He nailed it down alright! Estimates indicate Jesus baptism took place late AD 26, about November. But the actual start-point of the 70th week was the
1st Nisan AD 27. Does the New Testament identify it? Yes, it does! We are able to track the fourteen days between the beginning of the month and the start of Passover as recorded in the gospel of John. Here are the events leading up to, and signifying the switch-point between the weeks. The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John,
“Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ” ... John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” ...
This encounter took place on the last day of the 69th week, 29th Adar AD 27, as I'll explain shortly. Please continue: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
The reference to “taking away sin” is directly from Daniel’s prophecy, so it becomes very appropriate if it was declared over Jesus on the first day of the 70th week. Let us follow several more days to see if such was the case?
The next day Andrew, Peter and one other (probably the writer) were chosen to be disciples. I believe it was Saturday, 2nd of Nisan because the wedding of Cana, a few days later, was a Monday evening. By Sunday, 3rd of Nisan, Philip and Nathaniel had also been chosen, then came Monday, 4th of Nisan. Please bear in mind that Hebrew days began at sunset, so, strictly speaking, the 4th of Nisan was Sunday/Monday, and the 5th was Monday/ Tuesday. In other words, Monday evening started the 5th day of the Hebrew month and it also started the third day of the regular week. Now, notice carefully. John tells us:
"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples." (John 2:1-2)
So, the wedding of Cana is recorded as “the third day”, that is to say, Monday night. Likewise, the year was AD 27 as shown in chapter eleven. All that remains to do is to examine the lunar phases of that month and when we do, we find that the 5th of Nisan did indeed start on a Monday evening. Moreover, it was the only Monday that could have fitted a wedding before Passover, because later festivities would have conflicted with the Passover Seder.
Thus, by identifying the date of the wedding of Cana, we are able to track backwards to the 1st of Nisan and confirm the declaration of John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb”, as the defining event which marked the
first day of the 70th week!
