On what day of the week did the Pentecost mentioned in the second chapter of Acts fall? It has been stated that, as a matter of fact, the Sabbath was the day on which the Spirit was poured out. Can you give me any proof of this?
I know there is a difficulty as to whether Thursday or Friday was the Passover day, Christ observing one day, and the Jews the other; but I thought the question was definitely settled by the resurrection, typified by the offering of first-fruits, on the sixteenth day of the first month. The fifty days were to be reckoned from this wave-offering, so that since that fall on Sunday, the fiftieth day would also fall on Sunday.
I know that the particular day of the week on which Pentecost fell is a matter of no consequence; but inasmuch as it has been twice stated in the paper this year, with some show of authority, that Pentecost came on the Sabbath, I would like to have a brief statement of any evidence that supports that position.
This is a question that frequently recurs, and therefore we may for once take time to go into it somewhat in detail. The first thing to be settled is the time from which the Jews began to count the fifty days, the last of which is called Pentecost, in the Greek. The twenty-third chapter of Leviticus contains the list of the yearly festivals, and there we find the principal part of our information. "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. In the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work therein." (Leviticus 23:5-7)
The first day of unleavened bread, the fifteenth day of the first month, was therefore a yearly sabbath. These sabbath days, it must be understood, were a class by themselves, distinct from and "beside the Sabbath of the Lord." (Leviticus 23:38)
Notice the difference in the directions concerning them: Of the weekly Sabbath we read, "Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work therein." (Leviticus 23:3)
But of the Passover sabbath already referred to, and all the other annual sabbaths, we read, "You shall do no servile work therein." (Leviticus 23:7)
On these days the heavy labor was to cease, but of the real Sabbath it was said: "In it you shall not do any work." (Exodus 20:10)
The Passover sabbath, the first day of unleavened bread, was the guide for reckoning the feast of weeks, as the Pentecost is frequently called in the Old Testament. We read further: "When you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted foryou; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it." (Leviticus 23:10-11)
It is evident from the connection that "the Sabbath" here referred to is the Passover sabbath, which was the fifteenth day of the first month, regardless of the day of the week. So then "the morrow after the Sabbath" would be the sixteenth day of the first month. This is corroborated by: "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." (Joshua 5:10-12)
For the completion of the data: "And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall you complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall you number fifty days." (Leviticus 23:15-16)
Summing up the evidence we find this:
a) The Passover was eaten in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first mouth;
b) The next day, the first day of unleavened bread, was a sabbath;
c) On the next day after this sabbath they were to bring a sheaf of corn as a wave-offering; and from this day, namely, from the sixteenth day of the month, they were to begin and number seven complete weeks; and the next day after the completion of the seventh week was the Pentecost.
Now we come to the particular Pentecost in question. That Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples at the regular time, there is no room for doubt, for we read that the disciples came to Him and asked Him, "Where will You that we go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?" (Mark 14:12) and they were told to go and say to a man whom they should meet, "Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples?" (Mark 14:14)
If Jesus had directed the disciples to prepare the Passover a day before the regularly appointed time, they would have wondered at it, and would certainly have made objection, or at least asked some question. Likewise the man to whom they went would have expressed surprise at the uncommon occurrence.
But it was the disciples themselves who introduced the matter; and they certainly would not have deviated from the regular custom. If a Jew were for some good reason prevented from eating the Passover at the regular time, he was allowed to celebrate it at the corresponding time in the second month, the month following; but for anybody to propose to eat it before the regular time would have been such an innovation as would have occasioned no end of controversy.
We must not suppose that it was necessary for Jesus to be sacrificed on the fourteenth day of the month, in order for it to be demonstrated that He is our Passover, or for Him to be raised on the day that the first-fruits were waved before the Lord, in order that He might be considered the first-fruits. His claims rest on himself, and not on a ceremonial ordinance. They were nothing, but He is everything. He observed those feasts with His disciples at the regularly appointed seasons, but the virtue of His sacrifice depended upon himself, and not on them.
