Mark 14:12-21--The Passover with the Disciples

Mark 14:12-21
English Standard Version

The Passover with the Disciples
12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

​17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

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Much is said in commentaries about exactly what day of the week this was.  That doesn't matter to me as much as I know that Jesus was faithful to obey the Law, and He would have celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the evening of the 14th day of Abib, according to the Law.  It was practiced in their homes (not at the Temple) and killed and cooked and ate the Passover lamb together.  Nothing was to be left of it.

That means for us that we are somewhere in middle of what we would call Maundy Thursday.  These events in this passage happened some time earlier in the day as the disciples are going to prepare the Passover meal for Jesus and all the disciples.

Before that can happen though, there is an immediate need that they need a place for the meal to be prepared and for them to eat the meal.  That had already been planned out somehow by Jesus when they weren't looking, or the Father and Spirit made the arrangements for the Son.  Either way, it was miraculous in the way in which Jesus told them to find this man and to boldly tell him that the Master/Teacher (Rabbi) said, "Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"  There was no invitation that we know if, but a bold proclamation by Jesus that He and His disciples were going to observe the Passover in this man's house--and I'm fairly certain they didn't rent the room from him.  The disciples found everything just the way that Jesus said it would be, and they prepared the Passover meal during the rest of the day.  When evening came, Jesus and His disciples gathered together, and He would use this celebration as a time to institute the New Covenant of His body and blood--what we call The Lord's Supper.  That will be our next passage that we study together tomorrow.