Mark 14:12-26
The Lord’s Supper
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Sermon Summary
Main Points:
Historical Context of Passover:
The sermon begins by establishing the historical significance of the Passover, celebrated annually to remember God's redemption of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 12).
Emphasis on the traditional rituals and symbols, such as the unleavened bread, bitter herbs, lamb, and wine.
Jesus’ Last Supper as a Fulfillment of Passover:
Jesus' actions at the Last Supper signify a transformative moment. He reinterprets the Passover meal, presenting the bread as His body and the wine as His blood, symbolizing the new covenant.
This act marks a shift from the old covenant of the Exodus to the new redemption in Christ.
The New Covenant in Jesus’ Blood:
Jesus' sacrifice surpasses the deliverance from Egypt, offering redemption from sin and death.
The Lord's Supper is portrayed as a celebration of this new redemption, connecting believers to the promise of salvation through Christ.
Application to Believers:
The sermon underscores that both Jews and Gentiles need redemption from sin, achievable only through faith in Jesus.
Believers are no longer slaves to sin but are freed and strengthened by Christ's sacrifice.
Practical implications of this redemption include living in love, patience, empathy, and humility, reflecting Jesus' teachings.
The Continual Remembrance:
The Lord's Supper serves as a regular reminder of Jesus' redemptive work.
The Holy Spirit's role in assuring believers of their redemption and adoption as God's children is highlighted.
Closing Reflections:
The sermon concludes with a reflection on Psalm 118, emphasizing Jesus as the cornerstone of faith and the source of hope and freedom for believers.
Sample Bible Study
Theme: Redemption through Christ in the Lord's Supper
Key Scripture: Mark 14:12-26
Discussion Points:
Understanding Passover and its Fulfillment in Christ:
Discuss the significance of Passover in Jewish history. How did Jesus fulfill and transform these traditions at the Last Supper?
The New Covenant of Redemption:
Explore the meaning of Jesus’ words about the bread and wine. How does this represent a new covenant compared to the old covenant?
Personal Reflection on Redemption:
Reflect on what redemption through Jesus Christ means personally. How does this understanding affect daily life and faith?
The Role of the Lord's Supper:
Discuss the importance of the Lord's Supper in remembering Jesus’ sacrifice. How does participating in this sacrament strengthen faith?
Living as Redeemed People:
Consider practical ways to live out the redemption in Christ. How should this understanding influence behavior, relationships, and decisions?
The Holy Spirit's Assurance:
Reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in assuring believers of their redemption. Share experiences of how the Spirit has affirmed this truth in personal lives.
Prayer Focus:
Thank God for the redemption through Jesus Christ.
Pray for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Lord's Supper.
Seek guidance to live daily as people redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice.
Related Westminster Confession References:
Confession of Faith: Chapter 29 (Of the Lord's Supper), highlighting the significance and spiritual implications of the Lord's Supper.
Larger Catechism: Q&A 168-177, exploring the nature of the Lord's Supper, its purposes, and proper reception.
Shorter Catechism: Q&A 96-97, summarizing the essence and benefits of the Lord's Supper.
This study aims to deepen understanding of the Last Supper's significance and encourage living in light of Christ's redeeming work.
Weekday Devotionals
Monday: The Preparation for Redemption
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:12-16
Reflection: How did Jesus know the man would be there? How did Jesus know the room would be ready? The disciples' preparation for the Passover meal under Jesus's detailed instructions mirrors our own preparation for encountering Christ. Just as the disciples found everything as Jesus had said, so too are we called to trust in His provisions for our spiritual journey. This account invites us to reflect on how God prepares us for our own moments of meeting Him, often in ways we cannot anticipate but can fully trust.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a heart that trusts in Jesus's preparations for your life, especially in seasons where God’s plans seem unclear or even difficult to trust. Ask the Lord for the faith to step out, following His guidance, confident that He has prepared the way before you.
Tuesday: The New Covenant
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:22-24
Reflection: As Jesus breaks the bread and shares the cup, He introduces a new covenant, shifting the focus from a collective historical redemption of the Israelites from Egypt to the freedom from the curse of sin and death for all nations. This moment is pivotal, not only redefining the Passover but also our relationship with God, especially for Gentiles now. It underscores the personal nature of Jesus's sacrifice and invites us into a direct relationship with God, through faith in Christ.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the new covenant established by Jesus. Ask for the grace to live fully in the freedom and personal relationship with God that this covenant affords.
