Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV) from the Sermon on the Mount:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
—--
The Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) appear to show Jesus eating the Old Covenant Passover the night before his crucifixion, while John appears to show he was crucified at the time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered—before the Passover meal was eaten that night.
Here is a brief overview below. This article goes from broad general overview to narrow specific details about the Old to New Covenants’ Passover (death angel exemption).
BRIEF OVERVIEW
Synoptics – Passover eaten one evening, crucified later. Matthew 26:17–20 (NKJV)
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’… And in the evening He sat down with the twelve.”
→ Passover meal before crucifixion. Mark 14:12–18 (NKJV)
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, ‘Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may go and eat the Passover?’… Then in the evening He came with the twelve.”
→ Passover meal a prior evening, then crucifixion
Friday.Luke 22:7–15 (NKJV)
“Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb must be killed… He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.’… Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’”
→ Explicit: Passover before suffering/crucifixion. John – Crucified before the Passover meal was eaten. John 13:1 (NKJV)
“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
→ Last Lord’s Supper happened before the Passover feast. John 18:28 (NKJV)
“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the courtyard of the governor… and they themselves did not go into the courtyard, that they might not be defiled, but may eat the Passover.”
→ Religious leaders had not yet eaten Old Covenant Passover when Jesus was on trial. John 19:14 (NKJV)
“Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover; and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’”
→ Crucifixion on Preparation Day, before the Passover meal. John 19:31–36 (NKJV)
“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath… they came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him… but when they came to Jesus… they did not break His legs… for these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’”
→ Jesus died as the Passover lambs were slaughtered; He is the Passover Lamb, not eating the meal simultaneously.
FACTS: Jesus ate the Passover meal on one evening (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and was crucified on a later day’s subsequent afternoon (all Gospels NKJV), at the exact time the Old Covenant Passover lambs were being sacrificed (John 19:14).
GENERAL TO SPECIFICS
I said: The Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) appear to show Jesus eating the Old Covenant Passover the night before his crucifixion, but is that true, or just how it appears to people who have not a deeper study of Holy Scripture?
It was actually two days before, not the night before. See attached PNG poster.
Mark 14:1–2, 12–16 (NKJV)
“Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away. So the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery…..13 “And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.
14 ‘Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, “The Teacher says, ‘Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’”
15 ‘Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.’”
16 “So His disciples went out (two days before the Old Covenant Passover), and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.”
THE MORE CORRECT DATE TO OBSERVE THE LORD'S LAST SUPPER
You can read the following article to nail down the mechanics for how to determine the correct date, for each year, as each year it is different. See here:
https://ccgjgcc.home.blog/2024/04/06/how-to-tell-what-jewish-calendar-is-correct-as-for-passover/
And here:
https://ccgjgcc.home.blog/2020/11/03/3-days-and-3-night-chronology/
WHY THE LORD'S PASSOVER SUPPER BEFORE THE OLD COVENANT PASSOVER?
Short answer:
The New Covenant Messiah became the Old Covenant Passover.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV): “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
This means He is the Lamb and the Lamb’s blood that will be used to exempt us from the coming end time slaughter, when the Messiah as Judge and Warrior returns.
Revelation 19:11–16 (NKJV) – Jesus as the faithful, true Warrior and Judge: 11 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
Meanwhile, we Messianists can observe our New Covenant Messiah’s Passover Supper, and afterward attend the Old Covenant Jews’ Passover (just like the Messiah did year after year before his crucifixion) to share the good news of salvation to come by God's Son and Messiah.
MORE DETAILS FOR THOSE SEEKING TO BE MORE CORRECT PRECISELY THIS YEAR 2026
The Biblical calendar is a “living calendar” that depends on watching the sky (moon) and the ground (barley) in Israel—not a fixed paper calendar like the one on your wall. Here’s how to explain it to an 8th grader:
1. The Two Big Signs (The Moon and the Barley)
Think of the biblical calendar like a clock with two hands:
- The Moon (The Month Hand): Every time the first tiny sliver of the New Moon appears, a new month begins. The Bible calls this a *Chodesh*.
