Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
The difficulty is not so easily resolved. Matthew says the disciples asked on the first day of unleavened bread, yet John makes clear that Christ was crucified on the preparation day, before the nation's passover. Christ ate it a day early, and no sophistry can hide this fact; yet we must not suppose He took liberty against the Law. The true reason remains to be inquired.
AI summary
Our Lord's foreknowledge here is extraordinary: He knew precisely when a man bearing a pitcher would cross the disciples' path, and which house they would enter. This man, likely a secret disciple, would understand their meaning without being told his name, and would offer them the upper room prepared and furnished.
AI summary
The feast lasted eight days, beginning with the day the paschal lamb was killed and eaten, the fourteenth of Abib. During those eight days no leavened bread could be eaten. The word passover itself often means not the feast but the lamb, which is why Christ our Passover is said to be slain for us.
AI summary