Jesus Knew When He Would Die

Genesis 2:16-17 symbolizes Jesus knowing that he would die the day when he ate the Passover meal with his apostles. Once he ate that meal he would seal his fate to die on the cross within twenty four hours. The Jewish “day” starts after sundown. Jesus had the last supper with the apostles after sundown and was crucified and died before sundown the next day. The Passover meal is the only meal mandated to be eaten by the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses imparts the knowledge of good and evil -

Romans 3:20 “Therefore no flesh will be justified in his sight by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.” 7:7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, finding opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetous desire. For apart from the law sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life 10 and I died. The very commandment which was to bring life I found to be death to me. 11 For sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.”

Since the Passover meal is the only meal mandated by the Law of Moses, then Jesus eating the Passover meal (the Last Supper) is foreshadowed by the man eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16 “And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.”

J. Clontz – Editor of the Comprehensive New Testament