Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."
"Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.
He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."
They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. Luke 22:7-13
During Passover, Jews celebrate the exodus from Egypt. It’s a time to gather with family and close friends to remember the deliverance of God’s people from their oppressors. The Last Supper being held at a Passover feast is highly symbolic. Finally, everyone can be delivered from all oppression through Christ.
Jesus gives his disciples some fairly cryptic instructions: “a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.” Just how many men and how many jars of water would there be in the city? How would the disciples know which one? Well, in the culture of the day, it was fairly easy. Men didn’t carry water. Women were responsible for the water carrying. (I’m not saying it was right. I’m just saying that’s the way it was).
When Jesus told the disciples to find the man carrying the water jar, He could have said “find the man carrying a purse” or “find the man walking out of the Sex in the City movie.” There would only have been one. The disciples probably felt the instruction should be “find the man with the water jar and revoke his man card.” Everyone would have understood.
We don’t know why the man was carrying the water jar that day. Maybe his wife was ill, and it was water day. Maybe he lost a bet. Maybe he was making amends. Whatever the reason, the disciples didn’t question Jesus’ instructions. There’s not even one comment or criticism among them. They just went, found the man, and prepared for Passover.
For the man with the jar, it was an unusual task on an ordinary day. For the disciples, it was a little tradition with the Son of God. For Jesus, it was a sign of things to come later that week.
Who you do you relate to from this account today? Are you the person with an unusual assignment? Are you just going about an ordinary day? Are you slightly confused about the next step God is leading you into?
God freed the captives from Egypt, and then instructed His People to celebrate the annual feast of Passover. He intended that the Passover would point to the fulfillment of the promise: the sacrifice of His Own Son. God even chose that man to do the water duty on that day. God didn’t make it up as He went. He had it all in mind before it even happened. And, of course, He had you and I in mind as well.
This day, this life – neither is an accident. Knowing that God loves you, how are you approaching this day?
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