Jesus' Time Is At Hand And The Last Fatal Passover Is Made Ready By The Disciples (26:17-19).
This subsection had begun with, ‘after two days the Passover comes and the Son of Man is to be delivered up to be crucified' (Matthew 26:2). Now Jesus sends His disciples to prepare for that Passover, with the indication that ‘His time is at hand'. And with that in view they make ready the Passover. Even they must have realised by now that this was to be no ordinary Passover.
That Jesus' time was at hand comes out throughout this subsection. In Matthew 26:2 it is ‘after two days'. In Matthew 26:12 the woman's act has ‘prepared Him for His burial'. In Matthew 26:16 Judas is seeking to betray Him ‘from that time'. Now Jesus declares that ‘His time is at hand'. Thus this subsection is preparing the way for what follows. His hour has come (John 13:1). Interestingly the only suggestion of delay has been at the hands of the chief priests and elders in Matthew 26:5. But Judas' betrayal has brought even them into line. All is going forward as determined. But that still does not excuse those involved. It was not their intention to accomplish God's will by means of the cross. Their motives were very much different. It was happening in spite of their evil motives, not because of them. (We can compare how God used Assyria as the rod of His anger, but still punished her because of her excesses - Isaiah 10:5 onwards).
Analysis.
a Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you wish that we make ready for you to eat the Passover?” (Matthew 26:17).
b And He said, “Go into the city to such a man, and say to him (Matthew 26:18 a).
c “The Teacher says, “My time is at hand.” (Matthew 26:18 b).
b “I keep the Passover at your house with My disciples” (Matthew 26:18 c).
a And the disciples did as Jesus appointed them, and they made ready the Passover (Matthew 26:19).
Note that in ‘a' the disciples ask when they should make ready the Passover, and in the parallel they make ready the Passover. In ‘b' Jesus sends them to a man in the city, and in the parallel they are to tell him that Jesus will keep the Passover at his house in the city with His disciples (Passover had to be observed within the city boundaries). Centrally in ‘c' we learn that His time is at hand.