Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

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."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  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 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 21:37-Luke 22:13

In the recent readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has made His Triumphal Entry, cleansed the temple, and faced the challenges of the leadership.  He has also returned a few challenges of His own.  He speaks to the leadership, His disciples, and also the public.  (See readings from last Saturday,  Monday,  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).   In Friday's reading, Jesus began to speak about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and how they are to endure what is to come, and on Saturday we read His teachings on both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age, when He will return.  In yesterday's reading, He spoke to them a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.   So, you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.  My study bible tells us:  "Olivet is the Mount of Olives, a hill on the east side of Jerusalem where pilgrims stayed when the city was overcrowded during festivals such as the Passover."

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.   My study bible says that these two feasts were distinct but largely overlapping -- so they could be identified as one.

And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  My study bible notes:  "That the religious leaders feared the people means the populace at large favored charismatic figures such as Jesus.  Therefore, there is need for treachery, night arrest, and quick trial."

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. A note tells us that "the Passover lambs were ritually slaughtered about noon on the first Day of Unleavened Bread, roasted in the afternoon, and eaten that evening -- marking the beginning of the Passover Festival.  Unleavened bread was eaten in remembrance of the urgent Exodus from Egypt, in which there was not time for the bread to rise."

And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  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 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.  This scene given us in Luke reminds us of the earlier similar teachings of Jesus, in which two of His disciples were told where they would find a donkey's colt for Him to ride on, as He made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 

There are many elements in today's reading that we might call "elemental" to the Gospels, as they are hints of phenomena that surface again and again, giving us glimmers and reminders of events in common.  There's the prescience of Jesus on display again, as noted above.  First, before His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, He told two disciples they would meet a man who would give them the colt for Him to ride upon into Jerusalem.  Today, there's the particular exactitude again of the particular phrase they are to say to the man they will meet, and the particular room to make ready for the Passover.  These elements mirror and reflect one another, and they cause us to reflect.  Somehow the events and their exactitude, their precise elements described and foretold by Jesus give us a hint about what is happening here, and especially their importance.  We don't often see this side of Jesus, but it does occur and it teaches us something about Him, as well.  It's another quality of His holiness, although not used as often in His public ministry as powers of healing, or feeding, and casting out demons, and teaching; it's something shared with His apostles who are "sent" on these specific missions.  There's another familiar element in Luke and that is the fear of the leadership for the people.  Tellingly, Luke doesn't really give us a reason why Judas goes to the authorities, except to say that there is a spiritual battle going on here.  His betrayal of Christ is meant to teach us something about that -- and Luke's Gospel has just told us of Jesus' warnings of future betrayals and persecutions to His followers.  And there is His daily teaching of the people, who flock to hear Him, and His exchanges with the leadership.  He stays with the pilgrims on Olivet, a sojourner in Jerusalem.  The Passover teaches us something, the Feast of Unleavened Bread reminding us of Exodus.  Jesus will be our Passover Lamb, our sacrifice in His voluntary mission to us, and remains so for us today.  His "Exodus"  is imminent and will come at the end of this Passion Week.  ("Exodus" is the word used in Greek as He discussed what was to happen in Jerusalem with Elijah and Moses at the Transfiguration).  All of these various elements happen in a repeated pattern, so that we are reminded, we remember, and we reflect.  Over and over again, we get glimmerings of spiritual truths for our understanding, so that we understand what Jesus is about, what His holiness means, what He offers us, and His fulfillment of the spiritual history of Israel, as well as His example to us all.  The familiarity of elements teaches us what holiness is, and serves as a model for the future.  He cares for His disciples.  He takes care of every need appropriate to His duties, including making sure the Passover is properly cared for, the place where they are to meet all arranged.  The elements are set for what is necessary and what is to come, and especially the Last Supper at which He will introduce yet another remembrance and repetition from His ministry, something central (and truly "elemental" in a most phenomenal way) which we are told to repeat in the fullness of what is to come, which we will read about in tomorrow's lectionary reading.  The elements mix and tumble, even as elements in our own lives mix and tumble, of good and bad, high and low, exaltation and betrayal.  But Jesus is the pivot, the Teacher, the One around whom all things revolve.  What does His remembrance teach you today?