"The Teacher says to you, 'Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'"

 

 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 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 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—22:13 

 

Yesterday we read that, after speaking about "end times" to His disciples, Jesus 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.  We may note that Jesus is a pilgrim to Jerusalem; He stays with other pilgrims on Mt. Olivet.  Note how well He is known, for 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.   The Passover (in Greek, Πασχα/Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14), as my study Bible explains.  In remembrance of this, the Jews would slaughter an unblemished lamb and partake of it with unleavened bread.  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, my study Bible comments.  Therefore, it notes, Pascha is the primary term by which Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to the death and Resurrection of Christ, which is known in English as Easter.

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 my study Bible, Satan does not enter a person, except with that person's consent.  The reason that Judas was chosen by Satan, and none of the others, is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  My study Bible adds that Luke's mention of Judas being numbered among the twelve is an emphasis on the depth of betrayal involved, and it shows also that 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 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.  My study Bible tells us that the term Passover (Greek Pascha/Πασχα) can refer to the original event itself, 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 virtues with which we all are to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

Let us note the careful preparation for the Passover, and the specific instructions Jesus gives to the disciples.  It seems this particular Passover supper is so important that no detail of where exactly it is to happen is left to improvisation or the work of the disciples, but seemingly all has been arranged.  Of course, we haven't been given the specifics of exactly how this happened or when it was all arranged -- but we are made to understand the particular importance of this meal, even where it takes place, and which disciples were given the instructions to prepare.  For the early Christian community, Peter and John were distinctive among the disciples.  Peter was de facto leader (that is, a "first among equals") who often speaks for the Twelve in the Gospels.  John was the "beloved disciple" who would survive through the earliest times of the Church, giving us one Gospel, Three Epistles, and the Revelation.  In the Eastern Church, John is also given the title "Theologian" -- one that has been given only to three people in history (the other two are St. Gregory Nazianzinus and St. Symeon the New Theologian).  Of course, it is St. John who gives us the details of Christ's teachings at the Last Supper (John 13 - 17), teaching about the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will dwell with them.  (Christ's words in this section of John's Gospel are known as the "Farewell Discourse.")   Perhaps Luke gives us these details of instruction for this particular "upper room" so that we understand how important this meal is to Jesus, at which He will leave so much as legacy for believers and for the Church, including the command for the institution of the Eucharist, and the "new commandment" recorded by John:  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  At the same time, in today's reading, we're also given the understanding of a great betrayal, that Satan entered Judas, and he was numbered among the twelve.  Judas was one of those who would also partake of that Passover in the upper room.  Neither is Judas simply an innocent victim of bad influence.  As my study Bible notes, this could not happen without some sort of opening, some place in Judas' heart open to it. And so, even as Jesus is about to institute the great sacrifice to be commemorated for this time forth (and replacing all other sacrifice), that which is done for the life of the world, so even one as deeply integral to Christ's ministry -- one numbered among the twelve -- will betray Him, and in Judas Satan has found a place to enter.  We get a picture of our world, with its warring parts, and the spiritual battle that goes on behind the scenes at all times.  This is a battle for each one of us.  It is a battle for which we're asked to be prepared and we're given the tools to wage it -- but so many are distracted by the affairs of the world, the chase for riches and pleasures, and the cares the world will give us.  While the powerful plot against Jesus, jealous to maintain their places, Satan's insidious influence comes from within, and we are given warning through this text.  All of this takes place even as Christ is about to deliver the Farewell Discourse that teaches each of us He is always with us, and although all the people come to hear Him speak in the temple.  In this, we are to be aware, and to participate in Christ's life as we can, seeking our own discipleship and awareness of where He asks us to go, in order to follow Him.