Wednesday: The Passover and the Lord’s Supper
MARK 14:1-26
The Plan to Kill Jesus
It was now only two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and
teachers of the law were trying to find a trick to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2 But they said, "We must not do it
during the feast, because the people might cause a riot."
1
A Woman with Perfume for Jesus
3 Jesus
was in Bethany at the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. While Jesus was eating there, a woman
approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the
jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. 4 Some who were there became upset and said to each other,
"Why waste that perfume? 5 It was worth a full year's work. It could have been sold and the money given to
the poor." And they got very angry with the woman. 6 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her?
She did an excellent thing for me. 7 You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them anytime
you want. But you will not always have me. 8 This woman did the only thing she could do for me; she poured
perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached in all
the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her."
Judas Becomes an Enemy of Jesus
10 One
of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the leading priests to offer to hand Jesus over to
them. 11 These priests were pleased about this and promised to pay Judas money. So he watched for the best
time to turn Jesus in.
Jesus Eats the Passover Meal
12 It
was now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. Jesus'
followers said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?" 13 Jesus
sent two of his followers and said to them, "Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him. 14 When he goes into a house, tell the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says: Where is my guest
room in which I can eat the Passover meal with my followers?' 15 The owner will show you a large room
upstairs that is furnished and ready. Prepare the food for us there." 16 So the followers left and went into the
city. Everything happened as Jesus had said, so they prepared the Passover meal. 17 In the evening, Jesus went
to that house with the twelve. 18 While they were all eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will
turn against me -- one of you eating with me now." 19 The followers were very sad to hear this. Each one began
to say to Jesus, "I am not the one, am I?" 20 Jesus answered, "It is one of the twelve -- the one who dips his
bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But how terrible it will be
for the person who hands the Son of Man over to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been
born."
The Lord’s Supper
22 While
they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his
followers and said, "Take it; this is my body." 23 Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for it and gave it to the
followers, and they all drank from the cup. 24 Then Jesus said, "This is my blood which is the new agreement
that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink of this
fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." 26 After singing a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives.
Old Testament Readings
1 The
Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 "This month will be the beginning of months, the
first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each
man must get one lamb for the people in his house. 4 If there are not enough people in his house to eat a
whole lamb, he must share it with his closest neighbor, considering the number of people. There must be
enough lamb for everyone to eat. 5 The lamb must be a one-year-old male that has nothing wrong with it. This
animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat. 6 Take care of the animals until the fourteenth day of the
month. On that day all the people of the community of Israel will kill them in the evening before dark. 7 The
people must take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where
they eat the lambs. 8 On this night they must roast the lamb over a fire. They must eat it with bitter herbs and
bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. Roast the whole lamb over a fire -with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You must not leave any of it until morning, but if any of it is left over
until morning, you must burn it with fire. 11 "This is the way you must eat it: You must be fully dressed as if you
were going on a trip. You must have your sandals on and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a
hurry; this is the Lord's Passover. 12 "That night I will go through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn
animals and people in the land of Egypt. I will also punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 But the blood
will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing terrible will
hurt you when I punish the land of Egypt. 14 "You are always to remember this day and celebrate it with a feast
to the Lord. Your descendants are to honor the Lord with this feast from now on.
24 "You must keep this command as a law for you and your descendants from now on. 25 Do this when you go
to the land the Lord has promised to give you. 26 When your children ask you, 'Why are we doing these
things?' 27 you will say, 'This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord
passed over the houses of Israel, and when he killed the Egyptians, he saved our homes.'" Then the people
bowed down and worshiped the Lord.
Exodus 12:1-14, 24-27
"Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved."
Insights and Reflection
Right down to the present, Jews reenact the Passover event in celebration of their redemption from Egypt…
In this service, words are connected with ritual, symbol, and gesture. It is a drama, a reenactment of the flight
of Israel from the land of the Pharaoh. It is not only a past event, but a present reality. For, although the
exodus happened in the past, its power and meaning reach down into history and change the lives of people
now as did the original event. Reenactment of the action still has the power to change lives…
Christianity has also retained the Old Testament principle that the event being celebrated becomes
contemporaneous: Paul referred to the Table as a “participation” in Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). It is important to
understand, though, that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an event which we memorialize. Its
power, like that of the Exodus, reaches down through history and becomes a present reality to the people
who celebrate it in faith.
Robert Webber