Wednesday: Betrayal and Redemption
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:18-21
Reflection: The juxtaposition of betrayal with the institution of the Lord's Supper serves as a powerful reminder of the cost of our redemption. Judas's betrayal, foreknown by Jesus, underscores the depth of Jesus's love and the price of our salvation. If we are honest with ourselves, we too love the wealth and the comforts of this life more than Jesus at times. This narrative invites us to consider our own moments of failure. Your story does not have to end as Judas’s though.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for the courage to confront and confess your own betrayals and failures, however small they may seem. Ask for Jesus's redemptive love to cover your weaknesses and transform them into testimonies of His grace. Ask for the Holy Spirit to do the work of sanctification in your heart to turn you from the weeds that would choke out your faith that you may produce a crop 100 fold.
Thursday: The Fulfillment of Passover
Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1-14; Mark 14:12, 22-25
Reflection: The Last Supper stands as the fulfillment of the Passover, pointing beyond the deliverance of Israel from Egypt to the ultimate redemption of humanity from sin. Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, inaugurates a new era where salvation is available to all who believe, transcending cultural and historical boundaries. Reflect on the continuity and fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a fresh revelation of Jesus as the Passover Lamb who was slain for your freedom. Thank God for His master plan of redemption that spans from the Exodus to the cross and beyond.
Friday: Living in the Reality of Redemption
Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1-14
Reflection: In light of Jesus's ultimate sacrifice, we are called to live as people who have been set free from the bondage of sin. The new covenant invites us to a life of gratitude, service, and love, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Live out your redemption, not as a distant historical fact, but as a present reality that shapes every aspect of your life.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to live in the fullness of your redemption. Ask God to help you walk daily in the freedom won by Christ, serving Him with a heart of gratitude and love.
Reflective Article
This narrative isn't just a retelling of an ancient tradition; it's a window into the depth of God's plan for his people, a plan that spans from the dusty roads of Jerusalem to the everyday lives of people today.
The Last Supper: A Meal of Redemption
On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus shared a meal with His disciples, a meal that had been celebrated for over a thousand years by the Jewish people. This wasn't just any meal; it was the Passover, commemorating God's deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. It was a meal celebrating the historical redemption of His people. However, this particular Passover was different. Jesus transformed it into something new, something that would forever change the course of history.
Breaking Bread, Pouring Wine: Symbols Transformed
As Jesus broke the bread and passed the cup of wine. He introduced a new covenant, signified through His body and blood. This act wasn't just symbolic; for those who would partake by faith, it was a direct invitation into the story of redemption. Jesus was pointing to His impending death on the cross, a sacrifice that would offer a way out of the bondage of sin and the curse of death and into the freedom of forgiveness and life eternal.
From Ancient Ritual to Personal Invitation
What does this mean for us today? The story of the Last Supper transcends time and culture, inviting us into a relationship with God that is as real and tangible as the bread and wine were for the disciples. It's a reminder that redemption isn't just a concept but a lived reality, available to anyone who places their trust in the life and death of Jesus.
Living in the Freedom of Redemption
Jesus' act of redemption on the cross and His institution of the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of that sacrifice offers us a daily reminder that we are no longer slaves to sin. Sin and death lay no claim on the christian. We are free to live lives of love, service, and worship not because of our own strength, but because of the grace and power of Jesus' sacrifice.
Practical Steps to Embrace Redemption
Reflect on the Sacrifice: Spend time reading Mark 14:12-26 and reflecting on the depth of love demonstrated by Jesus.
Celebrate Communion: Participate in the Lord's Supper at your local church, embracing it as a personal reminder of Jesus' sacrifice for you. If you are regenerate, know that as you eat the bread and drink of the cup His Spirit is with you. The Spirit convicts, comforts, and strengthens you through this sacrament.
Live in Freedom: Identify areas of your life where you're living as a slave to sin and consciously choose to live in the freedom Jesus offers. You fight from a position of Holy Spirit strength knowing the ultimate victory is assured.
Serve in Love: Look for opportunities to serve those around you, reflecting the love and sacrifice of Jesus in your actions. Be as specific as you can in this.
Final Thought: A Living Hope
As we partake in communion, remembering Jesus' sacrifice, we're not just looking back; we're looking forward. We look back to a historical event, the Exodus from Egypt. We look back to a historical event, the crucifixion. And, we're reminded that our redemption is not only about being freed from past sins but also about living with hope and purpose today. Through Jesus, we are invited into a story of redemption that is both ancient and ever new, a story that continues to unfold in our lives every day.
