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Luke 
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Day 278

Luke 22 : 7 - 17 "THE KEEPING OF THE PASSOVER"

Day 278 – Luke 22

Text: Luke 22 : 7 – 17

THE KEEPING OF THE PASSOVER

This was the last Passover that Jesus was going to celebrate with His Disciples. The Passover Feast that the Jews celebrated in the days of the Lord Jesus was not exactly the same as that originally celebrated in Egypt. The occasion celebrated their deliverance from bondage. God had given specific commandment for a lamb to be slain, and its blood put on the lintel and the doorposts (Exodus 12:23). When He sees the blood He would pass over that household. If He did not see the blood that protected the household, the firstborn of the family would die! God also added,

“And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance
for you and your sons forever.”
Exodus 12:24

Jesus observed the Passover, as a devout and faithful Jew, together with His Disciples. The Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread were celebrated together. God had given clear command concerning the keeping of this Feast.

“This day shall be to you a memorial;
and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord
throughout your generations.
You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread…”
Exodus 12:14-15

For thousands of years, faithful Jews had kept the Passover. Lambs had been slain to commemorate this occasion for millennia, but this particular Passover season was different. The Lamb of God would be slain for the sins of the world!

Luke recorded carefully the fact that Jesus kept the Passover Feast. In partaking of the Passover, He honoured as true the event recorded in the Scriptures that God had indeed passed over Israel when He visited Egypt in judgment!

The Passover cannot be celebrated without quite elaborate preparation. It was more than just a meal shared.

“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread,
when the Passover must be killed.
And He sent Peter and John, saying,
‘Go and prepare the Passover for us,
that we may eat.’ “
Luke 22:7

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER AT JERUSALEM

The Passover was one of the Feasts where as many Jews as possible would make a special yearly trip to Jerusalem, just to celebrate this occasion. It wasn’t just another festive occasion that could be celebrated at home. This special celebration of the Passover, many celebrated at Jerusalem.

The holy city would be very crowded during this time. Josephus the Jewish historian once recorded the fact that on one particular occasion, the High Priest had ordered a count of the number of lambs slain. The figure given was 256,500. This census was done to impress the Emperor Nero with the idea of the importance of Jerusalem (Jewish Wars, 6.425).

The Disciples were of course deeply concerned and so they asked Him a natural question,

“Where do You want us to prepare?”
Luke 22:9

There was no need for the Disciples to worry. Yes, Jerusalem may be crowded, but Jesus would have made prior arrangement for the celebration of this event. Thus He replied,

“Behold, when you have entered the city,
a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water;
follow him into the house which he enters.
Then you shall say to the master of the house,
‘The Teacher says to you,
“Where is the guest room where I may eat
The Passover with My Disciples?”
Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room;
There make ready.’
So they went and found it just as He had said to them ,
And they prepared the Passover.”
Luke 22:10-13

The Lord Jesus may have had many detractors in Jerusalem. However, it must also be said that He must have had some true and faithful Disciples in the city too. There was this faithful Disciple, who was not named. This person must have had considerable wealth that he could afford to offer “a large, furnished room” as a “guest room” for Jesus to celebrate the Passover with His Disciples.

This unnamed Disciple of Jesus would of course have to provide the lamb, the unleavened bread, the cups of wine etc so that the celebration of the Passover could be kept properly. This Disciple had also understood the necessity to make preparations quietly. He must have known that the enemies of Jesus were on the lookout to arrest Him if they could. Thus, the arrangement for the celebration of the Passover had to be done in a fair amount of secrecy.

The Disciples were not even told as to where the Passover Meal was to be eaten until the very last moment. A secret sign of a man carrying a pitcher was deemed necessary (Normally the women were the ones who carried water pitchers). He would lead Peter and John to the place where the Passover would be kept. The need for such secrecy accentuates the danger Jesus was in, but He remained undaunted.