-The Barley (The Year Hand): God said the first month of the year must happen when barley in Israel is *Abib* (ripe enough to be roasted, but not yet dry).
***
2. Why Do We Need the Barley?
A moon-year is ~11 days shorter than a solar year.
Without barley, months would drift into wrong seasons (like Christmas in summer). Barley acts as a “reset button”:
- If barley is ripe at the end of the 12th month, the next New Moon starts the New Year.
- If barley isn’t ripe, add a 13th “leap month” until the crops catch up.
***
3. What Happened in 2026?
The signs were very clear this year:
- The Barley Report: In **mid-March 2026**, observers in Israel found barley that was *Abib*—green transitioning to brown, ready for the New Year countdown but not yet harvestable. [1]
- **The New Moon Report:**
The first sliver of the New Moon was **officially sighted** on **Friday evening, March 20, 2026** in Israel (Zevulun Valley and Kfar Chasidim). [2][3][4]
- **The Result:** Because the barley was ready **and** the moon appeared, the New Year (the month of Abib) began at sunset on March 20, making **Abib 1 = Saturday, March 21, 2026**. [5][4]
***
4. Finding Old Covenant Passover 2026
The Bible says Passover is on the 14th day of that first month. Counting 14 days from Abib 1 (March 21):
- **Passover 2026 = Thursday evening, April 2, 2026** (the Passover meal for some Jews who would kill the lamb Thursday evening).
- The Gregorian (solar, modern) calendar date for Passover day is **Friday, April 3, 2026** (for Old Covenant Jews who according to the Bible kill the lamb on the evening of the 14th. Josephus and the Mishnah confirm it was killed mid-afternoon on the 14th (around 3 PM)).
- The Old Covenant celebration is supposed to start at twilight on that evening and goes into the first day of “Unleavened Bread” at sunset. [6][5]
Notice, it is true that popular, widely cited sources (including major Jewish organizations and calendars) claim that Passover 2026 begins on the evening of Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
The specific reason for the 1–2 or 3 day shift in 2026:
Rabbinic calendar: Already determined Nisan 1 = March 20 using calculations, making Nisan 14 = April 3 (sunset start).
Many Biblical observers: The new moon was actually sighted on March 20, 2026, making Abib 1 = March 21, and Abib 14 = April 3 (Gregorian day), with the meal eaten by some Jews Thursday evening April 2.
The difference is a 1,600-year-old split between a calculated calendar and a barley+new-moon sighting-based calendar. Both claim biblical authority, but only the barley/moon method follows the original “living calendar” command (Exodus 12:2; Deuteronomy 16:1).
***
Count 2 days before this, if April 3, and we Messianists could observe it on April 1st, which in 2026 happens to be the afternoon (by parallel disciples of Christ would have obtained the killed lamb around 3 pm) and at later evening (6-6:30 pm) ate it in the upper room with our New Covenant Messiah.
However, the problem here is the sightings observe the waxing crescent (March 19-20th) instead of the waning crescent March 16-17th).
We know Bible era people like David observed the waning crescent (e.g. March 16-17) to know the New Moon (18th) is appearing, and affirmed by the March 19-20th) sightings. New Moon would arise by the total disappearing of the former full moon, generally the disappearing understood as lasting for about 3 nights or days (17, 18, 19) before the waxing crescent was seen or verified.
The dark phase of the New Moon, when the Moon is not visible, typically lasts about three days: the day before, the day of, and the day after the New Moon itself.
In 1 Samuel 20:5, David states: “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon (full moon expected no longer waning-crescent visible, thereby new coming), and I should not fail to sit with the King to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.” This passage suggests David knew when the New Moon would occur by observing the waning crescent light at the rim of the moon as it it disappearing. His plan to hide in the field implied that the New Moon period involved darkness, as there would be no light of the moon to help make him visible.
David planned to remain hidden “until the third evening,” corresponding to the approximate duration from the waning-crescent dark moon to the waxing crescent phase. This suggests that the New Moon began with the end of the waning crescent that began the dark or obscure phase and extended until the crescent became visible.
