Jesus – Yeshua’s Last Passover or “Last Supper”

***All Jewish days go from Sunset to Sunset… this makes it difficult for those of us who are orientated to the Gregorian calendar and not the the Judean Calendar. I will try to help you understand…

Nisan 13 (March 26th) started at sunset on March 25th until sunset of the 26th.

Last evening just after sunset, my husband and I ate the a commemorative “Last Supper” of Jesus and his disciples. We ate fish, romaine lettuce with bitter dressing, dill pickle, olives and leavened bread and wine. (we believe that leaven bread was eaten at this meal because ALL leavening must be removed from the house (premises) before the feast of Unleavened bread starts on the 15th of Nisan. We’ve been told all of our lives: “to waste not is to want not” (not scriptural).

Nisan 14 (March 27th) started at sunset on March 26th until sunset of the 27th.

Today, my husband and I are reading scriptures and remembering the period of time that is referred to today as the Passion of Christ. The time before his crucifixion and the day of his crucifixion. As I write this (PST), we are well into the 3 hours of darkness that started at the 6th hour and waiting for the 9th hour when Jesus – Yeshua gave up the ghost.

I’ve been wanting to share this with the readers of this blog for quite some time. I’m not going to tell you that it has anything to do with Salvation as I honestly don’t know…although I’m going to tell you that it has everything to do with truth. We can’t understand the times when Jesus – Yeshua walked on this earth if we don’t understand and recognize the customs that were practiced during His time. Once we recognize the correct timing, it also changes the time of His resurrection from our traditional custom of “Easter”.

ALL Scriptures taken from the TLV – Tree of Life Version (TLV is a new Bible translation produced by Messianic Jewish and Christian Scholars.)

The Passover is to be celebrated at the close of Nisan 14th, which is in March or April ( Ex. 12:128 & Lev. 23:47) .

All throughout the Bible we find Passover being celebrated, including by Yeshua and His disciples. Upon reading about Yeshua’s last Passover, it seems as if Matthew 26:17 , Mark 14:12 , and Luke 22:78 are saying that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, eaten at the end of Nisan 14th.

But John 13:12 & 18:28 indicates that the Last Supper was not the Seder because it was eaten a night earlier, at the beginning of Nisan 14th. To find the answer we need to look closely at the Gospels and a Galilean Jewish tradition.

The Gospels and Yeshua’s last Passover

Matthew 26:35 and Mark 14:2 both state that the leaders who conspired to have Yeshua put to death did not want His death to occur “ during the feast , lest there be an uproar among the people”.

Luke 22:15-16
“(15) And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. (16) For I tell you, I will never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” TLV

After the last lamb was sacrificed on the evening of 14th (before the Seder) the High Priest would say “ it is finished . ”

John 19:30 “When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “ It is finished !” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” TLV

The Galilean Jewish Tradition for Passover

The Mishnah records that Galilean Jews had a different tradition than the Judean Jews for celebrating Passover. This Galilean tradition is very important for understanding the Gospels telling of Yeshua’s “Last Supper” with His disciples. For the Galilean Jews, Nisan 13th was preparation day for Passover, not the Nisan 14th. All preparation for the Feast was finished by the start of Nisan 14th. Matthew 26:2 and Mark 14:1 could be referring to this tradition when it says in “two days is the Passover ” (Nisan 13th). Then the celebration of the Passover started at the beginning of Nisan 14th with a traditional “Last Supper” before the start of the Fast Of The Firstborn (Ta’anit Bechorot). This fast was a tradition for all firstborn males in order to remember the tenth plague that came upon Egypt in the book of Exodus. The fast was to be broken with the Passover Seder at the close of Nisan 14th or Nisan 15th

Yeshua’s Last Supper

Yeshua was the firstborn of Mary and Joseph. Both Yeshua and the disciples were Galilean Jews. Therefore they followed the tradition to prepare for Passover on Nisan 13th and keep the Fast Of The Firstborn with a “Last Supper”at the start of Nisan 14th. Prayer is a very important part of fasting, so after the Last Supper, Yeshua and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Therefore Yeshua’s Last Supper was a traditional way that He started the Passover celebration each year, not the Seder as we know it today. That year Yeshua used the traditional Last Supper to show His disciples a new revelation about Him known today as the Lord’s Supper or Communion ( Matt. 26:2628;
Mark 14:2224; Luke 22:1920; 1 Cor. 11:2325). He also taught at the “Last Supper” that the Master is the Servant and that we’re all to Love one another as He loved us.

