I am always astounded that this is how Jesus chose to spend His final hours—with His friends, around a table, sharing a meal. No pomp and circumstance. Just a simple guest room and this ragtag group of followers that had become family. This was, of course, a meal most of them had partaken in every year. They would have known well the familiar cadence of the Passover. The lamb slain. The prayers spoken and songs sung. The food and wine. Each and every movement calling them to remember their rescue. They joined with generations of their ancestors who were called to regularly remember the exodus event—God lifting His people out of slavery and leading them to freedom. This was a familiar meal.
But this time, it was different. The tone shifted as the cross loomed large. It was no longer any other Passover. The familiar liturgy, as rich as it was, had never meant this much. As Jesus broke the bread and blessed it, it was no longer just bread to remember the exodus, but His own body. Taking the wine and giving thanks, it was no longer just wine, but His own blood poured out.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” —Mark 14:24
Just as the blood of an unblemished lamb sealed the covenant promises of God to His people, even more would the blood of Jesus—soon to be spilled on the cross—seal this new covenant.
This is the blood that would change everything.
Week after week, year after year, generation after generation had offered sacrifices in the tabernacle and temple. The blood of animals was poured out as an atonement, a covering and payment for sin. Here, in this upper room with His disciples, Jesus declared that His blood was going to be enough. They wouldn’t fully understand it then. Not even in the days to come. But He had been preparing them for His death. He knew how heavy with sorrow they would be—how distraught they would be at His departure. But soon their sorrow would turn to joy (John 16:20) and they would tell the world of the sacrifice, resurrection, and new life found in Jesus.
This meal of remembrance, now memorialized in the Lord’s Supper (or Communion or the Eucharist, depending on your tradition), calls to mind the even greater rescue from our bondage to sin and the eternal liberation we find only in Christ.
What a kindness that we have this tangible rhythm of remembrance to recall the body and blood that changed everything for us. For all who have trusted in Christ, and come to the table, we remember and recount His sufficient sacrifice, His death that brought us life.
Thank you!!!
These passages can be hard to read and think about what Jesus endured for the sake of us, but the hope it gives! “I will see you again. Your heats will rejoice and no one will take away your joy from you.” Lord thank you for this hope you give. Praying for all of the requests.
In Old Testament it was a sin to drink the blood of sacrificed animals because it represented life. Now Jesus is telling us that we are to drink His blood—- BECAUSE—- it is LIFE!! Isn’t that beautiful. He is the ultimate sacrifice!! Praise God!
LEIGH GORHAM, We were on the same wavelength! THANKS for sharing the commentaries. As I read your notes, I vaguely remember hearing about that being Mark, but I had forgotten that. The commentaries add a rich layer to the setting!
These weeks I’ve read over and over in the commentaries and heard in the podcasts various versions of the statement “I love this season of lent …”. I struggle to relate to that! I enjoy being intentional and typically “seasons” of something will help us to do that, so it’s the rhythms of intention that I’m enjoying, not lent. I especially struggle with THIS week every year. I very, intensely selfishly do NOT like reading the events leading up to/of the crucifixion. Especially dragging it out and reading the days “in real time”. For me it’s sincerely anxiety-causing. I joined in today and will continue this week because the truth of what Jesus did for me (us) needs to be accounted and remembered and felt and known. It’s unbelievably important to keeping perspective on my life and circumstances- on keeping appropriate perspective on this world and events. But just being fully open- I do NOT enjoy it… Easter- I enjoy. ;)
If anyone listened to the podcast they heard this too- but something so interesting they shared about the payment Judas set up for the handing over of Jesus was equivalent to the common “asking price” for a slave. He sold off the Savior for a slave’s price. I judged that for a moment and then was smacked in the head with the question- well, Heidi, how much do YOU trade Jesus for in your everyday life..? Sadly- the price Judas received is more than what I’ve given Him up for some days. Various comforts, situations where I’m CERTAIN I know better/make my own choices… I “give him up” much too easily sometimes. And yet- he’s always right there lovingly wanting me back, to show me doing life with him is so much richer and better. So while I really dislike this “season”- I’m at the same time so grateful for it and what it brought to us as a people of God. Adoption, inclusion, unending love and forgiveness… too much :)
UPDATE for those keeping count- yesterday (Wed) my niece received her 30 day chip!! She is so excited. But beyond that- you should know she’s gotten this chip a couple times before but she told me last night it never meant much. She didn’t really care bc she wasn’t fully committed to sobriety. But this time she feels proud, she feels successful and she’s recognizing the enormous changes that are happening. She sent me a text a couple of days ago that said she was suddenly so overwhelmed with the realization of how much God was working in her life. She hadn’t noticed it before. She said “It was like I suddenly KNEW God was working in me and around me continuously because of people praying for me- not bc of ME, but completely the prayers of others…” Y’all I about hit the floor! For Him to decide now was the timing to answer that prayer of her eyes being opened to the Spiritual work around her- I’ve/we’ve been praying that for her for months now. But she was finally in a mental space to be able to understand that thought.
