This wasn't just another holiday on the calendar. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, known as Passover, was a pivotal moment for Israel, packed with deep meaning.
Luke opens his account of Jesus' final week by marking the approach of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called the Passover. This wasn't merely a historical marker; it was a time when Jewish people were meant to remember and retell God's powerful act of deliverance.
A Double Celebration
- Unleavened Bread: This seven-day feast, starting the day after the Passover lamb was sacrificed, commemorated the hasty departure of the Israelites from Egypt. They left so quickly that their bread didn't have time to rise, hence 'unleavened' or flat bread.
- Passover: This was the central, more solemn event, celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. It specifically remembered the night God 'passed over' the homes of the Israelites in Egypt, sparing them from the final plague that struck down the Egyptians. The Passover lamb was the key sacrifice.
These two feasts were so closely linked that they were often referred to together, as Luke does here.
