The Passion of Christ: Hidden Passover Messages of the Lamb (KJV, Part 2)
Nisan 13 (Tuesday – Wednesday)
By the time Nisan 13 gives way to night, the public ministry of Jesus is nearly over. The crowds are gone. The city is tense. In an upper room, the Lord sits down with His disciples for one final meal. Before the night is over, a traitor will be exposed, a garden will witness agony, an arrest will take place in the dark, and Peter will deny the Lord three times. This is no quiet transition in the Passion Week. It is the moment when the shadow of the cross begins to fall across every conversation, every promise, and every step.
In this section, I want to focus on two events in particular: the Last Supper and Peter’s denial. Both carry a message larger than the men involved. Both speak directly to Israel. And both prepare the way for what will happen on Passover.
The Message of the Last Supper
Night has fallen. The room is prepared. The disciples follow the appointed sign and enter the large upper room already furnished, exactly as the Lord said. Everything about the setting suggests order, design, and purpose. Nothing here is accidental. Yet the mood is not of triumph. It is farewell.
Jesus gathers with His disciples for what is commonly called the Last Supper (Mark 14:12-25; Matthew 26:17-29; Luke 22:7-23, John 13:1-2). Fellowship is still present, but so is sorrow. A traitor sits at the table. The shadow of departure hangs over the meal. The King is about to leave, and His words make clear that something in God’s dealings with Israel is about to pause.
There are rich types in this passage. The disciples are instructed to follow “a man bearing a pitcher of water” (Mark 14:13 KJV), a fitting picture of guidance through the Word of God. The prepared “large upper room furnished” (Mark 14:15 KJV) presents an image of a prepared chamber, pointing beyond the immediate setting to heavenly realities. However, the central message lies in Christ’s words concerning the fruit of the vine:
“I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14:25 KJV)
“But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29 KJV)
“For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” (Luke 22:18 KJV)
In those words, the Lord is not just announcing His departure. He is signaling delay. Israel’s Messiah has been presented and rejected. The kingdom of heaven is deferred. He will not drink again until “that day,” His Second Coming. During this interval, the testimony of God goes forth beyond Israel, and a new body (the Church) is formed that will bear fruit for His name.
That is the solemn message to Israel at the table: your King is leaving, your kingdom is postponed, and you will not partake with Him again until He returns.
The Message of Peter’s Denial of Christ
The supper ends, the arrest comes, and Peter follows “afar off.” That detail alone says more than it first appears. He is still near enough to watch, but not near enough to stand. The bold disciple who once spoke with confidence now lingers in the shadows.
Peter represents Israel, separated from the Lord
Peter sits down among those opposed to Christ. The scene is quiet, tense, and dangerous. A maid notices him. A question is asked. Then another. Then another. Before the night is done, Peter denies the Lord three times (Luke 22:54–62).
The story of Peter’s denial is not merely a personal failure, but a prophetic picture of Israel’s national denial of her Messiah. Peter, an apostle to the circumcision (Galatians 2:7), stands here as a representative figure of Israel. His distance from Christ mirrors Israel’s distance from her Messiah. Peter’s threefold denial reflects Israel’s rejection that unfolds in stages.
· At the Lord’s first coming (John 1:11)
· At the present church age (Romans 11:25)
· And leading into the time of tribulation
Peter sits down with a woman, unwilling to partake in the Lord’s suffering
In Scripture, a woman can represent Israel, false religion, or the church, depending on context. Scripture says Peter “sat down among them” (Luke 22:55 KJV). It is in this setting that “a certain maid” first identifies him (Luke 22:56 KJV), initiating the sequence of denial. Peter’s association with a woman pictures Israel’s association with the one-world false religion in the end times.
Peter also warms himself by the fire (Luke 22:56 KJV). In Scripture, fire is a type of judgment. This pictures Israel going through the fire of the Great Tribulation.
“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zechariah 13:9 (KJV)
Peter weeps bitterly after denying Jesus three times
The turning point comes when the cock crows and the Lord turns and looks at Peter. Suddenly the noise of the courtyard gives way to memory, conviction, and grief. Peter goes out and weeps bitterly (Luke 22:60-62 KJV).
This is a picture of the mid-tribulation revelation of Jesus Christ to the remnant of Israel in Petra. In contrast to the Second Coming, this is a private revelation to the Jews in captivity during the Tribulation. Just as Joseph (a type of Christ) revealed himself privately to his brethren in Egypt (Genesis 45:1-4), and Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John (Jews) privately on the mount (Matthew 17:1-2), so will Jesus reveal Himself to the Jews in Petra. There, they will see eye-to-eye and the Jews will weep bitterly.
Thus, Peter’s bitter weeping becomes prophetic sorrow. It anticipates the day when Israel will look upon the One they have pierced and mourn.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10
Peter is later restored to Jesus
And yet Peter’s story does not end in denial. It ends in restoration. Later, the Lord restores and recommissions Peter for His service (John 21:15–19). And so too with Israel. Though they abide “many days without a king” (Hosea 3:4 KJV), the promise remains that they will return, seek the LORD, and be restored in the latter days. As Paul writes, “all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26 KJV).
Nisan 14 (Wednesday - Thursday)
Nisan 14 begins at sundown (Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.), and the whole weight of the week now presses toward one appointed hour. This is Passover, the day Israel had kept since Egypt, the day marked by blood, judgment, and deliverance. Long ago, a spotless lamb died so that death might pass over the houses marked by blood. Now the pattern is about to be fulfilled in the open, before the eyes of the world.
Jesus, the Lamb selected on Nisan 10, stands before Pilate and is examined. The verdict is plain: “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4 KJV). The Lamb is spotless. He is unblemished. He is fit for sacrifice.
Yet the sinless One is scourged, mocked, rejected, and led away to be crucified. At the third hour (9:00 a.m.), they nail Him to the cross (Mark 15:25 KJV). At the sixth hour, darkness falls over all the land (Luke 23:44 KJV). For six agonizing hours, the true Passover Lamb hangs between heaven and earth, bearing judgment not for His own sins, but for ours. At the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), He gives up the ghost (Mark 15:34-37 KJV), and is buried at even, before the high day Sabbath (John 19:31-42 KJV).
That is the message of Nisan 14: what began in Egypt in type is fulfilled at Calvary in truth. Through His blood, death passes over. Through His death, bondage is broken. Through His sacrifice, the redeemed are brought to God.
“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” 1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
What’s Next?
The Lamb of God has been offered on Passover, exactly on time. His blood has been shed, His body has been laid in a new sepulchre, and the high day is about to begin. Everything now appears silent.
But the story is not over. The next three days will reveal that the burial and resurrection of Christ were no afterthought. They were appointed “of old,” fixed on God’s calendar, and tied directly to the Feast of Firstfruits.
Continue to Part 3 (coming soon) to trace Nisan 15–17, the two Sabbaths, the full three days and three nights, and the resurrection morning that fulfilled far more than tradition has acknowledged.
Richmond Shee
Related Reading
The Passion of Christ: Hidden Passover Messages of the Lamb (KJV) – Part 1
Why Jesus Christ died on Passover Wednesday and not Good Friday
The Doctrine of “Of Old”: Eternity Past Before Genesis