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On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.” As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

In the Kingdom of God, Victory looks DIFFERENT BUT BETTER than we can imagine.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

Jesus will be betrayed that very evening. It is His last day and evening with His disciples. On the Eve of the worst day that could ever be imagined, He's planning a party. That's My Jesus.

Kingdom victory teaches us to Celebrate in the unknown.

Commentary

Verse 17-19: Jesus' Plan.

Verse 17: Festival of Unleavened Bread—This is another name for the annual Passover celebration. Every year, the Jewish nation celebrates its liberation from Egyptian bondage. It continues to this day and is considered the greatest holiday of the year.

Verse 18: Why wasn't Jesus more specific?— Most scholars believe Jesus wasn't trying to test their faith. He had good reasons for being "cagy" with the plans. He knew Judas was plotting to ambush Him. Therefore, Jesus was likely secretive about where to host the dinner so that He would not be arrested before it could happen.

Verse 18: My Time Has Come— Jesus knows the time is now. He will be arrested before the night is over.

Verse 20-25: The Patience of Jesus.

Verse 20: The Feast—The feast was a special time full of various rituals and ceremonies. They would undoubtedly have gone through all the different rituals and parts of the Passover seder.

Verse 21: One of you will betray Me- Jesus knew and called it out. This shows Jesus' incredible patience and mercy. Think about it. If you knew someone was about to turn you in to the police, even though they had done nothing to you, would you still share a meal with them?

Verse 22: "Not me, right?"- Why did they even ask? Didn't they know? This probably goes to show their growing trust in God and their growing pride in their allegiance. This is a cross between asking and declaration.

Verse 23: The one who has just eaten from this bowl—In the culture of the time, sharing a meal was a big deal. It was almost like pledging to be friends and to defend each other. Jesus is saying that someone who has pledged to be faithful will betray Him.

Verse 24: God's Plan/Our Choice- Jesus parallels God's sovereign will and our free will. God gives us a choice, but it is also within His Sovereign Foreknowledge.

Verse 25: You have said it—This first-century idiom means "You got it" or "Bingo." Jesus is saying Judas said it correctly.

Verse 25-30: Communion.

Communion was taken during the Passover Feast celebration. During the Passover, four cups were received that symbolized God's four promises in Exodus 6:6-7. For more about this, click this link for a deeper dive into the amazing symbolism of the Passover Seder.

Top Takeaway- We can celebrate in the confusion of the unknown.

We live in a world that is full of unknowns. There are always questions and often very few answers. From the disciples' point of view, this had to be a time of great confusion and unknown. However, in the middle of all this confusion, Jesus shows them how to celebrate. This doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't take it seriously. It means He is not worried. He has a plan. We can follow Him without fear because the King knows the way and will always lead us where we need to go. This may mean going through dark places. The disciples were about to enter into the darkest night of their lives. However, Jesus had already made a way. He is already victorious. They just cannot see it yet. They will, and you will too.