Luke 22:7-38

Jesus Advances To The Guest-chamber (22:7-38).

It is no coincidence that near the beginning of Luke's Gospel there was no room for Jesus in the ‘kataluma' (Luke 2:7 - place to stay, guestchamber), but now that He is to be offered up, such a room (kataluma) is to be made available for Him (Luke 22:11 below). He is advancing, from the manger to the cross. He is coming towards the fulfilment of His lifework, and in this guestchamber He will participate in His last Passover which will be for ever the symbol of His death, and will prepare His disciples for what lay ahead.

It was now 14th of Nisan, the day of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, and Peter and John were to prepare for the Passover, which would require the provision of bread and bitter herbs, of suitable wine and the necessary slaughter of the lamb in the Temple, which would then be brought to the kataluma to be roasted and eaten. Most of these provisions would possibly in this case be provided by the room owner who would receive the fleece and vessels used at the Feast as ‘payment' for his kindness for allowing the use of the room for the feast. It would not be seen as appropriate for the room to be paid for when it was being used for such a sacred purpose. Rent could not be charged for such usage in Jerusalem during the Passover. But whatever service he performed the slaying of the Passover lamb had to be carried out ‘personally' on behalf of the group on whose behalf it was offered, which was why the two leading Apostles were called on to do it.

Some see here a conflict with John's Gospel, which they claim teaches that this meal did not occur on Passover eve, but on the previous evening. But that is due to their misinterpretation of certain language of John which is ambiguous. Once his language is understood John in fact also teaches that the last supper was the Passover meal. We shall now consider this in an Excursus for those who are concerned about it.

EXCURSUS.

The Passover - Was the Last Supper the Passover Meal?

The Passover was the great Jewish festival which commemorated the slaying of the firstborn in Egypt, and the following exodus from Egypt of the Israelites (Exodus 12:24), together with those who joined themselves with them (the ‘mixed multitude') and became Israelite by adoption (Exodus 12:38). The passover lambs/kids were slain on the afternoon of the 14th Nisan (roughly March/April), after the daily sacrifice, which was normally offered in mid-afternoon. But by the time of Jesus this offering was put back towards noon on the day of the Passover in order to leave time for the slaying of the passover lambs, which had to be slain in the Temple area in great numbers. The Passover meal was eaten in the evening (the commencement of 15th Nisan, for the Jewish day began at sunset). There was a specific pattern followed at the meal, although variations within that pattern were allowed. The celebration of the Passover was connected with the seven day feast of Unleavened Bread which by this time was so closely linked with the Passover that the whole eight days of the feast could be called either The Passover (Luke 22:1) or Unleavened Bread (Mark 14:12). This specific link with the Passover, which was there from earliest times, is confirmed by Josephus, the Jewish first century AD historian.

It was celebrated in Jerusalem in smallish groups (ten males or more) in individual houses within the city bounds, each group having a lamb. (Bethphage was one of the places that marked the outer limit). The lambs were slain within the Temple area, which confirms that they were sacrificial offerings. Movement during the evening was restricted to a limited area, although Gethsemane came within that area. Jews living within a reasonable distance were expected to gather in Jerusalem for the feast, and even those who lived far afield among the Gentiles (the Dispersion) made great efforts to attend. Thus Jerusalem might contain around 200,000 or more people at Passover time (Josephus' estimate of 3,000,000 is almost certainly exaggerated. It would not have been possible to sacrifice sufficient lambs to meet his figures within the restricted Temple area in such a short time).

The Passover meal would begin with the ritual search by lamplight for any leavened bread which may have been overlooked (leaven was forbidden at the feast) and the Passover meal would then be eaten reclining. It included the symbolic elements of roasted lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, some other condiments and four cups of red wine mixed with water, each coming at specific points. The first cup was drunk with a blessing (Luke 22:17 probably refers to this cup, although some refer Luke's reference to the second cup), followed by the washing of hands by dipping in water. Some of the herbs would then be dipped in salt water and given out After this the eating surface would be cleared, and the second cup would be filled. This too would be blessed.

Before the drinking of the second cup the story of the original Passover was recounted in a dialogue between father and eldest son (or if necessary suitable substitutes). At this stage the Passover meal would be brought back to the table and each of its constituents explained. It is quite possible that one question would be (as it was later) ‘what means this bread?' The reply was ‘this is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate when they were delivered from the land of Egypt'.

After these explanations the second cup would be drunk, accompanied by the singing of part of the Hallel (special Psalms), and then there would be a further dipping of the hands in water. After this came the breaking of one or two of the unleavened cakes, which was  followed  by the giving of thanks. Pieces of the broken bread with bitter herbs between them were dipped in a mixture and handed to each of the company (see John 13:26), and it would appear that then the company would themselves dip bread and herbs into the mixture (Matthew 26:23; Mark 14:20). This was the real beginning of the actual Passover meal. The Passover lamb would now be eaten. Nothing was to be eaten thereafter, although in later times the eating of a final piece of unleavened bread followed. After a third dipping of hands in water the third cup was drunk, again accompanied by a blessing. This cup was considered of special importance. The singing of the Hallel was completed with the fourth cup (see Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26), and this was followed by prayer. It must be remembered that this was a feast and not a service so that eating and general conversation would be taking place throughout, except at the solemn moments.

