Church Fathers Commentary Mark 14:12-16

"And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the passover, his disciples say unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him; and wheresoever he shall enter in, say to the master of the house, The Teacher saith, Where is my guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will himself show you a large upper room furnished [and] ready: and there make ready for us. And the disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover." — Mark 14:12-16 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: While Judas was plotting how to betray Him, the rest of the disciples were arranging the preparation of the Passover, as it is said, “And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said to Him, ‘Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?’”

The Venerable Bede: By “the first day of the Passover,” he means the fourteenth day of the first month, when they put away leaven and used to sacrifice—that is, to kill the lamb in the evening. The Apostle explains this, saying, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

For although He was crucified the next day, that is, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, on the night the lamb was offered He entrusted to His disciples the Mysteries of His Body and Blood for them to celebrate. On that same night, He was seized and bound by the Jews. In this way, He consecrated the beginning of His sacrifice—that is, His Passion.

Pseudo-Jerome: The unleavened bread eaten with bitterness—that is, with bitter herbs—is our redemption, and the bitterness is the Passion of our Lord.

Theophylact of Ohrid: From the disciples' words, “Where do you want us to go?”, it seems clear that Christ had no dwelling place, and that the disciples had no houses of their own. If they had, they would have taken Him there.

Pseudo-Jerome: They ask, “Where do you want us to go?”, to show us that we should direct our steps according to the will of God. But the Lord points out with whom He would eat the Passover and, following His custom, sends two disciples, as we have explained above. This is why it continues, “And He sends forth two of His disciples, and He says to them, ‘Go into the city.’”

Theophylact of Ohrid: He sent two of His disciples, Peter and John (as Luke says), to a man unknown to Him, implying that He could have avoided His Passion if He had wished. For what could He not accomplish in others, since He influenced the mind of a stranger to receive them? He also gives them a sign to identify the house, adding, “and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: Mark says a pitcher, while Luke says a two-handed vessel. One points out the type of vessel, the other the way it was carried, but both mean the same thing. ¹

The Venerable Bede: It is a proof of His divinity that while speaking with His disciples, He knows what will take place elsewhere. This is why it says, “And His disciples went out, came into the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.”

St. John Chrysostom: He ate not our Passover, but for the time being, that of the Jews. He did not only establish ours, but He Himself became our Passover. Why did He eat it? Because He was “made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law” (Galatians 4:4), and He Himself brought the Law to its fulfillment. So that no one could say He abolished it because He could not meet its difficult requirements, He first fulfilled it Himself and then brought it to an end.

Pseudo-Jerome: In a mystical sense, the city is the Church, surrounded by the wall of faith. The man who meets them is the early Jewish people, and the pitcher of water is the law of the letter.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the water is the washing of grace, and the pitcher indicates the weakness of those who were to show that grace to the world.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The one who is baptized carries the pitcher of water, and he who bears his baptism comes to rest if he lives according to reason. He finds this rest by being in the house.

This is why it adds, “Follow Him.”

Pseudo-Jerome: That is, follow the one who leads to the high place, where the refreshment prepared by Christ is found. The master of the house is the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord entrusted His house, so that there may be one faith under one Shepherd (John 21:15). The large upper room is the widespread Church, in which the Name of the Lord is proclaimed, prepared with a variety of powers and languages.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the large upper room is spiritually the Law, which emerges from the narrowness of the letter and receives the Savior in the lofty chamber of the soul. But the names of both the water-bearer and the master of the house are intentionally omitted to imply that power is given to all who wish to celebrate the true Passover—that is, to be imbued with the Sacraments of Christ and to receive Him in the dwelling place of their minds.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, the master of the house is the intellect, which points to the large upper room—that is, the loftiness of understanding. Though it is high, it has no vanity or pride but is prepared and leveled by humility. It is there, in such a mind, that Christ's Passover is prepared by Peter and John—that is, by action and contemplation.

1. de Con. Evan, ii, 80