Luke 22:7-13 (NIV) 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.
The disciples were all observant Jews, and at the Passover every year in Jerusalem. For the last three years, they had eaten it with Jesus. But this year was different. There was a great sense of expectation among the disciples.
Five days earlier, Jesus had ridden into town to jubilant crowds proclaiming Him to be the Messiah, and He had accepted the title. Then He had cleared the temple courts of the merchants, and had stared down those who confronted Him about it. Finally, the number of those who were gathering around Jesus and listening to Him was rapidly increasing. It looked like His ascension to the throne was imminent.
So they were anticipating that the Passover dinner this year would be extraordinary. They were excited about all the possibilities, and when Jesus instructed them to go and start the preparations, they were ready to get moving. All they needed to know was the place that He had arranged.
Jesus gave them peculiar directions that were entirely in keeping with His character. Instead of telling them a street name or giving them a landmark to look for, they were told to look for the unusual sight of a man carrying a water jar. (It was normally women who did that work.) They were to follow him, and the house that he entered would be the place that the feast was to be prepared.
Of course, when they obeyed Jesus, they found that everything was exactly as He told them that it would be. And they got everything ready for what they believed would be a banner event.
Father, I have found in so many cases that when I obey You precisely, I discover that You have gone ahead of me to prepare the way before me. Lord, even in places where the mission seems impossible, help me to simply trust, and to follow Your guidance. Then I can know that I will see Your will fulfilled in miraculous ways. Amen.