Mar 14:26 | KingComments | STEP | While they were eating the Passover the Lord institutes the Supper. So the Supper is different from the Passover. At the same time it is very closely related to it. Like the Passover, the Supper speaks of Himself. But there is a difference. The Passover is the memory of an event. It is not a memory of the lamb, but of the passing of judgment. The Supper, on the other hand, is first and foremost the memory of a Person. The Lord does not take a piece of the Paschal lamb, but of the bread. He takes something new and institutes something new. In the bread He introduces Himself. The broken bread represents Him in His surrender on the cross. Paul later, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, adds another new thought to the bread. The one bread represents the whole church ( ). The church is also called the body of Christ ( ). The Lord Jesus gives His disciples the broken bread. It is His meal and He is the Host. Judas is no longer there. The Supper is only for children of God and not for unbelievers. With a short and therefore meaningful “take” He invites them to take from the bread. He explained what they were allowed to take: they were allowed to take His body. It is that body in which He has served God perfectly as the true Servant and Prophet. Everything He is and has done is made available to us in the ‘take’. He was able to do this because He surrendered His body to death, for He gives the bread as broken bread. The doctrine of the roman-catholic church that the bread changes into the real body of Christ is a pernicious error. When the Lord here says to His disciples “this is My body”, He Himself is still physically present. He means to say that this bread represents His body, that it is a symbol of it. We can compare it to a picture that someone shows to someone else and says: “This is my wife.” No one’s going to think of seeing his wife in that piece of paper. It’s about the picture. Thus the bread at that moment is the picture of the body of Christ, while it is and remains ordinary bread. The cup is also part of the Supper. The Lord takes it, gives thanks for it, and gives it to His disciples. They all drink from it. The cup goes around. It symbolizes the fellowship they have with one another. The drinking cup was not part of the Passover either. It’s not spoken of in Exodus. The Lord says what the cup represents. The wine in it represents His blood. He says of the blood: “My blood of the covenant.” Thus He points to the result of His work. The disciples know the blood, but as something that protected against judgment in Egypt ( ). But here the blood is the foundation of the new covenant. Because of His shed blood, many will participate in the new covenant that God will make with His people. On the basis of the old covenant, Israel has forfeited all promises and awaits only the judgment. The old covenant has also been ratified with blood, but that is the blood of judgment ( ). Through the blood of Christ, God can make a new covenant with His people. While the people have failed to fulfill all of God’s demands, Christ has fulfilled them completely. The new covenant asks nothing of man. He has done everything necessary for the new covenant. All who repent to God and believe in the Lord Jesus will receive the blessings of that new covenant. For Israel these are the earthly blessings promised in the Old Testament and for the church these are the spiritual heavenly blessings. He Himself will no longer drink from the fruit of the vine. This means that the blood represented by the wine, the fruit of the vine, speaks not only of the forgiveness of sins, but also of the joy resulting from the shedding of His blood. The wine speaks of the joy of those who belong to Him. This joy contrasts with the fear that characterized the Passover night. Paul therefore speaks of the cup of blessing ( ). That our sins are forgiven is a cause of joy. In connection with the new covenant, it also speaks of the blessings of the kingdom of peace on earth. The kingdom of peace in which the new covenant will be fulfilled is not yet there. Because of His death there is no more earthly joy for Him. Therefore He not any longer drinks of the fruit of the vine. But the time will come when the kingdom of God will be established on earth. Then He will drink of the fruit of the vine in a new way. Then He will enjoy to satisfaction the great joy of the glorious results of His work concerning Israel ( ). For us, that joy is there already now in the kingdom of God ( ). Despite the suffering that awaits Him, the Lord sings the praises of God with His disciples at the end of the meal. That must have been Psalms 113-118. Then they go out to the Mount of Olives. There, in Gethsemane, He will fight the toughest spiritual battle ever in view of the work He has just set out for the hearts of His disciples in the Supper.

