Luke 22:1

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

XXII.

(1, 2) Now, the feast of unleavened bread . . .—See Notes on Matthew 26:1-5; Mark 14:1-2. St. Luke’s way of giving a preliminary explanation of the Jews’ Passover is characteristic of the Gentile Evangelist.

Benson Commentary

Luke 22:1-6. Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh — Being to be celebrated within two days after our Lord had delivered the prophecies and admonitions recorded above. Concerning this feast, see on Matthew 26:2. The chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him — See on Matthew 26:3-5. But they feared the people — Lest, if they seized him openly, a tumult should be raised among them, either to rescue him out of their hands, or to avenge his death. Then entered Satan — For he is never wanting to assist those whose hearts are bent upon mischief; into Judas — Being one of the twelve. This was a circumstance of such high aggravation, that it is observable each of the evangelists has marked it out in this view. See on Matthew 26:14-16, and Mark 14:10. He went — He went from Christ and his company, who were at Bethany, in the house of Simon, to the house of Caiaphas, the high-priest, whom he knew to be a most inveterate enemy to his Master, and having found means of introducing himself, and communicating his general design, communed, or conversed, with the chief priests and captains — Called captains of the temple, Luke 22:52. They were Jewish officers, who presided over the guards which kept watch every night in the temple. The result of their communing is not mentioned, only by the sequel it appears, that he informed the priests of the place where his Master used to spend the nights, and undertook to conduct a band of armed men thither, who, in the absence of the multitude, might easily take him. And, because none of them were so well acquainted with Jesus as to be able to distinguish him from his disciples, in the darkness of the night, he agreed to point him out to them by kissing him. And they were glad — When they heard his proposal, they thought it very practicable, and rejoiced at so unexpected an offer from one of his disciples, to facilitate their measures. And covenanted to give him money — As a reward for that service. See on Matthew 26:4-16. And he promised — To attend particularly to the affair; and sought opportunity to betray him — To put him into their hands in as private a manner as possible; in the absence of the multitude — That, knowing nothing of what was done, they might not raise a tumult, and rescue him out of the hands of those that seized him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

22:1-6 Christ knew all men, and had wise and holy ends in taking Judas to be a disciple. How he who knew Christ so well, came to betray him, we are here told; Satan entered into Judas. It is hard to say whether more mischief is done to Christ's kingdom, by the power of its open enemies, or by the treachery of its pretended friends; but without the latter, its enemies could not do so much evil as they do.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 26:1-2.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 22

Lu 22:1-6. Conspiracy of the Jewish Authorities to Put Jesus to Death—Compact with Judas.

1, 2. (See on [1716]Mt 26:1-5.)Luke 22:1,2 The chief priests and scribes conspire against Christ.

Luke 22:3-6 Judas covenants to betray him.

Luke 22:7-18 The apostles sent to prepare the passover: Christ

eateth it with them,

Luke 22:19,20 and institutes his last supper.

Luke 22:21-23 He covertly points out the traitor,

Luke 22:24-30 cheeks the ambitious strife of his disciples, and

promises them a share in his kingdom.

Luke 22:31-34 He telleth Peter of Satan’s desire to sift him; but

that his faith should be supported; and yet he

should thrice deny him.

Luke 22:35-38 He advises his disciples to provide necessaries and

a sword.

Luke 22:39-46 His agony and prayer in the garden.

Luke 22:47-49 He is betrayed,

Luke 22:50-53 healeth a servant of the high priest, whose ear was

cut off,

Luke 22:54-62 is lead to the high priest’s house; Peter thrice

denieth him.

Luke 22:63-65 Christ is scornfully used,

Luke 22:66-71 and brought before the council, where, confessing

himself to be the Son of God, he is pronounced

guilty of blasphemy.

Ver. 1,2. See Poole on "Matthew 26:1" and following verses to Matthew 26:5, See Poole on "Mark 14:1", See Poole on "Mark 14:2".

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh,.... Which lasted seven days; during which the Jews eat their bread without leaven, in commemoration of the haste in which they went out of Egypt; being such, that they had not time to leaven their dough, but took it with their kneadingtroughs along with them, as it was; and as figurative of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, with which the Gospel feast is to be kept; see Exodus 12:34.

Which is called the passover; because the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites, when he slew all the firstborn in Egypt; now the time of this feast drew near, when the conspiracy was formed against the life of Christ: Matthew and Mark are more precise, and suggest, that it was two days before the passover; see Matthew 26:2.

Geneva Study Bible

Now the {1} feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

(1) Christ is taken upon the day of the Passover rather by the providence of his Father, than by the will of men.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 22:1-2. With more detail and definiteness Matthew 26:1-5 and Mark 14:1 f. (Luke follows Mark with abbreviation).

ἐφοβ. γ. τὸν λαόν] the adherents that Jesus found among the people (Luke 21:38) made them afraid; hence they endeavoured to discover ways and means to remove Him, i.e. μέθοδον, πῶς ἀνελόντες αὐτὸν οὐ κινδυνεύσουσιν, Theophyl.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 22:1-2. Introductory (Matthew 26:1-5, Mark 14:1-2).—ἤγγιζεν, drew near, for the more definite note of time in parallels.—ἡ ἑορτὴ, etc.: the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover are treated as one. Mk. distinguishes them. Lk. writes for Gentiles; hence his “called” the passover (ἡ λεγομένη).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1. drew nigh] Rather, was drawing near.

which is called the Passover] This little explanation shews most clearly that St Luke is writing mainly for Gentiles. Strictly speaking the Passover was not co-extensive with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as is clearly stated in Numbers 28:16-17, “In the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover...and in the fifteenth is the feast” (Leviticus 23:5-6). Passover is the translation of the Hebrew Pesach; of this the Greek pascha is a transliteration with a sort of alliterative allusion to the Greek pascho, I suffer. See on the Passover Exodus 12:11-20. The Jews of later ages had gradually assumed that a wide difference was intended between the “Egyptian passover” and the “permanent passover.”

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 22:1. Ἡ λεγομένη, which is called) Therefore Luke takes it for granted, that the persons to whom he writes do not all know what the Jewish Passover was. So John 2:13. Add John 19:40; John 19:42.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 1, 2. - Short explanatory introduction. Verse 1. - Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. These words show that many of the readers for whom this Gospel was intended were foreigners, who were unacquainted with Jewish terms such as the "Passover." Passover (τὸ πάσχα פסח) means, literally, "a passing." The feast so named commemorated the manner in which the chosen people were spared in Egypt when the destroying angel of the Lord passed over all Israelitish houses, which had been sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, without slaying the firstborn. Dr. Farrar suggests that the Greek word πάσχω is a transliteration, with a sort of alliterative allusion to the Greek πάσχω, "I suffer." This greatest and most important of the Jewish feasts, which ever brought a great host of pilgrims to Jerusalem, was kept in the first month of the Jewish year (Nisan), from the 15th of the month, the day of full moon, to the 21st. Roughly, this corresponded to the end of our March. Luke 22:1

Vincent's Word Studies

Feast (ἑορτὴ)

Properly festival. See on Mark 14:1.

Drew nigh

Imperfect: "was drawing nigh."