Thank you for being there; it is good to be here with you. I am thankful for God’s Word and thankful for how it has shaped and molded me. Sometimes there are big moments of change, but often it happens little by little. A verse stays with me for several days, or I take away a lesson and put it into practice with God’s help. Spending time in this book is a great investment; thank you for doing it with us. 

Today we continue our study in the book of Mark. We are in chapter 14 and near the end of the book. Today’s lesson is an important passage that I am sure you’ve practiced recently in your church. How do I know? Because all churches that I know of practice communion, or the Lord’s Supper. In our passage today, we will look at the first time Jesus did this with His disciples.

Take the time to enter into this story; imagine what Jesus was feeling. He knew what he would be going through very soon. Think about Judas and what he must have been going through; he must have justified what he was about to do. 

This lesson has been divided into two parts, and today we will do the first half. Let’s go now with Pastor J Mark to Mark 14.

Do you have memorials in your life? What are they? Why do you have them? How important are they? What is their purpose?

Memorials preserve the memory of a person, event, or significant concept, often as a marker, monument, holiday, or special commemoration. They can be statues or other structures built to commemorate a unique event or a famous person who has passed away. Most countries observe a variety of “memorial” days. They commemorate events such as independence and other significant milestones in their history.

Memorials are almost as old as human history. The first mention of a memorial in Scripture is in Exodus 3:15. During Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, God said to him, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” God’s name, connected to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was to be an everlasting memorial.

Later, in Exodus 12:14, God gave Moses instructions regarding the Passover. “This day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.” Here, a special day was designated as the memorial of the Passover.

The root word of memorial is memory. Memories are things from the past. Can you have a memorial for the future? That sounds confusing!

However, today we’ll learn about a memorial Jesus designed to help us look forward and remember, rather than look back. The text for our consideration today is Mark 14:17-26. In this portion of Scripture, Jesus inaugurates what we call the “Communion Service” or “The Lord’s Table.” I’ve titled my teaching, “Let Us Keep the Feast.” Now, here is the reading of God’s Word.

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.”

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.

In this text, Jesus highlights several critical ELEMENTS that are essential for us as we follow the biblical injunction, “…let us keep the feast.”

The title I’ve chosen for this teaching comes from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore^, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

The First ELEMENT (essential in keeping the feast) is,

Examination

Our text opens with Jesus and the Twelve reclining around the table in the Upper Room. Some disagree about whether this was a Passover meal. Maybe that’s a subject to be explored at another time. At any rate, the assembled group was eating together. If, indeed, it was a Passover meal, it was a memorial to look back on Israel’s history and remember the deliverance from Egypt. Jesus changed it into a forward-looking memorial that anticipates the future – the fullness of the kingdom of God.

As they were eating, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” Even though this was a very general statement, imagine the impact it had on the atmosphere in the room. What a violation of culture and custom! In Eastern culture, protecting a guest at your table is of paramount importance. How could this be?

What happens next isn’t surprising at all. The mood in the room immediately became sorrowful. One by one, the disciples asked the question, most likely with some disbelief, “It’s not me, is it, Lord?” What were they doing? The 11 were examining their hearts. They were considering the almost unthinkable possibility that one of them would betray their Master. Jesus’ statement while they ate prompted the Twelve to engage in deep soul-searching. Matthew’s account includes Judas asking the question as well, but his question seems insincere.

According to Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11:28, this element of examination is essential before participating in the Lord’s Table. “[Let] a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

This opening statement by Jesus, and the Twelve’s response, leads us to the next element.

The Next ELEMENT (essential in keeping the feast) is,

Explanation

In response to the Eleven’s question of whether they were the betrayers, Jesus said, “It is one of [you], he who dips in the same dish I am.” Notice that this is a more specific statement than the earlier one. I believe this was Jesus’ way of identifying Judas as the betrayer.

From the Gospel records, we can glean a partial picture of the seating arrangement at this Last Supper. It was customary for those reclining at the table to do so on their left side. John’s Gospel also tells us that John, the Beloved Disciple, reclined on Jesus’ bosom. That means he had to be to Jesus’ right and most likely at the end of the horseshoe-shaped table. 

After this statement about betrayal, Peter gestured to John. He wanted him to ask Jesus who the betrayer was. That meant Peter couldn’t quietly ask because he was across the table from John. It is also logical to assume that Judas was on Jesus’ left. This was the place of honor, next to the host.

According to Jewish historian Alfred Edersheim, it was customary for the host to dip a morsel into the dish and give it to the guest of honor. When Jesus did this for Judas, the others didn’t understand that Jesus was singling him out as the betrayer. In addition, Jesus and Judas may have spoken in low enough tones to exclude the others from hearing what was said.

However, Jesus wasn’t finished with His explanation. He said, “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.” One writer said the “woe” in this verse is not vindictive, like a curse, but reveals a misery that even love could not prevent. It has the tone of a lament. Jesus took no delight in Judas’ destruction.

Jesus’ statement highlights the necessary tension between man’s free will and God’s sovereignty. Dr. J. Otis Yoder, the founder of Heralds of Hope and my mentor, said, “God uses the free choices of men to accomplish His purposes, but holds them accountable for their choices.” Surely none of Jesus’ sayings are more fully charged with His claims to pre-existence, divinity, and judicial authority than this, which He spoke at the very moment when the traitor’s plot was on the verge of success. In just a few hours, Judas would betray Him!

The Son of Man must die as prophesied, but Judas consciously chose to betray his Master. Judas was not a pawn in this cosmic battle between good and evil. He was a free moral agent. He could have resisted Satan’s temptations. We do not know whether he fully understood the outcome of his choices, but he was entirely responsible. He allowed Satan to enter his heart through his covetousness.

If this was indeed a Passover meal, Judas’ choices indicated that he had never left spiritual “Egypt.” He preferred the bondage he knew to the freedom he didn’t know, just like the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings. Jesus’ explanation of betrayal leads us to the next element in keeping the feast.

But that will have to wait until our next episode because we are almost out of time. Before we close the program, Arlin has some important information for you.

Thanks, J Mark, for sharing these thoughts about the last supper. It is always amazing to me how we can see things we didn’t see before, no matter how many times we look at a passage. This is especially true with this passage. We look at it every time we have communion, and each time a different aspect stands out. I love how Jesus included all our senses in this service. What is more memorable than eating and drinking together? This is really amazing.

What is your favorite part of this passage?  What stood out to you the last time you celebrated this memorial? If you would like to share your response with us, we’d love to hear from you. Here is how you can reach us. Our email address is [email protected]. Or you can contact us via our website. Go to Heraldsofhope.org. There, you will find “Contact Us” under the Partner tab on the top right. Click on that to message us directly. We would love to hear from you. 

Thanks so much for being with us for the first part of this study. Lord willing, we can be together next time for the rest of this lesson. In I Corinthians 11 Paul tells us, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till he comes.” I like how Paul gets us to look back and reflect, but also look forward to when He comes. Because He will come back soon, let’s be ready.