Today, Judaism has placed the Galilean last supper meal within the Seder, not the night before. But some in Judaism still keep this traditional way of starting the Passover with a last supper meal the night before the Seder and then the fast. In Closing Chronological order of the Last Supper and Crucifixion
(1.) On Nisan 13th, Yeshua and His disciples kept the Galilean preparation day for the Passover.
(2.) At sunset, the start of Nisan 14th, Yeshua and the disciples had the traditional Galilean “Last Supper” before the start of the traditional “Fast Of The Firstborn”.
(3.) The next afternoon, still on Nisan 14th, Yeshua was crucified at the exact time that the lambs was being sacrificed for the Passover Seder.
(4.) At sunset, the start of Nisan 15th when the Passover Seder was to be eaten, Yeshua (sinless and unleavened) was placed in the tomb at the start of the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), fulfilling these Feasts.

Thank you to https://www.olivetreemessianic.org/

What is GOD’S WILL for you?

Like Paul… are you willing to be a prisoner of the LORD?

Scriptures from HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible

What is God’s will for you?  Are you ready to accept His authority and fully cooperate with Heavenly Father?  Do you allow the Spirit of God to lead you and make you lie down in green pastures?  Do you walk through this world as an ambassador of Christ? Did you know that in order to follow the will of God and to walk His path, we must strive to be “worthy of God“?

As Paul said:

Ephesians 4:1-2 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to “walk worthy of the calling you have received”, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love,

Are you ready to answer the calling of the Lord to share HIS GOSPEL?

Do you only seek the Lord’s will according to your own will?

Do you walk in the freedom of your own self-will? The secular definition of freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. 

Jesus tells us in John 8:32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Like a magnet, are you drawn to things that your “heart and conscious” tell you aren’t good for you or those around you?  Do you recognize these warnings are the Holy Spirit attempting to guide you away from harm bodily and spiritually?  You truly believe this one time won’t matter when you knowingly choose a path that leads you away from Salvation? After this one time, you’ll do better tomorrow?

WOE! WOE! WOE!

Hebrews 10: 26  For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.

Has Christ become Victorious in your life?

Have you allowed the crucifixion of the old man in YOU? Do you realize that true freedom is only achieved when Christ lives in You? According to what Paul tells us:

Ephesians 2:1-5 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Hebrews 10:29-31 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay,] and again, The Lord will judge His people. 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God! 

Our daily struggle is with the powers of this world! Satan, Lucifer, that Devil of old – the prince of darkness has been leading this world towards hell from the beginning in the Garden of Eden when he seduced Eve in Genesis 3:4 convincing her that “she surely would not die”. Then Adam being seduced by Eve followed suit and disobeyed God. The first lie on earth brought us sin and more sin and today we can see the rotten fruit of it’s results. Since then, because of his pride and jealousy, Satan has wreaked destruction of mankind in every aspect of our existence; from the lies about evolution and millions/billions of years, the desire for corrupted entertainment (music, movies, etc), to wanton desires such as new cars, new clothes, new house, new husbands or wives -NEW! NEW! NEW! There are prosperity preachers today who preach wealth instead of Salvation! Sexual immorality thrives in an environment of “you have the freedom to do whatever feels good”! Murder of the helpless is accepted by the majority without even a blink! If you go on to YouTube, there’s false teachers and prophets aplenty! The USA probably has more Bibles per capita than any other country in the world and most of them are gathering dust.

For you to overcome, YOU must be willing to be restrained by Christ’s Spirit, start by reading your BIBLE and putting on the full armor of God and then PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

Please read: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/06/01/spiritual-warfare/

Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach revealed His Father to the world through His ministry on this earth.  Most assuredly, He revealed to us the Father’s LOVE for His Creation: Mankind. His willingness to allow His Son to sacrifice himself on the cross to save us from our sins it the ultimate gift of GRACE!

1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

Romans 12:10-16 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.

Ephesians 3:1-4 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—

Isn’t it awesome that Paul loved Jesus – Yeshua and his fellowman enough to suffer imprisonment and physical pain to share the Gospel. As children of God and brothers and sisters In Christ…sharing the Gospel isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It’s believed that Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. Although, he was a prisoner of the Roman government, he considered himself a prisoner of the Lord because he was following the “will of God” to preach the Gospel of the Christ to the world.

