The Passover meal: V. 13. And they went and found as He had said unto them; and they made ready the Passover.
V. 14. And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. V. 15. And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; V. 16. for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Just as Jesus had told them by His divine omniscience, the disciples found everything, and so could prepare the food for the Passover meal. They bought a lamb whose condition complied with the requirements of the Law. After the close of the evening service they took it up to the Temple, where all the priests were on duty. The man who represented the household slaughtered the animal himself, while a priest caught the blood and passed it on to be sprinkled against the altar of burnt offering. All the ceremonies of the Temple were carried on during the singing of the great Hallel.
The two disciples then provided also the necessary unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, and the reddish-brown sauce known as charoseth, which was to remind the people of the bricks of Egypt. Having gotten everything in order, they either returned to Bethany, or, more probably, waited for the rest of the company to come, thus making a total number of twelve apostles, to which number must be added Jesus Himself. He, the Lord, had prepared everything for His suffering and death. The evil counsel of the Jews would never have been successful if He had not agreed thereto. Not the time that they had deemed expedient, but the day that He had chosen would bring His death.
At the appointed hour in the evening, the time when the Passover meal was eaten according to Jewish custom, Jesus took His position on the sofa, He reclined at the table after the Oriental custom which had been accepted by the Jews, and His disciples, the twelve apostles, with Him. His very first words showed that He was deeply moved. He had desired most earnestly, He had longed with a great longing, to eat this Passover meal with them before His great Passion. For He would celebrate no more festival meals with them until the perfection of the kingdom of God would be attained.