Homilies on Matthew — Homily 81

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5

[[Matthew 26.17]]-18.

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where will You that we prepare for You to eat the Passover? And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.

By the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, he means the day before that feast; for they are accustomed always to reckon the day from the evening, and he makes mention of this in which in the evening the passover must be killed; [[John 13.1]] for on the fifth day of the week they came unto Him. And this one calls the day before the feast of unleavened bread, [[Luke 22.7]] speaking of the time when they came to Him, and another says on this wise, Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed; by the word came, meaning this, it was near, it was at the doors, making mention plainly of that evening. For they began with the evening, wherefore also each adds, when the passover was killed.

And they say, Where will You that we prepare for You to eat the passover? So even from this it is manifest, that He had no house, no place of sojourning; and I suppose neither had they. For surely they would have entreated him to come there. But neither had they any, having now parted with all things.

But wherefore did He keep the passover? To indicate by all things unto the last day, that He is not opposed to the law.

And for what possible reason does He send them to an unknown person? To show by this also that He might have avoided suffering. For He who prevailed over this man's mind, so that he received them, and that by words; what would He not have done with them that crucified Him, if it had been His will not to suffer? And what He did about the ass, this He did here also. For there too He says, If any man say anything unto you, you shall say, that the Lord has need of them; [[Matthew 21.3]] and so likewise here, The Master says, I will keep the passover at your house. But I marvel not at this only, that he received Him, being unknown, but that expecting to bring upon himself such enmity and implacable hostility, he despised the enmity of the multitude.

After this, because they knew him not, He gave them a sign, like as the prophet touching Saul, saying, You shall find one going up and carrying a bottle; [[1 Samuel 10.3]] and here, carrying a pitcher. And see again the display of his power. For He did not only say, I will keep the passover, but He adds another thing also, My time is at hand. And this He did, at once continually reminding His disciples of the passion, so that exercised by the frequency of the prediction, they should be prepared for what was to take place; and at the same time to show to themselves, and to him that was receiving Him, and to all the Jews, which I have often mentioned, that not involuntarily does He come to His passion. And He adds, with my disciples, in order that both th