"Our amateurish attempt at reliving the Last Supper has led to other insights on the final hours of Jesus' life. I realized, for instance, why the leaders plotted to arrest Jesus after the Passover meal. A man so wildly popular couldn't have been arrested in broad daylight. To avoid an uprising, the chief priests had to proceed in secret. So they let Judas lead them to Jesus while he was outside the city. Passover evening was the perfect choice because every Jewish family would be celebrating the feast that started at sundown.
Jesus' arrest and trial proceeded swiftly, occurring during the wee hours, when most of his supporters were in bed.. Peter's denials happened as the rooster crowed, around four or five in the morning. According to Mark's gospel, Jesus' final sentence was handed down at sunrise (Mark 15:1). One has to ask, what group of people were around at the crack of dawn on a major Jewish holiday to shout 'Crucify him'? Mostly corrupt priests and Roman soldiers who wanted to kill Jesus.
But there's more. Jesus was crucified at nine in the morning - the time of the first temple service of the day! The authorities know they had to finish their secret trial before the crowds reentered the city to come to worship. And indeed, as Jesus was carrying his cross out of town, his supporters reappear, weeping out loud as they see him being led to his death (Luke 23:27). His followers had just learned of the events that had transpired the night before.
Prior to our Passover Seder, I had always thought the crowds unimaginably fickle, cheering Jesus one day and then shouting for his head the next. But Jesus' supporters never changed their minds. How could they have when they were not even present at his arrest or trial? The entire plot unfolded after the Passover festivities, while most people were sound asleep."
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