Luke 22:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

NIV: Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

NASB: Now the first day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

CSB: Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

NLT: Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed.

KJV: Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.

NKJV: Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.

Passover is a remembrance of the night before the Israelites escaped Egypt. The people were told to slaughter a one-year-old male lamb or goat and paint their doorposts with the blood. They were to roast the lamb and eat it all with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. While they ate, they were to be dressed for travel. That night, God swept through Egypt and killed the firstborn males of any house that did not have blood on the doorposts (Exodus 12:5–13).

To continue the commemoration of such an event, the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately followed (Exodus 12:14–20). Through the years, the two titles—the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—were used to identify the entire eight-day celebration. Once the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the Passover celebration is mentioned very rarely. Joshua led it immediately after Israel crossed the Jordan (Joshua 5:10–12). About seven hundred years later, Hezekiah celebrated it (2 Chronicles 30). About a century after Hezekiah, Josiah ordered it (2 Kings 23:21–23). After the return of the exiles from Babylon, it became more regular (Ezra 6:19–22).

The Passover lamb was to be slain the afternoon before Passover: between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Passover day began that sunset and the lamb was to be eaten after sunset (Numbers 9:2–3).

The "day" of Unleavened Bread, then, can mean the time of the eight-day celebration or the day before Passover as a day of preparation. Either way, on that day tens of thousands of Jews have descended upon Jerusalem to properly observe the feast. Jesus has waited until the last minute to tell the disciples to prepare, showing how firmly He has things under control.

Luke 22:7–13 is a preparation. The Sanhedrin has prepared for Jesus' arrest, and Judas is prepared for his betrayal of Christ (Luke 22:1–6). Now, Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare for the Passover dinner. The disciples have witnessed Jesus' supernatural knowledge, so of course they follow His oddly specific instructions and find a room already prepared for them. Matthew 26:17–19 and Mark 14:12–16 also record the preparations.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.