Luke 22:15 — ‘this passover’
When Jesus says ‘I really wanted to eat this Passover with you’ (Luke 22:15), many readers assume this means they’re eating the Passover meal, but this wasn’t actually the Passover celebration.
The timing makes this impossible. Jesus died the next day during the ‘Day of Preparation’ - when lambs were being slaughtered for Passover - while the actual Passover meal was eaten that evening after sunset. In fact, John tells us that when the Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate, they ‘didn’t enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover’ (John 18:28).
So why did Jesus call it ‘this Passover’? He was likely expressing his desire for something that wouldn’t happen - he knew he would be dead before the actual Passover meal. This wasn’t just unfortunate timing; it was divine planning! Jesus, as ‘God’s Lamb,’ died at the exact time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple.
This meal was something different and new: the institution of the ‘Lord’s Evening Meal.’ While it drew on Passover symbolism, it wasn’t the traditional celebration. Instead, it pointed forward to Jesus’ own sacrifice as the ultimate Passover lamb the very next day.
To learn more, see our timeline of Jesus’ final days.