John 13: Did Jesus Eat the Passover Supper or Not?

This week, we are approaching yet another controversial passage in John's account of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. A cursory read of a few passages seem to indicate that John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, didn't accurately record the details of Jesus' last night before his brutal murder, or that he changed the details so that he could emphasize a certain theology about Jesus.

If you consider the accounts in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), it is very clear that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover Lambs were sacrificed, that Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover supper the night before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. The accounts can be found in Matt. 26:17-25 (which mentions the first day of Unleavened Bread, but not the lamb. This was because the Hebrew audience to whom Matthew was writing would know the details of the day of Unleavened Bread), Mark 14:12-21, and Luke 22:7-23.

When we arrive at John's account, several passages seem to indicate that the Passover meal is a day later. John 13:1 starts, "Now before the Feast of the Passover..." and then tells the story of the footwashing, the betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter. In John 13:29, after Judas has left the supper, the disciples think that Jesus told him "Buy what we need for the feast," indicating that they had not yet eaten the Passover supper. A few chapters later, after Jesus had been arrested and was being taken to the governor's headquarters, those who arrested Jesus refused to enter, "so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover." And finally, in 19:14, John mentions that "it was the day of Preparation of the Passover" when Jesus is delivered to be crucified.

I am of the persuasion that there is no disagreement. Contradiction can only be found in interpretation, but not in the text. In the next post I'll explain how and why this works.