Talk 42 Mark 14:12-26 The Last Supper
Welcome to Talk 42 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 14:12-26. The subject is the Last Supper. It was to be the last meal that Jesus ate with his disciples before he was crucified. It was the feast of the Passover when the Jews annually remembered the way in which God had led their ancestors out of Egypt.
You will of course remember that the Israelites had been in captivity in Egypt and how Moses had constantly demanded of Pharaoh to let God’s people go. In the end, God said that he would smite all the firstborn of Egypt because of Pharaoh’s constant refusal to do as he demanded. The Israelites were told to daub the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses so that the angel of death would pass over them and their firstborn would not die.
Now Jesus, the Lamb of God who was to take away the sin of the world by the shedding of his blood on the cross, gives the Passover meal a whole new meaning. In fact, his followers who are to become the new Israel, will have a far greater deliverance to celebrate, their deliverance from the bondage of sin, and will regularly share bread and wine together to remind themselves of all that Jesus has done for them. The Christian communion service replaces for us the Passover meal.
The Gospel accounts vary a little in places, but we’ll concentrate on Mark while noting a few extra details that we find in Matthew and Luke. As we now read through the passage, I’d like you to notice the many things that Jesus already knew about all that was going to happen.
12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.” 19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” 20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
In this passage I see five things that Jesus clearly knew:
· He knew the details of where they would eat the Passover
· He knew what Judas would do and what would happen to him
· He knew that scripture must be fulfilled
· He knew that he was going to die and why it was necessary
· He knew that God would vindicate him.
So now let’s look at the passage in a little more detail and see what we can learn from each of these aspects of Jesus’ knowledge.
He knew the details of where they would eat the Passover
The disciples ask Jesus where he wants them to make the preparations for the Passover meal. So Jesus sends two of his disciples (who, incidentally, we know from Luke 22:8, were Peter and John), and tells them to go into Jerusalem where they will meet a man carrying a jar of water. They are to follow him and go into the house he enters.
They are to say to the owner of the house, The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? He will show them a large upper room, furnished and ready. It’s there they are to make the final preparations for the meal. And Mark tells us that the disciples found things just as Jesus had told them.
Of course, some of these things Jesus could have known at a natural level. He could have made previous arrangements with the owner of the house, and he could have known that the owner had a man servant who sometimes carried water for him – something unusual in those days as normally it was the women who carried water. But it seems far less likely that Jesus, without supernatural knowledge imparted by the Holy Spirit, would have known that the man would be carrying water at exactly the time the disciples went into the city or even that the disciples would have crossed paths with him. But the disciples found everything just as Jesus had told them, just as they had when he had sent them to find the donkey on which he was to ride into Jerusalem in Mark 11.
Jesus was a man, and as man there were things he knew in the same way that all human beings know them. But he was a man who lived in close fellowship with his Father, God – indeed, he was God – and there were things he knew by divine revelation. And such revelation is available to us too, as we are filled with the Spirit and in live in close relationship with our heavenly Father. And when we receive such supernatural revelation, it’s possible to know that we know, just as certainly as we know that we know some things at a natural level.
He knew what Judas would do and what would happen to him
Verses 10 and 11 tell us that Judas had already gone to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them and that they were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So Judas was looking for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them. There are many theories as to why Judas did this, but in my view it’s pointless to speculate. But two things are clear. First, whatever his motivations, Judas was responsible and accountable for his own actions. In verse 21 Jesus says:
…woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.
But secondly, it’s clear that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was already predicted in Scripture. Jesus says:
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!…
And in Acts 1:16, no doubt remembering what Jesus had said, Peter says:
Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who arrested Jesus…
But, people ask, was this fair? How could God hold Judas responsible for his actions if, long before he was born, the Scripture predicted that he would do so? For me, the key to the answer to such questions lies in the understanding that, although God knows in advance the things we will do, it does not mean that he makes us do those things. If I watch a video of my children that I’ve already seen, I know what they’re going to do next, but that does not mean that I made them do it. The choice was theirs and they, not I, are responsible for their actions, whether good or bad. The only difference with God is that he doesn’t need a video because he’s omniscient.
But returning directly to our passage, one of the saddest things we learn about Judas is his hypocrisy. When Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, all the disciples, including Judas, say, Surely not I? or Surely you don’t mean me? And Matthew adds a detail not shared with us by Mark. In Matthew, Judas is the last to say it. He says it after all the others, as if reluctant or ashamed to do so. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. And in Matthew all the other disciples call Jesus Lord, but Judas calls him Rabbi or Teacher. He had already made the decision that Jesus was no longer Lord in his life.
