The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Where does Easter actually come from? Jesus never celebrated Easter. He celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, today usually called Passover:

“Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, drew near.”
Luk 22,1

“When the day of unleavened bread had come for the Passover to be offered, He sent Peter and John out, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”” They asked Him, “Where will You eat the Passover? Where shall we prepare it?” Then He answered them, “Behold, when you enter the city, you will meet a man carrying a pot of water; follow him into the house where he enters, speak to the master of that house, and say, ‘The Teacher bids you ask, “Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”‘ Then he will show you a large room with spread cushions; there prepare the meal. So they went and found everything just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”
Lk 22:7-13

The Hebrew word “Passover” (from it: Pesach) is derived from the verb “to skip.” The term recalls the story from the books of Moses, where the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt. Moses was sent to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt and back to the Promised Land, which had already been promised to Abraham. The story is as follows:

Pharaoh would not let the people go and 10 plagues came upon the land of Egypt. The last plague was the death of the firstborn in animals and in humans. God sent an angel (of death) to pass by all the houses in Egypt to kill the firstborn. Israel, however, was instructed to slaughter a lamb and paint the blood on the doorposts. Now if the angel of death came and saw the blood on the doorposts, he would “leap over” the house and the Israelites would be spared.

The word Passover, therefore, has to do with the lamb that was slain. The Passover lamb was eaten the night before, the last meal right before the Exodus from Egypt. This was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The next morning the people would go out of Egypt. They took the bread dough “unleavened”, that is, it had not risen. That is why it is called “the feast of unleavened bread”.

Every year the Jewish people remember the Exodus from Egypt, which acquired great symbolic significance (Ex 12:18). Jesus and his disciples, as Jews, celebrated this Passover feast, today usually called Passover. Christians interpret the feast in terms of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It became the feast where Jesus would be crucified as the “Lamb of God” who was able to do far more than the blood of lambs ever could. The universal significance of Jesus’ death is affirmed by the subsequent resurrection, on which much would still have to be said (compare Rom 4:25).

Clarification of the course of events is not the aim of this article. Here, however, in brevity, is a rough outline: After the seder and meal, which began the Passover, Jesus and the disciples withdrew to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the course of the night. After his capture, he was presented to the Roman governor, who alone had power to pronounce a death sentence. Jesus was crucified, died and was raised “on the third day”.

Resurrection on a sabbath day

Jesus was a Jew. He celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is a festival that lasts several days. It begins with the common meal of the Passover lamb. The festival lasts for a whole week after that. Jesus dies on one of the first days of this feast and is also raised “on the third day” within the feast week.

Christian tradition now sees the day of resurrection as “on Sunday”. How do you get there? The concept of “Sunday” was unknown to the Jews. It came many centuries later, when the Christian Church clearly separated itself from Judaism. Already Sunday was an official day when sun worship was given expression in the Roman Empire. This day was later Christianized. Further background information can be found in the Wikipedia article on “Sunday”.

However, there is nothing in the New Testament about a Sunday. Matthew writes about the events after the resurrection and tells about an instruction from the Roman procurator Pilate:

“Pilate answered them, “You should have the guard [over the tomb]; go and have the entrance to the tomb secured, as you know.”” So they went and had the guard secure the tomb and seal the stone. This was in the evening between the Sabbaths.”
Mt 27:65-28:1

The religious leaders of the Jews wanted to make sure that Jesus was dead and stayed dead. They feared that the body of Jesus would be stolen and thus all kinds of rumors would circulate. They wanted to prevent that with all their might. Pilate allowed them to secure the tomb themselves. All this happened “in the evening between the Sabbaths.” This expression is special. In Judaism there are not only weekly Sabbath days, but also Sabbath days that are part of festivals. They are special days of rest. A weekly Sabbath may be immediately followed by another Sabbath (or vice versa). The evening between these two Sabbaths was “the evening between the Sabbaths.”

Then it goes on:

“When the morning dawned on one of the Sabbath days, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came to look after the tomb. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for a messenger of the Lord, which came down out of heaven, and stood by, rolled away the stone from the entrance, and sat upon it.”
Mt 28,1,2

This is the Concordant Translation of the New Testament. The translation corresponds to the basic text.

• Greek Nestle-Åland 28:“Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτωντῇἐπιφωσκούσῃεἰς μίαν σαββάτωνἦλθενΜαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον.”

In other translations, this passage is often translated quite differently and analogously to tradition:

• Elberfelder: “But after the Sabbath, in the ⟨morning⟩dusk of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb.”
• Luther 2017: “Now when the Sabbath was over and the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see about the tomb.”
• Slaughterer 2000: “Now after the Sabbath, when the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb.”

All of these translations mention “after the Sabbath” as if it were singular. However, a plural of Sabbaths is mentioned twice in the basic text.

The “morning to one of the Sabbaths” is reinterpreted as “and the first day of the week dawned.” The difference is obvious. Here not first (gr. proton) but one(s) (gr. mian) is used.

Although the text speaks twice very clearly of Sabbaths, it is translated once as Sabbath and a second time as week. Thus, the original idea remains hidden from the reader. The reference to the Sabbath is important because there was no mention of a “Sunday” or “first day of the week.” Rather, it is that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sabbath, that is, on the “last day of the week” or a solemn day of rest.

When God rests from His works

The meaning of the Sabbath is already given in the first book of Moses:

“And God had finished his work which he had made on the seventh day; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: for in the same he rested from all his work which God had wrought in making it.”
Gen 2:2-3

The Sabbath is the day when God rested from all His work. The people of Israel were to do similarly:

“Six days you shall do work, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to Yahweh.”
Ex 35:2

This rest concludes the work. Therefore, it is significant that Jesus was raised on the Sabbath, for it was then that it became clear that God rested from His work. The work was done.

Paul writes that in the resurrection our justification is confirmed:

“We believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Him who was passed away for our offenses and raised for our justification.”
Rom 4:25

Our justification can be confirmed because God has brought about His own righteousness. This is what the Gospel speaks of (Rom 1:16-17). The resurrection is the sealing of God’s work. It is done. Now is the Sabbath. Now there is peace and we may have peace with God.

“Justified therefore by faith, we may have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Rom 5:1