I now have a question for you. St. Luke wrote for a Greek community - Gentiles. If St. Luke believed what you believe, and wanted to community to know that this Sabbath was not the usual Sabbath celebrated by the Jews, he probably would have wanted to explain this to them. So, why did St. Luke not explicitly state this?
Even in such an advanced civilization as this, we still don’t understand exactly how the pyramids or stonehenge was made. Knowledges can be lost in time. As I’ve been arguing since the beginning of this thread - people (understandably) trust those in certain “positions” to feed them truth, but not enough people actually take a careful look at what they’re being fed before consuming it.
You know as well as I do that humans can be stubborn…if we’ve gotten so used to a particular way of doing something for a long time, and then we’re introduced to a new way, we most likely cling to the old way just because “it’s OUR way” (so it’s possible Authorities found corrections but chose not to disturb the people)…but such would be ego. We can’t have any measure ego when it comes to God because we’re supposed to follow Him whichever way HE (truth) turns, whenever he turns.
An interesting sidenote: The original Hebrew word for Spirit is “Ruach”, which means “Wind”…and if we are God’s flock (like birds), notice how birds will follow the current/path of the wind, changing their direction at the exact moment the wind does. They don’t go against the wind just to follow a path they’ve grown accustomed to travelling.
Questioning something doesn’t show disloyalty (far from it), but we’ve been conditioned to believe it does. We in this body of Christ must be able to let the rest of the body know if there’s a POSSIBLITY that we’re veering off the correct path laid out by God. And if we all own it (this body), it’s all of ours to tend to; to take care of, not just the Magisterium’s.
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Now I can’t presume to know anyone’s personal motivation - which is why I continue to say “either they misunderstand OR they’re pushing their own particular truth”.
But, as far as answering your question:
Neither Matthew nor Mark explicitly state it’s a High Sabbath either, but Sabbath means “day of rest and worship”, right? And all gospels give the same chronology of the passion…
The
Jewish feasts were common knowledge among Gentiles, as we can recall that:
(a) Rome (World Empire of Gentiles) acknowledged and allowed the Jews their holidays; meaning no revenue (in taxes) for the empire during their holidays *
Also recall that the Romans were well aware of Jewish laws…in
John 18:31, Pilate tells the Jewish priests to “judge [Christ] according to your laws”.
(b) Galilee was the area considered “land of the Gentiles” in the Kinarut of Jewish settlements, both Jews and Gentile cultures intermingled like we do today.
Today, we still acknowledge Jewish holidays as “days of rest” (Sabbaths) for them.
(c) Recall "Acts 2:7-11 detailing that specifically Gentiles were among the disciples who received the Holy Sprit as well as some actually being disciples.
(d) Finally, we have an example from Paul (in Acts) where he’s disputing with the other members of the Jewish council on whether Gentile converts must follow “all” Jewish traditions.
(e) We must also keep in mind that the record of Luke’s account is assumed dated in approx. 2nd or 3rd century (80sAD?)…long after the apostles went on their “Acts”, but before Christianity became Official Religion of Rome. So we can only conclude that…
Gentiles were - or eventually did become - aware of Jewish traditions, including the feasts holidays and their sabbath significance at least PRIOR to the Roman Authorities purging everything Jewish from their new religion, birthing Christianity.
But let’s see if Luke is indeed vague about the type of sabbath:
- In Luke 22 verses 1, 7, 8, 11, 13, and 15, Luke uses the word “Passover”…we know that this is at night because the rest of the chapter - from verse 15 - takes place at night (Christ’s arrest), until verse 60.
To call any day “Passover” is to know that the very next day; the following day is Feast of Unleavened Bread; a Holiday, found in our Christian book of Numbers
Numbers 28:16-17]
- In verse 60 (of Luke), we’re told that right after Peter denies Christ, the rooster crows.
Roosters crow at dawn of morning, but recall that
the evening and then the morning makes the [full] day, so this is merely the “second half” of the same passover day.
- Luke Chapter 23 records Christ’s trial and crucifixion, ending that same day with [luke 23:54], “And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on [neared]”
Which sabbath drew near? What day is immediately after “Passover of the Lord”?
Numbers 28:16-18 -
(16) And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
(17) And in the fifteenth day of this month is the
feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
(18) In the first day [of the feast] shall be an
holy convocation (worship); ye shall
do no manner of servile work (rest) therein:
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It seems Judaism and Christianity are but two pieces of one whole body; incomplete when separate. We can’t accurately talk about the real Christ without the foundation he came from. And Jews can’t understand the fulfillment of their traditions without believing in Christ.*