A Few Causes for Passover Confusion

God has made the Passover feast to be very complicated.

Below are some reasons why the Passover feast is complicated:

- A Biblical date spans two Gregorian calendar dates. This is because the Biblical date starts in the evening and continues to the day portion.

For example: the Passover day began the evening of the 14th (Thursday evening) and continued into the day portion of the next day (Friday). So, both Thursday evening (see Luke 22:15) Jesus ate the Passover before entering the garden of Gethsemane.

Yet, on Friday before Pilate it is said to be the Passover (John 18:39).

- The Passover feast is complicated because there are 7 days of the feast of unleavened bread which also are said to be the Passover:

Luke 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

- The feast of unleavened bread (Passover) is said to begin on the 15th day of the 1st month (Leviticus 23:6) and last for 7 days.

- Yet, during Passover in Egypt which the Bible says was on the 14th day of the 1st month – they ate it with unleavened bread:

Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and UNLEAVENED BREAD; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Does the Feast of Unleavened Bread Begin on the 14th or the 15th?

Leviticus 23:5,6 says the feast of Passover is on the 14th day of the 1st month in the even. And the feast of unleavened bread begins on the 15th for 7 days.

Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

Yet, we read in Exodus:

Exodus 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

This is a period of 8 days – starting with the 14th day of the month – not the 15th as Leviticus 23:6 says.

How can we understand this? Remember Exodus 12:6-8 told us the Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread.

Therefore, we understand that the day of the 14th is identified as the day of Passover wherein the eating of the slain lamb is the primary focus. Unleavened bread is eaten with the lamb but is not the main focus.

But on the 15th day, the lamb has been totally consumed and the focus shifts to the feast of unleavened bread. A feast also called the Passover (Luke 22:1). Wherein unleavened bread is to be eaten for 7 days.