Passover

I didn't purposely stretch this out so that the events of Christ's last week would be written about during this actual week of remembrance.  It just happened that way.

During the 7 days before Passover, Jewish men must be within a short distance of Jerusalem

to be able to do all the preparations--obtaining the sacrificial lamb and

the personal purification (washings).  So Jesus stayed in nearby Bethany--close enough for the religious requirements, far enough so that he could move if enemy forces showed up (and "the Jews" or the leadership were well aware of the threat he was to their way of doing business).  

Jesus had to stay alive until the moment He had determined.

(In the Essene quarter of Jerusalem)

 Wanting to keep the Passover with his disciples, Jesus sent two of them into the city, to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water.  That "sign" might not seem so unusual to us, but in those times, only women carried water.  The only sect of Jews where the men would carry water was the Essenes. 

 (And that was most likely because they were all men?)

The Essenes kept a slightly different calendar from the rest of Judaism.  For them, Passover always began at sundown on a Wednesday, (the first Wed. after the full moon after the spring equinox).  The Jews' Passover was entirely tied to the lunar calendar and could be on any day of the week.

Thus, Jesus and his disciples held their Passover meal a day before the rest of the people.

 (stairs to the "Upper Room")

The Upper Room, as it now appears.  As with all Christian sites, the early church, then the Crusaders built

memorials here--but they incorporated the room into the building.

No one knows for certain if this is THE location, but it's definitely nearby.

As to the Last Supper, the Gospels only note what is different from a normal Passover meal. But Jesus would have done the full ritual.  

The different cups of wine.

The bitter herbs, the unleavened bread,

the retelling of the story of leaving Egypt.

Leaving a chair for Elijah.

The bread and wine had been used for hundreds of years, but Jesus gave the reason for them,

"take, eat (drink); this is my body, or my blood".

They did not drink the 4th cup of wine, which is usually done--Jesus said he would not drink again until the 2nd Coming, when all will be fulfilled.

Then they sang a hymn, which is also a normal part of the Passover meal, and went out.

***

Early Christian tradition also has the Pentecost (being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues, seven weeks after the Passover) as happening in the Upper Room.

That makes sense to me that the apostles would gather in a location

that held such powerful meaning for them.