May 11, 2016 (Wednesday)
This evening at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, we will be studying Mark 14:12-52, an account of The Last Supper.
The supper was the Passover meal, and was being observed in most homes all over the country, especially in Jerusalem that very night. For Jesus and his disciples, it would be the last Passover with him.
This meal was unique in preparation for it, for Jesus predicted in detail the circumstances his disciples would encounter as they followed his instructions. It was also unique in that Jesus announced at the outset that one of his disciples would betray him. It was different from other Passover meals because Jesus said the bread and wine would henceforth represent his body and blood and would cause them to remember his death in the future. After the meal, Jesus told Peter he would deny him before daylight, which happened just as predicted.
DaVinci’s painting, “The Last Supper,” presents Jesus and his disciples sitting in chairs at a table, but in reality they reclined at a table on the floor, leaning on their elbows with their bodies outstretched behind them.
If nothing else their position would make the meal seem more intimate. The custom brought the diners together, and fostered a loving spirit among them. During the meal, Jesus gave them a commandment to love one another. The revelation of betrayal and the announcement of denial, therefore, was unexpected and probably shocking.
As the night drew on, Jesus led the group to Gethsemane, where he prayed before being arrested and taken to the Jewish leaders for trial. When Friday dawned, he was in custody. By 3:00 p.m. he was dead on a cross. By sunset he was buried in a tomb. The world would be changed forever on Sunday morning when the tomb would be found empty except for an angel announcing that he had risen from the dead!