Remember, the journey from slavery to freedom, from death to life, is both a historical event and an ongoing reality for each of us who chooses to live in the light of Jesus' sacrifice. Let's embrace this gift of redemption with gratitude and live out its truth in our daily lives for God’s glory.
Automated Transcript
Did you open in your Bibles with me to the book of Mark chapter 14, Mark 14, will be looking this morning beginning at verse 12. Mark 14 beginning at verse 12. And we'll end at verse 26. Mark chapter 14, beginning at verse 12. Brothers and sisters, this is God's perfect word. Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover? And he sent out two of his disciples and said to them, I'll go into the city, and a certain man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water, follow him, wherever he goes in, say, to the master of the house, the teacher says, Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples, then he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared, there make ready for us. So his disciples went out and came into the city and found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. In the evening, he came with the 12. Now, as they sat and ate, Jesus said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with me will betray me. And he began to be sorrowful, and said to him one by one, is it I, another said, is it I, he answered and said to them, it is one of the 12, who dips with me in the dish, the son of man indeed goes, and just as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed, it would have been good for that man if he had never been born. And as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed, and broken, and gave it to them and said, Take eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup. And when He had given thanks, He took it, or he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many, Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the mound of all those lessons, this portion of the reading God's word, brothers and sisters, The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures for ever. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your Word. And we thank you for giving us this historical and true account. Or do you pray now that you would please help it to be applied to our lives, that we might not just grasp it intellectually, but that it would change our hearts, in Jesus's name? Amen. Well, I just need to be real blunt with you, we got a lot of ground to cover. And so we're going to jump into it. This is a sermon on redemption. There's a whole lot of topics we could talk about a whole lot of things we should talk about, I'm postponing most of that to this afternoon, a lot of theological conversations and, and kind of looking at the cultural significance of what's going on here and, and things like that. All that's going to be in chalk and talk about this sermon this morning is about the redemption that Jesus does and signifies here, the redemption of Jesus Christ. We're stepping into Mark chapter 14, and we are entering into an ancient tradition. Elder pilling this morning read from Exodus chapter 12. This has been over 1000 years, that every single year on the 14th of Nissan that people would get together and they would celebrate the Passover, year after year after year, remembering that God had redeemed them out of Egypt, and given them the promised land. Every year, they remembered the redemption out of Egypt. And so that they sat down at the meal, they would talk about the stories of the different plagues that God brought on the Egyptians. As they sat down at this Passover meal, they would have the very last plague and they would focus on how God had told them he was going to kill all the firstborn of the land of Egypt. They will remember the the bread, the unleavened bread, the bread that would represent their affliction. They would remember by eating bitter herbs, they would remember God's redemption by eating the Passover lamb. They will remember God's redemption by drinking the wine, they would remember God's redemption like their ancestors had done before they would take blood and they would paint it on the door posts and on the lentils of their house, remembering that it was only by the blood of the lamb that they had been saved from catastrophe. They would remember that they were redeemed out of Egypt every single year. And when we find ourselves in Mark, chapter 14, verse 12, it says, Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread when they killed the Passover lamb, they're ready for this most significant time in Israelite life. Everybody looks forward to the Passover lamb where by faith they would celebrate and remember the redemption that God purchased for them. The Jewish people had been doing this for centuries. Right? They did it when they first came out of Egypt. They did it. They remembered God's God's redemption when they celebrated with Joshua, they remembered God's redemption when they celebrated the Passover with the kings. They remembered God's redemption when they celebrated the Passover right before the Exodus. And during the time of the exile, they longed to celebrate the Passover, when there was no temple and no sacrifices, and they they longed for the day they could return back to Jerusalem. And that they could remember once again, God's redemption. The people remembered his redemption year in and year out, as they waited for the coming of the Messiah. As they did this, remembering during the season of redemption, every household would get together. And they would reenact this service. Every year, dad would get up there, and he would girded up his loins and he would take up his staff. And he would, he would take the bread and he would bless it, and he would give it to the family. And then he would have the different cups of wine and he would speak the blessing over the wine. And they would have the whole sacrificial lamb there, though. The family had to eat all of it. It started about six o'clock at night, and they had to be done by midnight, no leftovers allowed. And the children had asked Dad, why are we doing this? Dad, why why are we keeping this Passover again this year? And the dad would answer child is because God redeemed his people out of the land of Egypt, he conquered Pharaoh and he destroyed he showed himself more powerful than any of the imaginary Gods of Egypt. They would remember their fathers doing these things. And they would remember the songs they sang. Every single time they had the Passover, they would sing Psalm 113, through Psalm 118, the great Hillel Psalms, and they would sing these songs together these hymns together that God had inspired for them to sing. And so they have this memory in their mind. This is the ancient tradition that they do every single year to remember God's redemption. And here as a highlight, as as we can more and more towards the climax towards the cross, Jesus enters into this tradition. And there's hope in this tradition. Every year they would put a cup on the table. And they would fill that cup of wine and they would invite Elijah to come every year, on the same day on the 14th of Nisa, and they would remember to pray that the Messiah should come some day. Every year at the Passover, they would remember the suffering servant of Isaiah chapter 53, that some day God would bear their sins and longed for the day that Jeremiah us words would come true that God would establish a new covenant with His people. He had redeemed them but the work was not done. So this old tradition Jesus steps into play does something remarkable. Jesus tells His disciples to have them go into the city. You're going to find a guy there, he's going to be carrying water that's not normal. Normally, that's ladies work.
