THE PASSOVER MEAL AS THE LAST SUPPER (Mark 14:12–26)

I. The preparation of the Passover meal (14:12–16)

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

A. Jesus sent two of the disciples to make the preparations for the Passover observance.

They would know where to go to prepare for the Passover because they would meet a man carrying a jar of water. Women, not men, usually carried water jars. This man would lead them to a house where there would be a guest room. According to Jewish custom, if a person in Jerusalem had a room available, he was to lend it to any pilgrims who needed a place to celebrate the feast.

Was this man John’s father? Did Jesus eat the Passover in an upper room in John’s home? These are fascinating speculations, but we have no evidence that can confirm them. Tradition claims this was Mark’s home and the owner was Mark’s father. The room had all that was necessary for Jesus and the disciples to celebrate this “last supper’ together. It would be up to Peter and John to prepare the food.

B. Preparing the Passover meal.

The food consisted of roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and the dish of bitter herbs (Exod. 12:8–20). The lamb reminded the Jews of the blood that was applied to the doorposts of their homes to keep the angel of death from slaying their firstborn.

The bread was unleavened to remind them of the haste in which they left Egypt. The bitter herbs spoke of their suffering as Pharaoh’s slaves. At sometime in the centuries that followed, the Jews had added to the ceremony the drinking of four cups of wine diluted with water.

II. Jesus’ announcement of His betrayal (14:17–21)

17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?” 20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

A. Jesus and the Twelve arrived in Jerusalem to eat the Passover meal.

Mark abbreviated the events of the meal in order to focus on the idea of Jesus’ betrayal than to any other part of the meal. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in our churches, the focus is much more about the presenting the bread and cup and not the betrayal.

Jesus talked about his betrayal at some length and made only brief references to the bread and cup. Given the enormity of the betrayal, it is not surprising that Mark devotes so much space at the Last Supper to it. Yet the way he presents it is surprising. Judas is not named here, although the clear implication of the text is that Jesus knew who was about to betray him.

B. His betrayal was inevitable.

Jesus affirmed that it was written that the Son of Man would be betrayed. The prediction of betrayal shows that Jesus was not taken by surprise but knew in advance his fate.

Some people try to defend Judas by arguing that he betrayed Jesus in order to force Him into revealing His power and setting up the Jewish kingdom. Others say that he was nothing but a servant who obediently fulfilled God’s Word. Judas was neither a martyr nor a robot. He was a responsible human being who made his own decisions but, in so doing, fulfilled the Word of God. He must not be made into either a hero or a helpless victim of merciless predestination. Judas was lost for the same reason millions are lost today: he did not repent of his sins and believe on Jesus Christ. If you have never been born again, one day you will wish you had not been born at all.

III. The institution of the Lord’s Supper (14:22–26)

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

A. Jesus took bread.

Bread symbolizes life and salvation. When Jesus fed the five thousand men, he not only sustained their lives. He also enacted the role of the messianic shepherd who would faithfully lead the people of God. The flat, unleavened bread of Passover, which Jesus broke and gave to his disciples, also symbolizes salvation. It recalls the hasty flight from slavery in Egypt and sustains the hope that God will act again to save a people in bondage.

In this setting, however, bread carries another set of meanings as well. It symbolizes not only life and salvation, but also intimacy and betrayal. Jesus identified his betrayer as one of the Twelve who was dipping bread in the same dish. Then he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them and said, Take it; this is my body. Blessing and breaking bread are part of the ritual of Passover.

B. Jesus took the cup

Jesus explained the meaning of the cup: This (the wine) is (represents) My blood of (i.e., which inaugurates) the covenant, which (blood) is poured out for many, a reference to His sacrificial death for mankind.

Just as sacrificial blood ratified the Old (Mosaic) Covenant at Sinai, so Jesus’ blood shed at Golgotha inaugurated the New Covenant. This promises forgiveness of sins and fellowship with God through the indwelling Spirit to those who come to God by faith in Jesus.

Our Lord’s command was, “This do in remembrance of Me”. The word translated “remembrance” means much more than “in memory of,” for you can do something in memory of a dead person—yet Jesus is alive! The word carries the idea of a present participation in a past event. Because Jesus is alive, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, by faith we have communion with Him. This is not some “magical” experience produced by the bread and cup. It is a spiritual experience that comes through our discerning of Christ and the meaning of the Supper