It is quite clear that the first three Gospels (the Synoptic Gospels) show the Last Supper of Jesus to be the Passover meal. Jesus sent two of His disciples (Peter and John - Luke 22:8) to ‘prepare the Passover' (the lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, the wine, etc), so that He could ‘eat the Passover with His disciples' (Mark 14:12 and parallels). It was probably one of these who went to the Temple area with the lamb for slaying. The room was ‘furnished and ready' which may mean that the owner had provided what was necessary. We are told that they ate the meal reclining (Matthew 26:20; John 13:23) as would be expected at the Passover meal.

It is possible that the breaking of bread by Jesus ‘after He had given thanks' was the same as the breaking of bread at the feast but if so it is noticeable that Jesus gave thanks beforehand because He was enduing it with a new meaning. It could, however, have been that Jesus introduced a second breaking of bread, establishing a new pattern with a new significance. ‘This is my body' parallels ‘this is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate'. In the latter case it was clearly symbolic, a partaking with the fathers, as it were, in their affliction, but with a real sense of participation. Thus the former is also to be seen as symbolic, a partaking with Jesus, as it were, in His sufferings and their consequence, again with a real sense of participation. The wine which Paul calls the ‘cup of blessing' (1 Corinthians 10:16), was probably the third cup given a new significance.

Some have argued that it could not have been the Passover meal. They have argued:

1) A trial would not have been held on Passover night.

2) The disciples would not have borne arms on that night.

3) Simon of Cyrene would not have been ‘coming in from the country' the following morning.

4) Some Synoptic passages are inconsistent with it e.g. Mark 14:2

However these arguments are not convincing, because 1) Passover time, while the pilgrims were still in the city, might be considered precisely the time when a ‘false prophet' should be executed in order that ‘all Israel might hear and fear' (Deuteronomy 17:13). It would be seen as a sacred duty to do it at such a time, and to contribute to the feast, which may well have been why the opposition had hotted up. And as far as they were concerned it was also the best time for involving the secular authorities with their Roman soldiery so as to cover themselves in the eyes of the people, for at Passover extra soldiers were in attendance in Jerusalem. Furthermore the whole affair was to be carried out in haste because Judas' information made it possible for it to be done secretly while Jesus was there available. They had been seeking such an opportunity for some time, and dared not miss it.

2) Mark 14:2 merely expresses the plan of the authorities. Like all plans it was subject to change if circumstances demanded. All good plans are subject to alteration due to circumstances. Mark may simply have been bringing out that in the end they were powerless to do it in the way that they wanted. Furthermore some suggest translating ‘feast' as ‘festal crowd' rather than ‘feast day' which is quite possible, which then removes the supposed problem altogether.

3) There was no prohibition of arms being carried at the Passover.

4) ‘Coming in from the country' need not necessarily indicate that Simon had been outside the prescribed limits, and indeed he may not have been a Jew. Besides it would always be possible that he had been delayed by some cause beyond his control so that he had arrived late for the Passover, which could be why it was mentioned

But this immediately faces us with a further problem. It is argued that John 18:28 (‘so that they might not be defiled but might eat the Passover') seems to suggest that Jesus died at the same time as the Passover sacrifice because his enemies had not yet eaten the Passover. That would mean that the scene in John 13 occurred on the night before the Passover feast. Yet as we have seen the other Gospels make clear that Jesus officiates at the Passover feast (Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7), and there can be no doubt that both are depicting the same feast.

However what must be borne in mind here is that John 18:28 may be speaking of ‘the Passover', not as meaning the Passover feast itself on the evening of the 15th of Nisan, but in a general sense as including the whole seven day feast (compare Luke 2:23 where ‘the feast of the Passover' is clearly the seven days of the feast and Luke's use in Luke 22:1), so that ‘eating the Passover' may refer to celebrating the whole eight days, and to participating in other special sacrifices, as well as to the continual feasting during the week (unleavened bread had to be eaten throughout the week and there would be thank-offerings as well). It may well therefore not refer to the actual Passover celebration, in which case there is no contradiction. They would need to be ritually pure in order to continue enjoying the remainder of the feast.

We can compare with this how in 2 Chronicles 30:22 the keeping of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Luke 22:13), which includes the Passover (Luke 22:15), is described as ‘eating the food of the festival for seven days'.

Against this, however we should note that ‘to eat the Passover' does at least include eating the Passover supper in the Synoptics (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Mark 14:14; Luke 22:8; Luke 22:11; Luke 22:15). However, that does not necessarily tie the escorts of Jesus to using it in the same way after the Passover supper has passed.

