Harmonizing the Passover Calendars and the Significance of the Passover Cups
As I was preparing for teaching on the Passover, I wanted to put something out that might help to connect what sometimes can seem to be an apparent discrepancy between accounts in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John regarding the timing of the Last Supper. This has been a much debated and talked about area. Matthew, Mark, and Luke portray the meal as a Passover celebration (Matt. 26:17–19; Mark 14:12–16; Luke 22:7–15), while John indicates that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation for the Passover (John 19:14).
At first glance, these two things just don’t seem to line up. I have heard different thoughts such as how the Feast of Unleavened bread was also many times referred to as passover and suggestions that it was referring to that.
In John’s account the Judean leaders didn’t want to risk ritual defilement by entering a Gentile building.
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.— John 18:2
This text seems most literally that the Judean leaders, still had their Passover meal ahead of them. One compelling and faithful resolution to this issue and the one that I personally embrace is the Judean-Galilean calendar theory. This view suggests that Jesus and His disciples, being Galileans, followed a sunrise-to-sunrise reckoning of the day. In his book The Mystery of the Last Supper, Colin Humphreys argues that Jesus and His disciples used a calendar similar to that of the Essenes, which began days at sunrise. The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal that the Essenes followed a solar calendar, differing from the lunar-solar calendar used by the temple authorities. This solar calendar began days at sunrise and placed festivals on different days than the temple calendar. In contrast, the Judean religious authorities used a sunset-to-sunset calendar.
According to this harmonization:
Jesus and His disciples celebrated Passover on Thursday evening, using the Galilean calendar.
He was crucified Friday afternoon, at the very time the Judean authorities were slaughtering the Passover lambs – fulfilling this at the perfect time.
This view harmonizes a seemingly confusing part of all four Gospels while magnifying the beauty of God’s redemptive plan. Jesus didn’t merely die during Passover – He was the true Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7).
“Jesus ate the Passover on the proper day according to the Galilean method of reckoning time, and He died at the very hour the Passover lambs were being slaughtered according to the Judean method. Thus, the Synoptics and John are harmonized.” — Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, p. 87
“This harmonization maintains the integrity of both John and the Synoptics and presents a powerful theological truth—Jesus didn’t merely die during Passover; He fulfilled it.” — Andreas J. Köstenberger & Justin Taylor, The Final Days of Jesus, p. 112
“The date of the Last Supper and the date of the crucifixion both make perfect sense when the differences in Jewish calendars are taken seriously.”— Colin J. Humphreys, The Mystery of the Last Supper, p. 198
John MacArthur affirms this view as well, noting that Jesus’ death coincided with the slaughter of the lambs in the temple, showing He was the ultimate and final Lamb whose blood brings eternal redemption.
The Four Cups of the Passover and the One Who Drank Them All
The traditional Passover Seder involves four cups, each corresponding to a promise God made in Exodus 6:6–7:
The Cup of Sanctification – “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
The Cup of Deliverance – “I will rescue you from their bondage.”
The Cup of Redemption – “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.”
The Cup of Praise – “I will take you as My people.”
At the Last Supper, it is likely the third cup, the Cup of Redemption, that Jesus lifted when He said:
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” – Luke 22:20
With those words, Jesus wasn’t just remembering Israel’s redemption from Egypt. He was revealing the greater redemption through His blood. The Lamb of God would redeem His people not by the blood of a sacrifice, but by His own blood, poured out for many.
Some Jewish traditions also include a fifth cup, called the Cup of Elijah, which is poured but left untouched. It symbolizes the hope that Elijah will come and announce the arrival of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5–6). In many homes, a door is even opened during the Seder in symbolic expectation of Elijah’s coming.
Jesus identified John the Baptist as the “Elijah who was to come” (Matt. 11:14), preparing the way for the Messiah. On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cries of “Hosanna!” the very expectation the fifth cup represents.
So now we can say: the fifth cup is no longer waiting to be drunk. The Messiah has come and He’s coming again.
The Lamb has been slain and the empty tomb guarantees He is coming again.
The harmonization of the Gospel accounts through the Galilean vs. Judean calendar view not only solves a tension that has made me scratch my head a times, it magnifies the truth that God is sovereign over time, events, and fulfillment. Jesus didn’t accidentally line up with the Passover, He planned it. Jesus kept the feast, fulfilled its meaning, and instituted a new covenant meal that proclaims His death until He comes again.
As we remember the four cups, and even the fifth, we see a Savior who drank the cup of wrath so we could receive the cup of redemption.
This Palm Sunday we rejoice!
The King has come.
The Lamb has died.
The tomb is empty.
The fifth cup is not forgotten. He’s coming again!
Passover Seder Plate & The Meanings
Karpas (Parsley or Greens)
Symbolizes life and hope. Dipped in salt water to recall the tears shed during slavery.
Some connect this act of dipping to the hyssop used in Exodus 12:22 to apply the lamb’s blood to the doorposts. A visual reminder of redemption through the blood.
Maror (Bitter Herbs, often Horseradish)
Represents the bitterness and harshness of slavery under Pharaoh.
Charoset (Sweet Apple-Nut Mixture)
Resembles the mortar used by the Israelites in their forced labor, reminding participants of their toil.
Z’roa (Shank Bone)
Symbolizes the Passover lamb sacrifice, recalling the lamb’s blood that marked the Israelites’ homes during the tenth plague.
Beitzah (Roasted Egg)
Represents the festival offering and is also a symbol of mourning for the destruction of the Temple.
Chazeret (Second Bitter Herb, often Romaine Lettuce)
Used in addition to maror, it serves as another reminder of the bitterness of slavery.