover Seder on the night before he was crucified.
Where's Dan?: Why I lost my faith in Biblical infallibility Did Jesus have a lawful claim to the throne?: Proof Jesus was NOT the Messiah Did Jesus make mistakes?: To err is human When is Jesus coming back?: Don't hold your breath What does the Bible say about slavery?: Bible trivia: Lots of other errors: |
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