Last year, we discussed ways to calculate the date of the anniversary of the Lord's Last Supper. (See "Do This in Remembrance of Me" and "This Is to Be a Memorial for You")
This year there is a solar eclipse marking the new moon closest to the Spring Equinox, which starts the month of Nisan. (I am told that Nisan is the name given the month by the Babylonians who were the great astronomers of their day.) This eclipse will be visible in Jerusalem around noon on March 20. Counting 14 days from sundown on March 20 (Nisan 1) takes us to sundown on April 2, or the time when Nisan 14 starts.
The Bible gives no hard rule that the Lord's Evening Meal must be commemorated on a particular date and time, only that it must be done; for as often as it is done, we proclaim the death of the Lord until his return. (1Co 11:26)
Some commemorate the Last Supper more than once a year. Others hold to an annual celebration only. Whichever view one might subscribe to, no fault can be found with those striving to determine the most accurate date that would correspond to the actual anniversary of the event, the time when the lamb was slaughtered "between the two evenings", the time between sundown and civil twilight on Nisan 14 (April 2 this year).
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Comment by on 2015-03-07 03:38:09
Meleti i have just done a bit of online research about the passover and it seems the jews agree with your calculations . Fron what i read online .The jews will be observing the first seder of the passover on the evening of friday the 3 rd of april 2015 . Apparently the jews reckon this date to be the 15 th day of nisan and this is when they start the celebration of the passover . So it seems that the organisation holds the memorial on the passover but its not nisan 14 but nisan 15 .. however according to john it seems our lords last supper was a day earlier on nisan 14 . And on the same day in between the evening of nisan 14 and 15 gave his life as a sacrificial lamb .about the same time as the lambs were slaughtered for the passover meal to be held that evening . Does it matter then when it is observed i am starting to think it probably doesnt really after all christians are not under the law covenant . As for the JWs they seem to want to observe more of the old testament than the new . Kev c
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2015-03-07 13:29:29
That does seem to be the case, doesn't it?
Reply by Anonymous on 2017-04-11 04:38:32
Meleti, sitting hear listening to the talk. I'm wondering if the 12 apostles were anointed at the at the time of the lord's evening meal or did that happen later?
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2017-04-11 07:49:13
It seems that the anointing happened at Pentecost. Anointing by spirit happened in connection with baptism, not partaking of emblems. Only JWs--to the best of my knowledge--link spirit anointing with the partaking of the memorial emblems.
Reply by Anonymous on 2017-04-11 20:39:55
Yeah! So then those ones at the meal with Jesus would not have been "anointed" if it supposedly happened through JW eyes- at pentecost.
Comment by yobec on 2015-03-07 10:37:19
This is the most interesting thing I ever read in regards to the Lord's supper.
Hope I am not breaking any rules here. I just thought this information needed to be shared.
http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d050402.htmReply by on 2015-03-07 21:31:20
Thanks Yobec, I found that article enlightening
Reply by kev on 2015-03-08 06:02:53
Thanks yobec that was interesting . . I do agree that salvation is not dependant on observing any ritual at a particular time . Its a free gift . However while the timing of the eucharist may be in question i think it must also be remembered that jesus asked us to keep doing it to remember him . While salvation is a free gift it is only bestowed on those who have faith in christ .and partaking is an outward expression of our faith that christ died and will return .. thanks for the link kev c
Comment by bobcat3 on 2015-03-07 13:06:42
Here is another way to see this subject.
BobcatReply by kev on 2015-03-15 18:55:52
Thanks bobcat i read your article . it does seem when reading 1 corinthians 11 we get the feeling that the lords meal was taken more than just annually . Ive felt that for a while . And i Have noticed also that thier seems to be a tendency of the watchtower to copy jewish tradition . In fact so much so that i wondered wether or not the ones pulling the strings at the HQ are actually members of judaism . They seem to qoute more of the OT than thw new . Thanks again .kev
Reply by bobcat3 on 2015-03-16 04:54:38
I appreciate your comments kev.
Bobcat
Comment by on 2015-03-08 06:20:12
Just another little point as well while salvation is a free gift and given to those with faith in christ . To have faith in christ it means much more than just believing that he died and will return to fully put faith in him it seems we must accept him as our LORD and saviour and that means obeying him putting faith in his words and his direction . Thanks kev
Comment by keeponseeking on 2015-03-09 00:34:28
I agree with the above comments. I personally enjoy observing the Lord's Evening Meal on a regular basis. Partaking is a great time for personal reflection on the work of Christ and his merits imputed to us.
I still plan to observe privately on April 2 this year. Perhaps it is just residual JW thinking in me, but I do like the thought of observing on the same night Jesus and his disciples first did.
Comment by omionmen on 2015-03-14 07:08:29
I checked some sites , they seem to point to April 3 as Nisan 14, passover.
The first night of Passover is April 3. Check out our calendar here:
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month.asp?tdate=4/9/2015 ;
hope this link does not violate site rulesReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2015-03-14 07:42:36
The calendar doesn't explain how it arrives at March 21 as the first day of Nisan but based on the site's Jewish/Civil date converter, I think we can deduce the answer. Since the Jewish day begins at sundown and ends at sundown the next day, there is no one-to-one correspondence between Jewish and Gregorian calendar dates. The best one can aim for is to pick the Gregorian date that corresponds to the largest portion of the Jewish date. Since Nisan 1 begins on March 20 at around 6, there are 6 hours of the day falling into that day with the remaining 18 hours falling into March 21. Perhaps that is why the site gives March 21 as Nisan 1.
However, we are trying to apply the Jewish calendar, so since Nisan 1 begins at sundown following the first new moon nearest the Spring Equinox and since there is a solar eclipse (which happens at the new moon) on March 20, our count runs from sundown on March 20. Fourteen sundowns from then takes us to sundown on April 2.
Of course, the critical thing is to commemorate the Lord's evening meal. There is no specific Bible requirement to hold it on a particular day, so we are not endorsing the idea that the only correct time and date to celebrate the memorial is April 2. In fact, a good case can be made for commemorating Christ's death repeatedly throughout the year.
Reply by kev on 2015-03-15 19:11:31
Omnion i think theres a confusion about the dates because of the jewish day beginning at sundown nisan 14 is on friday 3 rd of april but it ends on sundown after sundown on friday 3rd april its nisan 15 . Nisan 14 begins on thurday the 2nd sundown and ends on 3 rd at dusk . Thats what i read by the same website . Kev
Comment by Peter Albert Hall on 2019-04-20 14:21:18
Dear Eric,
We proclaim the death of the Lord until his return. According to the GB the Lord will never return. He is ruling in Heaven since 1914. I believe the Court of Jesus Christ has been in work since the eleventh Century. 2Co.5:10
Now the Bible tells he will return after the thousand years, to establish his Kingdom on Earth. His last enemy, the Death, has then been put under his feet. Jesus shall then put himself under the one who has put everything under him. And so God shall become all in everybody. 1Co.15:24-28 Look, there is only one throne in Jerusalem for the Lord and the Lamb. Rev.22:3 Who do you think will sit on that throne?