On one Sabbath day, Jesus went into a synagogue in Nazareth and read a prophecy in the book of Isaiah concerning His coming to the world to give hope and salvation from darkness and bondage of sins (Luke 4:17-19). This is the grace of God for we can all be free from sins and reconciled to the holy God and even call Him Father when we believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came to the world to save sinners.

Luke 4:17-19

17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Please note that the good news is preached to the poor as Jesus told us in the sermon of the mount. The poor does not mean people who live in materialistic poverty but people who are humble before God because they realised and confess their spiritual bankcruptcy and are sorrowful of their sins and ask God for forgiveness. Jesus says that they will receive the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3). Conversely, people who are complacent and proud and think that they are righteous by their own standard will not be grateful for the salvation grace of God (Matthew 9:12). When we have Jesus, we will know the truth for His words are in our heart such that we will not be enslaved by sins anymore (John 8:32). Jesus came not to recover sight for a few blind persons physically, but to heal the spiritual blindnesss for all who trust in Him (John 9:39) such that they see the power of the gospel which save them from the enslavery and destruction of sins. They will be very grateful to Jesus' salvation who sacrificed His own body to save us from the wages of sins. Mary Magdelene was a well-known sinner in her hometown and was possessed by evil spirits. Out of her great gratitude for Jesus' forgiveness of her sins and setting her free from the oppression of evil spirits, She broke a jar of very expensive perfume which could be her most precisous possession and poured it to Jesus to prepare for His burial (Luke 7:36-38; Mark 14:7-9). In contrast, Simon the Pharisee who invited Jesus for dinner, seemed to be self-righteous and could not understand the acts of Mary and judged her as a sinner (Luke 7:39).

When we believe in Jesus, it is natural for us to be grateful to Him also for we realized that our sins have been forgiven and paid for by Jesus in full. Therefore, gratitude is a good sign or evidence of faith in Jesus. Therefore, Jesus explained plainly to Simon the Pharisee the motive of Mary Magdalene's act of gratitude which was the evidence of her faith (Luke 7:44-50).

Matthew 5:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 9:12

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

John 8:32

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 9:39

Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

Luke 7:36-38

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Luke 7:39

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Luke 8:2

and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;

Mark 14:7-9

7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Luke 7:44-50

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." 48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

By the way, as of today, we are still living in the year of the Lord's favor. We may receive Jesus' salvation and our debts of sins will be forgiven by God Himself and be reconciled with Him such that we may enter His kingdom with our faith in Jesus Christ. Note that Jesus stopped after reading the year of the Lord's favor at the verse in the book of Isaiah. The later part of the same verse mentions the day of vengeance of God which will be fulfilled when Jesus came again in judgement of all nations (Isaiah 61:2). Friends, let us take this precious opportunity to receive Jesus as the Lord and spread out the good news to all who still do not.

Isaiah 61:2

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

In this part, let us pay attention only to Daniel 9:25-26a which covers the 69 weeks of the seventy weeks in the prophecy. This 69 week period is marked by the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. However, there were four decrees to rebuild Jerusalem as recorded in the Bible and history. The first decree was issed by Cyrus (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4;6:3-5). The decree of Cyrus does not fit well with what the prophecy says because the decree covers only rebuilding of the temple and not the city itself.

Daniel 9:25-26a

25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: " 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you—may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' "

Ezra 1:1-4

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 2 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: " 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.' "

Ezra 6:3-5

3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, 4 with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.

The second decree was issued by Darius (Ezra 5:9-15, 6:1-6). Again, this decree only covers rebuilding of the temple. Moreover, it is only a confirmation of Cyrus decree previously issued.

Ezra 5:9-15

9 We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?" 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information. 11 This is the answer they gave us: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. 13 "However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14 He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. "Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, 15 and he told him, 'Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.'

Ezra 6:1-6

1 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. 2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum: 3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, 4 with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God. 6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. 7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

The third decree was issued by Artaxerxes to Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26) in 457 B.C. Again, the decree concerns only the rebuilding of temple with law regulating worship in the temple.

