Jesus Prepares for His Death

MEMORY VERSE: “And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” —Mark 14:36

MARK 14:22-26, 32-41

JESUS and his apostles were gathered in the “upper room” to partake of the Passover supper, an event by which, each year, the Jewish people were reminded of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In connection with this deliverance there was the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (I Cor. 5:7) From this we can properly think of Jesus as the antitypical Passover Lamb.

While partaking of the passover supper the night before he was crucified, “Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.”—vss. 22-24

Jesus had previously told his disciples that he would give his flesh, that it, his humanity, for the life of the world. (John 6:51) In partaking of the bread at the memorial of Jesus’ death we are reminded of this, the broken bread representing Jesus’ sacrificed humanity.

Jesus explained that the “cup” represented his blood. The “cup” and the “bread” are not the actual body and blood of Jesus, but are merely symbols which, when we partake of them, remind us of his unselfish sacrifice on behalf of the church and the world.

Jesus spoke of that blood as being the blood of “the new testament.” The reference here is not to the New Testament of the Scriptures, but to God’s promise of a New Covenant through which Israel and the world would be reconciled to God and restored to the original perfection lost in the Garden of Eden. (Jer. 31:31-34) Jesus’ blood seals this promise and assures us that the covenant will be made in God’s due time.

The Apostle Paul explains that as followers of Jesus we have been made “able ministers” of this New Covenant. The blood of Christ covers our imperfections while, throughout our earthly ministry, we are being prepared for association with Jesus in administering the laws of the New Covenant during the age to come.—II Cor. 3:3-6

All who would he true disciples of Jesus have the privilege of suffering and dying sacrificially with him, and when each year we partake of the “bread” and the “cup” we remind ourselves of this high privilege; and also that if we are faithful in laying down our lives as Jesus did, we will, in the “first resurrection,” be exalted to heavenly glory to live and reign with him. The proper date this year for this annual memorial of Jesus’ death is Tuesday evening, April 1.

MARK 14:32-41

Having instituted the memorial of his death, Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn and then went out into the night and to the Garden of Gethsemane. With the exception of Peter, James, and John, Jesus asked his disciples to remain near the entrance of the garden, and he and the three apparently went further into the garden, when Jesus said to them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.”—vs. 34

Then Jesus went forward a little farther into the garden “and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.” He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” This was indeed a crucial time for Jesus, and seemingly his apostles were not a great comfort to him, for they fell asleep while he was praying.

But Jesus came through this experience triumphantly. When he left the garden there was a mob waiting to arrest him. Peter, now wide awake and anxious to protect his Master, drew his sword to do battle. But Jesus said to him, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11) God had answered his Son’s prayer in the garden, and now Jesus knew that the Father’s will for him was to drink the “cup” of sorrow which confronted him, and he was quite willing to do so, no matter how great the cost would be.

QUESTIONS

What place in the plan of God did Jesus occupy in relationship to Israel’s Passover lamb?

Explain the meaning of the “bread” and the “cup” Jesus gave to his disciples.

What is the New Covenant?

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