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

 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 the 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 met 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 22:1-13

In Tuesday's reading, after Jesus' long discourse on the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and His second coming, 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 maybe 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.

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.   My study bible explains that the Passover (Pascha/Πάσχα in the Greek) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12:14).  In remembrance of this event, the Jews would slaughter an unblemished lamb to be eaten with unleavened bread.   It notes that this is a prefiguration of Christ's Passion, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom.  In the West, this event is commemorated as Easter, known in the East as Pascha (the primary term referring to the death and Resurrection of Christ).  

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 the 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.  According to the commentary in my study bible, Satan does not enter a person except by the person's consent.  It explains that the reason Satan chose Judas and none of the others is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, while the others did not.  Luke explicitly mentions that Judas was numbered among the twelve, which emphasizes for us the readers the depth of betrayal involved -- and how many are being betrayed.  My study bible comments that this shows us that a religious position is worthless if it is not accompanied by faith and virtue.

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 met 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.  Again, my study bible comments on the term Passover here.   "Passover" can refer to the original event of the ancient Jews, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary, Peter represents zeal and John represents spiritual understanding, the two virtues with which we are to partake of Christ's supper.

It is interesting to note the careful, explicit preparations and instructions given by Christ for His Passover Supper (at which the Eucharist will be instituted), underscoring the importance and significance of this time.  The other time we read of such detailed instruction before an event is in the preparation for the Triumphal Entry (see this reading).  As such, they suggest what is called in Greek kairos/καιρος, a significant time, an "acceptable time to the Lord" (2 Corinthians 6:2), a moment when our worldly time is specifically intersected by a divine event.  The entrance of the Messiah/Bridegroom into Jerusalem is one such event, the Passover/Passion and momentous sacrifice of Christ, made once for all of history and all the world, and memorialized and re-enacted forever via the Eucharist, is another.   It is an indication of a time of fulfillment.  Like the birth of Christ, the divine interrupts human history to reveal an essential truth.  It's important to consider Pascha/Passover/Easter and its meaning for us.  Christ fulfills the Passover with Himself as the Passover, the Lamb slaughtered once and for all, and for deliverance of all of the world (John 3:16).  This moment is one of transfiguration, one that changes meanings and values, by revealing what is at the center of history for all of us who call ourselves faithful to Christ.  It's important to understand the notion of sacrifice and its purpose.  In John's Gospel, Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24).   Jesus is the "firstborn" who offers Himself so that the "firstfruits" may be revealed, with Himself first of all (Revelation 14:4).  Jesus feeds us with us His Body and Blood, to produce something new in us and among us.  This is a purpose of transfiguration, for the whole world, and we don't yet know its fullness, but we are in the midst of its effects, which we see only partially.  St. Paul writes, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).  What we must understand is that the purpose of sacrifice is just what Jesus describes when He speaks of His own sacrifice:  it is for fruition.  It is so that we may grow and produce fruits unseen and unknown, incalculable in their fullness -- and through time.  Faith is just as Christ describes His sacrifice:  it is planting seeds for growth and harvest.  It's no accident that the parable of the The Sower is the first He gives, and that the parables of wheat and harvest, even of weeds which mimic the good wheat, all form the notable foundation of His preaching and use of parables (see Matthew 13).  What sounds to us like something grim is in fact nothing of the sort.  Sacrifice is the work of an infinite God of goodness, meant so that we may harvest an incalculable -- even eternal -- abundance.  This sense of sacrifice cannot fit into notions of payment:  there is no way we could possibly pay for the gifts we're given, and they are given freely, as the prerogative of an unlimited God.  Payment is a far too confined concept to understand this process and how our lives work together with God's grace.  Let us consider that when we sacrifice for our faith, we are following in the footsteps of the Firstborn, the One who shows us the way.  Do you take time out for prayer?  Do you make a priority for your faith before other things?   Is there a time for gratitude rather than the constant pursuit of worldly goals?  These are just some examples of that kind of sacrifice:  what we give our time and effort for, what we put first before we rush toward something else.  Let us remember the purpose He gives us.  On that notion hinges so much of what we are capable of doing with the gift of our lives.