In today's Gospel, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus gives His disciples specific instructions in regards to getting a donkey for Him and taking possession of a room for their Passover celebration. Especially considering other stories about how busy Jerusalem is at that time, and how limited Jesus' resources were, it is surprising that He was able to get a room of that size with the required foods prepared in anticipation of their arrival. All He told His disciples to say to procure the donkey and the room were "the Master has need of it" or "The Teacher says, 'Where is my guest room … ?'."
Now, my actual belief is that these are signs of Jesus' power and the influence that He had over the world, specifically the people in Jerusalem. However, as I read and heard the two Gospel readings today, I could not help but think about how this is the same way that the con-artist would have approached the situation. He and his friends would speak with the same self-assuredness and even authority.
Jesus usually expected His disciples to go about almost as beggars as they spread His word. It's interesting that He takes His final meal with them in a place prepared for Him, just as He rode into the city that would hold His execution as a king would ride in. It's like He wanted for both Him and them to have that one good day on Earth before facing His death and the challenges that would follow.