Matthew 26: 17 – 19
What is the secret code?
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
In looking over the other Gospels we find that Mark and Luke also recorded this same situation;
Mark 14, “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
Luke 22: 7 – 13, “7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” 9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?” 10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.” 13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
Since 1980 there have more than 145 attacks on churches in the US, killing more than 200 people.
Since 1980 there have more than 145 attacks on churches in the US, according to a database by the Center for Homicide Research in Minneapolis which kept a record of church shootings from 1980-2005.
Averaging almost four every year, the list only records attacks directly on churches and said 185 people died, including 36 children, just up until 2005.
To deal with this increased evil, churches have taken steps to provide protection for those who attend their service. These safe guards range from the installation of new evacuation guidelines; undercover armed security forces, building, parking lot blockades; and lockdowns utilizing secret codes ranging from building locations, armed force deployment, and an ‘all safe’ code signifying the ending of an active shooter(s) or danger.
Our Great and Mighty king and God Jesus Christ knew what His traitorous follower Judas was planning so He proactively set in order a plan that Judas would not be able to report on to the religious leadership. We will see that part of His plan was the arrangement of a secret code or password be utilized.
It was now 14th of Nisan, the day of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, and Peter and John as Luke points out to us were to prepare for the Passover, which would require the provision of bread and bitter herbs, of suitable wine and the necessary slaughter of the lamb in the Temple, which would then be brought to the reserved place to be roasted and eaten.
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
While initially the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread had been two separate feasts combined, they had gradually come to be one and the whole could therefore be described as ‘the Passover’ or as ‘the Feast of Unleavened Bread’. This is witnessed to both in the Old Testament (2 Chronicles 30.13 -15) and in Josephus.
Please take note here how Passover can be called ‘the day of unleavened bread’ even though it is the day before ‘the Feast of Unleavened Bread’ began. This was because it was the day for removing unleavened bread from their houses. On this day they would ensure that any remaining leavened bread had been removed, so that the period of being free from leaven could begin. Luke is thus stressing the connection of the Feast with what is about to happen. The sinless Lamb of God Who had come to take away the sins of the world had come to be offered up. His hour had come.
All the disciples would be in expectancy of celebrating the Passover within the city walls, which was obligatory. Thus, it was quite natural for them to ask The Lord Jesus where preparations had to be made. They could not observe it in Bethany. Matthew mentions no names for he does not want to clutter up his account with detail. His eye is on the main events. The partaking in the Passover lamb was a central aspect of Passover, and thus it can be described in terms of ‘eating the Passover’. Like all Jews our Lord Jesus and His disciples observed the Passover annually, and like large numbers of Galileans they would go to Jerusalem for that purpose.
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
Two prominent Apostles as I mentioned were Peter and John. They were sent to ‘make ready the Passover’ as representatives of their group. The owner of the guest chamber would assist with some of the preparations, but the lamb itself had to be offered by a representative of the group in the Temple and then taken to the house to be cooked. The Passover lambs for all who were in Jerusalem would be offered in the Temple, in the afternoon. There were so many that it would be done in three sessions, which followed the afternoon daily offering which was deliberately made early on this day. The first two would be absolutely packed out. The two Apostles would thus be joining a large crowd of men who were taking their Passover lambs for that purpose or were seeking to purchase them in the court of the Gentiles. The lambs would need to be checked to ensure that they were without blemish. They would then be taken into the court of the Priests where each would slaughter his own lamb with the blood being caught in a bowl by a priest who would then pass it along to another priest who was standing there for the purpose, who would apply it to the altar. The whole process had been streamlined, but it would still take some time.
We learn in the other Gospels that the Lord Jesus had also made certain arrangements to ensure that no one, apart from two fully trustworthy disciples, knew in which house the celebration was to be held until the actual event took place, by which time it would no longer matter. The meal would be over before any information could leak out.
Please look again at the statement “The Teacher says,’ My time is at hand. I keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”
Our Lord Jesus was taking charge of everything that was going on. Nothing is going to surprise Him. He Is aware of all the evil plans of Judas and the priests. It is like a James Bond movie. Our Lord has arranged special pass words to arrange His last meal with His friends.
This would appear to have been an arranged password. Our Lord Jesus was often spoken of as ‘the Teacher’. Or it may be that a friend had arranged it and informed Jesus that he had booked it in His name as ‘the Teacher’. ‘My time is at hand’ would indicate to the houseowner that it was now time to prepare for the meal, but it had the double significance that the time was now drawing near when Jesus would fulfil His destiny. This Passover was to be of especial importance (John 13.1).
The disciples did as Jesus appointed them.’ This may have been intended to emphasize that the Lord was always to be obeyed, and that their obedience was to be an example to all. The result was that they made all the necessary preparations for the Passover, including the sacrificing of the lamb in the Temple and then the bringing of it to the appointed house ready for the meal. The houseowner may well himself have provided the unleavened bread, the vegetables, the bitter herbs, the sauces and the wine. All was now ready for the final Passover. Once this was over God’s final deliverance would have been accomplished, and Passover would no longer have any significance to believers (even though it would continue to be observed by many Christian Jews. They would, however, give it a new meaning).
