Luke 22:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.”

NIV: He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.'

NASB: And he will show you a large, furnished upstairs room; prepare it there.'

CSB: Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there."

NLT: He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.'

KJV: And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

NKJV: Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”

Jerusalem is filled with tens or hundreds of thousands of travelers, not to mention residents. Ideally, Passover is to be celebrated in the temple court. But when Jerusalem is filled with too many people, groups meet throughout the city. Jesus has told Peter and John to prepare a meal for thirteen people: Jesus and the twelve disciples. They can get the food easily enough, but they need a room (Luke 22:7–9).

Jesus gives them seemingly random instructions: go into the city gate and follow a man carrying a jar of water. This man will lead them to a house. Tell the master of the house that "The Teacher" is coming and wants to know where the guest room is (Luke 22:10–11). Not only will they find a room, but it will be fully furnished with a table and enough reclining couches for all of them.

Considering all Jesus wants to say to His disciples (John 13–17), the upper room is ideal. It is here that Jesus will wash the disciples' feet in a living example of servant-leadership. He will tell the disciples that one of them will betray Him but all of them will abandon Him. Most heart-breaking, He will reveal that He is leaving—returning to the Father—and they cannot follow.

But He also promises them the Holy Spirit: God in them. The Holy Spirit will guide them as they spread the news about Jesus' resurrection and build the church. In fact, within fifty days of this meal, Jesus will have died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. The Spirit will have indwelt His followers. And Peter will stand before a crowd of thousands who have come to Jerusalem for Pentecost, sharing the good news (Acts 2).

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.