Text -- Luke 22:8 (NET)

22:8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us to eat.”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 22:8

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 22:14). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.

³ tn Grk “for us, so that we may eat.”