Mark 14:13-15

‘And he sends two of his disciples and says to them, “Go into the city and there a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. And wherever he will enter in say to the goodman of the house, ‘The Teacher says, where is my guest room where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. And there make ready for us.” '

In one way or another Jesus knew that Judas was planning to betray Him. It was quite possible that He, or John who knew people in the high priestly house, had been informed by people well disposed towards Him that there had been a visitor there who was planning to betray Him. Alternately it may have been His understanding of men that had convinced Him of the same, combined with insight from His Father. Either way He knew.

So He was determined to control events and that meant keeping the venue where they would eat the Passover a secret until the last moment. Here we learn that He had made careful arrangements to this end. The two who were to prepare the Passover would be shown where it was to be held by a secret sign known only to them. Luke 22:8 says that they were Peter and John. (It is unlikely that this is to be seen as a miracle, otherwise we would have expected Matthew to mention it as well).

‘A man carrying a pitcher of water.' This would have been an unusual sight, for carrying water in pitchers was the province of women. Men would normally carry water skins. The man would clearly know the disciples and would meet them. It has been suggested that it may even have been John Mark himself (compare the young man who fled from the arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:51). See also Acts 12:12). Whereas such a task would normally be the work of a servant or slave, secrecy may have demanded that only the son of the house should know.

It may be that there is an indication here that the new refreshing water of the Spirit, or the new salvation, was shortly to be made available to His disciples as a result of the covenant to be sealed in that room. Compare the water carrier in Isaiah 55:1, who offers the waters of life and the sealing of the everlasting covenant..

‘Follow him and wherever he will enter in --.' This need not mean that they followed at a distance, although in the circumstances it may have been felt discreet. Nobody could be sure who was watching and if their destination was known the time when everyone was eating the Passover could be a time to ensure a secret and clean arrest. So they did not want to be noticed.

Entering the house they were to request to be shown the guest room which Jesus had booked. All accommodation in Jerusalem was free at Passover time. (‘Guest room' is kataluma - literally ‘resting place'. It is the same word as that translated (possibly wrongly) ‘inn' in Luke 2:7. There also it should probably be guest room).

‘My guest room.' Just as a hotel visitor will speak of ‘my room', so Jesus sees this temporarily as ‘His' guest room.

‘And he will himself show you --.' Again the secrecy. The master of the house would personally conduct them to the room to avoid servant gossip.

‘Furnished and ready.' Strewn with carpets and cushions, with the necessary low tables and all the extras needed for the Passover meal. Payment for the room would traditionally be made by giving the owner the skin of the Paschal lamb and the vessels used at the meal. But in this case the latter probably belonged to him anyway.

‘There make ready for us.' The two disciples would take the lamb to the Temple in the afternoon and offer it there as a sacrifice. Then they would return and the lamb would be roasted and later eaten after sunset. Nothing must be left of it by morning. It had to be pure and without blemish, not a bone should be broken. It was roasted on a spit and if any part of the lamb touched the side of the oven that part had to be cut off. The emphasis was thus on completeness, purity and sanctity, a symbol, although inadequate, of ‘Christ our Passover' (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The detailed description of the guest room might well have been seen by Mark and the early church as a reminder of how well Jesus always prepares for His own, for we will learn shortly of the new wine that He prepares for them in the Kingly Rule of God (Mark 14:25), while in John 14:2, in that guest room, He will declare, ‘in My Father's house are many resting places, --- I go to prepare a place for you'. The word for the guest room means ‘resting place'.