Dear Joseph L.,
Your Question(s) and
Comment(s): Why do
churches accept the assumed version of the Last Supper by the Catholic Church
that the Last Supper was the night before the crucifixion? In the Bible John
19:14 shows that the Last Supper was at a different time. After being
[sentenced], John 19:14, Jesus was lead to the common
hall from where they brought Barabbas. Matt 27:26-27.Jesus
did not go directly to the cross. He was lead to the
cross the next morning. Jesus was in jail from noon till [the following]
morning. As far as the sixth hour is concerned, John 4:6 answers that. There is
an atticleon the internet that shows another day and
it is quite biblical
My Answer(s): I thank you for visiting my web site,
and submitting your question and comments. I pray that my God and Holy Father
in heaven will bless you in understanding His holy word. Now, you questioned
the timing of the so-called "Last Supper" as known in the Christian
community. You state that the "Last Supper was at a different time".
Yet, you do not give a day you believe the "Last Supper" was other
than it was not the day Christians today use. First, I point out that the
phrase "Last Supper" is applied to the meal Christ Jesus had with His
apostles (the Twelve) the night He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot (John
13:18-30 and Luke 22:47-48), and handed over to the chief priests and
Jewish rulers. Second, this night (evening), said to be the 14th day
of the first month in the Hebrew calendar, called Nisan or Abib in Scriptures
was the evening before the children of Israel were commanded by God to kill the
Passover lamb. For on the 14th day of their first month of the year,
which began that evening was called the Passover by the children of Israel,
they were to kill the Passover lamb at twilight, and eat it that next evening
the 15th of the first month (see Luke 22:7).
Next, the traditional day the
children of Israel killed the Passover lamb, the end of the 14th day
of their first month called Abib or Nisan, at twilight, and the evening of the
15th day of the first month, they were commanded to eat the Passover
lamb (Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23:4-8). This could not be the evening
Christ ate what He called the Passover with His apostles, saying, "with
fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer" (Luke 22:15-16 NKJV). For Christ had to observed
this Passover that evening of the 14th of Nisan with His apostles
because Christ Jesus would be the fulfillment of this Scripture, for He was and
is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). For at the same time the Jews
were preparing and killing their lambs for the Passover on the 15th
of Nisan that evening, Jesus was being killed by crucifixion for our sins. That
God the Holy Father in heaven would "pass over" our sins, and grant
us life because of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice on the tree or cross, paying the
death penalty in our place. Now, we know the evening after Christ was crucified
was a high Sabbath day, a holy day because the chief priests and rulers would
not go into the governor headquarters. For it is written, "the Jews
led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was
early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the
palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover" (John 18:28 NIV).
For that evening after Jesus death as the children of Israel did on that first
Passover, the first Day of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12, the Jews ate
the Passover lamb as commanded by God as a lasting ordinance (Exodus
12:1-28, Leviticus 23:4-8 and Luke 22:7-8).
Now, your use of the phrase
"night before the crucifixion" may denote you have a day of the
crucifixion settled in your mind. Therefore, I answer your question from this
point of view, was the crucifixion on a Friday or some other day? If you
believe the crucifixion was on Friday, then I must assume that you are
referring to the "Last Supper" as being held on Thursday night. You
refer specifically to Catholic congregations teaching of this event. For this
Thursday night on the Romans calendar, which is the day that Catholics and the
vast majority of other Christians have made the night of the Last Supper.
Having established that you speak of Christians accepting this Thursday evening
as the day of the Last Supper. Now, I must point out that God and the Hebrews;
the children of Israel reckoned time and days different from the Romans during
Jesus life on earth and as we do today.
In the book of Genesis, we
have the true reckoning of time and days by God, as it is said, "the
evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19,
23, 31 NKJV). Not day and half of the night as the Romans who changed the
times and days do by beginning days at midnight. [As a note, the time of
midnight used by the Romans as the beginning of days was the very time God
struck dead all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, and led the children of
Israel out of Egypt, interesting I say, see Exodus 12:29]. Therefore,
the time that we call Thursday night, according to the Holy Scriptures is
actually the beginning of the day Friday, for days as established by God begins
at sunset (evening) and ends at sunset (evening) the following day. So, the
"Last Supper" is assumed to have occurred on the Romans Thursday
night, which to God and the Jews was Friday night, the day they also called the
day of preparation for their weekly Sabbath observance. Remembering also that
any day prior to a Sabbath or high Sabbath (a Holy Day) was called the day of
preparation because the Jews prepared for the holy days coming the day before.
As I have already established that the evening after Christ Jesus’ crucifixion
was a high Sabbath, a holy day called the first day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, the very day God led the children of Israel out of Egypt (see John
18:28 and Exodus 12:17). In John 4:6, you say "As far as
the sixth hour is concerned, John 4:6 answers that". But it actually
proves that there are twelve hours in the day by which the Jews measured time
during the daylight. For Christ Jesus Himself says in John 11:9 (NIV), "Are
there not twelve hours of daylight? Therefore, the first hour of day,
6:00 am in the morning for the Romans, would be the first hour for the Jews
then it is clear that that the sixth hour was noonday.
