And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus uses a special, emphatic way of speaking, a "Hebrew form of expression," to say he really longed for this last meal with them. He wanted this specific Passover to be a final farewell, a profound moment of connection and teaching before his suffering, and to institute the Lord's Supper in its place.
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus gathers his disciples for one final meal before his suffering and death. He explains that he has intensely longed for this particular Passover, not only as a farewell with his friends but also as the moment to institute a new memorial meal that will point to his ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. This meal serves as a significant transition, marking the end of the old Passover tradition and the beginning of the Lord's Supper.
Jesus uses a unique phrase to describe His feelings about this meal. What makes this particular Passover so important to Him, and what does it reveal about His heart?
The phrase "With desire I have desired" is a powerful way to express intense longing. It's a bit like saying, "I have really, really wanted this!" This isn't just a casual meal; it's filled with deep emotion and purpose.
Reasons for His Longing:
This wasn't just another Friday night dinner. Why did Jesus choose this specific meal, and what was He setting the stage for?
This Passover meal is presented as a pivotal moment, a transition from the old to the new. Jesus intentionally uses this ancient, significant Jewish festival as the backdrop for something even greater.
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A Symbolic Shift:
Understand the original words
paschō · Greek Verb
To experience emotional, physical, or spiritual pain or hardship. Biblically, this term often refers to the Passion of Christ—the ordeal of the cross—which was necessary for the fulfillment of His mission of atonement.
Jesus' intense desire to share this Passover highlights his deep love for his followers and his eagerness to fulfill God's redemptive plan through his suffering, marking the transition from the old Passover to the new covenant meal.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Last Passover Meal
Jesus, knowing his suffering and death are imminent, expresses an intense longing to share this final Passover meal with his disciples. This meal serves as a prelude to the institution of the Lord's Supper.
c. 30 AD
Institution of the Lord's Supper
During this Passover meal, Jesus transforms the symbolic meal into a new covenant observance, the Lord's Supper, commemorating his impending sacrifice.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Arrest in Gethsemane
Shortly after the meal and his prayer, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
Jesus is tried, condemned, and crucified on the day before the official Passover sacrifice would have been made.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Resurrection
Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus is resurrected, fulfilling the greater deliverance foreshadowed by the Passover.
This passage directly calls Christ 'our Passover' that was sacrificed for us, powerfully linking the Old Testament feast Jesus longed to share with its ultimate fulfillment in His sacrifice.
John 13:1This verse describes Jesus knowing 'that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father' just before the Passover, highlighting the profound significance of this final meal as a moment of farewell and transition.
Matthew 26:29Jesus speaks of not eating the Passover again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, underscoring His desire in Luke 22:15 as a longing for this final, meaningful observance before that future fulfillment.
Exodus 12:14This Old Testament command establishes the Passover as a memorial feast, showing the deep historical and religious roots of the meal Jesus so earnestly desired to share one last time with His disciples.
vincentLuke 22:15: "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:"
With desire I have desiredExpressing intense desire. Compare John 3:29, rejoiceth with joy; Acts 4:17, threaten with threatening.
barnesLuke 22:15: "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:"
With desire I have desired - This is a Hebrew form of expression, and means "I have greatly desired." The reasons why he desired this we may suppose to have been: 1. That, as he was about to leave them, he was desirous once of seeing them together, and of partaking with them of one of the religious privileges of the Jewish dispensation. Jesus was "man" as well as God, and he never unde…
Jesus uses a special, emphatic way of speaking, a "Hebrew form of expression," to say he really longed for this last meal with them. He wanted this specific Passover to be a final farewell, a profound moment of connection and teaching before his suffering, and to institute the Lord's Supper in its place.
Jesus gathers his disciples for one final meal before his suffering and death. He explains that he has intensely longed for this particular Passover, not only as a farewell with his friends but also as the moment to institute a new memorial meal that will point to his ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. This meal serves as a significant transition, marking the end of the old Passover tradition and the beginning of the Lord's Supper.
Jesus gathers his disciples for one final meal before his suffering and death. He explains that he has intensely longed for this particular Passover, not only as a farewell with his friends but also as the moment to institute a new memorial meal that will point to his ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. This meal serves as a significant transition, marking the end of the old Passover tradition and the beginning of the Lord's Supper.
"And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." — Jesus uses a special, emphatic way of speaking, a "Hebrew form of expression," to say he really longed for this last meal with them. He wanted this specific Passover to be a final farewell, a profo…
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Last reviewed October 2026