Luke 22:7-13

The Passover

22:7 Then the day for the feast ¹  of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ²  22:8 Jesus ³  sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover ⁴  for us to eat.” ⁵  22:9 They ⁶  said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare ⁷  it?” 22:10 He said to them, “Listen, ⁸  when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water ⁹  will meet you. ¹⁰  Follow him into the house that he enters, 22:11 and tell the owner of the house, ¹¹  ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 22:12 Then he will show you a large furnished room upstairs. Make preparations there.” 22:13 So ¹²  they went and found things ¹³  just as he had told them, ¹⁴  and they prepared the Passover.

[22:7]  ¹ tn The words “for the feast” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

[22:7]  ² sn Generally the feast of Unleavened Bread would refer to Nisan 15 (Friday), but the following reference to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb indicates that Nisan 14 (Thursday) was what Luke had in mind (Nisan = March 27 to April 25). The celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted eight days, beginning with the Passover meal. The celebrations were so close together that at times the names of both were used interchangeably.

[22:8]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ⁴ 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.

[22:8]  ⁵ tn Grk “for us, so that we may eat.”

[22:9]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:9]  ⁷ tn In the Greek text this a deliberative subjunctive.

[22:10]  ⁸ tn Grk “behold.”

[22:10]  ⁹ sn Since women usually carried these jars, it would have been no problem for Peter and John to recognize the man Jesus was referring to.

[22:10]  ¹⁰ sn Jesus is portrayed throughout Luke 22-23 as very aware of what will happen, almost directing events. Here this is indicated by his prediction that a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.

[22:11]  ¹¹ tn Grk “to the master of the household,” referring to one who owns and manages the household, including family, servants, and slaves (L&N 57.14).

[22:13]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ instructions.

[22:13]  ¹³ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[22:13]  ¹⁴ sn The author’s note that the disciples found things just as he had told them shows that Jesus’ word could be trusted.