He
sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Get ready for us there.”
Mark 14:13-15
Mark 14 [10.] Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, that he might deliver him to them. They, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. He sought how he might conveniently deliver him. On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?”
Mark 14 [13.] He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Get ready for us there.”
Mark 14 [16.] His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
Meaning:
The disciples had asked Jesus where they should prepare the Passover (Mark 14:12). His answer is unusual. He does not name a street or a house. Instead he gives two disciples a sign to look for and a message to deliver. The account is very like the instructions he gave a few days earlier for finding the colt he rode into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-3). Jesus is in control of the events of his last days, even as his enemies plot against him.
- “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water”
In that culture, carrying water jars from the well or spring was normally women’s work; men who carried water usually used leather skins. A man carrying a pitcher would stand out in the crowded streets. Whether Jesus had arranged this beforehand or simply knew it would happen, the sign was clear and easy to follow.
The secrecy may have had a purpose. Judas was already looking for a chance to hand Jesus over (Mark 14:10-11). If the place had been named in advance, the arrest could have taken place during the meal. By keeping the location hidden until the last moment, Jesus made sure he could share the Passover with his disciples undisturbed.
- “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”
The disciples were to speak simply in the name of “the Teacher”. The owner of the house evidently knew who that was and was ready to receive him, so he was probably a follower or friend of Jesus in Jerusalem. During the feast, households in the city were expected to make room for pilgrims to eat the Passover, and many opened their homes freely.
Jesus calls it “my” Passover with “my disciples”. He is the host, gathering his own family around the table. Earlier he had said, “For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35); now his new family would share the meal that marked Israel’s birth as a nation.
- “A large upper room furnished and ready”
Larger houses in Jerusalem had an upper storey reached by outside stairs, often used as a guest room. “Furnished” means it was already laid out with cushions or couches, for at Passover people reclined at the table as free people, no longer slaves. All the disciples needed to do was to prepare the food: the lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs and the wine.
There is a beautiful picture here. Before the disciples asked, a place had been prepared for them. On the same night Jesus told them, “I am going to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
The Significance of Mark 14:13-15
- Jesus knows the way ahead
Jesus’ detailed instructions show that nothing was left to chance. When his followers do not know what lies ahead, they can trust that he does, and follow him one step at a time.
- Opening our homes to Christ
An unnamed householder offered his best room to Jesus. The risen Lord still says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
- Prepared by God
The upper room was ready before the disciples arrived. God often goes before his people and prepares what they need, in ways they discover only as they obey.
Cross-References:
Mark 11:2: "Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat." Similar instructions for the colt.
John 14:2: "I am going to prepare a place for you." Jesus prepares a place for his own.
Revelation 3:20: "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me." Christ’s invitation to share a meal.
Conclusion: Jesus sent two disciples into Jerusalem with a sign to follow, a man carrying a pitcher of water, and a message for the owner of the house he entered: the Teacher wants the guest room to eat the Passover with his disciples. They would find a large upper room already furnished and ready. Jesus remained in charge of his last hours, protecting the meal from interruption and providing for his disciples before they knew their need.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible