Luke 22 15

Luke 22:15 kjv

And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Luke 22:15 nkjv

Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

Luke 22:15 niv

And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Luke 22:15 esv

And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Luke 22:15 nlt

Jesus said, "I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.

Luke 22 verses

Luke 22 15 Meaning

Luke 22:15 conveys Jesus' profound and intense longing to partake in this specific Passover meal with His disciples before enduring His Passion. It highlights His unique awareness of the impending suffering and the critical significance of this final meal as the culmination of the old covenant and the prophetic inauguration of the new covenant through His sacrificial death. This was not a casual wish, but a deeply felt desire stemming from His divine purpose.

Luke 22 15 Context

Luke chapter 22 marks a pivotal moment in Jesus' earthly ministry, detailing the events leading up to His crucifixion. The narrative opens with the chief priests and scribes seeking to kill Jesus, followed by Judas's agreement to betray Him. Amidst these darker events, verse 15, the immediate prelude to the institution of the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19-20), stands out by expressing Jesus' profound intentionality regarding this final Passover meal. Historically and culturally, Passover was the central annual festival for Jews, commemorating their liberation from Egyptian bondage through the sacrifice of a lamb. Jesus, being the true Lamb of God, was about to transform this deeply ingrained ritual, imbuing it with a new and ultimate meaning through His own impending sacrifice, thereby establishing the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah. This verse sets the stage for understanding the Last Supper not merely as a final gathering, but as a deliberate and deeply significant act by Jesus, consciously linking the ancient Passover ritual to His own suffering and the new redemptive reality.

Luke 22 15 Word analysis

• And he said: The Greek conjunction "δέ" (de) simply connects the thought to the previous verse, where Peter and John were sent to prepare the Passover. "ἔφη" (ephē) is the Aorist tense of "φηµί" (phēmi), indicating a simple, direct statement made at a specific point in time, setting the stage for what follows. It highlights that Jesus Himself initiated this expression of profound desire.
• to them: "πρὸς αὐτούς" (pros autous). This specifies the twelve disciples as the recipients of this profound statement, emphasizing the personal and intimate nature of Jesus' words to those with whom He shared His closest fellowship and who would become the witnesses of these pivotal events.
• I have earnestly desired: The Greek phrase "ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα" (epithymia epithymēsa) is a Hellenistic idiom of Semitic origin, effectively combining the noun "desire" (epithymia) with the verb "I desired" (epithymēsa) from the same root. This construct is an intensifier, similar to saying "with great desire, I have desired" or "I have strongly longed." It conveys a desire of immense depth and earnestness, not a passing fancy. While epithymia can sometimes refer to sinful lusts, here the context defines it as a holy and resolute longing by Jesus to fulfill God's will and accomplish His mission.
• to eat this Passover: "τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν" (touto to pascha phagein). The emphasis is on "this Passover" (touto to pascha), distinguishing it from all previous Passover celebrations Jesus had participated in. This particular meal is uniquely significant because it directly precedes His sacrificial death, embodying the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover's typology. The verb "φαγεῖν" (phagein), "to eat," highlights the physical act, connecting the traditional ritual to its new meaning in Christ's body and blood.
• with you: "μεθ' ὑμῶν" (meth' hymōn). This phrase emphasizes the communal aspect and Jesus' desire for intimate fellowship with His disciples during this crucial transition. It signifies His shared journey and the profound bond He held with them, involving them in this culminating act of redemption.
• before I suffer: "πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν" (pro tou me pathein). This phrase is central to understanding Jesus' urgency and intentionality. "πρό" (pro) means "before." "παθεῖν" (pathein), the infinitive of "πάσχω" (paschō), means "to suffer," encompassing His entire Passion: His betrayal, arrest, trials, scourging, crucifixion, and death. It shows Jesus' complete foreknowledge of His impending ordeal and His conscious linking of this Passover meal to His redemptive suffering. This phrase also underscores the redemptive purpose of His suffering.

• "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover": This phrase captures the depth of Jesus' resolve and divine intentionality. It's not a mere tradition; it's a sacred and foreseen appointment to fulfill prophecy and initiate a new covenant. His deep longing indicates His readiness and eagerness to embrace the path of suffering for the salvation of humanity, knowing this meal directly precedes it.
• "this Passover with you before I suffer": This segment intertwines the historical Jewish ritual, the relational aspect with His disciples, and the profound, transformative suffering Jesus was about to endure. It clearly establishes the meal as the definitive link between the old covenant Passover's promise of liberation and the new covenant's fulfillment through Christ's atoning sacrifice, sealed with His blood, for the benefit of His followers.

Luke 22 15 Bonus section

The double expression "ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα" (lit. "with desire I desired") for "earnestly desired" is a powerful linguistic device in Koine Greek that amplifies the intensity of Jesus' longing. This is known as a cognate dative construction, reflecting Hebrew idiom, emphasizing that Jesus' desire was not fleeting but deeply ingrained in His being and purpose. It points to a singular, unique Passover celebration that stood out from all previous ones He had celebrated during His earthly life, as it marked the transition from type to antitype, from shadow to substance. It wasn't simply a farewell meal but a conscious, deliberate, and final act of communion before fulfilling His messianic mission. This intense desire signifies His commitment to His redemptive work and His bond with humanity, expressed through sharing this momentous meal.

Luke 22 15 Commentary

Luke 22:15 serves as a profound preamble to the Last Supper, revealing Jesus' divine purpose and deeply felt resolve. His "earnest desire" highlights not only His willingness but His eagerness to accomplish His Father's will, even if it meant undergoing immense suffering. This was "this Passover," unique among all others, for it was the final, quintessential Passover before He Himself became the ultimate Passover Lamb. The phrase "before I suffer" explicitly connects the Passover meal, a celebration of past liberation, to His impending Passion, which would secure true and lasting spiritual freedom. Jesus desired this shared moment of intimacy with His disciples before His sacrificial death, underscoring the deep fellowship between Him and His followers and preparing them for the profound shift from ritualistic observances to the new covenant established by His blood. This verse underscores the purposeful and foreordained nature of Christ's suffering, not as a tragedy, but as the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, anticipated by Jesus with divine eagerness.