JESUS AND THE PASSOVER #1

 JESUS DID NOT OBSERVE

                THE PASSOVER - ACCORDING TO 
                            SOME 

                          Part One

     Apparently the "House of Yahweh" church organization teaches
that Jesus did not observe the Passover on the evening before His
death. It would I guess to some other type of meal which He kept
with His disciples. I am not sure what they think this meal
was called, nor I am sure if they claim the NT tells us what this
meal was called that Jesus observed that very special evening.
But they certainly do not want to believe, nor you to believe,
that Jesus was actually eating THE PASSOVER meal that night with
His twelve inner circle disciples.
     
     They put forth a number of NT Scriptures that they claim
back their theological position. We shall begin to look at each
of them and see if those verses really teach what they want you
to believe they teach.

     One important tool to understanding the Bible correctly is
to read the context of any given scripture or verse, that anyone
throws out to you as a proof text for their doctrinal stance on
any particular subject.  More false doctrine has been promulgated
by people who take a verse out of context ( or who close their
eyes to other verses either before or after their verse they try
to use to prove they are correct ) than probably any other way
that leads to error and false teaching.

     Another very often used form of study proof texting, is to
use just certain so-called "scholars" and their slant on a word
or phrase (which may be from their doctrinal bias, yes, as
shocking as it sounds, that does happen within the circle of the
"scholars").  Or they may quote only from the scholars of Greek
and Hebrew, the part that suits their teaching only, and so once
more making you think the scholars agree with them.  Of course,
they will not tell you that even "scholars" of Greek and Hebrew
(and other skills also) DISAGREE among themselves at times. We
all know how the "doctors" of the medical profession will
disagree with each other. We see it all the time on the
investigative TV shows such as "Dateline" - "60 Minutes" -
"20/20" etc.  Yet, some how we religious people quake in our
boots if someone quotes a "scholar" who may have studied Greek or
Hebrew. And if a "church" quotes such a fellow to back their
teaching, well that seals the matter, so we think, not realizing
other Greek and Hebrew scholars may completely disagree with the
ideas and the theology of the first guy.

     We need to be aware of such tactics by some "religious" folk
and church organizations.

     Let's get to the first verse presented to try and prove
Jesus did not observe the Passover but some other kind of meal
the night before He died.

MATTHEW 26:18

     You may first want to read this verse in the KJV, NKJV, NIV,
or some other translation, maybe many translations.

     It is claimed that the literal word for word translation is:

"....The time of Me near is before you sacrifice the passover in
company with my disciples of Me."

     Then it is stated by Kevin Richardson, from whom this
information comes: "correctly translated it should read: 'And He
said; go into a city to a certain man, and say to him: My teacher
says; My time is near at hand before you sacrifice the Passover
with My disciples."

     I'm not sure where this supposed correct translation comes
from, from which scholar I do not know, but I do have TWO Greek
scholars and their NT books in my library. I shall give you their
translation of the Greek in this verse, yet not only this verse,
but the verses that proceed and follow this eighteenth verse of
Matthew.

HERE IS HOW GEORGE RICKER BERRY Ph.D. TRANSLATES MATTHEW
26:17-19.

     " Now on the first of unleavened came the disciples to
Jesus, saying to Him, Where wilt thou we should prepare for thee
to eat the PASSOVER?  And He said, Go into the city unto such a
one, and say to him, The teacher says, My time near is, with thee
will keep the PASSOVER with my disciples. And did the disciples
as directed them Jesus, and PREPARED THE PASSOVER."

HERE'S HOW JAY P. GREEN Sr. TRANSLATED THE SAME VERSES.

     " on the And first unleavened came the disciples to Jesus,
saying to Him, Where will You we mat prepare for You to eat THE
PASSOVER? And He said, Go into the city to such a one, and say to
him, The teachers says, The time of Me near is; towards you I
make the PASSOVER, with the disciples of Me. And did the
disciples as ordered them - Jesus, and PREPARED THE PASSOVER."

     Now you may want to study the Greek words "TOWARDS" and
"MAKE" as given by Green. They are numbers 4314 and 4160 in
Strong's Concordance.  You will also find them under those
numbers in the THAYER'S GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON of the NT. 
Thayer has MUCH to say about those two words, a very lengthy
discord and explanation, which I will leave for the reader to
investigate at his /her leisure, when they have a few hours of
spare time.

     Regardless of the arguing that the House of Yahweh and some
others may want to get into with those two above Greek words, the
fact should be very plain and easy to see and understand from the
CONTEXT (verses before and after verse 18), that the preparation
Jesus sent the disciples to do, the request from the disciples
themselves to Jesus as to what to prepare for, WAS TO PREPARE FOR
THE PASSOVER!!!  
     
     NOTHING COULD BE PLAINER! 

     The CONTEXT is very clear on the matter,  The day had
arrived when the Jews STARTED to unleaven their homes,  it was
the very start of the 14th, just as the sun had set, and the
disciples were now very concerned. Jesus had not yet said
anything about the preparing for the Passover that evening. They
voiced their concern and Jesus told them where to go to prepare
the PASSOVER.  They did as He said and went to PREPARE THE
PASSOVER.  
     I mean to say, how many more time does God have to inspire
Matthew to use the word Passover (Greek is Pascha) to tell us
that it was the PASSOVER they were going to PREPARE for Jesus and
the twelve disciples?

     Oh, the depths of the un-believing hearts of some. No wonder
Jesus got upset at times with the Jews and their religious
leaders and quoted the Scripture "Even though it be told you,
still you will not believe."

     It would seem times have not changed that much today from
yesterday when Christ walked this earth.

     Some may wonder about this "first of the unleavened" and
think it was already the 15th of the first month, already the
beginning of the feast of Unleavened Bread.  No it was not!  It
was the custom of the Pharisees and their followers to started to
remove the leaven from their homes on the 14th. By the late
morning of the 14th it was to be out, and they were not to eat
any leaven from that time forth until the end of the feast of UB. 
It was a Jewish custom (part of the Jews, not all) of the day
ONLY, not a part of the law of God.  Nowhere does the law require
the 14th of Nisan to be a complete day of unleavened bread.  Only
the Passover meal was to be eaten with unleavened bread as
given in Exodus 12. The feast of UB did not start until the
beginning of the 15th.  The 14th was a preparation day leading up
to the 15th, just as the apostle John tells us in his
Gospel.
     Matthew was just using an historical Jewish custom of the
day when he stated "Now on the first of unleavened came the
disciples."   He was then in fact telling us it was the beginning
of the 14th day of Nisan, it was sunset and they were very
concerned that Jesus had not yet told them where to go to prepare
the PASSOVER!  This He then proceeded to inform them and they did
go forth to PREPARE THE PASSOVER.

     More Scriptural arguments from the House of Yahweh I will
answer in part two.

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