The Messiahs crucifixion

Before studying this section, a good idea is to read the Hebrew Calendar, and the Messiahs last journey, and the Spring Feasts pages. The traditional story of the Messiahs crucifixion does not align with the Gospel accounts which is clear evidence that the time scale we are trying to resolve events by is different to the time scale of when the Gospels were written. But inspired Word does align, and this alignment tells us the tru story of the Messiahs crucifixion.

Similarly, prophecies in the Old Testament, or history do not align unless we use the correct time and date definitions. Sadly, what we are taught about time and date definitions causes the Feasts of Yahuah and His Salvation Plan to instead align with pagan festivals. This alignment demeans the Messiahs sacrifice, and misguides believers in their belief. It is false doctrine, remember the words of the Messiah starting in Matthew 23:13

Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive greater judgment. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you go about the land and the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of hell twofold more than yourselves.

The Messiah was crucified, not on Passover day, but the following day which is the first Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is particular significance with this as Passover Day was the day that the lamb was slaughtered for death to Passover that night, the sacrifice was not for the atonement of sins. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread marks the day that the exodus from bondage began with the Hebrews starting on their journey out of Egypt.

The Messiahs crucifixion also cannot have been on a Friday as most denomination teach. The Gospel accounts and dates will not align, the only way that the Gospel accounts align is for the Messiah to have been crucified on a Wednesday, and rising at the end of the Sabbath day.

According to the Gospels, the Messiah stayed at Bethany after walking from Jericho. John 12:1 states that He was in Bethany (today known as el-Azarieh) six days before the Passover Day. If the Messiah was crucified on Passover day and Passover day was a Friday, then the Messiah would need to have walked from Jericho to Bethany (25kM) on the Sabbath. There are rules for Sabbath travel, the Messiah would have observed every Commandment and rule. So Passover day was not a Friday, and cannot have been a Thirsday either as that would have meant the Messiah walks 25kM on the Sabbath Preparation day.

I am sorry, but mathematically what denominations teach is not what is in the Scriptures, and this mis-information masks peoples view of the actual circumstances and significance of the Messiahs sacrifice, the actual days most denominations remeber are pagan false deity worship days.

There is a difference in calendar dates also, where the Messiah and the disciples followed the creation calendar (sunrise to sunrise and no new moon visible), and the priests followed the Babylonian calendar (sunset to sunset and first sighting of the new moon - refer to Confused calendar dates and The Hebrew calendar), there is up to a day or so difference between the two calendars which is why the priests Passover supper was a day later then the Messiahs Passover supper.

According to the Hebrew calendar, the 14th day of the first month was Passover Day, and the 15th day was the annual or High Sabbath, which began the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:1-8). The contention between the Creation and babylonian calendars is when the month started, and when the day started. There has been a lot hidden in false teaching, but the Scriptures are clear on this.

I think that the Creation calendar Passover day was a Tuesday, and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a Wedensday. According to the priests babylonian calendar, the Messiah was crucified on Passover Day (Wednesday to the priests and the rest of Israel) and the following day was a High Sabbath Day (Thursday to the priests and the rest of Israel). A High Sabbath day was a day of rest in which no work was to be done, in the same way the weekly Sabbath was observed on the seventh day. (Refer to Leviticus 23:4-8, Numbers 28:16-18, and take special notice of John 19:31)

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.

So the Jews were concerned abiut the Messiah remaining on the cross for their High Sabbath day (Thursday). There appears to be a conflict in scriptural records. Luke 23:55, 56 say that the women (Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James) went and prepared anointing spices and oils BEFORE the Sabbath. But they would not have done this on the day the Messiah was crucified (Wednesday), as they would have followed the Creaton calendar and considered that day to be a High Sabbath Day, and they remained with the Messiah until his interment.

