“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?’” (Matthew 26:17 ESV).
Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and in this verse he carefully described Jesus’ last supper within the Passover timeline. He described the moment using Jewish timekeeping, where days began at sunset rather than sunrise. The disciples spoke to Jesus during the daytime of Passover preparation, but the meal they prepared would be eaten after sunset, when the first day of Unleavened Bread officially began. Matthew showed that this timing was not accidental, but deliberate and faithful to the Law.
By recording that Jesus ate the Passover at its appointed time, Matthew emphasized that Israel was remembering redemption from Egypt even as God was bringing about the greater redemption through Christ. Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples as the covenant meal of remembrance. Then, within the same Jewish day, He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. Matthew presented Jesus not as a victim, but as the One moving steadily toward a divinely appointed hour. The feast, the sacrifice, and the fulfillment all converged exactly as the Scriptures had foretold.
Jesus ate the Passover as Israel remembered redemption. He was crucified as the true Passover Lamb. His blood was shed on the very day Passover was fulfilled. The apostle Paul later summarized this truth plainly: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Once Jewish timekeeping and festival Sabbaths are accounted for, the Gospel timeline stands as coherent, consistent, and theologically rich, revealing God’s sovereign control over history.
We are often impatient with God’s timing and tempted to doubt when His promises seem delayed. Yet this passage reminds us that God is never late and never early. Just as Jesus said, “My time is at hand,” every detail unfolded exactly according to the Father’s plan. When we feel forgotten or uncertain, we can rest in the assurance that God’s Word will be fulfilled just as He has spoken. We can trust God’s perfect timing.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that Your plans and timing are perfect. Help us to trust You when we are waiting and to rest in Your promises when we are uncertain. Teach us to keep believing when we feel forgotten, knowing that Your Word will always be fulfilled. Strengthen our faith as we trust in Your perfect timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.