#57 The Last Supper Series

#57 The Last Supper

Series: Mark

Chuck Sligh

November 14, 2021

TEXT: Mark 14:12-26 – “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

INTRODUCTION

Every Christian denomination and faith group has its own particular set of doctrinal differences with one another. In addition, there are many practices peculiar to churches and denominational groups. But there’s one practice that is universal: They all celebrate the Lord’s Supper, otherwise called communion, the Lord’s Table and the Eucharist. There are different interpretations of what communion means, but two thousand years after its institution shortly before Jesus’ death, when we take communion, we’re part of millions of Christians who still connect with the Lord with the bread and the cup.

In today’s text, Mark 14:12-26, it is the night before the cross. Jesus gathers with His disciples for a night of lasts and firsts. It was the last official Passover meal, for Jesus was the Passover Lamb slain once and for all to pay for all our sins. But it was also the first communion meal.

Jesus took the Passover meal celebrated by all observant Jews and gave it a radically different meaning. And it was during this time that Jesus made an alarming prediction, causing each apostle to examine himself and ask if he could be guilty of treachery. Look with me at Mark 14:12-26 this morning:

I. NOTICE FIRST, JESUS’ ELABORATE PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER MEAL IN VERSES 12-16.

Let’s start with verse 12 – “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the assover, his disciples said to him, ‘Where will you have us go and prepare, that you may eat the Passover?’”

The Passover meal was and still is an important celebration in the life of the Jews. It required elaborate preparations, so the disciples asked Jesus where He wanted them to go to make the preparations for the meal. A lamb had to be sacrificed in the Temple which was the meat for the meal. Then every inch of the kitchen and house where the Passover meal would take place had to be scrubbed for any trace of leaven and all products with leaven in the house had to be gotten rid of.

Notice Jesus’ enigmatic reply to the disciples in verses 13-15– “And he sent out two of his disciples, and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and there you will meet a man 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, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.’”