TRADITION VS SCHOLARSHIP

In the Gospels, on which day is the Last Supper eaten relative to Passover?

The answer

In Mark, Matthew, and Luke, the Last Supper is the Passover meal (Mark 14:12-16). In John, Jesus is crucified on the day of Preparation, while the Passover lambs are being killed (John 19:14). That puts the supper the evening before.

Why it’s interesting

Many readers think John sets the timing so the crucifixion lines up with the killing of the Passover lambs. They point to cues like "the Lamb of God" (1:29) and the unbroken bones (19:36), though John never says so outright. People have proposed ways to fit the accounts together. Scholars still debate which timeline, if either, is historical.

Genuinely debated

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