You also say that Jesus was
"in jail from noon till [the following] morning". However, when we go
to Matthew 26:30-34, Jesus tells His apostles after they had eaten their
Passover meal, the evening before the Jews First Day of Unleavened Bread also
called the Passover. See John 19:14 where it is said, "It was
the day of Preparation of Passover Week". [As a note, I point out
the phrase "Passover Week" used here indicates that the
Jews common referred to the seven days called all the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, as the Passover]. Now, after the apostles drank the wine and had eaten
the bread with Jesus, He told them that they would all fall away from Him that
"night". Jesus said to His apostles, "this very night you
will all fall away on account of Me" (NIV). And again
to Peter, Jesus says, "I say to you that this night, before the
rooster crows, you will deny Me three times" (NKJV). Therefore, we
know that it was "night" when the leaders of the Jews carried Jesus
away, not noonday as you say. Also, there is further proof as to the time Jesus
was led away by the leaders of the Jews in John 18, where it is said
that Judas the traitor guided "a detachment of soldiers and some
officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches,
lanterns and weapons" (John 18:2-3 NIV). These verses clearly show
that it was "night" when Jesus was arrested, seeing that the leaders
of the Jews and their soldiers carried torches and lanterns, which would not
have been needed, if it was noonday when they led Jesus away.
Also, to say that Jesus was
in jail would not technically be correct, for Jesus was put on trial by the
high priest, chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin, they were questioning and
accusing Him throughout the night until the next morning. They brought
witnesses who made false testimony against Christ Jesus, and they spat on Him
and beat Him while mocking Him. This happen all at night, most likely around
midnight until the next morning. (Remember the Lord God of Israel struck down
the firstborn of all Egypt at midnight, and the call went out for the children
of Israel to make haste and depart from Egypt, see Exodus 11:4, 12:11,
29). Now, it is written, that after Christ Jesus was arrested and put on
trial by the Jews, "When morning came", and again, "As
soon as it was day" (Matthew 27:1 and Luke 22:66 NKJV). Then these
leaders of the Jews led Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, the Romans for them to
put Him to death. For it is written, the Jews wanted the Romans to crucify
Jesus, saying, "What further testimony do we need?" (Luke
22:71 NKJV). And its said, "Then the
whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate" (Luke 23:1 NKJV),
saying to Pilate, "we have no right to execute anyone… This happened
so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death He was going to
die would be fulfilled" (John 18:31-32 NIV).
Now, the Jews before Pilate
and Herod brought Jesus around the break of day, which lasted to around noon on
the 14th of Nisan, the day before the first Day of Unleavened Bread,
a Jews Holy Day (Exodus 12:6, 14 and Luke 22:66, and Luke 23:1-12). Then
after Pilate had questioned Jesus and finding "no fault", he
sought to release Jesus. When Pilate learned that Jesus was from Galilee, he
sent Jesus to Herod (see Luke 23). In which, the Scripture you gave John
4:6 concerning the sixth hour, shows that the sixth hour equals noonday.
For Luke 23:44 states, "it was about the sixth hour, and there
was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour". But, God caused this darkness, for the evening starting the
next day had not yet arrived. And seeing that the next day was a "high
day", a day called a Holy day of the Jews. As it is written, "because
it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on
the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day)" (John 19:31 NKJV).
Now, concerning the day the
Roman Catholics forced upon this evil and adulterous world as the day of Christ's
crucifixion on the part of Friday referred to as daytime by the Romans and
today. In understanding the day the so-called
"Last Supper" is observed by most Christians, we must answer the
question why these same Catholics and Romans changed the "date" of
Christ’s resurrection to always fall on Sunday, called Easter rather than the
third date after the 14th "day" of Nisan. When we go back
to AD 325 at the council of Nicera, there the Roman
Catholic leaders and the Romans decreed Sunday as the day Easter would be
celebrated in all their congregations. See my writings on the pagan holiday
called Easter, at http://www.kushedifyingministries.org/Easterweb.htm.
The so-called "Good Friday"
crucifixion day cannot be supported by the teachings of the Holy Scriptures
that Christ Jesus would be in the earth or grave, three days and three nights.
For as Christ Jesus Himself in speaking to some of the Pharisees and teachers
of the law who wanted a miraculous sign from Him says, "none will be
given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and
three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days
and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:38-40 NIV). However,
this Scripture do support a Thursday daytime crucifixion base on Romans time,
and Christ being placed in the tomb just before sunset on the day called
Thursday night by the Romans and Friday night for the Jews. Yes, it is true
Christ had His Passover meal the night before His crucifixion and death, but
not on the day these professing Christians and Catholics claim, the Romans
Thursday night. For there were two Sabbaths when Jesus was killed on the tree,
a high Sabbath and a weekly Sabbath. This means Jesus had His Passover meal
with His apostles on Wednesday night according to the Romans measure of time,
and Thursday night according to the Jews measure of time. And the Sabbath the
Jews spoke of the morning that they delivered Jesus to the Romans was the First
Day of Unleavened Bread, a high Sabbath not the weekly Sabbath, which was the
next day.
Therefore, I pray that my
Holy and Righteous Father in heaven continue to bless you in understanding His
holy word. I hope this help you in understanding why these professing
Christians forces Christ’s crucifixion on the daytime part of the day called
Friday by the Romans. These professing Christians and Catholics all support the
Friday crucifixion because they want the resurrection to always fall on a
Sunday, their pagan holiday called Easter, and because their Friday evening is
the beginning of the Jews weekly Sabbath. Yet, the Holy Scriptures do not
support these Christians observance of "their" so-called "Last
Supper" on "their" Thursday night, but do support Jesus having
His Passover meal with His apostles on the 14th of Nisan, the first
month of the Jewish religious calendar. I exhort you to continue to pray and
study God’s Holy Word. Amen. Praise God.
In Christ’s love,
Ron Davis, servant of Christ