‏ Mark 14:26

Institution of the Supper

While they were eating the Passover the Lord institutes the Supper. So the Supper is different from the Passover. At the same time it is very closely related to it. Like the Passover, the Supper speaks of Himself. But there is a difference. The Passover is the memory of an event. It is not a memory of the lamb, but of the passing of judgment. The Supper, on the other hand, is first and foremost the memory of a Person.

The Lord does not take a piece of the Paschal lamb, but of the bread. He takes something new and institutes something new. In the bread He introduces Himself. The broken bread represents Him in His surrender on the cross. Paul later, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, adds another new thought to the bread. The one bread represents the whole church (1Cor 10:17). The church is also called the body of Christ (Col 1:18).

The Lord Jesus gives His disciples the broken bread. It is His meal and He is the Host. Judas is no longer there. The Supper is only for children of God and not for unbelievers. With a short and therefore meaningful “take” He invites them to take from the bread. He explained what they were allowed to take: they were allowed to take His body. It is that body in which He has served God perfectly as the true Servant and Prophet. Everything He is and has done is made available to us in the ‘take’. He was able to do this because He surrendered His body to death, for He gives the bread as broken bread.

The doctrine of the roman-catholic church that the bread changes into the real body of Christ is a pernicious error. When the Lord here says to His disciples “this is My body”, He Himself is still physically present. He means to say that this bread represents His body, that it is a symbol of it. We can compare it to a picture that someone shows to someone else and says: “This is my wife.” No one’s going to think of seeing his wife in that piece of paper. It’s about the picture. Thus the bread at that moment is the picture of the body of Christ, while it is and remains ordinary bread.

The cup is also part of the Supper. The Lord takes it, gives thanks for it, and gives it to His disciples. They all drink from it. The cup goes around. It symbolizes the fellowship they have with one another. The drinking cup was not part of the Passover either. It’s not spoken of in Exodus.

The Lord says what the cup represents. The wine in it represents His blood. He says of the blood: “My blood of the covenant.” Thus He points to the result of His work. The disciples know the blood, but as something that protected against judgment in Egypt (Exo 12:13). But here the blood is the foundation of the new covenant. Because of His shed blood, many will participate in the new covenant that God will make with His people.

On the basis of the old covenant, Israel has forfeited all promises and awaits only the judgment. The old covenant has also been ratified with blood, but that is the blood of judgment (Exo 24:8). Through the blood of Christ, God can make a new covenant with His people. While the people have failed to fulfill all of God’s demands, Christ has fulfilled them completely. The new covenant asks nothing of man. He has done everything necessary for the new covenant. All who repent to God and believe in the Lord Jesus will receive the blessings of that new covenant. For Israel these are the earthly blessings promised in the Old Testament and for the church these are the spiritual heavenly blessings.

He Himself will no longer drink from the fruit of the vine. This means that the blood represented by the wine, the fruit of the vine, speaks not only of the forgiveness of sins, but also of the joy resulting from the shedding of His blood. The wine speaks of the joy of those who belong to Him. This joy contrasts with the fear that characterized the Passover night. Paul therefore speaks of the cup of blessing (1Cor 10:16). That our sins are forgiven is a cause of joy.

In connection with the new covenant, it also speaks of the blessings of the kingdom of peace on earth. The kingdom of peace in which the new covenant will be fulfilled is not yet there. Because of His death there is no more earthly joy for Him. Therefore He not any longer drinks of the fruit of the vine. But the time will come when the kingdom of God will be established on earth. Then He will drink of the fruit of the vine in a new way. Then He will enjoy to satisfaction the great joy of the glorious results of His work concerning Israel (Isa 53:11). For us, that joy is there already now in the kingdom of God (Rom 14:17).

Despite the suffering that awaits Him, the Lord sings the praises of God with His disciples at the end of the meal. That must have been Psalms 113-118. Then they go out to the Mount of Olives. There, in Gethsemane, He will fight the toughest spiritual battle ever in view of the work He has just set out for the hearts of His disciples in the Supper.