Supper In the City
Opening Prayer
Lord God, to come to You is to come home. You are my Father and I praise You.
Read Mark 14:12-26
[12]
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Meditate
“Thee I shall constantly proclaim, / though earth and hell oppose; / bold to confess thy glorious Name, / before a world of foes” (Charles Wesley, 1707-1788).
Think Further
The second meal takes place in the capital city, Jerusalem. Jesus’ traveling companions, the disciples, find friendship and betrayal around the table. They find friends who shared their faith, happy to put their belongings and resources at the disposal of Christ: food and a room already prepared. But Jesus also begins to prepare them for the deep wound that will go to the heart of their community. One of them would betray him (18).
A Passover meal was meant to be an annual feast of worship and remembrance. It remembered the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt, the miracles and the plagues, and celebrated God’s continuing involvement with his people. An important tradition involves the taking of cups of wine at different points in the meal, as well as feasting on the lamb whose blood was placed upon the lintels (supporting beams over the tops of doors). The family units stay together, as they once did in Egypt while the angel of death passed by.
Jesus’ family of disciples share this important meal together, but his betrayal speeds up the events, where his blood will become a cup of Passover, and his body the flesh of the Passover lamb. This leaves no doubt as to the purpose of his saving death: “This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the covenant between God and his people” (24, NLT).
Apply
Do you have a hurt from a betrayal of a friend? Bring it to the Lord and release it to him. Thank God for his saving covenant with you.
Closing prayer
Thank You, Jesus, for Your unfailing love and commitment to me, and to Your people all over the world. I’m thankful today that You planned this covenant with us before we had even been born.
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