Mar 14:14 | KingComments | STEP | While Judas is busy looking for an opportunity to betray the Lord, the other disciples want to commit themselves to Him that He can eat the Passover. It has now become Thursday, the fifth day of the week that will be the most memorable of all the weeks that have ever been on earth. The Lord knows that during this Passover, He will be slain as the Lamb in order to work a better salvation than that from Egypt. As visitors to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover, He and His disciples have no home of their own. With the hustle and bustle it will also be difficult to find a vacant building. Their question shows that their hearts go out to this celebration. Above all, they understand that it is His desire. They want to make preparations for the Passover so that He can eat it. What seems to be a practical difficulty is not a difficulty for the Lord. He knows where He can go. He sends out two of His disciples and gives them directions to come to the place where He wants to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. He does not give an address, but some characteristics. This means that they must be careful to see if they can perceive the attributes He has given. They have to look for someone to meet them – they don’t have to pass anyone – who is carrying a pitcher of water. Normally women carry the pitchers, but this is a man. If they see that man, they must follow him. The water in the pitcher is most likely the water with which the Lord will wash the feet of the disciples ( ). The place of the Lord is a clean place, where cleansing takes place. Here we have a beautiful picture of how Christ brings believers to the place where He meets with them. It is not about an address, but about the heart of the seeker. The man carrying the pitcher of water represents a believer who is guided by God’s Word, of which the water is a picture ( ). The Lord Jesus wants to bring believers seeking the place of gathering around Him into contact with believers who place their lives under the authority of God’s Word. Such believers can from that Word teach others about the gathering of believers and show them what, according to Scripture, are the spiritual characteristics of that place of gathering. We prepare it for Him when we are there in accordance with what befits Him. The disciples should follow the man to the house where he enters. Then they may ask the owner of that house in the Master’s name for His “guest room”. They may also say what He needs that guest room for. “Guest room” is the same word as “inn”. Both words are wonderful names for what the church is supposed to be. We are guests with Him, the Master, and He has brought us, who once were in the power of satan, into the inn of the church (cf. ). As a church we are allowed to have this ‘inn function’ for others as well. It is “My” guest room, the guest room of the Lord Jesus, because the church is His. The word ‘inn’ is the same as in Luke 2, in which there was no room for Him at His birth ( ). In the world where there is no place for Him, He Himself has an inn for His own, where He receives them with Himself. The disciples will discover that there is not only a large upper room furnished and ready, but also a prepared heart with the lord of that house (cf. ). The upper room has the following characteristics: 1. It is a “large” upper room, there is room for many. 2. It is a “furnished” upper room, everything is present, nothing needs to be added. 3. It is a “ready” upper room, the room is ready to use, nothing needs to be organized to make it all run smoothly. 4. It’s an “upper room”, it’s a space elevated above the bustle of the world. In such a place, believers may come together to honor the slain Lamb for the work He has done. As always, it also happens now as the Lord has said. Only those who obediently do what He says will experience this. All those who know this do not boast of it, but acknowledge that it is a great grace that they were allowed to obey and act according to His Word.

‏ Mark 14:14

Preparation of the Passover

While Judas is busy looking for an opportunity to betray the Lord, the other disciples want to commit themselves to Him that He can eat the Passover. It has now become Thursday, the fifth day of the week that will be the most memorable of all the weeks that have ever been on earth. The Lord knows that during this Passover, He will be slain as the Lamb in order to work a better salvation than that from Egypt.

As visitors to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover, He and His disciples have no home of their own. With the hustle and bustle it will also be difficult to find a vacant building. Their question shows that their hearts go out to this celebration. Above all, they understand that it is His desire. They want to make preparations for the Passover so that He can eat it.

What seems to be a practical difficulty is not a difficulty for the Lord. He knows where He can go. He sends out two of His disciples and gives them directions to come to the place where He wants to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. He does not give an address, but some characteristics. This means that they must be careful to see if they can perceive the attributes He has given.

They have to look for someone to meet them – they don’t have to pass anyone – who is carrying a pitcher of water. Normally women carry the pitchers, but this is a man. If they see that man, they must follow him. The water in the pitcher is most likely the water with which the Lord will wash the feet of the disciples (Jn 13:5). The place of the Lord is a clean place, where cleansing takes place.

Here we have a beautiful picture of how Christ brings believers to the place where He meets with them. It is not about an address, but about the heart of the seeker. The man carrying the pitcher of water represents a believer who is guided by God’s Word, of which the water is a picture (Eph 5:26). The Lord Jesus wants to bring believers seeking the place of gathering around Him into contact with believers who place their lives under the authority of God’s Word. Such believers can from that Word teach others about the gathering of believers and show them what, according to Scripture, are the spiritual characteristics of that place of gathering. We prepare it for Him when we are there in accordance with what befits Him.

The disciples should follow the man to the house where he enters. Then they may ask the owner of that house in the Master’s name for His “guest room”. They may also say what He needs that guest room for. “Guest room” is the same word as “inn”. Both words are wonderful names for what the church is supposed to be. We are guests with Him, the Master, and He has brought us, who once were in the power of satan, into the inn of the church (cf. Lk 10:33-35). As a church we are allowed to have this ‘inn function’ for others as well.

It is “My” guest room, the guest room of the Lord Jesus, because the church is His. The word ‘inn’ is the same as in Luke 2, in which there was no room for Him at His birth (Lk 2:7). In the world where there is no place for Him, He Himself has an inn for His own, where He receives them with Himself.

The disciples will discover that there is not only a large upper room furnished and ready, but also a prepared heart with the lord of that house (cf. Mk 11:3). The upper room has the following characteristics:

1. It is a “large” upper room, there is room for many.

2. It is a “furnished” upper room, everything is present, nothing needs to be added.

3. It is a “ready” upper room, the room is ready to use, nothing needs to be organized to make it all run smoothly.

4. It’s an “upper room”, it’s a space elevated above the bustle of the world.

In such a place, believers may come together to honor the slain Lamb for the work He has done.

As always, it also happens now as the Lord has said. Only those who obediently do what He says will experience this. All those who know this do not boast of it, but acknowledge that it is a great grace that they were allowed to obey and act according to His Word.