Yeshua's Journey to Jerusalem for Passover

Netivyah International

When Yeshua (Jesus) traveled to Jerusalem for His final Passover, He knew exactly what awaited Him. He was not just walking toward a Roman cross, but looking past it to His ascension and return to the Father. Every spring, on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the Jewish people celebrate this biblical feast to remember how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

According to the Torah, Passover is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals. In the first century, this meant that hundreds of thousands of Jewish people from all over the known world packed their bags and traveled by foot, donkey, or boat to Jerusalem. The roads would have been packed with families singing the Psalms of Ascent as they climbed the hills toward the holy city.

Yeshua and His disciples were among those travelers. They gathered in Jerusalem, within a stone’s throw of the Temple Mount, to eat the Passover meal just as their ancestors had done for centuries. But Yeshua’s final journey carried a weight unlike any other pilgrimage. He knew the prophecies. He knew what was going to happen to Him, and to the world, during that specific Passover celebration.

To understand the mindset of Yeshua as He made this journey, we have to look closely at a single verse in the Gospel of Luke. It is a verse that is often read quickly, but it holds the key to His entire mission.

The Hebrew Idiom Hidden in Luke 9

Luke 9:51 describes the beginning of Yeshua's final journey from the Galilee to the holy city. Translators have always struggled to bring the original meaning of this verse into English. The Greek text of the New Testament is actually carrying a very specific Hebrew idiom.

Notice how different English Bibles try to capture the phrase:

• “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” (NKJV)
• “His face was turned to go to Jerusalem.” (BBE)
• “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (NIV)
• “He was determined to go to Jerusalem.” (GWORD)

Joseph Shulam often points out that Yeshua was speaking Hebrew, His mother tongue. The phrase to turn one's face or to set one's face is a classic Hebrew idiom. It means to set yourself in a specific direction with absolute determination. You see it throughout the Tanakh (the Old Testament). When King Hezekiah received a heavy prophecy, he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord (Isaiah 38:2). When God pronounces judgment, He says He will turn His face from them (Ezekiel 7:22).

To set your face means to make up your mind and walk forward, completely unbothered by the obstacles in your way. Yeshua set His face toward Jerusalem. He was resolute.

Why did He need such intense determination? Because Yeshua knew exactly what was waiting for Him in the city of the great King. He knew the prophecies of Isaiah 53 intimately. He knew the thirty different predictions of what would happen to the Servant of the Lord. He knew He would be numbered with the transgressors, that He would bear the sin of many, and that He would pour out His soul unto death. He walked toward Jerusalem knowing the cross was waiting.

The Goal Was the Ascension, Not Just the Cross

There is a second phrase in Luke 9:51 that is almost entirely ignored by most teachers. It is the phrase that explains why Yeshua was willing to endure the suffering of Passover.

Look again at the translations of the first half of the verse:

• “When the time had come for Him to be received up...” (NKJV)
• “When the days were near for him to be taken up...” (BBE)
• “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven...” (NIV)

Joseph Shulam has taught this text in hundreds of places, from the ice-covered plains of Finland to the hilltops of Brazil. Every time he visits a new congregation, he asks the leaders a simple question. He asks why Yeshua went to Jerusalem on that Passover.

Almost every time, the answer is the same. People say He went to Jerusalem to die on the cross.

But that is not what Luke 9:51 says. The Greek word used here means to ascend or to be taken up. Yeshua did not set His face toward Jerusalem merely to die. He set His face toward Jerusalem so He could be received up to the Father.

This is a vital distinction. If we only see the cross, we are short-sighted. Yeshua looked far beyond His death. He looked toward His glorious resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His future return to sit in judgment. He was willing to endure the cruelest death imaginable because He knew the end of the story. As Isaiah 53:11 promises, He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

Psalm 22 and the Cry of Victory

This forward-looking confidence explains one of the most misunderstood moments of Yeshua's crucifixion. As He hung on the cross, Yeshua cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Many readers assume this was a moment of absolute despair. They think it was a moment when God the Father turned His back on His Son. But in first-century Jewish practice, quoting the first line of a psalm was a way of bringing the entire psalm to the minds of everyone listening. Yeshua was quoting Psalm 22 for His mother and His disciple John, who were standing nearby watching His life depart from His body.

