Among Bible Student groups, everyone pretty much agrees that we should celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a year. It’s a way to remember the Paschal sacrifice. We call it the “Memorial” Supper to highlight that the main focus is to honor Christ’s death as the sacrifice for all of us. Plus, there’s a consensus that this special ceremony should take place on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which falls in spring. That’s the same day when the Passover lambs were sacrificed, and according to John’s Gospel, it’s also when our Lord Jesus died as the ultimate “Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world.
BASIS OF DATE DETERMINATION
So, here’s the thing: figuring out when Nisan 14 actually falls in our time can be a bit tricky. Different ways of calculating it can lead to dates that are off by a whole month! This means that different groups might celebrate Memorial at different times instead of all coming together on the same date. That’s why we’re diving into this issue now.
GROUPS THAT OBSERVE THE PASSOVER/MEMORIAL
There are a number of Christian groups that practice annual observance of the Lord’s Supper, (Memorial). Most commonly those with a strong emphasis on aligning the rite with the biblical Passover. These include of course, Bible Students, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh‑day Adventist–related offshoots, and some Church of God traditions.
Many groups in the broader Church of God movement observe the Lord’s Supper annually, also tied to Passover:
- Church of God International – March 31st
- United Church of God – March 31st
- Living Church of God – April 1st
- Philadelphia Church of God – March 31st
- Restored Church of God – March 31st
- Church of God, a Worldwide Association – April 1st
Sacred Name Movement:
- Assemblies of Yahweh – April 14th
- Assembly of Yahweh – April 1st
- Assemblies of the Called Out Ones of Yah – April 1st
- Assembly of Yahvah – April 1st
- Yahweh’s Assembly in Messiah – May 21st
- Church of God (Jerusalem) – April 1st
Adventist Groups:
While mainstream Seventh‑day Adventists practice quarterly communion, some historic or independent Adventist groups observe it annually, again linking it to Passover symbolism.
- Church of God (Seventh Day) – April 1st
There are three main ways to figure out the right dates for Nisan 14. First, we can check if the Bible gives us any clear guidelines on this. Second, we should look for trustworthy non-biblical sources that might tell us how the date was set back in the day. And third, we need to think about whether the authority to set these dates should rest with the Jewish community, which would mean we could just go with the standard Jewish calendar as the final word.
So, when we dive into this topic, we notice right away that the Bible doesn’t really spell out how people back in the day figured out the date for Nisan 14. It does make it clear, though, that Nisan was a big deal—it was the first month of the religious year and the time for the Passover celebration, which was the most important feast for the Israelites. But since the Scriptures don’t go into detail about how they calculated the start of the Hebrew year, we need to look at other historical sources to get that info. Later on, we’ll explore how the Bible offers some related insights that we can connect with these sources to get a fuller picture of the whole thing.
THE ANCIENT CUSTOM
So, when we look beyond the Bible, the Hebrew Mishna really dives into the calendar and how it’s figured out. It tells us that the original practice was to kick off the month of Nisan with the first sighting of the new moon that was closest to the spring equinox. They would either spot it visually or, if the skies were cloudy, do some calculations. Eventually, the job of announcing the start of Nisan landed on three members of the Sanhedrin, which was this seventy-man ruling council of the Jews in Jerusalem. These three included the council president, who was also the high priest, and two others to help him out. Sometimes they even brought in witnesses to confirm the exact timing of the moon sightings. For most years, this method worked just fine and seemed pretty straightforward, but there was one big hiccup.
When the first harvest rolled around in Canaan, God told the Israelites to present the firstfruits of their grain in a special wave offering to Him. According to Leviticus 23:9-11, this was supposed to happen on the “morrow after the sabbath.” Now, the Pharisees and the orthodox Jews interpreted this sabbath as the one that fell on the 15th day of Nisan, which was the Passover feast day, instead of the usual weekly sabbath. So, the “morrow after the sabbath” turned out to be the 16th day of Nisan. This way, the Passover festival became tightly woven with the wave offering of the firstfruits, which was a seasonal agricultural event. Just a quick note here: Bible scholars see this ceremony as a pretty precise foreshadowing of our Lord’s resurrection, which also happened on the 16th day of Nisan many years later in 33 AD.
