Bible Fact · Luke 22:15 — 'I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.'
When Was the Last Supper?
The Fact
All four Gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the day of 'Preparation' before the Sabbath. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) present the Last Supper as the Passover meal itself (eaten on Nisan 14 evening, which begins the 15th by Jewish reckoning). John's Gospel, however, states that the Jewish leaders had not yet eaten the Passover when they brought Jesus before Pilate (John 18:28), suggesting the crucifixion occurred on Nisan 14 — the day the lambs were slaughtered. This apparent discrepancy has generated centuries of scholarly discussion. Several solutions have been proposed: different Jewish calendar systems (Pharisees vs. Essenes used different dates), different understandings of which meal constitutes 'Passover,' or John's theological timing of the crucifixion to coincide with the lamb sacrifice. Whatever the precise day, all four Gospels place the Last Supper in the Passover context and connect Jesus's death to the Passover lamb sacrifice.
Context
Regardless of the precise date, Jesus instituted Communion at a Passover-context meal and was crucified when Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple — making the theological connection to the Passover lamb unavoidable.
Significance
The Last Supper debate illustrates that the Gospels are historically serious documents that preserve real details, sometimes with complexities that require careful historical investigation to understand.
Reflection
Jesus chose the Passover meal — a story of slavery and rescue — as the context for instituting Communion. What does it mean that the Lord's Table is built on a rescue story?