Matthew 26:17-19
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The disciples' question, "Where will you have us prepare...?" isn't just about finding a room; it reveals Jesus' complete dependence on others for His earthly needs, even as He orchestrated the entire Passover event. This humility highlights the profound mystery of God becoming human, needing a guest room for His own holy meal.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just as Jesus' followers were preparing for the Passover meal, one of their own, Judas, was secretly arranging to betray him to the authorities. As the disciples ask Jesus where they should prepare for the feast, Jesus gives them specific instructions, revealing his foreknowledge of events. This sets the stage for the Last Supper, a pivotal moment immediately before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.
The disciples ask a practical question about where to prepare the Passover meal. But Jesus' answer reveals something much deeper about His awareness and authority.
A Divine Blueprint
When the disciples ask Jesus where to prepare the Passover meal, their question is straightforward: 'Where should we get ready for you to eat the Passover?' (Matthew 26:17). They're thinking about logistics – a place to gather.
But Jesus' response isn't just about finding a room. He gives them incredibly specific instructions, even naming a man they'll meet and a sign to look for: a man carrying a pitcher of water. This isn't random! It's a divinely orchestrated plan.
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The disciples are focused on celebrating a traditional feast. Jesus, however, is acutely aware that His own 'time' for a different kind of sacrifice is at hand.
An Anticipated Sacrifice
The disciples come to Jesus on what is considered the first day of Unleavened Bread, the day the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed (Matthew 26:17). They are preparing for the traditional observance of this significant feast, a meal commemorating God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
However, Jesus frames this moment differently. When instructing them on where to prepare, He says, 'The Master says, My time is near' (Matthew 26:18). This isn't just about setting the table for a meal; it's about preparing for His own imminent, ultimate sacrifice.
Jesus, the Creator of all, asks His disciples to prepare for His final meal. This highlights a profound aspect of His earthly existence and mission.
The God Who Needs a Room
It's a staggering thought: Jesus, through whom all things were made, doesn't own a house or even a place to eat His final Passover meal with His closest followers (Matthew 26:17). The disciples' question, 'Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?' points to this incredible reality.
Clarke beautifully captures this: 'He who created all things... should so empty himself as not to be proprietor of a single house in his whole creation.' This isn't a sign of weakness, but a deliberate act of humility and kenosis (self-emptying).
Understand the original words
pascha · Greek Noun
The annual Jewish feast celebrating the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, centering on the sacrifice of a lamb. It serves as a type for the redemptive work of Christ.
azymōn · Greek Noun
A period of seven days associated with the Passover, during which Jews eat only bread made without leaven, symbolizing the haste of the Exodus and, metaphorically, the purging of sin.
mathētai · Greek Noun
One who follows a teacher or master; in the New Testament, it refers to the followers of Jesus Christ who are called to learn from Him, obey His teachings, and imitate His life.
didaskalos · Greek Noun
A title often used for Jesus, signifying his role as an authoritative instructor of divine truth and the Law of God.
kairos · Greek Noun
In the Gospel of John and elsewhere in the Passion narrative, this refers to the divinely ordained hour of Jesus' suffering, death, and glorification.
This passage occurs during the critical days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, amidst the very Passover festival that Jesus' own sacrifice would ultimately fulfill.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, instituting the Passover feast as a perpetual memorial of this salvation.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile
Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed, and many Jews are exiled to Babylon. This event significantly impacts Jewish identity and religious practice.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, a pivotal moment in their post-exilic history.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus' final Passover preparations
Jesus sends his disciples to find a place in Jerusalem to prepare and eat the Passover meal, knowing his own 'time' is near.
c. 30 AD
The Last Supper
Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper during the Passover meal, a profound act of remembrance and covenant-making with his disciples.
c. 30 AD
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus is crucified on the day the Passover lambs were traditionally sacrificed, fulfilling the symbolism of the Passover sacrifice.
This passage describes the initial Passover instructions, including when the lamb was to be slaughtered, setting the context for Jesus' disciples' question about preparing the meal.
Luke 22:7-13This parallel account provides further details about Jesus sending two disciples to find a specific location for the Passover meal, highlighting Jesus' foreknowledge and divine orchestration of events.
John 13:1-2This passage immediately follows the Last Supper narrative, showing Jesus' actions after the meal, such as washing the disciples' feet, further emphasizing the significance of this particular Passover.
1 Corinthians 5:7Paul refers to Christ as our Passover lamb, connecting the historical event of the Passover to Jesus' sacrificial death, which this meal foreshadowed.
bensonMatthew 26:17: "Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?"
Matthew 26:17 . On the first day of unleavened bread — Being Thursday, the fourteenth day of the first month, Exodus 12:6 ; Exodus 12:15 . The disciples came, saying, Where wilt thou that we prepare the passover? — They meant at what house. And he said, Go into the city to such a man — This implies that Jesus named the pe…
calvinMatthew 26:14-20: "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,"
- Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, 15. And said to them, What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver. 16. And from that time he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17. Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where dost thou wish us to prepare fo…
The disciples' question, "Where will you have us prepare...?" isn't just about finding a room; it reveals Jesus' complete dependence on others for His earthly needs, even as He orchestrated the entire Passover event. This humility highlights the profound mystery of God becoming human, needing a guest room for His own holy meal.
Just as Jesus' followers were preparing for the Passover meal, one of their own, Judas, was secretly arranging to betray him to the authorities. As the disciples ask Jesus where they should prepare for the feast, Jesus gives them specific instructions, revealing his foreknowledge of events. This sets the stage for the Last Supper, a pivotal moment immediately before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.
Just as Jesus' followers were preparing for the Passover meal, one of their own, Judas, was secretly arranging to betray him to the authorities. As the disciples ask Jesus where they should prepare for the feast, Jesus gives them specific instructions, revealing his foreknowledge of events. This sets the stage for the Last Supper, a pivotal moment immediately before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.
"Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand.…" — The disciples' question, "Where will you have us prepare...?" isn't just about finding a room; it reveals Jesus' complete dependence on others for His earthly needs, even as He orchestrated the entir…
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Last reviewed October 2026