But Jesus knew all this. He knew that he would be betrayed. He knew who would betray him and he knew what would happen to him. But why didn’t he try to stop Judas? Because he knew that scripture must be fulfilled, he knew why it was necessary for him to die, and he knew that ultimately God would vindicate him.
He knew that scripture must be fulfilled
In verses 20-21, after each of the disciples have said, Surely not I? Jesus says:
It is one of the Twelve, …one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
This is probably a reference to Psalm 41:9 where David says:
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
Of course, this is not the only detail that the Scriptures predicted about what would happen to Jesus. Again and again the Gospel writers make reference to Old Testament verses that they saw fulfilled in the life of Jesus, especially regarding events surrounding the time of his death. But the important thing to notice here is that Jesus knew that Scripture must be fulfilled. He had confidence in its authority. Through his close relationship with his heavenly Father, he knew which verses applied prophetically to him. And he conducted his life accordingly. And if we really want to be his disciples, we should surely follow his example.
He knew that he was going to die and why it was necessary
We’ve seen in previous talks that there were several occasions when Jesus already told his disciples that he was going to die. In fact, in Luke 24:7, after his death and resurrection, while talking to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he reminds them how he had told them while he was still with them in Galilee, that:
The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.
And then they remembered his words. We know from all we have seen so far, how bad the disciples were at remembering. And so, to help them, and us, to remember his death, he instituted the meal that came to be known as The Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, or the Eucharist. That its primary purpose was to help us to remember is made clear in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 where we’re told to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus.
So the bread and wine are simply memorials, aids to memory. When Jesus said , This is my body (v22) and This is my blood (v24) he never intended it to be taken literally. The bread doesn’t turn into his body as we eat it, nor does the wine turn into his blood as we drink it. Why am I so sure about this? Because the bread he gave his disciples at the last supper clearly did not turn into his body then, neither did the wine turn into his blood. His blood was still throbbing in his veins! And Jesus said, This IS my blood. He did not say, This WILL BECOME my blood (after I have died and risen again). Just as the Passover meal was a memorial of how the Lord had delivered his people from Egypt, so the bread and wine are memorials of what Jesus has done for us. They remind us of the new covenant that God has made with us through the shedding of Jesus’ blood. (For more on this, see You’d Better Believe It, Ch. 14).
Yes, Jesus knew he was going to die, and why it was necessary. That’s why he was determined to see it through, and he gives thanks (vv22-23) for it. How could he do so? Because he loved God and wanted to do his will. Because he loved his disciples and wanted them to be saved. And because he knew that God would vindicate him.
He knew that God would vindicate him
Notice what he says in verse 25:
I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.
He knew that he would die, but he knew that his death would not be the end. He knew that God would vindicate him. He would enter the kingdom of God. He knew of the joy that lay ahead. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us that:
For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
And he knew that he would share that joy with us! Matthew 26:29 includes two words that Mark has left out. Here Jesus says that he will drink it new with you. But let’s finish by considering the meaning of that little word anew. In Greek it’s kainon. Its basic meaning is new, but in the context here it means of a new character or species. Mark uses it this way in:
· 1:27 when the people apply it to Jesus’ teaching because he taught with authority
· 2:21-22 when Jesus says that no one puts new wine into old wineskins to illustrate that he had come to introduce something entirely new that would not only break free from the old (Judaism) and, if it didn’t, would ultimately destroy it (See Talk 8).
· 14:24 where Jesus says that the wine is the blood of the new covenant
· 16:17 where Jesus says that those who believe will speak with new tongues.
All these verses suggest that Jesus is using the word new to mean something of a different and better quality than we have known before. He came to introduce a new and better covenant and in the kingdom of God things, even the wine, will be new and better. And it’s available to us just because Jesus was willing to be betrayed, denied, forsaken by all his disciples, and to go to Calvary to die for us. So in this talk we have seen five things that Jesus clearly knew:
· He knew the details of where they would eat the Passover
· He knew what Judas would do and what would happen to him
· He knew that scripture must be fulfilled
· He knew that he was going to die and why it was necessary
· He knew that God would vindicate him.
And if we have acknowledged Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we can be certain of our own future too.