But you're gonna find a guy there and he's going to have this water door jar, follow Him go into whatever house he goes and just tell the master of this of the house. We're going to eat dinner here and the guy is gonna say okay, and you're gonna go you'll find a furnished upper room that the full Passover meal is going to be ready. Everything is there to celebrate. And they go into town and can you believe it? It's like Jesus knew what he was talking about. Wonder how that happened. But Jesus enters into the upper room with His disciples. And they sing, no doubt, the Hillel Psalms and Psalm 113, through 117. And it comes time when the father would typically the father of the family would typically hold up the bread and bless the bread and hold up the wine and bless the wine and say the traditional words that would be said, but Jesus does something amazing. He takes the bread, he blesses it. And then he doesn't say what their fathers would say. He didn't say Bless the Lord who brought this bread from the earth. He didn't say what the rabbi's would say he didn't say what the fathers would typically say. We're so used to Communion that we don't understand that this would a jarred the disciples. Never had they heard these words before. Jesus changes the script. Jesus changes the script instead of thanking the Lord for the bread that God has given from the earth. Jesus tells them that this bread is his body. It must have been scratching our heads. Well, that was a little weird. Never heard that before. And then he takes up the wine and as they would be used to the Father saying a special blessing over the wine. Jesus changes the script a second time. Jesus takes the copy holds it up, he gets thanks. And then he departs from the script again. Since this is my blood of the new covenant, which has shed for many Redemption was about to be purchased greater than the Exodus event ever pointed to. Jesus was instituting for them a new redemptive meal greater than them remembering back to the time they walked through the Red Sea greater than the time that they walked through an affliction in the desert. That as they ate the land as disciples. I don't think they understood that Passover when the lamb was there was always there from the first Passover, to point to the Lamb who would be slain for the forgiveness of the sins of the world. But here Jesus is this New Covenant meal of the new redemption of celebration for Jesus's disciples. To this, there's a continuity and similarity between the redemption that the Israelites celebrated in the Passover, and what we celebrate in the Lord's table. God had redeemed the Israelites from the affliction of Egypt He had and they've celebrated that with the Lord's or with Passover. But God has redeemed us from the wages of sin and death. And we celebrate that at his table. God had spared the lives of the of the firstborn sons of the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. But God himself did not spare His only begotten son, when he redeemed us out of slavery to sin. God redeemed us while we were yet sinners by offering up his only begotten Son as our true Passover lamb. God gave the Passover as a celebration of redemption, that they may be His people and likewise the Lord's Supper as a celebration of redemption that we are His people. So we come to the point now where we think about this redemption as it is accomplished by Jesus and applied by His Holy Spirit. What does it mean for us? We're not Jewish people. Were not use so what right do we have in partaking of the Passover lamb? As First Corinthians five talks of Jesus being that Passover Lamb will all of us Gentiles, are sinful in our flesh, under the tyranny of sin and death. There's an interesting St. Paul points out in Romans chapter two, it's not just Gentiles who are under the slavery of sin and death and need to be redeemed, but it was also Jewish people as well. Romans chapter one talks about Gentile people being under that slavery of sin and death, Romans chapter two talking about Jews being under that same slavery under sin and death. And then lumps us all together in Romans chapter three, saying we are all sinners. None of us are perfect, we have each and every one of us, fallen short of that standard of glory. Yet God has made a way for us to be made right by Him by faith. This is what Abraham believed when he walked up Mount Moriah, and was to offer up his own son Isaac and God stopped him and provided a ram to be slaughtered and said, but it was at that same mountain that the Lord would one day not hold his own hand from slaughtering his own son, Jesus Christ. By faith, Abraham believed and it was imputed to Him as righteous. And it's the same with us, we are justified by faith in Jesus and have peace with God only through the redemption of Jesus Christ. And so we are given strength. We are given strength because we remember not that we are good enough ourselves. But when we look to that same Lord's Table when we remember that it's Jesus who paid the price of redemption, we know that it was God who in due time sent Jesus Christ to die for the ungodly. And so what Jesus is instituting here and Mark chapter 