Sometimes it may feel as if God is not in control. Calm down. I know. This feeling is more about our perception than reality. But I am not talking about what we know; what we tell ourselves over and over again. I’m talking about how it feels. The forces of evil plot nefarious schemes. The gathering dark clouds seem to be gaining in force and strength. A storm is brewing. Evil is electric with power. I’m not talking about our own personal experience here. I’m talking about the big stage; the worldwide drama. Evil is glammed up and labeled good. Good is vilified. Those who are trying to follow God are seen as villains. Those who brush God’s righteousness aside are viewed as heroes. And where is God in all of this?
Luke 22:7-13 is all about Jesus being in control. The religious leaders are scurrying around seeking for an opportunity to kill him. One of his own disciples, Judas the betrayer, has brokered a deal to hand him over for thirty pieces of silver. And it may seem as if this evil storm is about to break on and overwhelm Jesus. Yes, we know that this storm is God’s plan. But for a moment feel the building electricity; hear the evil chuckling; see the anticipatory glee of the gathered against Jesus leaders. And in the midst of this storm witness the calm control of Jesus as Passover bursts out in the city.
Luke calls the fourteenth of Nisan the day of Unleavened Bread. This is not technically accurate, but it was common to mash Passover together with the seven-day long feast of Unleavened Bread. Josephus does the same thing. Exodus 12:18 speaks of eating unleavened bread on the fourteenth. In Jesus day the Passover lamb was slain in the temple on the afternoon of the fourteenth and that evening the people would eat the Passover in family or friend groups. The meal was to be eaten within the city. Space was a premium. Families swarmed into the houses of their Jerusalem relatives. Rooms, rooftops, courtyards, any space really, was prepared and rented out. The city itself was chaotic and frenetic.
Jesus sends Peter and John to go and prepare the Passover. Matthew begins with the disciples asking the question found in verse 9. Some have seen here a glaring difference. The simplest answer is that Matthew, for whatever reason, does not record that Jesus sent them and then they asked the question. Some people are spending their time in the Bible to find contradictions. How about we spend our time seeking the truth that shapes us? Just a thought. This all seems very natural to me. Jesus picks Peter and John and sends them into the city to make preparations. Their question just makes sense: “Okay, where?”
The question that arises with verses 10-13 is did Jesus make prior arrangements or is this miraculous? The same question comes up with 19:29-40 and the arrangements with the donkey. But maybe, that is not nearly as important as seeing Jesus being in control of the situation. When they enter the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet them. Okay, this is already tasting miraculous to me. In the bursting at the seams, bustling city, a man is going to just happen to meet them? And a man carrying a pitcher of water? Well, that’s woman’s work. If Jesus told them to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water that would seem a little less miraculous. He would stand out! But instead, he will happen upon them. That he is a man who is doing something unusual is conformation to Peter and John. This is the person you follow; this is the person who will lead you to the right house. And just like in Luke 19, Jesus gives them the message to relay to the owner.
On the day of Passover, that there would still be a room, much less a large room that is prepared for the banquet, is either prearranged or miraculous. Again, I’m not sure it is important to decide between the two. The word “furnished” is literally “spread out,” and it most likely has the idea of being set up for the meal. Interestingly, the word “guest room” is the same word used in 2:7 in the birth narrative of Jesus. I am not making a connection other than it is interesting. Oh, and one of the reasons for this taking place on the day of the meal, is that even the disciples didn’t know where they would be partaking of Passover. This would not be the moment that Judas fulfilled his end of the agreement.
The forces of evil are building up against Jesus. The city is thronging. The atmosphere is electric. And Jesus quietly orchestrates an upper room gathering for Passover. The storm is within God’s control, and the timing will be God’s timing. And there is something that needed doing first. Passover. God is in control even when it feels as if he isn’t. He is orchestrating in ways we can merely guess at. Peace.