“Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?”
The full verse · Mark 14:12 · KJV
the of unleavened , they the , unto , wilt that we and thou mayest the ?
Asked by
Disciples: "his disciples" (Mark 14:12), who asked on "the first day of unleavened bread"; Jesus then sent "two of his disciples" into the city to prepare (Mark 14:13)
Asked to
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, who would eat this Passover with the twelve on the night He was betrayed (Mark 14:17-18)
The Scene
On the first day of unleavened bread, "when they killed the passover," Jesus' disciples ask Him where to prepare, just after Mark tells of Judas going to the chief priests to betray Him (Mark 14:10-12).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe Passover lamb was killed that day, and the meal had to be made ready for the evening. Someone had to find a place and prepare it, so the disciples asked Jesus where He wanted it. Gill explains the timing: it was now Thursday morning, the lamb was to be killed after the middle of the day and eaten in Jerusalem at night, and they were at Bethany, near two miles from the city. He adds that "it was usual for servants to get ready the passover for their masters." The disciples did not choose a place on their own. They asked where He wanted to keep the feast, "that thou mayest eat the passover."
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answered with directions and a sign. He sent two disciples: "Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him" (Mark 14:13). They were to ask the owner of the house for the guestchamber, and he would "shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared" (Mark 14:14-15). It happened just as Jesus said: they "found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover" (Mark 14:16). Luke names the two disciples as Peter and John (Luke 22:8).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe Passover was the yearly feast remembering Israel's deliverance from Egypt, followed by the days of unleavened bread, when no bread made with yeast was eaten. Barnes counts the feast as eight days, including the day the lamb was killed, which was the fourteenth day of the month Abib (citing Exodus 12:15). He also notes that the word translated "passover" commonly means the lamb itself, which is why the ESV says "sacrificed the Passover lamb."
Gill explains that the lamb did not have to be killed by a priest; an ordinary Israelite could slay it. But it was "always killed in the court of the temple, and after the middle of the day," and then eaten at night in Jerusalem.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyMark sets two preparations side by side. Judas "sought how he might conveniently betray him" (Mark 14:11), and in the next verse the disciples ask how to prepare the Passover (Mark 14:12). Jesus is not caught off guard by either. Matthew Henry writes, "our Lord knows all things about us before they come to pass." His answer shows Him guiding every detail of the night.
The meal they made ready became the table where Jesus took bread and said, "Take, eat: this is my body," and took the cup, "my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" (Mark 14:22-24). Barnes points to 1 Corinthians 5:7, where Christ is called "our Passover," that is, "our paschal lamb," offered as a sacrifice for our sins. The disciples asked where to prepare the lamb; at that very meal Jesus spoke of His own body and blood.
Look Closer
What made this the day to ask about preparing the Passover?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, the disciples asked where You wanted to keep the feast; where would You have me make room for You this week?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The disciples asked Jesus before they chose a place. What makes it hard for you to ask Him before you make your plans?
- Jesus gave them only the next step, and they found everything "as he had said." Tell about a time you followed one step of God's leading before you could see the whole plan.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Ordinary preparation can be worship. The disciples' task was practical: find a room, prepare the lamb, make ready the meal. They began by asking Jesus where He wanted it. You can bring your practical questions to Him too: where, when, and how.
Jesus did not give them the whole evening's plan. He gave them the next step: go into the city and follow a man with a pitcher of water. They went and "found as he had said" (Mark 14:16). Matthew Henry puts it simply: "Those who would have Christ's presence in the gospel passover, must do what he says."
This doesn't mean you should expect a sign like the man with the pitcher for every decision. That was a specific word for a specific night. But the same Lord still leads His people, and His word can be trusted one step at a time.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?”
“Where wilt thou that we prepare?”
“Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”
“Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”