John Gill Commentary Mark 14:12

"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?" — Mark 14:12 (ASV)

And the first day of unleavened bread
Being come, which was the fourteenth of Nisan:

when they killed the passover ;
that is, "the Jews", as the Syriac and Persic versions supply; for any Israelite, who was not a priest, might slay it: their canon runs thus ^F24 ,

``an Israelite kills (the passover), and a priest receives (the blood), and gives it to his neighbour, and his neighbour to his neighbour, and he receives (the basin) full, and returns it empty; the priest that is near to the altar sprinkles it, at one sprinkling, over against the bottom of it.''

Upon which the commentators ^F25 observe, that the slaying of the passover by strangers; that is, such as are not priests, lawful. And so Philo the Jew, speaking of the passover, says ^F26 ; ``at which time the common people do not bring their sacrifices to the altar, and the priests slay; but by the command of the law, (sumpan to eynov) , "the whole nation", does the work of a priest; every one particularly bringing the sacrifices for himself, and then slaying them with his own hands.''

But then it was always killed in the court of the temple, and after the middle of the day; (See Gill on Matthew 26:17);

his disciples said unto him, where will you that we go and prepare,
that you may eat the passover :
for it was now Thursday morning, and the passover was to be slain after the middle of the day, between the two evenings, and eaten in Jerusalem at night; and they were now at Bethany, near two miles from the city; and it was usual for servants to get ready the passover for your masters; (See Gill on Matthew 26:17).

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FOOTNOTES:

• F24: Misn. Pesachim, c. 5. sect. 6.
• F25: Jarchi, Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.
• F26: De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 686.