Chapter Five

When the Wave Sheaf Day Is "The Morrow After the Passover"

            The book of Joshua records the fulfillment of the first Wave Sheaf Day by the children of Israel after entering the Promised Land.  In Joshua 5:11 we read,

 "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."

            This account is most significant.  According to God's command in the book of Leviticus, the children of Israel were forbidden to eat any grain that grew in the Promised Land until they had offered the wave sheaf.  God had specifically commanded,

 "When you be come into the land...you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits...And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that you have brought an offering unto your God..." (Lev. 23:10, 14).

Thus when Joshua tells us that the children of Israel ate "of the old corn of the land...and parched corn in the selfsame day," he is revealing that this day--"the morrow after the Passover"--was the Wave Sheaf Day.  (For a full explanation of the original fulfillment of the wave sheaf, see Understanding God's Command for the Wave Sheaf by Dwight Blevins.)

            Since the Wave Sheaf Day is always "the morrow after the Sabbath," it is obvious that the Passover day in Joshua 5--Israel's first Passover in the Promised Land--fell on a weekly Sabbath.  Joshua's account clearly demonstrates that when the Passover day falls on a weekly Sabbath, it is that weekly Sabbath which determines the Wave Sheaf Day. In such years, the only weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread falls on the last holy day.  Using this weekly Sabbath to determine the wave sheaf would place the Wave Sheaf Day outside the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the significance of the wave sheaf in relationship to the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would be nullified.

            It is contrary to Scripture to place the Wave Sheaf Day outside the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The original fulfillment of the wave sheaf in the Old Testament, and its ultimate fulfillment by Jesus Christ in the New, make it absolutely clear that the Wave Sheaf Day is always the first day of the week during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.    In those years when the Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, the Wave Sheaf Day--"the morrow after the Sabbath"--will always be the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread--Nisan 15.  When the Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, Nisan 15 is the only first day of the week within the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  In these years the Passover day--Nisan 14--becomes a full day of unleavenedness because of the demands of the Sabbath commandment.  

            To fulfill the requirements of the Fourth Commandment, no work should be done on the weekly Sabbath.  Thus in years when the Passover falls on a weekly Sabbath, all leaven should be removed and destroyed by sunset of the 13th, and unleavened bread should be prepared and baked before the Passover day begins.  In such years, the Passover day becomes, by requirement of law, an additional day of unleavenedness.  It is truly "the first day of the unleaveneds" and is included with the following seven days of "the unleaveneds" in determining the Wave Sheaf Day.  When the Passover is included in determining "the morrow after the Sabbath," then the Wave Sheaf Day will always be the first day of the week during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as the Scriptures command.

Some Rabbis Are Beginning To Realize That Nisan 14 Is an Unleavened Bread Day

            In recent years, some rabbis have begun to rethink and reevaluate their traditional view of Nisan 14.  In the Jerusalem Post for the week ending January 15, 1994, is an interesting column written by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, dean of Ohr Tora institutions and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.  The column is entitled, "Blood and Redemption."  Here is what he writes concerning the relationship of Nisan 14 to the paschal lamb sacrifice and to the seven days of unleavened bread called matza: 

            "Nonetheless, nothing can change the fact that a fundamental difference exists between New York [in reference to the entire Diaspora] and Jerusalem--a difference expressed in the very nature of the festival discussed in this week's portion, Bo [the name of his weekly column].

            "What I'm referring to goes beyond the extra Diaspora day at the end of Pessah [Nisan 22].  (Surprisingly enough, few people realize that here in Israel [the land] we also have an extra day, but it arrives before the start of the festival, the 14th day of Nisan. [The festival starts on the 15th.]  Unfortunately, its unique feature is generally overlooked in modern times.)

            "When the Passover sequence is introduced in the portion of Bo, it begins with the command for the Israelites to sacrifice the paschal lamb, which must then be eaten in haste; we are told how God will pass through Egypt and kill every firstborn, and that the blood of the slaughtered lamb is to be placed on the doorposts of Israelite homes as a sign for God to spare the inhabitants.  Then the Almighty declares: ' This day shall be for you a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a festival to God...' as we've quoted above.

             "To which day is God referring?  At first, it sounds as if it refers to the day when the paschal lamb is sacrificed, but as we keep reading, ambiguity surfaces.  'Eat matza for seven days.  By the first day, you must have your homes cleared of all leaven...' (Ex. 12:15).

            "Now it seems that the earlier verse with its reference to the day 'you shall remember,' could actually refer to the entire Pessah festival [the seven days].

            "Rashi concludes that 'this day of remembering' refers to the day the Jews leave Egypt, the morning after the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, the 15th of Nisan.  But the problem with this conclusion is that the 15th of Nisan is the beginning of a seven-day festival, so why is it called 'this day' and not 'these days'?