If you read the entirety of Psalm 22, you will find that it does not end in defeat. It moves through intense suffering and agony, but it concludes with absolute triumph. It declares that God has not despised the affliction of the afflicted, and that all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.

God never forsook His Son, just as He has never forsaken His chosen nation, Israel. Yeshua quoted the psalm because He knew the victory was already secured. He knew He would soon be awake and ready for the journey back to heaven to join the Father.

The Command to Remember at the Seder Table

Today, Jewish families all over the world observe Passover much like they did in the first century, though without the Temple sacrifices. The celebration is centered around the home and the Passover Seder, a structured meal that retells the story of the Exodus.

The command for this feast is found in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23. God instructed the people to remove all leaven from their homes and to eat unleavened bread (matzah) for seven days. During the Seder, families eat bitter herbs (maror) to remember the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. They drink four cups of wine, representing the four expressions of redemption God promised in Exodus 6.

The central purpose of the Seder is memory. The Torah commands parents to tell their children the story of how God brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. It is not just a history lesson. It is an active participation in the story of God's redeeming power. You can learn more about the structure of the holiday in our resource, The Ultimate Guide to Pesach (Passover).

The Passover Lamb and Our Redemption

For believers in Yeshua, the Passover holds a double meaning. We remember the historical liberation of the Israelite nation from long years of slavery in Egypt. But we also recognize that Yeshua’s journey to Jerusalem fulfilled the prophetic meaning of the feast.

Yeshua is the Passover lamb. Just as the blood of the lamb on the doorposts in Egypt saved the Israelites from the judgment of death, Yeshua's sacrifice liberates us from our own evil inclinations and the heavy slavery of sin. His death, resurrection, and ascension secured a redemption that spans the entire globe.

When we understand the Jewish context of Passover, our faith is grounded in reality. Yeshua did not perform a theoretical salvation in the clouds. He walked on real dirt roads, went to a real city, and suffered on a real biblical feast day. To understand the depth of His sacrifice, we recommend reading Behold the Lamb of God: The Powerful Truth About Passover.

A Simple Way to Mark Passover at Home

You do not need to become Jewish or try to replicate a perfect, traditional Seder to honor what God has done. You can mark Passover in a simple, meaningful way at your own kitchen table with your family.

During the week of Passover, plan a special dinner. Before you eat, place two items in the center of your table: a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) and a small bowl of horseradish or bitter greens.

Begin by reading Exodus 12:1-14 together. Talk about how the Israelites had to eat in haste, dressed for travel, trusting that God was about to deliver them. Pass the bitter herbs around and have everyone take a small taste. Let the sharp, uncomfortable flavor remind you of the bitterness of slavery, both the physical slavery in Egypt and the spiritual slavery of sin.

Next, break the matzah and share a piece with everyone. Read Luke 22:14-20, remembering how Yeshua sat with His disciples in Jerusalem and held up this exact bread, calling it His body given for them.

Finish your meal by reading Psalm 22 aloud. As you read the final verses of the psalm, ask yourself this question. When I face suffering or difficult obedience, do I only see the hardship in front of me, or do I, like Yeshua, set my face forward, trusting in the resurrection and the joy set before me?

If you want more practical ideas on preparing your home for this season, read What You Need for Passover at Home.

Questions people ask

Who is Joseph Shulam?

Joseph Shulam is a Jewish scholar and teacher who has taught the Jewish context of the New Testament in Jerusalem for more than 50 years. He leads Netivyah International, helping believers understand the Bible in its original first-century setting.

Why did Yeshua go to Jerusalem for Passover?

Yeshua went to Jerusalem to celebrate the biblical feast of Passover with His disciples, as commanded in the Torah. He also went knowing He would fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah 53 as the suffering servant, and ascend to the right hand of the Father.

What does it mean that Yeshua set His face toward Jerusalem?

This is a Hebrew idiom found in Luke 9:51. It means to make a firm, resolute decision to go in a specific direction, regardless of the obstacles or suffering that wait ahead. Yeshua moved toward Jerusalem with absolute determination.

When is Passover celebrated?

Passover is celebrated in the spring, beginning on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. On the modern Gregorian calendar, this usually falls in late March or April.