Thank you for your prayers for her. Please please don’t stop… I am still in communication with her friend who is living back at home with her mom (massively toxic environment) and praying for her- please pray for her to find community, support, encouragement and (hopefully) a better living situation.
Grateful for all of you!!! ❤️
Sorry for the early post. The full version of my comment is the second post of mine. ❤️
I did some research awhile wondering about the young man too, but I honestly forget what I read. I was just thinking about it, thinking “I wonder if that is Mark, putting himself in the story in a humble way”. That’s so cool to see it may have been! Kind of like John always referring to himself as the disciple who Jesus loved!
If anyone was like me and wondered what the significance or meaning of the verses in Mark of the man who came out during the seizure of Jesus – the man in nothing but linen – I searched some commentaries and found one I that shared insight and possibility I hade never realized or considered. I wanted to share it here for anyone who wanted to read it too.
It is from David Guzik’s commentary: “Now a certain young man followed Him… and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked: Jesus was forsaken even by a young follower, who in the confusion fled naked. Since the earliest days of the church, commentators have supposed this young man to be Mark himself. It was his humble way of saying, “I was there.”
i. Many people suppose that the upper room where Jesus held the last supper just a few hours earlier was at a home owned by Mark’s family. Acts 12:12 says that the disciples used to meet at the home of Mark’s mother. It may be that the arresting army led by Judas first came to Mark’s home, because that is where Judas last left Jesus. When Judas and the group came and found them gone, it would have been easy for Judas to suppose that they went to Gethsemane, because Jesus was accustomed to going there (Luke 22:39). When Judas and the group started out for Gethsemane, we can imagine that young Mark hurriedly dressed in a simple linen cloth and set out to beat Judas and his gang to Gethsemane so that he could warn Jesus.
ii. “It is usually supposed that Mark himself, son of Mary (Acts 12:12) in whose house they probably had observed the Passover meal, had followed Jesus and the apostles to the Garden.” (Robertson)
iii. “The modest spirit of Mark seemed to say, ‘Friend Peter, while the Holy Ghost moves me to, tell thy fault, and let it stand on record, he also constrains me to write my own as a sort of preface to it, for I, too, in my mad, hare-brained folly, would have run, unclothed as I was, upon the guard to rescue my Lord and Master; yet, at the first sight, of the rough legionaries, at the first gleam of their swords, away I fled, timid, faint-hearted, and afraid that I should be too roughly handled.’” (Spurgeon)”
So fascinating, Leigh! Thanks for sharing this. I was so curious & hadn’t ever noticed that part of the story before. This makes a lot of sense.
If anyone was like me and wondered what the significance or meaning of the verses in Mark of the man who came out during the seizure of Jesus – the man in nothing but linen – I searched some commentaries and found one I that shared insight and possibility I hade never realized or considered. I wanted to share it here for anyone who wanted to read it too.