So, the grain they used for this ceremony was barley because it was the first to show up and started ripening around late March to early April. This timing worked perfectly with the tradition of waving the firstfruits before the Lord on the 16th of Nisan. But sometimes, if spring was slow to warm up, Passover could come around before the barley was ready. In those years, unless they could push Passover back a bit, there just wouldn’t be any ripe grain to offer for the firstfruits.
To avoid that kind of situation, the Jewish authorities would make a preliminary call about how spring was looking. If needed, they’d add a 13th month called V-Adar right before Nisan, which would effectively delay Passover by a month and make sure the crops were ready. Clearly, without this ruling body to make those calls, everything related to Passover and the wave offering ceremony wouldn’t have gone off without a hitch.
You know, there’s this practice some folks are using these days where they try to pin down the Nisan 14 date just by doing a straightforward astronomical calculation. They base it solely on the new moon that’s closest to the spring equinox. They call this the “true biblical” method, which is kind of a dig at the “Jewish” method I mentioned earlier. The thing is, they don’t adjust the date if it happens to fall early in the season, so it really doesn’t line up with the ancient customs. Plus, it’s tough to call it the true biblical method when the new moon’s appearance in relation to the spring equinox isn’t even mentioned in the sacred texts, as I pointed out before.
Now, on the flip side, the Scriptures do talk about waving the firstfruits of the crops during the Passover ceremony. This connection is actually the only direct scriptural basis we have for confirming the season of the year since the spring equinox isn’t mentioned at all. Ignoring the link with the first grain harvest seems to really go against the original requirement, which, as I said earlier, is significant as a foreshadowing of Christ’s resurrection. Leaving that out could really weaken the scriptural support for when we celebrate Passover.
VALUE OF JEWISH CALENDAR
So, let’s talk about the Jewish calendar and its significance. It’s designed in such a way that if Passover happens to fall early in the season, it automatically gets pushed back thanks to the addition of the month of V-Adar. This means we don’t have to rely on anyone’s judgment about how late the season is, and everything is set according to clear rules.
The Jewish calendar we use today is called “modern” to differentiate it from the “ancient” one that dates back to the early days of the Old Testament. But interestingly, this “modern” version was already in play during the early centuries of the Christian era. Initially, the rules for calculating it were kept under wraps to ensure that the scattered tribes depended on the ruling leaders. However, in 359 AD, Rabbi Hillel II made those rules public, allowing all Jews in different places to access them. This was a game changer, as it meant the calendar could be figured out well in advance and cleared up any confusion about when the holy days would occur.
That’s why we think it’s still beneficial for Bible students today to use the Jewish calendar for calculating the Memorial date. It aligns closely with the ancient Jewish practices. Plus, it helps us all agree on a consistent date without needing to do our own calculations. And it’s available to everyone. But this brings us to an important question that’s at the heart of our discussion: Should we, as Christians, adopt the Jewish calendar for setting our Memorial dates?
When we’re looking for guidance on any issue, it’s always a good idea to check out what our Lord has to say. In this case, we think his words and actions give us a clear answer. Jesus was pretty straightforward about being open to the interpretations from those in Moses’ seat, as long as they didn’t go against the truth or principles. He even told the Scribes and Pharisees, “Whatever they tell you to observe, do it.” (Matt. 23:2,3)
The way the Jewish calendar was set up, especially for the religious celebrations, was really in the hands of these leaders. Jesus was totally fine with following their decisions on these things. So, it makes sense that accepting the dates from the Jewish calendar for the Passover-Memorial service today shows an attitude like our Lord’s: it’s not about being submissive, but recognizing how useful and convenient that arrangement is, all under God’s guidance.
FINAL THOUGHTS
You know, it’s a good reminder of that scriptural saying, “Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.” Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who values the Memorial could just agree on one date to celebrate it? But hey, when it’s tough for everyone to sync up, what really matters is the attitude of the heart for those taking part in the emblems. The unity of spirit among all members, their deep reflection during the Memorial season, and their faith in the spiritual truths behind this meaningful ritual are definitely more important than picking a specific date.