We’re going to start putting the whole “PUZZLE” together. The 10th of NISAN.
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, and what is still to come.” - Isaiah 46:10
It wasn’t until a few years ago I began to comprehend the significance of what happened on that “date” and why it’s so profound for followers of Jesus. (Notice I wrote “date,” not “day.”)
Let’s start in the Book of John, the week before Jesus was crucified.
Six days before Passover
Six days before the Passover, Jesus, therefore, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table... When the large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. (John 12:1–2, 9, 12) - John 12:1–2, 9, 12
John 12:1–2 says that six days before Passover Jesus went to Bethany, a small village a few miles outside of Jerusalem just beyond the Mount of Olives. There he shared a meal with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
Word had spread that Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, and curious crowds had begun to gather (9, 12).
But it’s the first three words of verse 12 that I want to focus on: “The Next Day.”
Every family was to choose a one-year-old lamb “without blemish” (no defect), bring it into their home, and care for it for five days. On Nisan 14, they were to slaughter it just before sundown and put its blood on the lintel and doorposts of their home (Exod 12:21–23; see also Lev 23:5; Num 9:2–5, 28:16; Josh 5:10–11).
It was an act of obedience and trust.
That same night, the Lord would “PASS OVER” every home he saw with the lamb’s blood.
... On that same night I WILL PASS through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I AM THE LORD.
- Exodus 12:12; Exodus 12:42
Because a new Hebrew day begins at twilight, “that same night” would have been Nisan 15. It was on this date Israel left Egypt and passed through the Red Sea—the date God redeemed the Israelites from slavery.
The “Passover” has been Judaism’s transformative event ever since. It’s celebrated every year on Nisan 15—falling in March or April on our Gregorian calendars.
Now, let’s go back to John 12 and connect the puzzle.
Six days before Passover puts Jesus in Bethany on Nisan 9 (Nisan 15 minus 6 days).
“The Next Day” would have been Nisan 10—the same “date” the Israelites were to bring “lambs without blemish” into their homes.
Almost 1,500 years after the first Passover in Egypt, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, on Nisan 10.
The crowds who were in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover met Him with palm branches shouting: “Hosanna! (Save now!) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13; from Psalm 118:19–27, Matthew 21:8 adds more information).
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road (see also Mark 11:7–8).
This act was reserved for kings and conquerors (2 Kings 9:13).
Although the people missed the full significance of the circumstances. Two things were happening, but they only saw one: Jesus fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy:
Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey (5; see also verse 4).
It was a prophecy the Jews knew well. When Jesus passed through Jerusalem’s gates, they were openly proclaiming him as their Savior and King (though in the sense of relieving Israel from Roman oppression).
What they didn’t see was God’s selection of Jesus Christ as the FINAL PASSOVER LAMB to be slaughtered.
The stage was set for the events of the final week of his life, leading to his suffering, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Just a few days later on Nisan 14, as upwards of 250,000 lambs were being sacrificed in the temple courts according to God’s instruction in Exodus 12, Jesus would be nailed to a cross.
Now we remember and celebrate Palm Sunday as both the triumphal entry and the day “Jesus our Passover” was set apart as “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet 1:19) to be sacrificed for our sins (1 Cor 5:7; see also Luke 23:4–22). It’s why John the Baptist declared just before baptizing Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) The Book of Hebrews says the Old Testament sacrificial system is “only a shadow of the good things to come” — not the realities themselves (Heb 10:1, also Col 2:16–17). Exodus 12:3 was the shadow, the picture of what would happen centuries later when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Just as Isaiah declared, God made known the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). And we get to see and marvel at the perfection of GOD’S TIMING and his WORD—through three short words in John:
THE NEXT DAY... was the BEGINNING of a whole NEW LIFE!
And now you know the MYSTERY of the “puzzle” of THE NEXT DAY.