For Judeo-Christians or Messianists aiming for precision, this would be how to accurately observe the New Moon for the first month for the Biblical religious calendar and include it as the beginning of the month, rather than skipping it (dark phase) and instead by modern Judaic traditions begin counting the 1st on the emerging waxing crescent light. This means the official new moon dates as pointing to the dark phase day (night), is not only accurate description (diametrically opposite of the full moon [half lunar cycle]) but that day marks the end of the last full moon, for the next first day for the first month Nisan/Abib of the New Year for the religious calendar from and for Bible feasts.
https://ccgjgcc.home.blog/2024/04/06/how-to-tell-what-jewish-calendar-is-correct-as-for-passover/
This means Old Covenant Jews should be observing Passover from the 18th, after disappearing full moon (waning-crescent disappeared on the 16th-17th) and confirmed by observing the waxing crescent on the 19th-20th. The evening or dusk of April 1st (March 19th to April 1 = 14 days) should be the Passover for Old Covenant Jews, and Messianists can then observe it 2 days prior on March 30th (Monday, evening).
Time Zone Conversion Example, when for Global unity observance for one accord:
Israel sunset: 6:30 PM
U.S. Eastern: 1:30 PM EDT
Central: 12:30 PM CDT
Mountain: 11:30 AM MDT
Pacific: 10:30 AM PDT
After this, Messianists fast just like the disciples until the resurrection.
Matthew 9:14–15 (NKJV):
“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’
And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding attendants mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’”
The verse you’re looking for is Mark 16:10 (NKJV):“She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.”
Context: Who “She” is: Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9), the first witness of the resurrection.
Who “those who had been with Him” are: The disciples (the Eleven), who were gathering in the Upper Room mourning and weeping after Jesus’ death.
What happened: Mary went to them and reported that Jesus was alive, but they did not believe her at first (Mark 16:11).
This is the moment after the resurrection when the disciples are still in mourning, before they fully believe Jesus has risen.
Later, Jesus appears to them directly, and their grief turns to joy (John 20:20; Luke 24:41).
Zechariah 8:19 (NKJV), which prophesies:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts.’”
Esther 9:22 (NKJV):“as the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.”
These prophecies—Purim (Esther 9:22) and the Four Fasts (Zechariah 8:19)—share a common theme with New Covenant Passover(s): God reverses sorrow into joy, turning mourning into celebration through His deliverance.
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Sources for the Rules & Reports
The Bible Verses:
- **Exodus 12:2 (NKJV):** “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.”
- **Deuteronomy 16:1 (NKJV):** “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover...”
- **Leviticus 23:5 (NKJV):** “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.”
The 2026 Reports:
- **Barley Sighting:** Barley reached the *Abib* stage (green → transitioning to brown) in **mid-March 2026**, confirmed by Torah Observant Apostolics and Abib of God. [1]
- **New Moon Sighting:** Crescent sighted Friday evening, **March 20, 2026** (6:03 PM Zevulun Valley, Yoel HaLevi; 6:14 PM Kfar Chasidim, Ephraim Amnon), officially confirming the start of Abib. [2][3][4]
- **Passover Date Confirmed:** Abib 14 = **Thursday evening, April 2, 2026** (Passover meal); Friday, April 3, 2026 (Gregorian day). [6][5]
Citations:
[1] Aviv report from Israel on barley crop development - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/BiblicalCalendarForum/posts/25192576803751910/
[2] New moon sighting in Israel on March 20, 2026 - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/BiblicalCalendarForum/posts/25221339327542324/
[3] When Is The New Moon – Monthly New Moon Updates and ... https://whenisthenewmoon.com
[4] Moon sighted at 18:03 on March 20, 2026, from the Zevulun Valley ... https://www.facebook.com/HaleviTeacher/posts/moon-sighted-at-1803-on-march-20-2026-from-the-zevulun-valley-northern-israel/1706910643614623/
[5] Feast Days 202
6 - Torah Observant Apostolics https://torahobservantapostolic.org/feast-days/
[6] Aviv Barley and New Moon Reports from Israel - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/BiblicalCalendarForum/posts/25231056413237282/
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