Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where will you that we prepare for you to eat the passover?
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
On the first day of unleavened bread, &c. The Passover was to be eaten with unleavened, that Isaiah , pure unfermented bread, according to the Law. This abstinence from leaven lasted seven days, and the first day of unleavened bread was the first day of the Passover. The Pasch or Passover was celebrated on the14th day of the first month, at even; that is to say, on the full moon of the month called Nisan, which was that in which fell the full moon of the vernal equinox. Wherefore, Nisan answers partly to our March and partly to April.
The following is the chronology of the last eight days of the life of Christ. On the Friday, which was the8th day of Nisan, He came from Ephrem to Bethany. The next day, being the Sabbath, He sups in the house of Simon the leper. The day following was the10th of Nisan, and Palm Sunday. On the11th of Nisan, He taught in the Temple, and cursed the barren fig-tree. On the12th, He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and spake the parables recorded in S. M...
Saying “a certain person” does not reveal a name but indicates any one of the saints. For the Word governs over every saint. The disciples of the Lord are the first he receives—evangelists, apostles foreordained in their souls even in the same way as the Christ. He does not exclude; rather, unbidden, the Holy Spirit dwells within each from the hour of holy baptism. So this “certain man” is the one with the “earthen pot washed with water” as described by Mark and Luke.
The first day of the azymes; unleavened bread. St. Mark (xiv. 12.) adds, when they sacrificed the Pasch: and St. Luke (xxii. 7.) says, And the day of the unleavened bread came; on which it was necessary that the Pasch (i.e. the Paschal lamb) should be killed. From hence it follows, that Christ sent his apostles that very day (the 14th day of the month of Nisan) on which, in the evening, or at night, the Pasch was to be eaten; and which was to be with unleavened bread. It is true, the 15th day of that month is called (Exodus xii. 1.) the first day of unleavened bread: but we must take notice, that the Jews began their feasts, or festivals, from sunset of the evening before; and consequently on the evening of the 14th day of the moon: at which time there was to be no leavened bread in any of their houses. This shows that Christ eat the Pasch, or Paschal lamb, after sunset. And when the Paschal supper was over, he consecrated the blessed Eucharist, in unleavened bread, as the Latin Church...
The other Evangelist writes that they found a large upper room furnished and ready and they made preparations there for him. It seems to me that the room symbolizes the spiritual law which, emerging from the restraints of the written record, receives the Savior in a lofty place. Paul says that what he formerly counted as gain, he now despised as loss and refuse, that he might prepare a worthy guest chamber for the Lord. .
The disciples came to him then on the first day, that is, the evening, when the Passover was drawing very near, and said, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Even from this it is clear that he had no house, no place in which to live, and I suppose neither had they. For surely they would have asked him to come there. But none of them had anything, having given away all their worldly possessions. Why did he keep the Passover? To indicate in every way and until the last day that he was not opposed to the law. And for what possible reason does he send them to an unknown person? To also show by this that he might have avoided suffering. For he had the power to change the minds of those who crucified him. So it is once again clear: He is willing to suffer. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
By “the first day of the feast of unleavened bread,” he means the day before that feast. For it is customary always to reckon the day from the evening. He mentions this with regard to the evening of the Passover. It was on the fifth day of the week they came to him. Hence on the day before the feast of unleavened bread they came to him. As to the time, Mark says, “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb.” The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
By the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, he means the day before that feast; for they are accustomed always to reckon the day from the evening, and he makes mention of this in which in the evening the passover must be killed; John 13:1 for on the fifth day of the week they came unto Him. And this one calls the day before the feast of unleavened bread, Luke 22:7 speaking of the time when they came to Him, and another says on this wise, Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed; by the word came, meaning this, it was near, it was at the doors, making mention plainly of that evening. For they began with the evening, wherefore also each adds, when the passover was killed.
And they say, Where will You that we prepare for You to eat the passover? So even from this it is manifest, that He had no house, no place of sojourning; and I suppose neither had they. For surely they would have entreated him to come there. But neither had they any, having now p...
