Preparations for the Passover and The Last Supper (Lk. 22:7-23)

When the day of the feast of Unleavened Bread arrived, the day for sacrificing the Passover lamb, 8 he sent out Peter and John, instructing them, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”  9 They asked him, “Where do you want us to make the preparations?”  10 And he answered them, “When you go into the city, a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and 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?”’  12 He will show you a large upper room that is furnished. Make the preparations there.”  13 Then they went off and found everything exactly as he had told them, and there they prepared the Passover.  14 When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles.  15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, 16 for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”  17 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”  19 Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”  20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.  21 “And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; 22 for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.”  23 And they began to debate among themselves who among them would do such a deed.

The Passover meal occurred immediately before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a significant Jewish festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. The Passover lamb being sacrificed in the Temple on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nisan was a central ritual of this festival, pointing back to the redemption of the Israelites from slavery.  It also involved removing leavened items from the house and ensuring the presence of unleavened bread.  Additionally, the bitter herbs, including maror (bitter lettuce or endive) and chazeret (bitter lettuce or horseradish), symbolizing the bitterness of slavery, were essential elements of the meal.  Other traditional items like parsley, wine, oil, honey, figs, and almonds might have been present but were not necessarily mandatory. Four goblets of wine were drunk with the meal.  The Passover meal was a family celebration and Jesus wanted to celebrate it with his ‘true’ family (Lk. 8:19-21).  

Jesus sent Peter and John to make preparations for the Passover meal, but they were unclear as to where they should go to make the preparations.  Jesus gave them specific instructions and told them to look for a man carrying a water jar, follow him, and speak to the master of the house into which he entered about using the guest room.  A man carrying a water jar would be unusual because water jars were usually carried by women.  It appears that Jesus had made plans for a place where they could eat the Passover meal before his passion.  

Peter and John made the preparations and when the time came for the Passover meal Jesus and the apostles reclined at table.  Jesus told them that he was eager to share the Passover meal with them before his impending suffering.  He said that the meal was significant because he would not eat the Passover Meal again until God’s plan of salvation was complete, and the Kingdom of God was established in its fullness.  He then took the cup, a central element of the Passover meal, gave thanks, and shared it with his disciples.  He told them that he would not drink the cup again until the Kingdom of God was established in its fullness.  Then he instituted the Eucharist.  

Jesus said that one of the disciples at table with him would betray him and they began to discuss which one of them would do such a thing.  Jesus’ death inaugurated a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) where God promised the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and to write his laws on their hearts.  In the Eucharist, the bread is Jesus’ body, and the wine is his blood (vv. 19-20).

Almighty God, constantly remind us of the depth of your love and the sacrifice your Son made for our salvation.  Help us to approach you with reverence and gratitude, to be always mindful of your presence, to heed your warning against betrayal, and to strive to follow your Son faithfully in all things.  This we pray through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.