Jewish arrogance persists to this day, resulting in obstinacy and blindness. This also affects all those who listen to them and follow them. But what is the reason for this?

Even at the time when Jesus came to fulfill His ministry on Earth, the Jews—the last tribe to be rejected by God—had turned away from God, for they no longer kept His commandments. They clung to trivial practices, performing rituals and offering sacrifices, believing that these practices guaranteed their union with God.

Here, in this brief text, I want to highlight a gross error that the Jewish leaders committed in their religious observance during their Passover at the time of Jesus’ death.

The Passover, which was a metaphor foreshadowing Jesus’ death, was to be observed on the evening of the fourteenth day of Abib or Nisan, one of the months of the Hebrew calendar, which had already been reformed by God, who said: “This shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” So it was not originally the first of the months, but it came to be so. Exodus 12.
Although chapter twelve of Exodus does not mention the name of the month, it is found in other biblical passages related to the subject. See:

“You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread: for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in it you came out of Egypt: no one shall appear before Me empty-handed.” Exodus 23:15.

“You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.” Exodus 34:18.

Well, since the day, according to God, begins and ends at sunset, and the Passover was to be observed in the evening—that is, at the beginning of the night—Jesus observed it correctly when He ate it with His apostles on the night He was arrested. See.

“When the hour came, He took His place at the table, and the twelve apostles with Him. And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And taking the cup, and having given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves.’” Luke 22:14–17.

That was the last Passover, for from then on Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. See:

“For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And taking the cup, and having given thanks, he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And taking the bread, and having given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:16–20.

But note that the Jews did not eat the Passover on the same date. See:

“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’s house to the praetorium. It was early in the morning. And they did not enter the hall of judgment, so as not to become ritually unclean, but to be able to eat the Passover.” John 18:28.

As seen in the text above, the Jews had not yet eaten the Passover; they did so the following night, already on the next day, the fifteenth of the month.

This shows how they had already been blinded and could no longer see clearly. And this had already been prophesied; see:
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they may not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” John 12:40.

And this was said to the Jews by Jesus Himself; see:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for only a little while longer; walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; for whoever walks in darkness does not know where he is going.’ 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things; and he withdrew and hid himself from them. And even though He had performed so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him. John 12:35–37.

The light referred to by Jesus is His law, also called His Word. Psalm 119:160 and 142 (last part); and 105.

So the Jews no longer kept God’s law, which is why they were blind. And even today they continue to practice rituals and traditions, but they do not keep God’s laws, nor do they observe the Sabbath. For even in their synagogues—the few who go there on the Sabbath—they do not keep the Lord’s holy day, but turn the occasion into a social gathering to engage in idle chatter and speak empty words, which is not fitting on the Lord’s day and is condemned by God. See:

“If you keep your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on my holy day, and if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable—and if you honor it by not following your own ways, nor seeking to do your own will, nor speaking your own words.” Isaiah 58:13.

And if you still placed any value on your leaders and their practices, do as Jesus said: “Leave them alone; they are blind guides. And if one blind person leads another, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:14.

Oli Prestes
Missionary