Ref. Definition: Pre-Sabbath, "The Day of Preparation...The Day before the Sabbath." Mark 15:42.

Definition: Pre-Sabbath, Preparation Day.

Apart from the Sabbath, only the day before the Sabbath was named in Israel
(Mt 27:62; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; Jn 19:14,31,42).

It was the Pre-Sabbath (προσαββατον = prosabbaton: Mk 15:42),
preparation day or pre-rest day or makeready day (Greek paraskeue,
derived from paraskeuazo: to get ready, to equip, to prepare, to arrange).

Mark used both terms in one sentence, literally:
"since it was the day of Preparation,
that is, the day before the Sabbath" (Mark 15:42).


The preparation day is the day before the Sabbath, the so-called pre-Sabbath.

Since there are preparation days for weekly Sabbaths
as well as preparation days for the seven annual High Sabbaths,
there are always several preparation days within only seven days
in the spring and autumn holiday weeks.

But if in one year a High Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath,
this "double Sabbath" has only one common preparation day.

There are 3 types of preparation days to be distinguished:

1. Preparation day for a weekly Sabbath, always Thursday evening until Friday evening
2. Preparation day for an annual Sabbath (=high Sabbath, festive Sabbath), which can fall on any day of the week
3. Preparation day for a double Sabbath, if an annual Sabbath (=high Sabbath, festive Sabbath, Feast) falls on a weekly Sabbath, always from Thursday evening to Friday evening. It would then be a "double preparation day".

Most Christians think that there is only one Sabbath at Passover
because Easter also has only one Sabbath (Saturday) before Easter Sunday;
but Passover has three Sabbaths.

And if there are three Sabbaths in the Feast,
then of course there must also be three days of preparation,
and either to the annual Sabbaths or to the minor weekly Sabbaths,

unless an annual Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath (i.e., always Saturday),
in which case there is a day of preparation to a double Sabbath.

So there are three types of preparation days
because there are three types of Sabbaths
(annual Sabbath, weekly Sabbath, double Sabbath).

Many study Bibles with Strong numbers of Greek words
define the day of preparation
as "the day before the weekly Sabbath (i.e. Friday)
OR the day before a feast (annual High Sabbath)".

However, most Christians are not aware that the Bible
does not say that Jesus died on the preparation day for a weekly Sabbath
(i.e. not on a Friday),

but on the pre-Sabbath for a major holiday
(festival, the first annual Sabbath, Passover on the 15th Nisan),
which can fall on different weekdays:

Jn 19:31 (KJV): "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation,
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day,
(for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."

Since many Christians
cannot distinguish between weekly and annual Sabbaths,
they start from the false assumption that Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

But the Bible is only about the day before a high feast Sabbath.

John also tells us clearly
which of the seven major annual feast Sabbaths (holy days) it was,
namely: John 19:14 (KJV): "And it was the preparation of the passover..."

So it was about the preparation day for the first annual Sabbath,
the high Passover on the 15th of Nisan (Abib).

All scholars agree on this.

But they place theological tradition before the Word of God (Bible)
and have thus placed this feast day on a weekly Sabbath.

Astronomical data clearly prove:
In the year in which Jesus was crucified (30, 31 or 34 A.D.),
there was no double Sabbath,
but the preparation day (14th Nisan) fell on a Wednesday
and the following annual High Sabbath (15th Nisan) on a Thursday.

Jesus rose from the dead after "3 days and 3 nights".

That was "on the one of the Sabbaths" (Mk 16:2; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1)
until Pentecost, namely "early on the first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9; 17th Nisan)
of the seven Sabbaths that are counted every year
until the feast of weeks (Shavuot, Pentecost):


The 3 preparation days and the 3 Sabbaths
during the Passover Feast and the Resurrection Sabbath.

All preparation days have one thing in common: just like the Sabbath,
they begin at sunset and end at the next sunset.

Therefore, the preparation day for a weekly Sabbath
is strictly speaking never the Friday,
but always the period from Thursday evening to Friday evening,
always after sunset.

The preparation day (14th Nisan) for the Passover (15th Nisan)
is called "Erev Pesach" by the Jews today, the evening before the Sabbath
(erev means the eve of Jewish festivals, i.e. the day of light after noon.


The two preparation days and the two Sabbaths
and the three days and three nights.

In 2020 the sequence of days at the Passover
was exactly the same as in the year Jesus was crucified.

There were once again three preparation days (Nisan 14, 16 and 20)
and three Sabbaths (Nisan 15, 17 and 21).

This sequence of days is very common according to the Jewish calendar
and occurs somewhat every third year:



The preparation days and Sabbaths
during the Passover Festival 2020 and the Resurrection Sabbath.