14, as a regular meal for us to partake in, to remember that God demonstrated His own love, he demonstrates His own love for us in that wall, we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If you have faith in Jesus, you have been redeemed from the curse and reconciled with God. You are no longer this is very important, you are no longer a slave to sin. Right when we when we look at the Exodus event, and what the Passover was pointing about was that they were no longer slaves to Pharaoh. He couldn't lay claim on them. Pharaoh couldn't say no, no, no, no, no, you're still my slaves. I don't know where you live. No, they had been redeemed by god they had been purchased by him. Sin has no claim over you. You are not a slave to sin anymore or to death. Your Passover lamb has been sacrificed. They were led out of slavery by Moses. And we are led out of slavery by Jesus. They ate the bread of affliction. And when we come together to the Lord's table, we eat the bread of freedom. They drink the cup of future hope but we drink the cup of the present reality that our Redeemer lives. They were baptized by walking through the Red Sea, but we are baptized into Christ Jesus. They partook of the Passover, longing for the day God would bring the new covenant we partake of the Lord's Supper, knowing that that covenant is real and realized. You can live your life free from the curse of the law. You no longer have to serve the truth, the cruel taskmaster, the slave driver of sin. You no longer have to serve that slave master of sin, who is always promising and never delivering. The slave master of Sin always is enticing you but never actually fulfilling you. But Jesus Christ is your master. Now you are not a slave to sin and death. Your life is hidden in Christ. And you're going to fight against that old man who keeps pulling you towards that slave driving sin master, but you don't have to go there. You fight from a position put from a position of freedom and strength you are free to love and serve God.
And you know this is true because his Holy Spirit is in you. Even when you fail, you cry out or wretched man that I am. I don't want to do these sinful things and yet I do them what will hope do I have? Our hope is Jesus Christ and the whole The Spirit that He has poured out into your hearts. God did not redeem you, and then leave you alone. But are God redeemed us by the blood of Jesus Christ and poured out in our hearts his spirit that cries out Abba, Father. This is what the Jesus was instituting in this meal. No matter what's going on in your life, you can stop. And remember the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ and apply to you in your life. No matter what suffering, you may be enduring. You can lift up your eyes. See Jesus and know that he is alive today. And be comforted by the Holy Spirit. You can know that this new covenant God has paid the price to adopt you as his beloved child. Not to be filled with pride. But to marvel at his grace. God redeemed you by the sacrifice of His Son. So you may now live your life as a living sacrifice.
Jesus has redeemed you. So you may love others without hypocrisy. You Jesus in his body being broken for you is broken, that you may have poor evil.
Jesus and pouring out His blood for you was that you might cling to what is good. Jesus in redeeming you and instituting the New Covenant was that you might have the fruit of kindness in your life. Jesus redeemed you that you might look around at the table. You might even look around you this morning. Have those in the pews near you and you could show brotherly love. Jesus redeemed you that you can honor others Jesus redeemed you that you may be diligent in your faith, Jesus redeemed you that you may rejoice in hope. You are redeemed brothers and sisters by the blood of Jesus Christ that you may be patient when there are times of tribulation. Jesus redeemed you that you may be steadfast in prayer. Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit into your heart, that you may care for others who have needs, Jesus redeemed you to institute that new covenant that you may be given over to showing hospitality love to strangers, Jesus redeemed you that you might Bless those who persecute you. Jesus redeemed you that you may show empathy with others rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. Jesus's New Covenant has been established in his blood that you may set your mind on the things above and not on the things below. Jesus has redeemed us and we may walk in humility and gratitude. Because our King laid down his life for us that Prince of Peace,
he knew what he was doing. And as we come to the very end of the sermon,
Jesus and his disciples after eating this mill, they sing a hymn with one another. They would sing Psalm 118. And the culmination of this last of the Hillel Psalms is that stone. That stone which the builders rejected had become the chief cornerstone and it is marvelous in our eyes. We sing together Psalm 118 now because our Redeemer lives and we have hope, because we know we have freedom and him. Let's stand together. It will sing Psalm 118 selection II
Transcribed by https://otter.ai