customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked Him,
“Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat
the Passover?” (Mark 14: 12)
Imagine yourself in the shoes of the apostles as they anticipate the
first day of Unleavened Bread and ask Jesus to tell them where He
wants them to go and prepare to eat the Passover. Judas has already
gone to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. What answer do
they expect to hear? Will it be left for them to find a suitable location
for thirteen guests to eat and some family to prepare the meal?
The importance of the gathering is signaled by the very detailed in-
structions Jesus gives to the two apostles (Peter and John) who are
given this task. Jesus has pre-ordained the event down to the last
detail…1) Go to the city; 2) you will be met by a man carrying a jar of
water and you are instructed to follow him; 3) wherever he enters,
ask the owner of the house, “where is my guest room where I may
eat the Passover with my disciples?” 4) He will show you a large
room upstairs furnished and ready.
Why such secrecy? Two men meeting a third man carrying a water
Jar would be less obvious than all of the apostles going together to
the house. Privacy is essential for the institution of the most sacred
rite of communion with Jesus.
How will you react if sometime in the future, you must disguise your
participation of communion in order to avoid persecution? Are you
ready?
Janet and David Harden
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