Daily Devotional For Friday, March 6, 2026
Good morning Southside. Thank you for taking the time to join us with today’s devotional. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we come to Matthew 26:17-19:
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ (18) And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’ (19) The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover” (NASB).
The time of Jesus’ life is about to come to an end. This will be His last week alive. It is Passover and the disciples have requested of Jesus how they should go about preparing for this. This passage sits within a longer text of Matthew 26:17-30. As a result, we are going to break it down into parts. Passover was also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Technically, Passover was a one day celebration, starting on Thursday at sun-down. So, the disciples were wanting to know how they should go about celebrating it. This day prior to Passover was loosely referred to as being part of Passover. It was customary for families to celebrate it together with the oldest male member of the family leading the family in the celebration. Jesus lets His disciples know that they will celebrate it as if they were a family – they will celebrate it together with Him leading it.
They will need a room big enough to take 12 disciples and Jesus. This would be a challenge since thousands of pilgrims have come to Jerusalem to celebrate it. Matthew’s Gospel gives the impression that when the disciples went into town they would find a random man, but Mark’s Gospel makes it clear that Jesus had already prearranged everything (see Mark 14:13). This would be based on what appears to be prearranged signals since men did not normally carry water pitchers.
Jesus said, “My time is near,” a reference to His crucifixion and death. The Greek New Testament word translated as “time,” (kairos), refers to a specific time or decisive moment in a person’s life. Some have wondered if Jesus had planned to celebrate the Passover in someone’s home, such as in Bethany with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, where they were stating, which was 2 miles away, why did Jesus not tell His disciples? I think the reason Jesus does what He does is that He knows that Judas has already put into motion the steps to betray Him (see Matt. 26:16) and Jesus wanted to celebrate it without Judas there.
I think Jesus had to make arrangements for the Passover behind Judas’ back, behind the betrayer’s back. Judas would have known where Jesus and His disciples were staying, thus making it easier to find Jesus to arrest Him. I think it is Matthew’s way of letting us know that Jesus was calling the shots, not Judas.
Reflection Assignment: Do you ever wonder if God is in control or if evil or sin is? What has caused you to think this if you do? When tragedy happens, we tend to ask or think, “Where was God?” This question was raised during 911 and other tragedies. Why do you think we expect God to intervene on our behalf or others to prevent a tragedy?
Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 9:27, “Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (ESV).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to trust You and in You no matter what happens. I believe You are good all the time and all the times, You are good no matter what happens. Lord help me to strive to believe You, not betray You. Help me to follow You, not forsake You. Help me to love You, not loathe You when something bad happens. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly