Each year, as we approach Passover and Easter, we start receiving questions about whether “The Last Supper” was a Passover Seder. Many Christians are surprised to learn that interpretations and theories vary widely about the nature of the meal Jesus shared with his disciples the night before His death.

Was this meal a Passover Seder?

• Was Yeshua’s final Seder the same night as the rest of the Jewish community?
• Or was it one night earlier?
• Was the Last Supper something entirely different than Passover?

This article will not present a decisive answer to these questions. Instead, it will highlight the difficulties involved with this issue and suggest how Christians can peacefully manage the available interpretive options.

The Gospels agree that the Last Supper occurred shortly before the crucifixion of Yeshua-Jesus. However, there is significant debate about how to reconcile the chronological differences regarding the specific timing of the meal within the Gospels. The writers of the “Synoptic Gospels” (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present the meal in the context of the festival of Passover. This detail leads many to conclude that The Last Supper was a Passover Seder—the annual feast marking the commencement of Passover. Matthew’s Gospel unambiguously describes Yeshua as celebrating Passover with His disciples the night before His death.

Now on the first day of matzah, the disciples came to Yeshua, saying, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; at your house I am to keep the Passover with My disciples.”’” The disciples did as Yeshua had ordered them, and they prepared the Passover. –Matthew 26:17-19

Each of the Synoptics describes various features of the Passover Seder:

• Matthew mentions reclining (26:20), dipping in a dish (26:23), and singing a hymn (26:30).
• Mark mentions eating bread/matzah and cups of wine (14:22-23).
• Luke mentions multiple cups and a loose order (see Luke 22).

These features and explicit statements about preparing for the Passover (Luke 22:13) lead many interpreters to conclude that the Synoptic Gospels present the Last Supper as a Passover Seder.

But things look a bit different in the Gospel of John.

In John 13:1, we read,

Now it was just before the feast of Passover. Yeshua knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them until the end.

This verse is not conclusive. But we can interpret it as communicating that the Lord was preparing His disciples for His death before Passover. Again, this verse alone would likely not contradict what we observed in the Synoptics. However, a later statement in John creates a less apparent chronological picture. During the hurried proceedings that resulted in Yeshua’s crucifixion, John notes that the Jewish leaders had a concern about becoming defiled ahead of eating the Passover.

Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so they would not become unclean but might eat the Passover. –John 18:28

These chronological details in John lead many commentators to conclude that John presents the Last Supper as occurring the night before the start of Passover.

So, where are we?

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) point toward the Last Supper being a Passover Seder. And if these were the only Gospels, there would likely be no debating this point. But John’s chronology points towards Yeshua eating the Last Supper with His disciples a day before other Jews mentioned in the account celebrated Passover. This apparent discrepancy has led some commentators to suggest that the Last Supper was a unique meal not intended to be connected to Passover.

Again, where are we? How do we resolve this difficulty?

Well, you only have to pull more than one New Testament commentary off your shelf to discover differing ways interpreters seek to resolve this. And then some don’t try to fix it at all and accept the varying details surrounding Yeshua’s final days as contradictory or inconsistent. But for those of us who embrace the truthfulness and accuracy of Scripture, this is not an option. And our take is that plenty of plausible options solve this riddle without rejecting the trustworthiness of Scripture.

Some have suggested that there was a tradition in Yeshua’s day that included Jews from northern Israel celebrating Passover one day earlier, based on a calendar difference. Proponents of this view are confident that this serves to reconcile the timeline of both John and the Synoptics.

Another viewpoint argues that in his Gospel, John was not seeking to provide a literal chronology in his account of Yeshua’s final days. Instead, because John wrote his Gospel significantly later than the others, it was more “theological” in its presentation. It thus described Yeshua’s death as occurring during the slaughter of the Passover lambs.

Are you confused? If so, you are normal. These texts and how they fit together have stumped commentators for many generations. In situations like this, it’s best to step back and admit that there are some questions about the timing of the Last Supper and Passover that we may not have clear answers to for now. However, commentators present plausible theories representing how the pieces fit together. The different options and possibilities can be dizzying. Thus, it is essential to zoom out and consider that the four gospels agree on what matters most regarding Yeshua’s final days (i.e., the Last Supper and Passover): He died, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day.

Paul summarized the central and undisputed truths regarding Yeshua’s resurrection in one of his epistles.

For I also passed on to you first of all what I also received—
that Messiah died for our sins
    according to the Scriptures,
that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day
    according to the Scriptures,
and that He appeared to Kefa,
    then to the Twelve.
Then He appeared to over five hundred
    brothers and sisters at one time—
most of them are still alive,
    though some have died.
Then He appeared to Jacob,
    then to all the emissaries,
and last of all, as to one untimely born,
    He also appeared to me.

–1 Corinthians 15:3-8

The New Testament indicates that Paul knew at least three of the four Gospel writers (Mark, Luke, and John). He likely knew Matthew also. His friendship with these men makes it probable that he heard each of their detailed accounts about the final few days of Yeshua’s life on earth. The different accounts did not entangle Paul. He focused on what mattered most and let the different accounts stand.

This Passover and Easter season, it’s likely that you will encounter a chronology of Passion Week. And you might hear one or more theories about the timing and nature of The Last Supper. Remember that there are different ways to understand the specific order in which the details unfold. But what is of first importance is clear.

• Yeshua died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins.
• He is our Passover Lamb.
• And by His blood, we are redeemed.

These are the details that matter most.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures references are taken from the Tree of Life Version.