1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover had become intricately linked in New Testament times. The Jewish leaders continued to look for how they could put Jesus to death but knew that a public arrest could be a problem with the people who were gathering to listen to Jesus. They needed an insider to help them.
At this point, Satan comes to the fore in the story and begins a full-on attack on Jesus. Satan’s efforts in killing Jesus were his own downfall because through Jesus’ death and resurrection He conquered Satan and death (Col 2:15; Heb 2:14). Satan entered Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, who went to work with the Jewish leaders to work out a way to betray Jesus. Judas approached the leaders, not the other way around. The only indication the Bible gives for Judas’s motive for betraying Jesus is his apparent love of money (John 12:1-8). Luke has warned time and again throughout his gospel of the negative effects money has on our ability to follow God. Judas accepted money in exchange for finding a way to betray Jesus away from the crowds.
As the Jewish leaders and Judas begin preparations to sacrifice Jesus (the ultimate Passover Lamb), Jesus and His disciples prepare to sacrifice the Passover lamb. Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal so they could eat it together. They asked where Jesus wanted it prepared and He told them what they could expect to find. They would find a man carrying water which would be unusual culturally. They were to follow him and ask the master of the house he entered where the guest room was where they could prepare the Passover for the Teacher to eat with His disciples. While it is likely that Jesus had prearranged the guest room with the owner of the house, Jesus still shows his divine foreknowledge in knowing where, when, and what the servant with the jar of water would be doing. Peter and John went and found everything exactly as Jesus had described and they prepared the Passover.
Imagine how much their faith in Jesus’ words must have grown every time Jesus told the disciples to expect something and it happened exactly as He said it would. We too can grow our faith when we take Jesus at His Word, do what the Bible says, and then see the results. What is the next step that you need to take in your walk of faith?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: Daniel 3