Mark 14:12-25
Summary for Mark 14:12-32: 14:12-32 a The preparation for the Passover meal (14:12-16 b) introduces the story of the Last Supper (14:22-25 c).• The Last Supper is associated with the Passover meal (14:12 d, 14 e, 16 f; Matt 26:17-19 g; Luke 22:7-8 h, 11 i, 13 j, 15 k; cp. John 18:28 l; 19:14 m). Many pilgrims celebrated Passover in Jerusalem, where God’s Temple was located (see Deut 16:2 n). 14:12 o The time when the Passover lamb is sacrificed was twilight on the 14th of Nisan (Exod 12:6 p). This date falls in March or April each year.
Summary for Mark 14:13-15: 14:13-15 q Jesus’ instructions to the disciples are similar to those of 11:2-6 r, suggesting that Jesus had prearranged a place for eating the Passover and Last Supper with his disciples. Jesus’ careful preparations for this meal emphasize its importance. The two disciples were to prepare the Passover meal, which included the lamb (which had to be slaughtered, skinned, cleaned, and roasted over an open fire), unleavened bread, a bowl of salt water, bitter herbs, and a bowl of a fruit puree, or kharosheth. Enough wine mixed with water was needed so that Jesus and the disciples could each drink four cups to celebrate God’s fourfold blessing (Exod 6:6-7 s).
14:17 t With the coming of evening, Jesus arrived with the Twelve at the upstairs guest room. “The Twelve” refers to Jesus’ disciples as a group; ten arrived with Jesus, since two of them were already there (14:13 u).
14:18 v As they were at the table: The Passover was eaten in a reclining position, as were other banquet meals. During the Passover meal, someone (usually the youngest son) would ask the host, “Why is this night different from other nights?” The father or host would then recount the stories of the Passover and the Exodus (Deut 26:5-9 w). The elements of the Passover meal were symbolic. The Passover lamb served as a reminder of the blood of the sacrificial lambs that protected Israelite homes from the angel of death, who visited the firstborn in Egypt (Exod 12:28-30 x). Unleavened bread recalled the rapid exodus of God’s people (Exod 12:31-34 y, 39 z). The salt water represented the tears of their bondage and the crossing of the Red Sea, and the bitter herbs their slavery. The four cups of wine acknowledged God’s fourfold promise in Exod 6:6-7 aa.
• The terrible deed of betraying Jesus was more heinous in that the betrayer was one of those eating with him (see Pss 41:9 ab; 55:12-14 ac).
14:19 ad The disciples were shocked and saddened, asking, Am I the one? This is the first they had heard that Jesus would be betrayed (though the reader has known it since 3:19 ae). Jesus maintained his betrayer’s anonymity.
14:21 af must die, as the Scriptures declared: See, e.g., Isa 52:13–53:12 ag. Jesus foreknew this betrayal as part of the divine plan (cp. 8:31-33 ah), but his betrayer was condemned. Jesus and the Gospel writers do not explain how God’s sovereignty and Judas’s human responsibility can coexist, but both are stated without compromise (see John 19:11 ai).
Summary for Mark 14:22-25: 14:22-25 aj The Last Supper began with a blessing. In modern practice, Christians ask God to bless the food; Jews in Jesus’ day blessed God for providing the food with the words, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
• this is my body. ... This is my blood: Some understand these words to mean that the bread and wine are transformed into the very body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation); others, that the bread and wine remain bread and wine but that the real presence of Jesus is found in them (consubstantiation). In these two views, when one participates in the Lord’s Supper, one actually eats and drinks the body and blood of Jesus. A third view is that in eating the bread and wine, Christians spiritually feed on Jesus. A fourth view is that the meal is primarily a memorial, and the elements are symbolic of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. See also John 6:53-63 ak and corresponding study note.
14:24 al The cup of wine represented Jesus’ blood, poured out as a sacrifice (10:45 am; Isa 53:12 an). It initiated the covenant that God has made with his people (Luke 22:20 ao; 1 Cor 11:25 ap; see Exod 24:8 aq; Zech 9:11 ar; Heb 9:18-20 as; 10:26-29 at). The term many refers to all people (see Mark 10:45 au; Rom 5:15-19 av).
14:25 aw the day I drink it new: Jesus will have a great banquet for his followers when he returns and fully establishes the Kingdom of God.
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