This verse, Luke 22:7, sets the scene for the Last Supper and the subsequent events of Jesus's passion. Let's break it down:
"The day of Unleavened Bread came...": The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long festival (Exodus 12:15). It immediately followed the Passover. However, by the time of Jesus, the two festivals were often closely linked and even considered as overlapping or virtually synonymous in popular understanding.
"...on which the Passover must be sacrificed.": This refers to the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb was sacrificed on the eve of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at twilight on the 14th of Nisan. The sacrifice was a central act of remembrance, commemorating God's deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). The lamb's blood was spread on the doorposts, protecting them from the angel of death.
Therefore, Luke 22:7 is telling us that the day had arrived when the Jewish people were required to slaughter the Passover lambs in preparation for the Passover meal and the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Significance:
Timing: It establishes the time frame as right before the Passover meal, which is the context for the Last Supper.
Ritual Fulfillment: The Passover lamb sacrifice pointed forward to Jesus himself, who Christians believe is the ultimate sacrifice that delivers them from sin and death, fulfilling the symbolic meaning of the Passover.
Historical Context: It grounds the events in the historical and religious context of first-century Judaism.
In short, this verse is a crucial piece of narrative setting, indicating that it was the time when the Passover lambs were to be sacrificed, signaling the start of the Passover observance and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
This verse, Luke 22:7, sets the scene for the Last Supper and the subsequent events of Jesus's passion. Let's break it down:
"The day of Unleavened Bread came...": The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long festival (Exodus 12:15). It immediately followed the Passover. However, by the time of Jesus, the two festivals were often closely linked and even considered as overlapping or virtually synonymous in popular understanding.
"...on which the Passover must be sacrificed.": This refers to the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb was sacrificed on the eve of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at twilight on the 14th of Nisan. The sacrifice was a central act of remembrance, commemorating God's deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). The lamb's blood was spread on the doorposts, protecting them from the angel of death.
Therefore, Luke 22:7 is telling us that the day had arrived when the Jewish people were required to slaughter the Passover lambs in preparation for the Passover meal and the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Significance:
Timing: It establishes the time frame as right before the Passover meal, which is the context for the Last Supper.
Ritual Fulfillment: The Passover lamb sacrifice pointed forward to Jesus himself, who Christians believe is the ultimate sacrifice that delivers them from sin and death, fulfilling the symbolic meaning of the Passover.
Historical Context: It grounds the events in the historical and religious context of first-century Judaism.
In short, this verse is a crucial piece of narrative setting, indicating that it was the time when the Passover lambs were to be sacrificed, signaling the start of the Passover observance and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.