            "In contrast, Rabbi Ibn Ezra says the day which the Tora enjoins us to remember is the 14th, the day before the festival begins.  It's an opinion that can be traced to the school of R. [Rabbi] Yishmael, whose discussion in the Babylonian Talmud (Pesahim 5a) of the meaning of the verse, '...but on the first day you shall destroy all the leaven within your homes,' means that the first day referred to here is actually the 14th, the day before the seven-day festival begins.

            "This difference of opinion leads to the speculation that we're really talking about two festivals, whose distinct characteristics contain a subtle difference for the Israeli [in the land of Israel] and the Diaspora Jewries: The 14th day of Nisan is the one-day festival of the Paschal sacrifice, the paschal lamb (hag haPesah); the 15th commences a seven-day festival of matzot and redemption (hag haMatzot)."

            Although these rabbis are mistaken in interpreting Exodus 12:15 as referring to the 14th day of the first month, they are correct in their conclusion that the Passover day--Nisan 14--was a separate festival preceding the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Until the 14th Passover ceased to be observed, Nisan 14 was recognized as an additional day of unleavened bread.  During New Testament times, the 14th was commonly called "the first day of the unleaveneds," as is clearly shown by the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  For the Jews in Judea in New Testament times, including Jesus Christ and His disciples, Nisan 14 was the first day of eating unleavened bread and the first day of unleavened houses.  Even those Jews who observed a 15th Passover ate only unleavened bread after 11 AM on the day portion of Nisan 14.  As we have seen in the Jews' own writings, all leaven was removed and destroyed on the morning of the 14th day of the first month--the Passover Day!  That is why Josephus recorded that eight days of unleavened bread were being observed by the Jews during his lifetime.

            What Rabbi Riskin wrote further substantiates the Scriptural evidence that Nisan 14 was originally recognized as "the first day of the unleaveneds."  However, as Rabbi Rashi's words show, this knowledge was lost to the Diaspora Jews--Jewish exiles who were carried captive to other lands.  The Diaspora Jews observe Nisan 22, rather than Nisan 14, as an added festival day.  Rabbi Riskin's article gives us an idea of the differences in practice between the Jews in Palestine and the Jews in the Diaspora.  While the Diaspora Jews traditionally observe Nisan 22, the day following the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Palestinian Jews are beginning to recognize Nisan 14 as an additional day to be observed. 

The knowledge that Nisan 14 is the true day of the Paschal lamb would not have been lost to the Jews if they had remained faithful to the Scriptural commands instead of following the rabbis and their traditions of Judaism.  As we have seen, the Jews' forsaking of the 14th Passover and eliminating it from "the unleaveneds" led to the added error of misinterpreting God's command for the wave sheaf, which resulted in great confusion and division in the Jewish observance of Pentecost.  It we, as Christians, do not follow the commands of the Scriptures and the example of Jesus Christ and the apostles, we will also end up in confusion and division.

 Jesus and the Apostles Acknowledged the Passover Day as "The First Day of the Unleaveneds"

             During His ministry, Jesus strongly denounced the various Jewish sects because they made void the laws and commandments of God through their traditions.  However, we do not find that Jesus ever denounced the observance of the Passover day, Nisan 14, as one of "the unleaveneds."  On the contrary, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all testify that Jesus and the apostles fully accepted and observed the Passover day as "the first day of the unleaveneds."  The Gospel writers did not use a term which pertained exclusively to the Pharisees and other religious factions of Judaism.  They chose this expression because it also had meaning for the early Christians.  The Gospel writers purposefully used this term to show that Nisan 14 was one of "the unleaveneds"!  Even Luke, who wrote his Gospel for Gentile converts, uses this expression, showing that all early Christians recognized Nisan 14 as "the first day of the unleaveneds."  There is not one word in the entire New Testament which condemns the practice of including the Passover day as one of "the unleaveneds."  Jesus and the disciples acknowledged the Passover day as "the first of the unleaveneds" when they ate unleavened bread for the Passover meal on the night of the 14th.

             The last Passover that the apostles kept with Jesus was clearly observed on "the first of the unleaveneds," as recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke.  The Gospel writers were specifically referring to Nisan 14, using a common term which all Christians and Jews of that time understood. When we understand that the Passover day is numbered in Scripture as one of "the unleaveneds," there is no question that it should be included in determining the Wave Sheaf Day.  Including the Passover day in our determination ensures that the Wave Sheaf Day will always fall within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as the Scriptures require.  By following this Scriptural principle, we will be able to correctly count to Pentecost and to observe the true fiftieth day--the day that God Himself has made holy and has commanded us to keep.