The next day (Thursday) was the rest of Israel High Sabbath day and there would have been no selling of spices on that day, so the women could not have purchased these on the Thursday. The next day, Friday was a preparation day for the weekly Sabbath, and the woman may have been able to buy the spices on that day, but as it was a preparation day would not have had time to take them to the tomb as they had to prepare for the weekly Sabbath. The first day of the Week (Sunday) would have been the first opportunity that the woman had to visit the tomb.

Luke 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Mark 16:1 says that the women bought the spices AFTER the Sabbath. If the day following the Messiahs crucifixion was a Saturday (Sabbath), the woman would not have been able to buy the spice and prepare it on the late Friday afternoon of the crucifixion (as that day was the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath and everyone else was preparing for the Sabbath starting at sunset).

Similarly, the women would not have been able to buy the spice on the Sabbath (Saturday our time), or before dawn on the Sunday morning (the day following the weekly Sabbath day), let alone prepare it on those days. Taking the traditional e-a-s-t-e-r rule of a Friday crucifixion, the Gospels appear to contradict each other using the teaching of most denominations. A Friday crucifixion cannot have occurred and the e-a-s-t-e-r rule is totally inaccurate as the timing just does not work. It does work well howver for celebrating the pagan festival.......

To allow the Gospels to align accounts there must have been two different Sabbaths being spoken of in these verses. A high Sabbath on one day, followed by the normal Sabbath preparation day, followed by a weekly Sabbath. The women both bought and prepared the spices on the same day which just so happened to be the weekly Sabbath preparation day, and in this case fell between the High Sabbath Day and the normal weekly Sabbath.

Note that Mark says they bought the spices AFTER the Sabbath. If there were two Sabbaths within a week, a High Sabbath following the day of the Messiahs crucifixion, a day of preparation, and a normal Sabbath, the Gospel accounts all align.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first [day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

When Luke (Luke 23:55) says they prepared the spices and then rested on the Sabbath, this particular Sabbath was the usual weekly Sabbath that always occurred on the seventh day of the week, which was Saturday

There is also proof that there were two Sabbaths in Matthew 28:1. Since the word "Sabbath" is mentioned in the singular form in most modern language Bible translations, this could be taken to mean that the traditional Friday crucifixion scenario would be referenced. However, Greek manuscripts and some translations render the word "Sabbaths" in the plural form - have a look at the Greek text in the interlinear bible. "Sabbaths" is the correct interpretation.

But this starts to get more interesting, as Yahusha had the Passover supper on Nisan 14, how could the priests eat the Passover on Nisan 15? Yahusha ate the Passover supper with his disciples on the evening before he was crucified. Refer to the page "Confused calendar dates" which discusses the issues of the Creation Calendar and the priests babylonian calendar.

The Messiah last journey to Jerusalem was via Bethany, and is set out on the page ""Messiahs last Journey". He celebrated the Passover with his disciples in the evening as Scripture required. At the Passover supper the Messiahs washed the feet of His disciples and then shared the Passover supper with them

Luke 22:14 And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve emissaries with Him. 15 And He said to them, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, 16 for I say to you, I shall certainly not eat of it again until it is filled in the reign of Aluah.”

During this supper, Judas was revealed as the one who would betray the Messiah (John 13:1-30). At the conclusion of the meal, the Messiah announced the renewed covenant. Many interpretations use the words "new covenant", but the actual translation of the original Greek is "renewed covenant." The Messiah did not cancel the old covenant, he fulfilled the sacrificial requirements for atonement as part of it, that is why the Messiahs blood is atonement for our sins. Fulfilment of that the sacrificial laws do not mean that the Ten Commandments and the Feasts no longer apply – they do still apply. This is important, because although the Messiah fulfilled the sacrificial laws for the atonement of sin, other laws still exist and apply, for instance keeping the Sabbath.

Luke 22:19 And taking bread, giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood which is shed for you (refer also to Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24 where the exact same words are used)

After the meal, He took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, He took Peter, John, and James with him, and told them to pray they wouldn’t fall into temptation, and then went to pray by Himself. The disciples fell asleep.

