Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:17

"Now on the first [day] of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we make ready for thee to eat the passover?" — Matthew 26:17 (ASV)

The first day of the feast of unleavened bread—St. Mark and St. Luke, writing for Gentile readers, add the explanation that this was when the Passover lamb was to be slain. The precision with which the first three Gospels emphasize this fact leaves no room for doubt that they viewed the Last Supper as the celebration of the actual Passover Feast. As has been said, St. John’s narrative leaves a different impression at first glance.

Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?—Since His entry, our Lord had spent each night at Bethany (likely in the house of Lazarus or Simon the leper) or in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). However, the Passover lamb was to be slain and eaten in Jerusalem, so special preparations were needed. Only once before, and probably only once, had the disciples kept that feast with Him in the Holy City (John 2:13). As they asked the question, were they expecting this feast to be the chosen and seemingly appropriate time for the victorious manifestation of the Kingdom? We learn from St. Luke 22:7 that the two who were sent were Peter and John.