***My next blog will expand upon Paul’s ministry.

Fasting and Praying

The definition of fasting is to go without food for a designated period of time.  Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and we assume that it was from food and not from water as the Bible specifically states that “He hungered”.  It doesn’t say that He thirsted.  Reminds me of the woman at the well ~ He told her He was the LIVING WATER…

When we fast, we abstain from something we take pleasure in…usually food, but it can be other things too. It’s a time to take our attention off of ourselves and give it to God. A time to draw nearer to God. The examples I’m talking about in this blog are Daniel, Esther and Jesus who all fasted. Daniel for the purpose of understanding a vision and Esther to save her people. I believe that Jesus fasted to strengthen and solidify His Power.

Daniel 10:3 KJV I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. At the end of 21 days (3 weeks) Daniel was visited by a Messenger of God. When the Jewish people who were in Persia were condemned to Death the Queen Esther fasted and prayed. Esther 4:16 KJV Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

WE are all born for a purpose…what a wonderful realization!

Jesus was baptized by John and He went into the Judean desert and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.  At His baptism Heavenly Father sent the Holy Spirit to Jesus in the form of a dove. And the Holy Spirit led him out into the wilderness.  The first time I read this, I remember wondering why?  Since He had the Holy Spirit…why go out into the Wilderness?  Why did the Holy Spirit direct him to do this?  After all, HE was the Son of God…what else did HE need?  I read this many times, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually realized the WHY.  During the 40 days and 40 nights, Satan tempted Jesus to use his power in ways that God didn’t intend for it to be used…instead, Jesus used prayer, fasting and the Word to defeat Satan. (Matthew 3:13-17, 4:1-11)  After 40 days and nights we see His Power Perfected…totally enabling the Holy Spirit and teaching us that when we ask him to be our Savior and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, we can have this power too.  WOW!!!  PRAYER (Pray in the Spirit), FASTING (Shield of Faith) and JESUS the WORD (Sword of the Spirit)!  Ahhh…the Armor of God!

When the Apostles were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus cast out the demon from the possessed young man (Matthew 17:14-21).  When the Apostles asked why they couldn’t cast out the demon, Jesus told them that they needed to pray and fast to defeat this kind of demon.  From this reply, I understood that Jesus not only fasted in the desert, he must have fasted during his ministry on this earth.  I also grasped that when going up against a demon, we must be wearing the full Armor of God!

You may be asking by now, how can I fast? It sounds impossible!  First of all, I believe that no matter the results, acceptance that it’s His will, not ours and that we need to have a genuine, heartfelt reason for our prayer and fasting.  Desiring a bigger house or new car, boat, etc. are probably not good reasons for fasting.  Perhaps a loved one or even your self needs be rescued from drugs or alcohol, pornography, etc.  Perhaps, someone you know and care about is ill.  I can’t tell you why or what to fast for as that’s between you and Heavenly Father.

If you’ve never fasted before, I suggest you decide on a strategy.

1. The faith that you can fast.

2. Why are you fasting?

3. How long do you intend to fast? (1 meal? 1 day? 3 days? I don’t suggest you consider 40 days!) 

4. Unrealistic expectations, like world peace, may thwart future opportunities to fast.

5. Find a quiet place to pray and focus and thank Heavenly Father for answering your prayers. Matthew 6:6 Jesus tells us we should go into a closet and pray in secret. 

6. Jesus tells us that if we pray and fast, keep it between ourselves and the Father. If you’re married, maybe you should let your spouse know what you’re plans are and ask please don’t bring things like ice cream, Twinkies, etc. into the house until I’ve finished my fast.  In other words, this is really important to me, so PLEASE don’t make it difficult.

7. Be ready for Satan to try to thwart your fast: unexpected trip to the emergency with one of the kids or cake at a birthday party or the in-laws drop in unexpected.  You name it!  When you decide to pray and fast, Satan realizes your power.

8. Stay determined and don’t let circumstances lead you away from fasting!  Times like this is when your loyalty as a Soldier of God is tested!

My heart tells me that fasting from food is what Heavenly Father has in mind, but since to some extent, it’s a learning process, maybe some may need to start more simply.  Here are some things to pray and fast from: coffee, dessert, chocolate, social media, the news, fast food, TV and movies, video games, etc.