Alone, the Messiah was grieved and depressed, sorrowful as He approached death. His sweat fell like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). He asked the Father to take the coming torment from Him, but only if it was the Father’s will (Luke 22:42). It was not the anticipation of scourging or the horrible hours on the cross that made the Messiah so sorrowful it most probably was the anticipation of carrying the weight of sin of mankind (Matthew 27:46).

An angel came to strengthen Him. The Messiah roused the sleeping disciples and again asked Peter, James, and John to pray that they would stay loyal to Him, but they fell asleep again. He had shared His life and His coming death with His disciples for three years, but they, like the denominations and churches now, were asleep to what was around them.

A large crowd with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Judas, identified the Messiah with a kiss (Mark 14:44), and the Messiah was arrested. He was taken to the high priest. Many witnesses lied about the Messiah. One of the witnesses quoted the Messiah as saying destroy this dwelling place that is made with hands, and within three days I shall build another without hands." Little did people realise that this was a prophetic statement of the Messiahs resurrection.

Mark 14:61 But He remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Yahusha said, “I am, and you shall see the Son of Aḏam sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of the heaven.” (these are quotes from Psalm 110:1 Daniel 7:13).

The Messiah was blindfolded, spat on, beaten. He would have felt humiliated by the people that he loved and came to help. He was held until the morning when he was taken to Pontius Pilate. Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. Pontius Pilate was also known for being particularly cruel.

Now the day that the Messiah was arrested was Passover day by the creation calendar, and he was taken to Pilate and crucified on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread by the Creation calendar. But as noted before, the priests calendar was different and the Messiah was taken to Pilate and crucified on the priests Passover Day. These differences are important to understand as the Gospels will not align otherwise.

John records that the priests would not enter Pilates judgement hall on the next daylight period, as that was the priests Passover Day. If they did they would have been defiled and could not have partaken of the Passover meal that night. This is also further evidence that the crucifixion cannot have been on a Friday.

John 18:28 Then led they Yahusha from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.

The issue of two different dates for Passover are set out in detail on the web page "Confused calendar dates." The Messiah had Passover supper using the Creation calendar, but the priests used the Babylonian calendar. The difference is about one day but is spiritually very important.

After questioning by Pilate and Herod, Pilate had the Messiah humiliated, beaten, mocked, and whipped to close to the point of death. The Messiahs body would have been in shock as he would not have eaten, probably not had anything to drink and would have been in extreme pain, and suffering from blood loss as even his muscles were torn on his body. We cannot begin to imagine how he felt, rejected by everyone that he came to labour for and save, and deserted by His disciples. People had already forgotten his miracles and his teaching, or did not understand. Those that had understood would have been silenced and not allowed to speak out (this is similar to today - can we readily and publicly teach the Scriptures now?).

Blood dripped from His head from the long thorns in His crown, and from deep wounds over his body, every move or breath would have been abjectly painful. We cannot comprehend the agony of the Messiah, but despite all of this, the Messiah did not flinch from his course, he stayed on The Way to start the Salvation Plan for mankind. We also, should not flinch as we walk the Fathers Way. The time we have in this life is so short compared to eternity.

As it was the priests Passover, Pilate had a tradition of releasing one prisoner, whoever the crowd asked for. He offered Barabbas (a rebel) or the Messiah. The crowd called for Barabbas to be released. Reluctantly Pilate sentenced the Messiah to be crucified.

The Messiah was taken to be crucified along with two other prisoners. On the way he stumbled and fell carrying the heavy cross beam. Shock and pain will have been racking his body. But still he did not flinch from his course.

