¹⁸And [Jesus] said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’”

Presence of mind would be an apt description of how Jesus conducted Himself on the last night before His execution. He was in full control of His life and planning His final meal with His faithful followers. Matthew’s account is markedly shorter than Mark’s (Mark 14:12-16) and Luke’s (Luke 22:7-13), and John leaves this incident out altogether. Such differences can be reasonably explained as God using each of the four chroniclers of Christ’s life to present differing but complementary perspectives.

Jesus was known in many ways, but one was as “the Teacher” (see Mark 5:35, John 11:28). In fact, He wanted His disciples to carry on His teachings after He left: “Go therefore and make disciples … teaching them to observe all that I commanded you …”  (Matt. 28:19-20). Jesus was Lord, and He was also Teacher (John 13:14).

So in His role as “the Teacher,” He planned His final training session with the disciples: a Passover meal in what Mark and Luke call an “upper room.” We refer to this event as the Last Supper. Of the four gospel accounts, John’s contains the most extensive record of what Jesus taught, comprising five chapters (John 13-17). Matthew, in contrast, presents only a brief account of what Jesus taught, focusing on the continuous symbolic reenactment in what we now call “the Lord’s Supper” (variously called “communion” (1 Cor. 10:16 NKJV), “the Lord’s Table” (1 Cor. 10:21), or “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42).

Judas, the turncoat, had left Jesus and the other disciples to go plan with the chief priests his betrayal of Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16). In contrast, the other disciples went to Jesus to plan the Passover meal. While the disciples were ignorant of Judas’ subterfuge, Jesus knew that all the elements were now in place to bring His mission on earth to its predetermined conclusion. He said, “My time is near.” Probably His disciples thought He was referring to the Passover festivities. But because we know how the story plays out, we know that Jesus was inferring that the time of crucifixion was nearing.

Peter put the pieces together in His first public speech when he boldly taught about Jesus to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. His death was not just an unfortunate turn of events that blindsided God and the disciples. No, the crucifixion was planned by none other than God Himself. The human players were merely His instruments to accomplish His purpose in bringing salvation to the world through the death of the one symbolized by the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, namely, Jesus.

“[T]his Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” (Acts 2:23)

While we leave it for another time and place to wrestle with God’s plans and human responsibility, we must not forget what the patriarch Joseph told his brothers who had betrayed him and left him for dead:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Gen. 50:20)

Of course, in Joseph’s case, the betrayal by his brothers led to their salvation from starvation. In Jesus’ case, the betrayal by His Jewish “brethren” led to His sacrificial death on the cross so that all who believe in Him might be saved.

The logistics of the Passover celebration for His last meal with the disciples are not detailed, although we can surmise that some pre-planning had clearly occurred. What is important is recognizing that in Jesus’ mind, everything was going according to plan, and He was orchestrating it all. God’s plan of salvation unfolded just as He determined.

Father God, thank You for determining from eternity past that You would send Your Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for my sin. You are worthy of being worshiped!