THE LORD S SUPPER Mark 14:12-26 Key Verse: 24 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' he said to them.' Last Sunday we learned the beautiful story of a woman who poured her perfume on Jesus. Some people criticized her harshly. However, Jesus accepted her act as a beautiful thing. Do you know what the most beautiful thing is? It is the love of Jesus. Today s passage teaches us the love of Jesus who shed his blood for us. Today Jesus invites us to His Table. May God bless us enter into the blood covenant relationship with Jesus. Part I: Make preparations for you to eat the Passover (12-21). Look at verse 12. Two days had already passed. Now it was the first day of the Feast of unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb. Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" Eating the Passover was very important to the Jews. It had a historical meaning. It commemorated the deliverance of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. The Passover to the Israelites is like 4 th of July in America. Jesus instructed his disciples how to look for a room to eat the Passover. Look at verses 13, 14. So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? It was very strange instructions. Imagine if I told you to go to downtown Naperville, find a man wearing a pink Cubs hat, follow him home and then ask him if we can have Sunday Worship Service in his house? How did the disciples respond? The disciples went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. The upper room in the house actually belonged to the mother of Mark, the writer of this book. This upper room was later used as 1
the gathering place for the Jerusalem Church. (Ac 1:13) In this way, Jesus himself prepared the Lord's Supper, a historical event in the New Testament. They were ready to eat the Passover. This is called the Lord s Supper or the Last Supper. This scene of the Last Supper is famous because of Da Vinci s painting. Eating together with Jesus at the same table this table fellowship was an act of deep friendship and intimacy with one another. It was a sign of love and unity with each other. When you sit at the lunch table in school, you sit with your friends of course. God has invited us to sit at the table with Jesus in His kingdom. What a divine and glorious invitation it is! When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. Look at verse 18. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me. Betrayal! What a way to ruin a dinner party! Jesus said that not just one of his followers, but one of the twelve would betray him. One of those specifically chosen by Jesus would betray him. One of those who shared all of the memories of the past three miraculous years would betray him. One of the Twelve who entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus would betray him. Betrayal hurts you greatly because it is done by someone you know. You can t be betrayed by a stranger. One form of betrayal we have all experienced is in the board game Risk. In this game you must make alliances and then betray your partners in order to conquer the world. In America, betrayal is personified in Benedict Arnold. He was an American Colonel who fought against the British in the Revolutionary war. But when he was insulted and passed over for promotion after his stunning victory at Saratoga, he betrayed his homeland America switching his side to the British. What is much more surprising is that the other disciples were not sure whether they would betray Jesus or not. Every one of them was holding his breath, hoping that the betrayer was not going to be them. All of them spoke with a trembling and an unsure voice, "Surely not I?" It seems strange that the disciples did not even know themselves well enough if they would be the betrayer. In fact, a little later on in this passage Jesus would tell them in verse 27, "You will all fall away." 2
While they were wondering, Jesus said, "It is one of the Twelve." Jesus also told them the result of betraying him. Look at verse 21. "The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." Jesus already knew that Judas would betray him. Why did Judas want to betray Jesus? There were many reasons. Judas thought he was smart. He was keeping one foot in with Jesus and one foot in with the world. That way he could jump to which ever group he thought was better for him. Judas thought that he had stayed with Jesus long enough, and future security became his number one priority. After 9.11, national security became the most urgent policy in our country. Economic news and record breaking gas prices darken people s hearts. Because of the high living expenses, people need more income. Then they have to work more doing overtime and get tired and spiritually dry out. Because we are attached too much to an earthly security, our life can go spiritually in the wrong direction. In this vicious cycle of insecurity, people gradually become more selfish, indifferent, and greedy. God wants us to put our security in God s kingdom and to live as pilgrims on earth. This is the way we can live a victorious life on earth. We must not worry about our future security like Judas. As you know, Judas' betrayal did not hinder God's work of salvation at all. But his betrayal brought misery to himself. Jesus said this because he wanted to convict Judas of his sin of betrayal so that he might repent and turn to God. Betrayal is one of the hardest things to deal with. Some of us like Chinese Kung Fu movies because the overriding theme is revenge. It seems very fair and honorable to take revenge. But God's way is different from that of sinful men. For example, when Absalom betrayed David, David had to run for his life. But David did not take it personally. David did not hate his son Absalom. Instead, David asked his soldiers, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake" (2Sa 18:5). David was more concerned with Absalom than his own life. That is why he was called a man after God s own heart. Judas' betrayal was not easy for Jesus to take. But Jesus did not take his betrayal personally. Jesus knew that he would go just as it was written about him. Jesus was more concerned with Judas than himself. Judas was about to betray Jesus but Jesus loved him to the end. We are called to follow Jesus. We are called to love him, believe in him and be loyal to him. Often our intentions are good and admirable. But if we are honest with ourselves, upon careful reflection, we 3