Mark records that the Messiah was nailed to the cross at the third hour (days starts at sunrise but in terms of hours count it is always 6am) and died at the ninth hour (3pm). Once on the cross, He had the choice of resting His weight on the spikes driven into His wrists or pushing up His weight on the spikes through the bone of his heels and being able to breathe. The Pain will have been unbearable, but he still did not flinch. His love for us is beyond what we can imagine. People taunted Him, but he still did not flinch in his dedication to the Salvation Plan to save mankind.

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they impaled Him.

After 6 hours on the cross, the Messiah died. His body had been severely beaten, damaged, and had been in shock for up to 8 hours or so. Even in the moments before His death, He did not depart from fulfilling the Spring Feasts or the Scriptures, or the Fathers Salvation Plan for mankind.

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Yahusha cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lamah sheḇaqtani?”a which is translated, “My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 And some of those standing by, when they heard it, said, “See, He is calling for Eliyahu!” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Leave Him, let us see if Eliyahu does come to take Him down.” 37 And cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the Dwelling Place was torn in two from top to bottom.

There are other particular events that occur at 9am and 3pm of each day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There was to be a blood sacrifice, a goat as a sin offering to make atonement of the Hebrews sin, and two young bulls and one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all these were required to be perfect. There was also grain offering.

Numbers 28:17 and on the fifteenth day of this new moon is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten. 18 On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. 19 And you shall bring near an offering made by fire as an ascending offering to Yahuah: two young bulls and one ram, and seven lambs a year old, perfect ones they are for you, 20 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil. Prepare three-tenths of an ephah for a bull, and two-tenths for a ram. 21 Prepare one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs, 22 and one goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23 Prepare these besides the ascending offering of the morning, which is for a continual ascending offering. 24 According to these you are to prepare the food of the offering made by fire daily for seven days, as a sweet fragrance to Yahuah. It is prepared besides the continual ascending offering and its drink offering. 25 And on the seventh day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. in the day of the first-fruits

There was one other sacrifice that was going on in the Temple when Yahusha was crucified: the perpetual sacrifice, known as the Olat Tamid, or for short, Tamid.

Olat Tamid means "daily burnt-offering" and is set out in Exodus 29:38–42 and Numbers 28:1–8 and is also referenced in II Kings 16:15; Ezekiel. 46:13–15; Nehemiah. 10:34, and II Chronicles. 13:11.

This sacrifice is well documented forgotten by almost everyone, was arguably the most memorable of all the Israeli sacrifices, since it happened every day, twice a day. An unblemished male lamb was to be sacrificed in the sanctuary, and offered along with a sacrifice of flour and wine

Exodus 29:38 Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

Numbers 28:3 And thou shalt say unto them, This [is] the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, [for] a continual burnt offering. 4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;

According to ancient Jewish tradition, as found in the Mishnah and Talmud, the daily Tamid was not just about sacrifice; it was also accompanied by prayers, which Jews everywhere would say while the sacrifices were being offered in the Temple.

Now, although the Old Testament does not say exactly when the morning and evening sacrifice took place, according to Josephus and other sources outside the Scriptures, the morning offering of the Tamid took place at 9 a.m., while the evening offering took place at 3 p.m. (See Mishnah, Tamid 3:7; Josephus, Antiquities 14.4.3; Philo, Special Laws, 1:169).

Following this sacrifice there was an hour of prayer. In Acts 3:1. the disciples attended this hour of prayer at the ninth hour (3pm)

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, [being] the ninth [hour].

According to Jewish tradition, at 9 am and 3 pm, the Jews in the Temple would have been praying for

redemption
forgiveness of sins
the coming of the Messiah
the resurrection of the dead

What is striking about these prayers is that the Hebrews in the Temple would have been praying for the very things that were dispensed by the Messiahs crucifixion. while the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Tamid was being sacrificed, followed by the Feast of First Fruits.

