The 14th - A day of Unleaven?
Why did Matthew, Mark, Luke, say it was unleaven?
by Keith Hunt As most scholars know, a careful studying of the harmony of the Gospels, will reveal that Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples on the "evening" of the 14th of Abib or Nisan (in the Jewish calendar, corresponding to our March/April). On that evening, which was the beginning of the 14th, Jesus introduced the NT emblems of the bread and wine and foot-washing. That night He was betrayed by Judas in the garden of Gethsemane, and was subsequently crucified on Golgotha during the daylight hours of the 14th. The Pharisees and their followers would then observe their Passover that evening of the 15th, which was the start of the feast of Unleavened Bread, according to the books of Moses, and which I have shown and proved in another study. All this is pretty plain to see for most astute Gospel studiers. Why then do we have THREE Gospel writers, writing as if, well for most people it would be as if, Jesus was going to observe the Passover on the first evening of the feast of Unleavened Bread? Let's note how the Gospel writers actually wrote it in the Greek. I will be quoting the literal translation from the Greek by J. P. Green from his Greek/English Interlinear. MATTHEW 26: 17 "And on the first unleavened came the disciples to Jesus, saying to Him; Where will you we may prepare for you to eat the Passover?......" MARK 14: 12 "And on the first day of the unleavened, when the Passover they killed, say to Him the disciples of Him; Where do you wish going we may prepare that you eat the Passover?......" LUKE 22: 7 "And came the day of the unleavened, on which must be killed the Passover....." Well, it kinda sounds like it could be the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but if so that would put it on the evening or start of the 15th day of Nisan, and most scholars would immediately raise the red flag on that idea. But we need to notice that the word "feast" or "festival" does not appear in any of the above quotes from the three Gospel writers. And this is VERY IMPORTANT, for it sets up the immediate question we need to ask, "If it was NOT the feast of Unleavened Bread, then what did they mean by it being on the first day of unleavened?" We need to now search the history books to see if we can find the answer. And yes, indeed we can find the answer. ALFRED EDERSHEIM, D.D., Ph.D. the great Jewish/Christian writer gives it to us as he writes about what the Jews did on this 14th day of Nisan. I quote from Edersheim's book "THE TEMPLE - its Ministry and Services" (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1982), pages 219, 220. All CAPITAL letter words are mine for emphasis. "The SPECIAL preparations for the Passover commenced on the EVENING of the 13th of Nisan, with which, according to Jewish reckoning, the 14th BEGAN, the day being always computed from evening to evening. THEN the head of the house was to SEARCH with a lighted candle all places where LEAVEN was usually kept, and to put what of it he found in the house in a safe place, whence no portion could be carried away by any accident. Before doing this, he prayed: 'Blessed art Thou, Jehovah, our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Thy commandments, and commanded us to remove the leaven.' And after it he said, 'ALL the LEAVEN that is in my possession, that which I have seen and that which I have not seen, be it null, be it accounted as the dust of the earth.' The search itself was to be accomplished in perfect silence and with a lighted candle......Jewish tradition sees a reference to this search with candles in Zeph.1: 12; 'And it shall come to pass at this time that I will search Jerusalem with candles.' If the leaven HAD NOT been removed on the evening of the 13th (beginning of the 14th in Jewish reckoning -Keith Hunt), it might STILL BE DONE on the AFTERNOON OF THE 14TH OF NISAN...... Early on the FORENOON of the 14th of Nisan the feast of the Passover may be said to have begun. In Galilee, no work was done all day; in Judea it was continued till mid-day.....Even EARLIER than MID-DAY of the 14th it was NO LONGER LAWFUL to eat LEAVEN. The strictest opinion fixes ten o'clock, as the LATEST hour when leaven MIGHT BE EATEN, the more lax, eleven. From that hour to twelve o'clock it was required to ABSTAIN from LEAVEN, while at twelve it was to be solemnly DESTROYED, either by burning, immersing it in water, or scattering it to the winds. To secure STRICT OBEDIENCE and uniformity, the EXACT TIME for ABSTAINING from and for DESTROYING the LEAVEN was thus made known: 'They laid two desecrated cakes of a thank-offering on a bench in the porch (of the Temple). So long as they lay there, all the people might eat (leavened); when one of them was removed, they abstained from eating, but they did not burn (the leaven); when BOTH were REMOVED, all the people burnt (the leaven)' (Pes. i. 5)." End of quote. Ah yes, now we see the importance of this day, the 14th day, in the lives of those who followed the teachings and traditions of the scribes, Pharisees, and priests. The 14th day was, with the "leaven" search in the homes on the evening of the 14th, the beginning of the 14th, a very important day to the Pharisee Jews, of removing "leaven" from out of their homes and from out of their lives, EVEN BEFORE the hour of the 15th day came, which was the day that started the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. By 10 a.m. or at the latest 11 a.m. of the morning of the 14th day, leaven was no longer allowed to be eaten, if of course you followed the Pharisees and their traditions and teachings. We see now why Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all report this BEGINNING of the 14th day, the evening of the 14th day, when Jesus and the twelve were about to observe the Passover, as "the first day of the unleavened" or "the day of the unleavened" or "on the first unleavened" and NOT anytime as a day of THE FEAST of Unleavened Bread. It was indeed to the Pharisee Jews, "A" day of "unleavened" - "A" day when leaven was put out, and not eaten, either on the evening of the day, or by 10 or 11 a.m. the next morning. In Jewish Pharisee tradition the 14th day of Nisan had become known as "unleavened." But of course for those who knew the truth of God's word, it was the Passover day, and the beginning of that day, the evening of that day, was the time to celebrate the Passover meal, just as Jesus with His disciples were recorded by the Gospel writers as doing just that...killing and eating the Passover, with unleavened bread. But no where Jesus worked hard on that day to be our saviour. We work hard to put out leaven bread on that day, to move into the great feast of Unleavened Bread and all it represents.
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