The sequence of events at the time of Jesus
on the preparation day, the 14th of Nisan:


The events on Nisan 14, the preparation day for the High Sabbath
- the Last Supper, condemnation, and crucifixion of Jesus.

 

Of course, there would be no work of preparation
during the three Sabbath Days during the Seven Days of The Passover.

The O.P., says it is about the day before the Sabbath, in these verses:

I looked up Josephus, and I will quote from Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 10, Paragraph 5. It is good to remember that Josephus lived and authored his books in the first century, about the time of the apostles and shortly thereafter. The title, incidentally, of this particular chapter is: Concerning The Festivals; And How Each Day Of Such Festival Is To Be Observed:

In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan, and is the beginning of our year, on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians,) the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover; and so we do celebrate this Passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the Passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread.

I do not know that you could get anything clearer than that from a first century Jew. There are many, many more references in Josephus that these are two separate festivals. I found that in one place though that he may call the entire eight-day period "Passover," and in another place he will call the whole eight-day period "Unleavened Bread."

Let us go to John 13.

John 13:29 For some of them thought because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast: or, that he should give something to the poor.

You know what was happening here. It was the Passover meal, the foot washing, and Jesus was introducing the New Covenant. This took place at the beginning of the 14th. Correct? It is. I want you to notice what the apostles assumed. Notice it says the apostles assumed that Judas went out to buy things needed for the feast. If Passover is a holy day, as this man claims, would the disciples of Jesus be out and about buying in preparation on the Holy Day? Passover is not a holy day.

BANG! That doctrine is dead.

Matthew 26:3-5 Then assembled together the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. And consulted [that is, they conspired] that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now when did they arrange to take Jesus? On the 14th. They did not believe the 14th was a holy day, because it is not! It is not the first day of Unleavened Bread. It is a preparation day. It is not a Sabbath. They were afraid to take Jesus on the next day (the 15th) because they thought the people would riot, because here would be the priest ordering the slaying of a man on a Holy Day, and so they conspired to have Him taken on the Passover day.

BANG! That was the second shot!

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

This very clearly states that the Passover—the day on which Jesus was killed—was a preparation day, not a Sabbath. It was not part of the Days of Unleavened Bread. BANG! again.

Now we have one more scripture to look at here.

John 19:40-42 Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day: for the sepulchre was near at hand.

How can it be any clearer? BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Passover is not a Sabbath. It is a preparation day.

So can we see that when Passover was fulfilled by means of Jesus' crucifixion, everything concerning His death was finished before the 14th ended? In fact, He was buried out of sight, which compares to the Passover lamb being completely consumed Passover night and out of sight. Nothing was left. Nothing remained.

So, since God tells me what happened on the 14th and 15th,
I for one am not going to tell Him that they happened on the 17th and 18th.

 

This is what my favorite teacher used to call, "The Clincher".

“Therefore the Jewish leaders,
because it was the preparation day (the 14th day of Nissan),
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on Shabbat,
for this Shabbat was a high day,
Pilate ordered the legs should be broken so they might be taken down.” John 19:31

"John makes it clear that
it was not a day before the regular Shabbat, i.e. Friday;
rather the text states it was the preparation day.

"This fact informs the reader that it was the day
that Israel killed the lambs
in order to observe the Torah commandment
of partaking of the Passover lamb in the evening.

"One must remember that the 14th day of Nissan is called Passover because it was on this day that the lamb was killed
and prepared to be eaten
on the eve of the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

Why could not Yeshua’s Passover be
when the preparation day is on Friday

and Shabbat is both a regular seventh-day Shabbat
and the First day of Unleavened Bread?

"The answer is because the women bought the spices
to anoint the body of Yeshua after Shabbat
(this Shabbat was a holiday, i.e., the 15th day of Nissan—See Mark 16:1)

and prepared the spices and ointments
prior to the seventh day Shabbat (See Luke 23:56).

"Hence the preparation day (Passover) had to be on a Wednesday
and the 15th day of Nissan (the Holiday Shabbat) was a Thursday.

With the 15th day of Nissan (the Holiday Shabbat) on Thursday,
the women bought the spices
AFTER THAT THURSDAY, NISON 15TH,
ANNUAL HIGH DAY Holiday Shabbat,

"Since, the women bought the spices
after THAT THURSDAY, NISON 15TH,
Holiday Shabbat (Mark 16:1), on Friday

and prepared them along with the ointment
on the same day (Friday) (Luke 23:56),

it means that they then rested
on THE WEEKLY Shabbat,
NISON 17TH, SATURDAY.

(THE CLINCHER!)

"The fact that we are told that Yeshua was in the tomb for three days and nights,
having been put in the tomb at sundown Wednesday,
means that He rose just before or immediately after the weekly Shabbat ended,
on the first day of the week as the Scripture declares.

Passover Semeach v’Kasher and Shabbat Shalom.