Alternately it has been suggested that in fact the men involved had been so taken up with the pursuit of Jesus into the night as a result of Judas' unexpected offer to lead them to Jesus in a place where he could be taken without fear of the people, that they had not yet had time to complete their Passover meal. We only have to consider the facts of that night to recognised how involved their night had been! They may well have been disturbed in the middle of their Passover meal and have convinced themselves that such a delay was justified in order to deal with Jesus at what was clearly a crucial moment. The false prophet had to be dealt with. Once they had dealt with Him they could then go home to finish eating their Passover, which had been suddenly delayed for reasons of state and religion, with contented minds. Thus they would need to retain their ritual purity both for that day and for the remainder of the week.

In the same way John's reference to ‘the preparation of the Passover' or ‘the Friday of the Passover' (paraskeue tou pascha can mean either) (Luke 19:14) can equally be seen as referring to the ‘preparation' for the weekly Sabbath occurring during Passover week, i.e. the Friday of Passover week at whichever point it occurred, as it certainly does in verse Luke 19:31. This would mean that it did not necessarily refer to the day of the preparation of the Passover feast itself. Basically the word paraskeue did mean ‘Friday' as well as ‘preparation' (as in Greek it still does) and the term Passover (pascha) was used to describe the whole festival. If this be the case by ‘the Friday of Passover week' John is not necessarily suggesting that Jesus died at the same time as the Passover lamb.

Another alternative answer works on the basis that not all Jews celebrated the Passover on the same day. We do know, for example, that the Essenes had their own calendar to which they rigidly adhered, and forbade their members to follow the orthodox calendar, and they would therefore celebrate the Passover on a different day from the priests. And there are some grounds for suggesting that Galileans, an independent lot who were looked on by Judeans as somewhat unorthodox, may well have celebrated the Passover a day earlier than Judeans. Thus it may be that Jesus and His disciples, who were Galileans, followed this Galilean tradition, if it existed, and celebrated the Passover a day earlier than the Judeans.

A further possibility that has been suggested is that in that particular year the Pharisees observed the Passover on a different day from the Sadducees, due to a dispute as to when the new moon had appeared that introduced Nisan, with arrangements being made for Passover sacrifices on both days. This is thought to have happened at least once around this time. If this were the case Jesus would have been able to observe the feast of the Passover with His disciples and then die at the same time as the Passover sacrifices.

The suggestion that John was either mistaken or changed the day for theological purposes is the least likely of any explanation. The early church was far too well aware of the fact that the Last Supper was ‘the Passover feast' for such a change to be accepted. It would have become a firm part of the tradition, and John would no doubt have had this firmly pointed out to him by his ‘backers' if they had thought that he was saying otherwise (Luke 21:24). We must not assume that the leaders of the early church were gullible and unwilling to speak their minds, even to John. Nor does John emphasise anywhere in his Gospel that Jesus died at the same time as the Passover lamb. Had this been his intention he would surely have drawn attention to it more specifically.

It thus seems clear that the suggestion of a contradiction between the Synoptics and John's Gospel in the end simply arises from a misunderstanding of Johannine terminology.

End of EXCURSUS.

Having examined the Passover problem in the excursus we will now return to the passage in hand. In this passage Jesus gives directions for the preparation of the Passover feast.

Analysis of 22:7-13.

a The day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed (Luke 22:7).

b And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat (Luke 22:8).

c And they said to Him, “Where will you that we make ready?” (Luke 22:9).

d And He said to them, “Behold, when you are entered into the city, there a man will meet you bearing a pitcher of water, follow him into the house into which he goes” (Luke 22:10).

c “And you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with My disciples?' ” (Luke 22:11).

b “And He will show you a large upper room furnished, there make ready” (Luke 22:12).

a And they went, and found as He had said to them, and they made ready the passover (Luke 22:13).

Note how in ‘a' the day came on which the Passover was to be sacrificed, and in the parallel they made ready the Passover. In ‘b' they were to go and make ready, and in the parallel the room is described where they are to make ready. In ‘c' they question Jesus as to where they are to make ready, and in the parallel they question the master of the house as to where they are to make ready. Centrally in ‘d' they find the place by following a man carrying a pitcher of water.

This central placing brings out that this symbol is intended to be significant. Only women and the lowest of slaves carried pitchers of water. Thus they are to follow one who is represented as the lowest of slaves, but who is bearing the water of life. In the context of what Jesus is about to say (Luke 22:26) the symbolism is clear. The One Who supplies living water (Isaiah 55:1) is also the humble Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 5:12). As a result of what Jesus will do, just as they follow this man, walking in humility and bearing water, so are they also to follow Jesus, both in humble service and in bearing the water of life. For there was a very real sense in which life would flow from that room where the new covenant was proclaimed (compare Ezekiel 47).