In Matthew, the retelling of Jesus’ last night with his Apostles begins with the disciples preparation for the Passover meal, and concludes with the tale of Peter’s denial.  While the mood throughout this retelling is somber, one cannot help but notice that there is an emphatic insistence on recognizing these happenings and circumstances as the work of God's plan of salvation for the world.  For more on God's plan of salvation, click here.

We notice that the preparation events in Matthew are not nearly as detailed as Mark and Luke.  In Matthew, Jesus simply commands them to go to the house of the man.  In Mark and Luke, Jesus instructs them to prepare the upper room of the house.  According to Cyril of Alexandria, the owner of the house is the one more clearly defined in Mark and Luke, thus the same house.     There is not much emphasis placed on this aspect of the story, except to show that Jesus commands his disciples to make the preparations, and they follow his instruction.  It is interesting to note that in Mark, the Lord asks “Where is my room…?” where in Matthew, the Lord commands, “It is at your house that I will keep the Passover with my disciples.”   He prefaces this with his proclamation, “my time is near.”  This begins Matthew’s focus on the unfolding of the salvific plan of God through the death of His Son.  His deliverance begins with the meal and betrayal, and is fulfilled on the Cross.

We can also glean a certain understanding of the financial situation of the Apostles from this text.  Jesus does not ask the men to prepare for the passover feast in their own homes.  Indeed, as St. John Chrysostom points out, it is clear that they had no homes, for if they did they would have most willingly have asked him to take the Passover meal there.  They had disposed of everything they owned - they were as displaced as they could possibly be.

Now, let us continue by looking at the meal which Christ celebrated.....(click here)