John Calvin Commentary Matthew 26:17

"Now on the first [day] of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the passover?" — Matthew 26:17 (ASV)

Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus. The first question is, why does the day that preceded the sacrificing of the lamb receive the name of the day of unleavened bread? For the Law did not forbid the use of leaven until the lamb was eaten (Exodus 12:18). But this difficulty may be quickly removed, for the phrase refers to the following day, as is sufficiently evident from Mark and Luke. Since, therefore, the day of killing and eating the passover was near, the disciples ask Christ where he wishes them to eat the passover.

But from this arises a more difficult question. How did Christ observe that ceremony on the day before the whole nation celebrated the public passover? For John plainly affirms that the day on which Christ was crucified was, among the Jews, the preparation, not of the Sabbath, but of the passover, (John 19:14); and that they did not enter into the hall of judgment, lest they should be defiled, because next day they were to eat the passover (John 18:28).

I am aware that there are some who resort to evasions, which do not, however, give them any relief; for no sophistry can set aside the fact that, on the day they crucified Christ, they did not keep the feast (when it would not have been lawful to have any public executions), and that they had, at that time, a solemn preparation, so that they ate the passover after Christ had been buried.

It now needs to be asked, why did Christ anticipate? For it must not be supposed that, in this ceremony, he took any liberty that was at variance with the prescriptions of the Law. As to the notion entertained by some, that the Jews, through their eagerness to put Christ to death, delayed the passover, it is ably refuted by Bucer, and, indeed, falls to the ground by its own absurdity.

I have no doubt, therefore, that Christ observed the day appointed by the Law, and that the Jews followed a custom that had been long in use. First, it is beyond a doubt that Christ was put to death on the day before the Sabbath; for he was hastily buried before sunset in a sepulcher which was at hand (John 19:42), because it was necessary to abstain from work after the commencement of the evening.

Now it is universally admitted that, by an ancient custom, when the passover and other festivals happened on Friday, they were delayed until the following day, because the people would have considered it hard to abstain from work on two successive days. The Jews maintain that this law was established immediately after the return of the people from the Babylonian captivity, and that it was done by a revelation from heaven, so that they might not be thought to have made any change, of their own accord, in the commandments of God.

Now if it was the custom at that time to join two festivals in one, (as the Jews themselves admit, and as their ancient writings prove), it is a highly probable conjecture that Christ, who celebrated the passover on the day before the Sabbath, observed the day prescribed by the Law. For we know how careful he was not to depart from a single iota of the Law.

Having determined to be subject to the Law, so that he might deliver us from its yoke, he did not forget this subjection at his latest hour. Therefore, he would rather have chosen to omit an outward ceremony than to transgress the ordinance that God had appointed, and thus lay himself open to the slanders of wicked men.

Even the Jews themselves unquestionably will not deny that, whenever the Sabbath immediately followed the passover, it was on one day, instead of both, that they abstained from work, and that this was enjoined by the Rabbis. Hence it follows that Christ, in departing from the ordinary custom, attempted nothing contrary to the Law.