Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE CLIMAX OF JESUS' MISSION §17.1
Her narrative is probably that much of Jesus' teaching directed to his inner circle
of disciples took place in the context of meals. 38
There is, however, a major and tantalising question difficult to resolve:
Was the last meal a Passover? That is clearly how the Synoptic Evangelists
wanted it to be understood (Mark 14.1-2, 12-17 pars.). And in his classic study
Jeremias finds grounds for an affirmative answer in the facts that the meal was
eaten in Jerusalem (not Bethany), and at night, and that wine was drunk, and in
the words of interpretation (Mark 14.22-24 pars.). 39 On the other hand, there is
no allusion to the normal elements in the Passover meal, 40 the last supper tradition
itself does not speak of it as a Passover, and the execution of Jesus was unlikely
to take place on the day of Passover itself. The Fourth Evangelist
strengthens the last observation by reporting that Jesus was crucified on the day
of preparation (paraskeue) for the Passover (John 19.14), that is prior to the
Passover meal (18.28). 41 One can hardly avoid the suspicion that John is making
a theological point here: Jesus, the lamb of God (1.29, 36), was crucified at
the time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered, 42 that is, along with the
other Passover lambs. 43 Even so, as the evidence stands, in this case it is as
likely as not that John has been able to draw his theological point from the actual
historical sequence. And as likely as not also that the Synoptic version re-
38. Given the Fourth Evangelist's handling of Jesus' 'signs', I am less confident than
R. A. Bauckham that a positive answer can be given to his question 'Did Jesus Wash His Disciples'
Feet?' (in Chilton and Evans, Authenticating the Activities of Jesus 411-29), in reference
to the last supper in particular.
39. Jeremias, Eucharistie Words ch. 1, particularly 41-62; similarly Pesch,
Markusevangelium 2.362; I. H. Marshall, Last Supper and Lord's Supper (Exeter: Paternoster,
1980) 57-75; Stuhlmacher, Biblische Theologie 1.133-35 (pressing also the symbolism of the
twelve); Gnilka, Jesus 280-81; Wright, Jesus 555-59; Casey, Aramaic Sources 236-38.
40. Arguably Jesus himself would not have taken a lamb to the Temple to be slaughtered,
given the disturbance he had caused a few days earlier. But someone must have attended
to such an indispensable part of the Passover ritual. Sanders speculates: 'Perhaps "they [the disciples]
prepared" means "they bought a lamb, had it slaughtered at the Temple and put it on a
spit to roast"' (Historical Figure 251). Casey, however, has no trouble in envisioning Jesus
himself taking the responsibility (Aramaic Sources 222-23). For the ritual itself see Sanders,
Judaism 132-38.
41. Also Gos. Pet. 2.5. See Brown, Death 845-46. It should be recalled that the Jewish
day ended with nightfall, so an evening meal (after nightfall) would take place on the next day;
on Jewish time-keeping Jesus was crucified on the same day that he ate his last meal with his
disciples.
42. The time of day when the slaughtering began is not clear; most valuable is Brown's
note (Death 847 n. 47).
43. That John intended Jesus' death to be understood as that of the Passover lamb is implied
in 19.29 (the mention of hyssop — cf. Exod. 12.22) and clear in 19.36 (citing the Passover
regulation — Exod. 12.46).
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