The Messiah rose at the start of the first day of the week (sunrise on Sunday). This day was the wave sheaf offering, or First-Fruits. The wave offering was the symbolic act indicating that the offering was for the Lord

Leviticus 23:10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 ‘And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahuah, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it. 12 ‘And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as an ascending offering to Yahuah, 13 and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahuah, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine. 14 ‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The Scriptures speak of two “First Fruits” Feasts, the first being at Passover, and the second fifty days later on Pentecost (Shavuot in Hebrew). Once the First Fruits offering was accepted by the Father, the remainder of the harvest was then acceptable by the Father.

The Messiah arose at the end of the weekly Sabbath and was the First Fruits offering at Passover for the new harvest of souls in the Fathers salvation Plan. He ascended to the Father for this purpose on the First Fruits Feast Day.

John 20:17 Yahuah said to her, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My Elohim and your Elohim.’”

Most denominations will tell you that the Feasts were not for gentiles or are no longer required. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this is another example of false doctrine within denominations to guide you away from the truth. If the Feasts did not apply, then why do all nations that comprise the remnants after the final battle as set out in Zechariah 14:16

Zechariah 14:16 And it shall be that all who are left from all the nations which came up against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the Sovereign, Yahuah of hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot

The Messiah is the true sacrifice, his blood is the atoning power for the forgiveness of our sins, and he was accepted by the Father as the First Fruits of the harvest of souls under the renewed covenant.

Regardless of what you think of the time scale for the Messiahs crucifixion, the important issue is that you trust and believe in the Messiah, and that like the Hebrews when they left Egypt, that you start on your journey, setting yourself apart from the world, sin and false doctrine.

I suggest that the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Feast of First Fruits have far more significance once we understand the facts set out in the Scriptures. We have:

The Messiahs crucifixion day coincided with the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - we have been released from the bondage of sin to commence our journey (The Way) to the promised land with a renewed covenant.
The Messiahs crucifixion time of 9am coincided with the Feast of unleavened Bread sacrifice and the morning Tamid sacrifice and prayers for the forgiveness of sins.
The Messiahs death time of 3pm coincided with the afternoon Tamid sacrifice and prayers.
The Messiahs spent 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb as he said he would do – the Scripture is inerrant, and without spending that time, tradition was that he was not really dead.
The Messiahs resurrection coincided with the start of the first day of the week (sunrise) for what was the Feast of First Fruits. He was the First Fruits offering of the new renewed covenant and the harvest of believers that will culminate in the ingathering of souls as set out in the Autumn Feasts.

Is it all coincidence? I think not, the Messiahs death fulfilled the Spring Feasts exactly. This is very different to the understanding I had of the Messiahs crucifixion, resurrection and the Scriptural Feasts from what I had been taught in the denomination I once belonged to!

Hebrews 9:11-18 confirms the symbolism of blood as life, and applies Leviticus 17:11 to the sacrifice of the Messiah. Verse 12 states clearly that the Old Testament blood sacrifices were temporary and only atoned for sin partially and for a short time, hence the need to repeat the sacrifices yearly.

John the Baptist recognised the Messiah coming to be baptised and said, “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). After his death and resurrection, and when the Messiah entered the Most Holy Place, He did so to offer His own blood once for all time, making future sacrifices unnecessary.

This is what the Messiah meant by His dying words on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). No longer does the blood of bulls, sheep and goats cleanse mankind from their sin. Only by believing on the Messiah and accepting the Messiahs blood shed on the cross for the remission of sins, can we stand before the Father covered in the righteousness of the Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is a true story of absolute love and sacrifice that we must not demean by aligning it with pagan festivals and smearing pagan worship ceremonies across it. Remeber, the spirtual battle around us is for your soul.

The exact timing of the events surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah is not a matter of debate, there is only one sequence that aligns the Gospels. The critical message is though, the the Messiah was crucified (Wednesday), died, and was buried (Wednesday at sunset), and then on the third day (Sunday morning at dawn), he rose from the dead. The women who went to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) day found it empty, and encountered angels who told them that the Messiah had risen.

Web page last updated 18 February 2023