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Why did Christ die on the day of passover ?

A fulfillment of old testament prophecy, as in the old testament when the Jews looking forward to the time that Christ would come and pay once and for all the payment of sin. The Jews "Hebrews" where instructed by God to put the blood of a lamb over and on the side of the door way. Note the placement of the blood was in fact making the sign of the cross.. From Genesis to Revelations its all about Jesus. :thumb
 
God's purposes are both hidden and then revealed at many depths and with many signs and indications. His ways are far above our ways. :yes
 
I agree entirely with freeway. The fact that Jesus dies on passover draws an important connection to the story of Israel. The story of Jesus is part of the story of Israel - they cannot be separated.

In fact, in a very real sense, Jesus acts as Israel "rolled up into a single person".
 
All the feasts have connections to Christ.

Adam and Eve being 'covered' in skins by God slaughtering an animal is another 'picture' of Christ.

The Lord bless you.
 
lovely said:
All the feasts have connections to Christ.

Adam and Eve being 'covered' in skins by God slaughtering an animal is another 'picture' of Christ.

The Lord bless you.
Amen Tina! :amen

Godbless said:
Why did Christ die on the day of passover ?
I'm surprised no one caught this. ^

He wasn't crucified on Passover. The sacrificial lambs were usually slaughtered around half past the eighth hour or by the ninth hour (2:30-3PM) of the day before (Passover Eve.). It would have been a great transgression and against their law to kill the lamb at any other time (esp. on Passover!).

Crucifying Jesus on Passover could have never happened. Actually, they had to be in a hurry to get Him off the Cross, to the tomb, into the tomb and get the tomb sealed before sunset, which marked the first night of Passover (which by their method of telling time, was the start of a new day).

As to the whys... the fulfilling of old testament prophecies, as was said above.
 
Anyways Jesus died on passover and it is a matter of prophetic fulfillment that He did. There is no doubt. If Yeshua is the Christ He died on passover. And the Bible affirms that it was passover (Mark 15:6)

During the original passover Moses was commanded to use the blood of a lamb to cover their door ways to protect the first born from death, in return God released his people for the bondage of slavery and entered into a convent with Israel.

For it was destined for the lamb of God to die on the passover to shed His blood to release the new born in Him (first born) from the bondage of sin and enter into a new convent.

Jesus said that He is the door (John 10:7) and I believe that is a direct reference to what happened on passover. The blood covering on the door foreshadows the blood covering of Christ over a believer.

The death angel came to kill both Jew and Gentile and only those with the blood covering were spared. This foreshadows the condemnation of all mankind Paul speaks of in the book of Romans.

All of the Jewish feasts: passover, unleavened bread, first fruits, pentecost, feast of trumpets, days of awe, day of atonement, feast of tabernacles, feast of booths. All of these things testify of Christ.

The Jewish temple is another thing worthwhile to study because the building itself also testifies of Christ.

Godbless
 
Your reasons why are correct, but sorry, your timing isn't. It was Passover Eve, not Passover. The lamb must die before it's blood be shed and brushed onto the door posts. The timing is important for the Prophecy to be fulfilled.

Mark 15:6 is reminding us that each year at around the Feast of unleavened Bread, one prisoner was allowed to be released at their (the Jews) choosing. This has to be done the day before because the first day of Passover is a Sabbath. No work of any kind can be performed, including gathering to make such a decision, or the slaughtering of the lamb.

Anyway, I'm not trying to cause an argument. I'm just helping to lay out the foundation for this prophecy. The timing of the slaughter is important enough to mention.

http://www.rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/pesach.html
Passover Eve

The Biblical day begins at sunset. If we follow John's chronology, Yeshua and his disciples were settling into the upper room for his Last Seder as the Jerusalem sunset marked the beginning of the 14th day of the first month. In Exodus 12, the Israelites are commanded to kill the Passover Lamb on the 14th day of the 1st month. That meant that the following afternoon the Passover lambs were to be slaughtered in the Temple. This being so, Yeshua's celebration of the Seder is a day early. He hosts his Last Seder a day early so that he and his disciples can have one last Seder together. When the proper time for the Seder arrives the following evening, Yeshua will already be buried.

Time of Slaughter

A short time later, Yeshua is hung on the cross. It is the third hour, 9:00 AM by our reckoning when he is crucified (Mark 15:25).

On that day the Temple was crowded with pilgrims bringing up their lambs for the Passover slaughter. All the priesthood of Israel was also at the Temple for this festival. Because of the great number of lambs to be slaughtered, the afternoon continual offering was performed early.

The Mishnah reports to us, "The daily burnt offering (afternoon) was slaughtered at the 8th hour and a half (2:30) and offered up at the ninth hour and a half (3:30), but on the eve of Pesach it was slaughtered at the seventh hour and a half (1:30) and offered up at the eighth hour and a half (2:30)." (Pesachim 5:1) Thus the slaughter of the Passover Lamb was performed during the ninth hour.

The lambs were killed and their blood applied to the altar in an old-fashioned fire line style. Lines of priests stood ready with gold and silver basins for passing the blood to the altar. Again we turn to the Mishnah for the details.

"An Israelite slaughters the Passover Lamb and a priest received the blood, hands it to his fellow, and his fellow to his fellow, each one receiving a full basin and handing back an empty one. The priest nearest the altar tosses the blood in a single act." (Pesachim 5:6) The Passover lambs were killed in three consecutive waves. While the slaughter was being performed, the Levites in the Temple chanted the Psalms 113-118, the same Hallel which Yeshua and his disciples would have sung the night before (Pesachim 5:1-7).

The Death of the Lamb

When the 9th hour arrived, a long blast of the shofar signaled the Levites began their chanting of the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The gates to the inner court were opened, and the first crowd of Israelites with their lambs ready rushed in. Within minutes, the clean and spotless courtyard around the altar was stained red with blood. Gutters flowed with red. The base of the altar seemed to bleed, even gush forth as basin after basin of blood was splashed against it in quick succession.

The dead lambs were hung on hooks, forearms spread in a crucifixion pose as they were skinned and prepared for roasting.

The Levites continued chanting the Hallel. The sound of their voices, joined by the voices of the thousands of Pilgrims who had gathered at the Temple, filled the entire city of Jerusalem. Indeed, they were heard outside the walls, a short distance away, where Yeshua had then been hanging on the cross for six hours. As they chanted, "The cords of death entangled me . . . precious in the Sight of the L-RD is the Death for his Righteous Ones . . . Open for me the Gates of Righteousness . . . The stone the builder's rejected has become the capstone," Yeshua died. It was the 9th hour, the very hour at which the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple. Yeshua, the lamb, died.

This is the story of the Exodus and the Passover lamb of Egypt. Paul tells us that Messiah our Pesach has been sacrificed. It is by his blood, applied to the doorposts of our lives that we are spared the fate of the Egyptian firstborn. By his blood, applied to our lives, the last judgment passes over us.

Work Cited: Macoby, Hyam. 1988. Early Rabbinic Writings. Cambridge University Press, Great Britain.
http://www.rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/pesach.html
 
Christ's connection to Passover is in the fact that He is the Passover Lamb (the sacrificial lamb). Good observation :)

God bless.
 
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