Our way now is clear, for we know that Jesus was crucified on the day after they ate the Passover. Consequently the day of the crucifixion was the Passover sabbath, the first day of unleavened bread, and the day following the crucifixion was the day when they began to count the fifty days to Pentecost. Here, it fixes the day of the crucifixion: "And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." (Luke 23:64-66)
The Sabbath that "drew on" as Jesus was taken from the cross and laid in the sepulchre was "the Sabbath day according to the commandment," the seventh day of the week. The sixth day, Friday, is the preparation for the Sabbath; but that day was also a sabbath that year, being the first day of the Passover. The day following, therefore, namely, the weekly Sabbath, was "the morrow after the Sabbath,"--the Passover Sabbath,--and was the day when the fifty days began. It is easy to see that, beginning on Sabbath, the first seven days would end on Friday, and likewise each succeeding seven, up to the forty-ninth, so that the fiftieth day would that year be on the weekly Sabbath. [PP Editor's Note: Waggoner seems to be missing a small detail, which is throwing off his calculation. Thursday evening, when the disciples ate the Passover supper with Jesus, was actually the start of the Passover day. Since days in the Bible are calculated as "the evening and the morning," and not from midnight to midnight, Thursday evening (after sunset) and Friday daytime, would constitute the first day of the Passover, equivalent to the "fourteenth day of the first month" (Leviticus 23:5). Christ died on the cross on this day, during the time of the evening sacrifice, before sunset. The next day was the start of the week of unleavened bread, and this would be counted from Friday evening to Saturday daytime, the time when Christ's body rested in the tomb. And the day after that, would be "the morrow after the Sabbath," which would stretch from Saturday evening to Sunday daytime. This would mark Sunday as "the morrow after the Sabbath," and fifty days from this Sunday would be Pentecost, which would also be a Sunday.]
That is the whole story. As you say, it makes no practical difference on what day of the week the Pentecost came, and so if anybody cannot see light in what is here set forth, and still thinks that Pentecost came on Sunday, that will not in itself affect his character or his hope of salvation.
But let him not imagine that even if it could be proved beyond doubt that Pentecost came on Sunday, that would contribute one jot toward the sacredness of that day, or indicate that it should be observed. In the absence of the slightest hint of any commandment for Sunday observance, nothing that took place on it could make it a sacred day; and with the fourth commandment as explicit as it is, and the whole Bible agreeing thereto, no occurrences on the seventh day could add to or detract from its sacredness. It is, has been since creation, and will be throughout eternity, the holy Sabbath of the Lord, to be observed and delighted in by all mankind.--Present Truth, July 4, 1901.
Eating the Passover
Please harmonize John 18:28, last clause, with the third column in "Editor's corner" of Present Truth No. 27. (The questioner is referencing the previous article, "Pentecost and the Sabbath.") Thanks for the truths already opened up.
The article referred to in fixing the day at the Pentecost following the crucifixion, incidentally points out that the Friday, on which Jesus was crucified was the first day of the Passover week and consequently a ceremonial Sabbath, from the morrow after which the fifty days were reckoned, and that the evening before, the night that Jesus ate the Passover lamb, and was betrayed, was the regular time for that feast, the fourteenth day of the first month.
The verse referred to reads thus: "Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the hall of judgment; and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover." (John 18:28)
This was in the morning following the betrayal of Jesus. There are two explanations which suggest themselves. One is, that the reference is to the whole Passover week, in which unleavened bread was to be eaten, and no leaven, that is, nothing of corruption was to be in the houses or about the persons of the Jews. The whole week is frequently spoken of as the Passover. The Pharisees who were eager for the death of Jesus, did not wish to be hindered from proceeding with the festival.
It is possible, however, that in their eager plotting to capture Jesus these Jews had not had time to partake of the Passover the night before. It was still early in the morning, and they had done a great deal that night.
The first suggestion seems the more plausible; but it is impossible to say with certainty which is correct, and this very fact shown us that the question is not a vital one.--Present Truth, July 25, 1901.
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We are very thankful to our friends for the interest which they have taken in the "Editor's Private Corner," and for their cooperation by sending in serious, intelligent questions.
As it is our purpose to make that department supply the place of face-to-face conversation, as far as possible, and to give reasons, instead of editorial dicta, it is evident that only a limited number of questions can be considered.
We hope, however, that none will be deterred on this ground from sending in their queries. Everything that we can answer with profit to the general reader will be considered in due time.--Present Truth, July 4, 1901.