Ezra 7:11-26

11 This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel: 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings. 13 Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. 15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. 17 With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. 18 You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. 20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury. 21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you- 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. 23 Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons? 24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. 26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

The fourth decree was issued by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1-8). in 464 B.C. This decree fits well with the decree mentioned by angel Gabriel in Daniel 9:25 for this decree covers the rebuilding of both the temple and the city. Moreover, Ezra recorded that the rebuilding was done under persecution and trouble (Ezra 4:12-13, 23). Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that this is the decree that marks the beginning of the seventy week prophecy. According to Nehemiah 2:1, the decree is issued in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. We know from history that King Artaxerxes's father died shortly after December 17, 465 B.C. and Artaxerxes became King of Persia after his father. However, we need to take into account the custom of Persia which viewed that a year was Nisan to Nisan (March to March in our calendar). In addition, the first year of a king is the month of Nisan following the partial year of succession. Therefore, in king Artaxerxes's case, his first month of kingship was Nisan, 464. Without a specific alternative date, it is reasonable to assume that first year of king Artaxerxes started on Nisan 1, 464 B.C. and the twentieth year of his reign was then Nisan 1, 444 B.C. which can be translated into March 5, 444 B.C. in solar year calendar. From our previous study, we concluded that Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, 33 A.D. (Friday, April 3, 33 A.D.). Moreover, the prophecy delivered by angel Gabriel aslo mentions the project of rebuilding will take place in times of trouble. This indeed fits well with the actual situation as recorded by the project manager, Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:6-12). People near Jerusalem tried not only to stop the project, but were ready to attack and kill the workers.

Daniel 9:25

25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

Nehemiah 2:1-8

1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. 7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

Ezra 4:12-13

12 The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer.

Ezra 4:23

23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

Nehemiah 4:6-12

6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." 11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

To verify the accuracy of the prophecy, the calculation is more conveniently done in terms of number of days instead of number of years because there are two different kinds of year in our discussion: prophetic year which is 360 days a year [1] and solar years. For simplicity, we may calculate the number of days between the start and end of the sixty-nine week in terms of modern day calendar which is based on solar year. There are 476 solar years between Nisan 1, 444 B.C. to Nisan 1 33 A.D.. One solar year is equal to 365.24219879 days (this explains why the modern day calendar has 365 days a year while adding 1 day every fourth year called the leap year) . Multiplying 476 solar years by 365.24219878, we come to 173,855.28662404 days or 173,855 days [2]. But, 69 weeks is equal to 69 * 7 * 360 days or 173,880 days. There is a difference in 25 days (173,880 - 173,825). Adding 25 days to March 5, 33 A.D. come to March 30, 33 A.D. which was a Monday and is known as the Triumphal entry (Matthew 21:1-11) of Jesus, the Anointed One, into Jerusalem. Jesus was then crucified on April 3, 33 A.D. which was a Passover Friday. Therefore, God fulfilled His salvation plan by sending His one and only son, the Anointed One, the Messiah to become a Passover lamb and died for all mankind so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Matthew 21:1-11

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

John 3:16

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Having determined that Jesus was crucified on a Friday which was a Nisan 14 (see also the article Was the Lst Supper of Jesus with His Disciple the Passover Meal), we want to determine the year Jesus was crucified. As the scriptures recorded, Pilate trialled Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

Mark 15:1-15

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. 13 "Crucify him!" they shouted. 14 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

According the Jewish historian Josephus, Pilate's predecessor Valerius Gratus held office for eleven years and all of his office fell within Tiberius' regin (A.D. 14-37). Therefore, Pilate's office could not begin earlier than A.D. 25 (A.D. 14 + 11 = A.D. 25). Also, according to Josephus, Pilate's office lasted for ten years and that Tiberius died before Pilate reached Rome. This implies that Pilate's reign was between A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. To determine the year Jesus was crucified, we may examine the years during A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 in which Nisan 14 was a Friday. The calculations of astronomers limit the probable years to be A.D. 30, 33, and 36 with A.D. 27 an unlinkely possibility. According to Luke 3:1-2, John the Baptist's ministry started in Tiberius' fifteenth year which was A.D. 28/29 and Jesus' ministry started after John's ministry. Therefore, A.D. 27 as the year of Jesus' crucification can be eliminated. Moreover, according to the research of Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary, Jesus' ministry began within a few months of the commencement of John's ministry in A.D. 29 (A.D. 14 + 15 years = A.D. 28/29 Luke 3:1-3). This is quite reasonable for the primary mission of John's ministry is to announce the coming of the messiah (Luke 3:4-6). It is unlikely that Jesus was crucified on A.D. 36 for it would make Jesus' ministry 6 years long. Again, acoording to the research of Harold Hoehner, the duration of Jesus' ministry was about 3 years long [1]. Therefore, only years A.D. 30 and 33 remain to be considered as the year of Jesus' crucification.

