Christians all over the world recently celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ on March 31, but did you know that the actual date Christ was crucified was during Passover–which in 2024 isn’t until April 22 on the Jewish calendar? 

The date of Passover shifts every year because the Jewish calendar is regulated by the moon. Each month begins on the new moon, which, according to the modern way of calculating things, happened on Tuesday, April 9. That is considered Nisan 1, or as I will refer to it, Abib 1. 

The Ancient Way

The ancients used to mark the first day of the month by observing the first visibility of the new moon. According to chabad.org:

“In ancient times Rosh Chodesh [the head of the month] was declared by the beit din (Jewish court) only after two credible witnesses would testify that they had seen the new moon. Since the fourth century, however, it has been determined by a preset calendar.”

Anyway, according to scripture, the Passover is always fourteen days later on the 14th of Abib, and in 2024 that will be April 22 on our calendar (called the Gregorian calendar). For more on this, please read my post, Why Does the Date of Easter Change Every Year? 

The Passover Lamb

So, what does the head of the month have to do with the resurrection? It all goes back to the when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. God sent ten plagues to demonstrate his power over the Egyptian gods, and the tenth plague was a particularly harsh punishment. God was going to send the angel of death to kill the first born son of every Egyptian:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.” ~Exodus 12:12-14

After that event, Moses was told:

“Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month [Abib] shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” Exodus 12:1

That first month is called Abib and the date of the Passover was to be on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. This means that when the angel tossed aside the stone from the tomb three days later and the Roman guards could do nothing to stop it, the moon would have been full and at its height (about midnight) above the southern horizon.

Entombed Before Sunset

The exact chronology of the crucifixion can be confusing because we’re mixing four different calendars: the Jewish calendar, the Roman/Julian calendar, the BC/AD labels (developed about 500 years after the crucifixion), and the current Gregorian Calendar (instituted about 1500 years after the crucifixion). Therefore, let’s unfold it carefully. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains,

“The animal was slain on the eve of the Passover, on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan [Abib], after the Tamid [daily] sacrifice had been killed, i.e., at three o’clock, or, in case the eve of the Passover fell on Friday, at two” (https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11934-passover-sacrifice).

So, Jesus would have died at the same time as the Tamid sacrifice (at 3) and that is exactly what Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us. Jesus was nailed to the cross at noon (the sixth hour) and was dead by three (the ninth hour). (Matthew 27:45; Luke 23:44; Mark 15:33).

But John further explains,

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day [Passover], that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day)[the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread], the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” ~John 19:31

John uses the phrase “Preparation Day,” which refers to the 14th when the Passover Lamb was to be sacrificed by sunset. The 15th begins right after sunset, and since no work was supposed to be done by the Jews on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, from that point on they had to make sure Jesus was taken off the cross and buried before sunset. Ironically, the Jews who were at the crucifixion went home after he died and celebrated Seder.

But Joseph of Arimathea and others knew his burial had to be done quickly and that his body could only be minimally prepared for the tomb in such a short amount of time. But that is why the women (Luke 24:1, 10) came back so eagerly on Sunday morning: they expected to properly finish his burial.

But all they found was his carefully folded shroud. 

Pesach

Christ’s death and resurrection fulfilled three Jewish convocations, which all happen together within an eight day period of time. They are collectively known as Pesach. 

Abib 14: Passover

Abib 15 – 21: Feast of Unleavened Bread

Abib 16 or 17: Feast of First Fruits

Here’s how they look on a chart I designed, but remember that a Jewish day begins at twilight, not midnight like ours (see my post Why is New Years on January 1?). It gets confusing to convert between the two concepts, so I hope the chart will help.

Jesus was dead by 3:00 in the afternoon, and so that only gave Joseph of Arimathea four hours to entomb Jesus’ body.  Sunset in the spring is closer to 7 PM, and it is the setting of the sun that mattered for the Jews, not the time on the clock.

This next chart shows what happened on the 15th starting after sunset:

Not much happens on this “high day” since it is a special sabbath, and the next event is on either Nisan 16 or 17, which is the second or third day of the Feast of Firstfruits depending on when the regular sabbath occurs. (Leviticus 23:11). 

 

The Feast of Firstfruits is fulfilled by Christ’s resurrection. He was crucified on Passover, but he is resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits, which makes him the “first fruit” of the harvest that will eventually occur at the end of the age when all believers will be resurrected. 

This breaks the pattern I’ve been taught my entire life, but two pieces of evidence I believe strengthens this timeline of events:

1) As quoted above, “The animal was slain on the eve of the Passover, on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan [Abib], after the Tamid [daily] sacrifice had been killed, i.e., at three o’clock, or, in case the eve of the Passover fell on Friday, at two.” (https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11934-passover-sacrifice).

The accounts in Matthew, Luke, and John all tell us that he was crucified at the sixth hour (noon), and was dead by the ninth hour (3:00 PM). This would mean he was NOT crucified on Friday because the Jews would make their sacrifice at 2:00 on a Friday. 

2) John tells us that Jesus died before the evening of “the high day” which is a reference to the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is therefore a special sabbath which follows the rules of the weekly sabbath.

Putting all these clues together, focusing on how the Jews perceived when a day began and ended, it solves some major problems. One of those problems has been the obvious problem with Jesus being in the grave for three days. The traditional account counts the few hours from his death to his burial as day one, which is what I’ve always accepted, but I’ve also felt it was kind of a weak argument. It’s possible and I don’t discard it easily, but I think the above timeline makes more sense because he was in the tomb by sunset. Furthermore, it keeps the anchor date as Sunday–the day of the resurrection. All of the Gospels say the resurrection happened on the first day of the week, which is Sunday, so whatever came before we can discuss and try to build our understanding together. 

Interestingly, these changes (moving the date of the crucifixion to Thursday afternoon instead of Friday afternoon, doesn’t change the year of crucifixion. I believe the church properly identified the year as AD 33, but the mistake they made is that they thought the next day was a regular sabbath day.

(On a personal note, the above charts really helped me to visualize what was going on because I kept hearing so many different things which didn’t really make sense. I hope they will help you, too. And any corrections or suggestions to these charts, too, will be welcome.)

Furthermore, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. . . . But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).

So, to summarize:

Abib 14: Jesus was our Passover lamb, sacrificed for our sins, thus fulfilling the Feast of the Passover. 

Abib 15-21: Jesus makes us pure (unleavened) by his sacrifice. Paul says in I Corinthians 5:7–8:

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Abib 16 or 17: Jesus is resurrected, being the “first fruit” of the future resurrection of believers when he returns.

Communion

So, should we be concerned that we don’t celebrate the resurrection of Jesus during Passover? Of course not! Don’t forget that it is at the Lord’s Supper–communion–when we are supposed to remember the “Lord’s death until he comes.” 

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” ~I Corinthians 11:23-26.

So, whenever we take communion we are celebrating the Passover and the shedding of Christ’s blood for the forgiveness of sins. But nevertheless, think of it! All the way back in Leviticus 23, God told us exactly when his Son would be crucified, buried, and resurrected (even though our current calendars and traditions make it more confusing than it should be.)

Blessings!

500 Year Journey

My book, 500 Year Journey, lays out the case for the historical reality of the birth of Christ and identifies the date when he was born. It can be purchased at any book outlet you normally use, but if you click here, you can order a signed copy and get free shipping. Blessings!