From:
Mark 14:1 - Bible Verse Meaning and Commentary
Mark 14:1
After two days was [the feast of] the passover
That is, two days after Christ had delivered the foregoing discourse concerning the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, was the
feast of the passover; which was kept in commemoration of God's passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, and made way for the deliverance of the children of Israel from thence: and which was kept by eating the passover lamb; and which, properly speaking, is the
feast of the passover:
and of unleavened bread;
which was the same
feast with the other, called so from the unleavened bread which was then eaten; though with this difference, the passover lamb was only eaten on the first night, but unleavened bread was eaten for seven days together. The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions render it, "the passover of unleavened bread", leaving out the copulative "and".
First of all, there may be quite a confusion over this passage, in Mark 14:12, saying, "the first day of unleavened bread".
While the official "Days of Unleavened Bread", begin on the Annual High Sabbath Day*, Nison 15, on Thursday, in the year A.D. 31 (where I am with the death of Jesus), this passage here talking about what it calls the "first day of unleavened bread", is referring to the first day which begins the
season of unleavened bread, as the start of the unleavened bread
festival.
That 'first day" is the same day as the Day of Preparation ** and the Passover Day, Wednesday, Nison 14, as we see from Gill above saying "the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread", are that first day of the
season or
festival of the Passover and unleavened bread and the same as the Day of Preparation**, before the Annual High Day Sabbath*
( with the OFFICIAL DAY of Unleavened Bread being the next day, Thursday, Nison 15, the day of the Annual High Day Sabbath*, although Mark 14:12 calls the day before, Wednesday, Nison 14 "the first day of unleavened bread", as above.
Again, that 'first day" of the unleavened day
festival and '
season', is the same day as the Day of Preparation ** and the Passover Day, Wednesday, Nison 14.
And that follows through that Day of Preparation ** and "the preparation day before the Sabbath*", (with that 'Sabbath' meaning the Annual High Day Sabbath*, Nison 15), would be 'first day" of the unleavened day
festival and '
season' and is the same day as the Day of Preparation** and the Passover Day, Wednesday, Nison 14.)
That places this passage "
Mark 14:12; ". . . And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover", to be at the beginning of Wednesday, Nison 14 (our Tuesday afternoon, after 6:00 pm.)
* John 19:
31; identifies the
Sabbath the day after the Day of Preparation**, or "the preparation, Wednesday, Nison 14, by saying,
"for that Sabbath was a high day"; "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.
** "All four Gospels state that Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation (
Matthew 27:62;
Mark 15:42;
Luke 23:54;
John 19:14,
31,
42). Mark, Luke, and John all state that the following day was the Sabbath. John’s account uses this wording: “It was the day of Preparation of the Passover” (
John 19:14).
Mark 14:12-16, ". . .
And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
They then were killing and roasting the Passover lamb later Wednesday, Nison 14;
"
and they made ready the passover;"
"they bought a lamb; they had it killed in the temple, according to rule; and they brought it to the house, where they were to sup, and got it roasted; and provided unleavened bread, and wine, and bitter herbs, and every thing that was proper for the
feast; (
See Gill on Matthew 26:19).
And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. .
And then, I am going to have to make Mark 14:16, be in the evening, also, of Wednesday, Nison 14.
Mark 14:17, ". . . And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. . . ." Nisan 15.
"Since Passover is on the 14th of Abib/Nisan (also the day of preparation before the Annual High Day Sabbath, on Thursday, Nison 15) the day of the week changes from year to year. That means the preparation day changes from year to year and is not necessarily on Friday as is the weekly preparation day. In fact, Nisan 14 was a Wednesday in a.d. 31. Any simple Hebrew calendar program or book will demonstrate this fact. On average, Passover will only fall on Friday three out of 19 years. The other 16 years it will be some other day, yet it is still called a preparation day because the next day is a high day, or annual Sabbath day.
"In a.d. 31, the year of Christ’s death, Passover fell on a Wednesday. That means He ate the Passover supper at the beginning of the 14th of Abib, or just after sunset on what today’s Roman calendar calls Tuesday.
"Next, Christ and His remaining 11 disciples (Judas had departed) went to the garden of Gethsemane.
"During the night Jesus was arrested and tried.
"Then at midday Wednesday, He was crucified.
"He died that afternoon (Luke 23:44).
"His body was claimed for burial by Joseph of Arimathaea at the end of the preparation day (Wednesday, Nison 14, the same as the "first day of unleavened bread" season or festival in Mark 14:12, when they killed and ate the passover at the Lord's Supper) and before the (Official) first day of Unleavened Bread began (Nison 15).
A very clear understanding of several of the salient points regarding the details around
the year Jesus was born, based on several things including the taxing of Joseph and Mary, and the dates and days of the week of Jesus' birth, and death, to His resurrection, should be able to be seen at:
| Philadelphia Church of God.