Luke 3:1-3

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar - when Pontiis Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene? 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3:4-6

4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

Of the two years A.D. 30 and 33, A.D. 33 was more congruent to the historical fact about Pilate. As we studied the gospels, we learned that Pilate was submissive to the pressures of the Jews who demanded Jesus to be handed over to crucification. Yet, Pilate as described by his contemporary Philo and later by Josephus as being one who was greedy, inflexible and cruel person. A good explanation of the bending of Pilate to the pressure of the Jews was that Pilate was appointed by Lucius Aelius Sejanus who was the mentor and backbone support of Pilate. Sejanus himself was the most powerful man in the Roman Empire and was known to practice anti-Jewish policy in Judea when Tiberius retired to the island of Capri and entrusted the administration of the empire to Sejanus. However, Sejanus was executed by Tiberius on October 18, A.D. 31 for treason. Losing his backbone support, Pilate drastically changed and became submissive to the request of the Jews especially when they shouted Pilate was not a friend of Caesar when they demanded crucification of Jesus [2].

John 19:12

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

Being appointed by Sejanus who had been executed by Caesar Tiberius, Pilate felt it as a threat and succumbbed to the demand of the crowd. In conclusion, A.D. 33 was the most likely year that Jesus was crucified.

It is quite clear by studying Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, and Luke 22:7-14 we may conclude that the Last Supper that Jesus ate with his disciples was a Passover meal.

Matthew 26:17-19

17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:12-16

12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

Luke 22:7-14

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." 9 "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. 10 He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." 13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

However, according to John 18:28, Jesus was arrested and sent to the palace of the Roman governor, Pilate in early morning before the Passover meal. Therefore, it seems that there is an inconsitency between the gospel of John and the synoptic gospels which state that the Passover meal was eaten by Jesus and his disciples the night before his arrest.

John 18:28

28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"

In order to draw the conclusion that there is an inconsistency in the gospels, we assume that there is a single standard in determining the Passover day. However, there were different calendars for determining the Passover used by different groups and regions during Jesus' time [1]. Therefore, there could be timing difference for Passover depending on what calendar one was using. One scholarly study found that during Jesus' time, the Galileans and Pharisees used the sunrise-to-sunrise standard in reckoning the Passover while the Judeans and Sadducees used the sunset-to-sunset standard in reckoning the Passover [2]. In light of the difference in reckoning, we may conclude that Jesus and his disciples used the Galilean method in reckoning the Passover as recorded in the synoptic gospels while John gospel referred to the Passover based on the Judean method observed by the Judeans and the Sadducees [3]. Both calendars would require slaughter of the Passover lambs on fourteenth day of the month of Nisan i.e. first month of the year mentioned in Exodus 12:2-6.

Exodus 12:2-6

2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

The events at the time of Jesus' crucification viewed by the two calendars of Passover according to the study of Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary are as follows.

Passover reckoned by Galilean Method (sunrise-to-sunrise):

Nisan 14 began on Thursday sunrise. At about 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Passover lambs were slaughtered by people who observed the Galilean method of reckoning of Passover. Jesus and his disciples had their Passover meal which was also the last supper after sunset on Thursday. Jesus was then arrested Thursday night.

Passover reckoned by Judean Method (sunset-to-sunset):

Nisan 14 began on Thursday sunset. Jesus was arrested on Thursday after sunset and the Last Supper with his disciples. On Friday, Passover lambs according to the Judean reckoning were slaughtered at about 3 to 5 p.m. which was now late Nisan 14. This was also the time Jesus died on the cross and was then burried. After sunset on Friday i.e. the night of Nisan 15, the Judeans and Sadducees had their Passover meals.

Key Verse: John 7:42

Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Many people tend to reject the gospel without a good and solid consideration of facts. Many times when I tried to share the gospel, or simply to distribute a booklet of the Gospel According to John, I got a lethargic repsone. Some said that he was a Buddhist, Muslim or simply an atheist. My advice to them was not to jump to the conclusion because of your upbringing, tradition, culture or hearsays and do an objective study and investigation whether this gospel is truth or myth. In fact, this mentality is not new and shared by people living in Jesus' time and saw him preaching and walking in Galilee. However, as recorded in John 7:42, some people jumped to the conclusion that Jesus could not be the Christ based on the fact that Jesus was preaching in Galilee frequently. They might also drew such a conclusion based on the hearsays of people there. They had just made a wrong conclusion that costed them dearly for they missed the most precious blessing God gave to mankind: forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God with a new heart through the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-38):

37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.

Had they done a little objective investigation and study of the scriptures, they would find out indeed Christ would have the ministry in the land of Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2):

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

On the other hand, they were right when they said that Christ would came from Bethlehem which was the prophesied place Jesus was born (Micah 5:2):

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

They could have realized that this prophecy had been fulfilled in their time if they did a little investigation. Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem and a descendant of David in flesh as recorded in Luke 2:4-6:

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

For even blind men could realize Jesus was indeed the promised Son of David walking among them (Matthem 9:27):

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

As a matter of fact, Jesus promised (Matthew 7:7-8):

7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.