Easter Lamb or Passover Lamb-2
We will now look at the gospel of John as it also informs us of the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples. It is less confusing and very revealing. It does not mention any Passover meal.
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
This first verse tells a lot. This meal is before the Feast of the Passover, that is it is not yet the first day of Unleavened Bread. Since we remember that Jehovah created His calendar in which each new day begins at sundown. The ‘day’ before the feast begins is a preparation day. Also, it is on this day that the Passover Lamb is slain by late afternoon and roasted so it could be eaten after sundown or on the first day of the feast. This meal is at night. Actually it is the very night Judas betrayed Jesus and He was arrested. This is almost 20+ hours before the Passover lambs would be killed.
13:2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 13:4 *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 13:5 Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
John gives us tremendous insight into this last meal. He devotes Chapter 13-18 to help us understand all that Jesus told His disciples. There is wonderful truth in these 6 chapters and you should take some time to read thru them on your own. A few of the many important truths would include;
Jesus oneness with the Father John 14:10.
The gift of the Holy Spirit 14:17, 26 & 16:7.
His leaving but returning 14:19-29 & 16:16.
Loving Him 14:21-24 & 15:10
Abiding in Him Chapter 15.
His high priestly prayer Chapter 17.
The garden Chapter 18.
13:21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me." 13:22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.
I have included these two verses to remind us just how cunning Satan’s servants can be. Not one of the disciples knew who would betray Jesus. In fact, they looked at each other rather than at Judas. He was so good at deception, that he was not accused by any of them.
19:12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar." 19:13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
We have now gone from the supper, to the garden, to the false witnesses and trial, to Pilate. This is still the Day of Preparation. The lambs would all be killed by 3 pm and ready to be eaten right after sundown, the first day of Unleavened Bread.
19:14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" 19:15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate *said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
So in contrast with the first three gospels, which all referred to the Passover meal, John clearly states that all this occurred on the Day of Preparation. This means that they could not have eaten a Passover meal with the real Passover Lamb. So how can we come to understand these contradictions? I will attempt to lay this all out next Saturday as it takes some time to present it. But, as Jude reminds us, Satan enters and destroys the ‘church’ from the inside not from only the outside.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 1:4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
More next Saturday.