cannot but admit that all of us have participated in betraying Jesus in one way or the other. Jesus, though heart-broken, still loves us. Part II: Take my body and blood (22-26). Look at verse 22. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body." Did Jesus react to his betrayer emotionally, saying, "Get out of here. I want nothing to do with him. No! Jesus continued the meal. He offered the bread to all of them. Being fully aware that he would be betrayed, Jesus offered them friendship, unity and love anyway. He did not turn them away. In the midst of their treachery and unfaithfulness, on the very night of their betrayal, Jesus offered them a new covenant. "Take it; this is my body." Jesus broke the bread, symbolizing how his body would be broken. Now we can understand why the writer of this book, Mark, has put this account alongside the story of the woman who broke her alabaster jar of perfume. For here Jesus showed these disciples that he was doing to them what she had done to him. As she broke the jar for Jesus, Jesus was going to break his body for them. Look at verse 23. "Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it." Jesus went on to say in verse 24, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." What does "my blood of the covenant" mean? It has deep roots in the Bible. The main meaning of the "new covenant" refers back to the old covenant. The old covenant was based on animal sacrifices. Some may say, "Why is it necessary to shed the blood of animals in order that our sins be forgiven? Can God just forgive us without shedding the blood of animals?" This covenant of the blood reveals God's character and the heart of the gospel most excellently. God is holy and righteous. God cannot look at sin. God cannot but punish sin. And the wages of sin is death. If God forgave us our sins without demanding the wages, he would not be righteous. So God provided the way for sinners both to pay the wages of sin and to be forgiven--that is, through the blood of the covenant. Under the old covenant, uncountable lambs and bulls were sacrificed. If we are under the old covenant of the blood, we should all travel to Jerusalem and offer the blood of the lamb every year. 4
But God himself provided us with the perfect sacrifice for our sins, Jesus the Lamb of God. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he exclaimed, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn 1:29) Jesus came to this world to be the Lamb of God and to pour out his holy blood to cleanse our sins. When we accept his blood for our sins and apply it to the doorposts of our hearts, our sins are forgiven. God bestows his grace of forgiveness of sins freely through his Son Jesus Christ. Why does God forgive our sins freely? It is because we cannot pay for it. It is free because our Lord Jesus paid all the wages of sin for us in our place. Therefore, we can have the assurance of forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation in Jesus not by works, but by faith; by trusting in what Jesus had done for us, and not by our performances. This is the blood covenant with Jesus. It is not a covenant that was established through our goodness or through our faithfulness. It is a covenant made possible by God s grace. Grace, grace, God s grace! This is the covenant offered to all sinners. Only the holy blood of Jesus can cleanse our sins. An old soap commercial says, "You are not fully clean unless you re Zest-fully clean." But no soap in the world can cleanse men from their sins. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all our sinful desires, as well as from our sinful habits. Only the blood of Jesus can heal sin-sick people when they come to Jesus as they are. Some young people received everything from their parents and this great country, America. However, they always complain, and are sorrowful and angry. It is not because of their bad circumstances but because of Satan s condemnation due to their sins lingering in their hearts. But the blood of Jesus has power to change and drive out their sorrows and angers. Those who are cleansed by the blood of Jesus can love others even those who give them a hard time. Those who are cleansed by the blood of Jesus can have holy desires from God and do something great and fruitful for God. Through the shedding of his blood, Jesus not only cleansed our sins but also opened the way for all men to have eternal salvation and a living hope in the kingdom of God. Jesus' shedding of his blood is everything to everybody. So Jesus said in verse 25, "I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." After the supper they sang a hymn and they went out to the Mount of Olives to pray (26). What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 5
Peter said in 1 Peter 2:24,25, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. We have all betrayed Jesus. Still, Jesus invites us to His Table. He invites us to live as transformed people of grace. And he gives the power to live as redeemed people. The disciples betrayed Jesus that night in Gethsemane and fled in fear. But later they became martyrs for Jesus name. They were transformed and renewed by the power of Jesus blood. Whenever we see our sins in us, we wonder whether we can live as holy servants of God or not. Whenever we see the sins of young people, we wonder whether this nation can be established as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These days many are suffering from various addictions: drugs, alcohol, sex, the Internet, self-pity, victim mentality, and so on. They cannot escape no matter how hard they try. Even though they study hard and work hard, they cannot change themselves. Even though they break relationships with people they love deeply, they cannot change themselves. But Jesus blood has the power to break the chains of addiction and set us free, my friends. Jesus blood has life-changing power. Jesus said in verse 24, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Through his blood we have forgiveness, deliverance from darkness, and purification. Who here believes that Jesus body and blood has life changing power? Who here wants to accept this new covenant? Through his blood we have a new covenant relationship that restores paradise in our souls. Therefore, we should not waste our time wondering about all these things. Instead, we must accept Jesus invitation to enter into the blood covenant relationship with Jesus. We must believe that the blood of Jesus can cleanse away all our sins so that we can live as holy servants of God in this generation. We must believe that the blood of Jesus can cleanse all the sins of young students and raise them as Bible teachers and for the whole world. *Conclusion: Today, Jesus offers his blood for each one of us to establish a new covenant relationship with him. Let us take Jesus body and drink his blood daily and live as his covenant people depending on the grace and power of Jesus blood alone. May God bless us to establish a new covenant relationship with him by accepting Jesus blood poured out for us. May God bless us to meet Jesus newly and to see what God is doing throughout the world through the coming Purdue International conference. 6