- 12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
- 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Jesus & Passover
Was Jesus’ final meal with his disciples also a Passover meal? That’s been the general assumption by Christian theologians and there are some signs that this is the case. There are, however, also signs that it’s not the case — the text is unclear on this point.
Jesus’ instructions to prepare for the meal appear designed to make Mark’s audience even more impressed with him. How, for example, did he know that his disciples would encounter someone carrying a pitcher of water who would be going to a house with a large upper room that could be used for a meal? If there were any historical basis to this story, one might justifiably think that Jesus had already made arrangements — after all, the room is already furnished for a meal, not sitting empty.
The narrative parallels between this scene and the passage in chapter 11 when Jesus orders his disciples to obtain an unridden colt for his entry into Jerusalem are striking. Both repeat the same language several times over: he sent two of his disciples, he said to them that they would find something, he instructs them to say something in particular, and the disciples went forth and found what he had foretold.
The “Last Supper” occupies an important theological and Christological position in Mark’s passion narrative. From Jesus’ instructions on the preparations to his comments during the meal itself, everything is designed to provide commentary on Jesus’ mission as well as his eventual execution.
Mark identifies the time as Passover and the meal as a Passover meal — he is very explicit about this. There are a number of aspects of the meal that are consistent with traditional Jewish Passover: drinking wine, eating at night, singing a hymn at the end, and interpreting elements of the meal.
On the other hand, there are also a number of elements that are very notable for their absence: no bitter herbs, no Passover lamb, and no telling of the story of the Jews’ being led out of Egypt. If we are reading about a Passover meal, it’s bizarre that none of these would even be mentioned in passing.
There are also other problems stemming from the chronology that Mark uses: Jewish law forbids holding trials either on a feast day or on the eve of a feast day, which is exactly what Mark describes as happening here. Either Mark is incorrect (perhaps rearranging historical events in order to fit them in with theological or apologetical needs) or the Jewish authorities are acting in an illegal manner. It is perhaps for these reasons that John, unlike the synoptic gospels, places this meal before Passover.
Another problem lies in Mark’s description of the killing of “the passover” (the Passover lambs) on the first day of unleavened bread. This is incorrect — the slaughter of the lambs would have taken place on the eve of Passover itself. Mark, who was probably a Hellenized Jew living outside of Palestine, probably should have known this so why make this error?
