The Preparation

Traditional words said at Passover in Jesus' times. "This is the bread of misery which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. All that are hungry, come and eat; all that are needy, come, keep the Paschal" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, p. 565).

The Bible Text (Luke 22:7-13)

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. "And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples? And he will show you a large, furnished, upper room; prepare it there." And they departed and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover (Luke 22:7-13).

Introduction (Luke 22:7-13)

Anyone who reads a lot of novels will find some special interest in the way Jesus does things in Luke 22:7-13. This passage stands out simply by the way so many verses talks about what happened. But not only this, the method is also highlighted (rather than just skipped over). Instead a rather queer method of finding a room to hold the Passover meal with his disciples is given by Jesus.

Bible Study Questions (Luke 22:7-13)

1) What did Jesus send Peter and John to do (22:8-9)? Why was it important to celebrate the feast?

2) Explain more about what the original meaning for the Passover. Why did a lamb have need to be sacrificed (22:7)?

3) Repeat what Jesus told John and Peter. What was special about the arrangement for the feast (22:10-13)? Why do you think these instructions were so mysterious?

“They .... found everything just as He had told them” (Luke 22:13).

Applications (Luke 22:7-13)

Do you get anxious about how things might work out? Was Jesus? Were His disciples in this passage? Why or why not?

Check out the series on Overcoming Anxiety: Finding the Peace of God.

A Summary (Luke 22:7-13)

The connection between this passage and the prior suggests that the main reason Jesus was so secretive was due to His knowledge of Judas' intention to betray Him. Jesus was not avoiding the chief priests murder plot through Judas as much as trying to postpone it so He could preserve the last intimate time with His disciples before His death.

If Judas knew earlier on where Jesus would hold the Passover, he would have told the chief priests and scribes. This would give them an opportunity away from all the crowds where the chief priests could quietly capture him. Remember that Jesus was, as far as they were concerned, daily agitating the Jerusalem crowds. He urgently had to be done away with. Without former knowledge of where Jesus held the Passover, however, Judas had no way of telling the chief priests where Jesus was. This no doubt was what they requested him.

Judas was looking for a good opportunity to leave the dinner and tell them. By the time the guards arrived with the chief priests to that house, Jesus would have already moved on. Jesus needed that time of prayer on the Mount of Olives. There is good reason to believe that the house was Mark's parents and that Mark secretly followed the guards to the Mount of Olives where they seized Jesus. He, off course, was caught offguard and fled naked (Mark 14:51).

As we read on in the next section, we will find that Jesus was preserving that special time with His disciples to give them their last preparations for the upcoming event that would shake every last one of them including brave Peter. >Next