Preparations for the Passover Meal

Reference

Mark 14:12-16

Introduction

All Jews had to eat a special meal at Passover time every year. It was to remind people about when the Jews escaped from Egypt a long time before. At that time God had told the Jews to sacrifice young sheep. They had to put blood from young sheep on their door-posts. When the ' angel of death' saw the blood he passed over their houses. So their first-born sons remained alive. God told the Jews how to cook the young sheep meat. He told them to eat the meat with flat bread and special leaves. Jews still had to cook the meal in the same way. And they had to eat it in the way God had told them.

Questions to ask

(v12) What was the ' Feast of Unleavened Bread'?

(v12) What happened at the first Passover?

(v12) It was important to prepare with great care. Why was that?

(v12) The disciples did not know where to prepare the meal. Why?

(v13) Why did Jesus send two disciples?

(v13) Why would it be special to see a man who was carrying a jar of water?

(v14) It seems that Jesus had already agreed that they could use the room. Perhaps he knew the person to whom it belonged. Why had Jesus kept it secret?

(v15) What did the disciples need to prepare?

(v16) When the disciples went to the city what were they thinking? Do you think they were afraid?

(v16) The time to eat the Passover meal was not until the evening of the next day. Did the disciples expect Jesus to do something special at Passover?

Something to do

Jesus' words must have seemed very strange to the disciples. But they did what he told them to do. Do we obey immediately when Jesus speaks to us?