With the arrival of dusk today, April 22, 2024, we begin the 14th day of Nisan according to the biblical calendar. If we were in the third year of Jesus’ ministry, we would be immersed in excitement and expectation, as tomorrow we would need to bring our lamb to the temple to be sacrificed on this Passover day (Pesach, in Hebrew). Everything must be meticulously coordinated, for after the sacrifice, we must roast the lamb and consume it completely when night falls in a special dinner called The Order (Seder, in Hebrew), which could easily last four hours.

Why is this Passover meal special? First, because the lamb must be eaten, and second, because it is also the first day of the following festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread (in Hebrew, Matzot). God had taught that this first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread would be a day of rest (in Hebrew, Shabbat), regardless of the day of the week it fell on. Some special foods, such as bitter herbs and, of course, unleavened bread, were also to be eaten.

However, what would we do on this first night if the lamb has not yet been sacrificed and the Feast of Unleavened Bread has not yet begun? Simple, it is the night of “preparation,” known to the Jews as the First Celebration (in Hebrew, Hagigah Rishonah) or Passover Eve (in Hebrew, Erev Pesach). Both in the first century and today, the main focus of this night is:

• Preparing the home for that first rest day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, where the house must be clean of any residue of fermented flour.
• Preparing all the foods that need to be ready for such a busy day.
• Preparing the home and table to represent all The Order and the beauty of a place where the children of the King will gather.
• Preparing the family with all the elements of such a special Order, which includes Bible readings, songs, reflection, and thanksgiving.
• Preparing, in the case of rabbis with disciples, their followers prophetically.
• It is a precious moment to involve the children in the entire Passover process.

When we understand the importance of this Passover Eve night, it is not difficult to see why Jesus chose this moment to teach His disciples how they should conduct future Passover dinners. Unfortunately, years later, the church, immersed in its debates and internal betrayals, ended up losing this valuable treasure. Understanding this, there was no need to invent another date to celebrate. Understanding this, there was no need to invent a Holy Supper, completely alien to the three-hour walk through the mysteries of God through the Order of Passover. Understanding this, we would not have believed that Jesus died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday, completely disregarding the prophecy of three days and three nights that announces it to us. Allow me to conclude with a text from the apostle Paul in the face of the first deviations and distortions that some Christians began to make of Passover:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26).

For more details on this topic, you can visit our YouTube channel: Way Up Live Español, where you can find an entire series on this subject.

Author: Dr. Liber Aguiar.