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Lord’s Supper (Mk. 14:22-26)

“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mk. 14:22-26).”

Jesus invites the disciples to share in his sacrificial death by breaking the bread and offering it to them.  Then, in order to show the sacrificial nature of what he was about to do, Mark connects the wine to Moses sprinkling the blood of sacrificial animals on the Israelites to seal the covenant with God; 'Then he took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words (Ex. 24:8).”'  Christians also interpret the Prophet Isaiah as pointing forward to Christ’s sacrifice; “He surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors (Is. 53:12).”  

St. Paul tells us, "If the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God (Heb. 9:13-14)."  

While on earth, Jesus demonstrated how God feeds multitudes with the feeding of the five thousand (Mk. 6:34-44) and the feeding of the four thousand (Mk. 8:1-10).  Now Jesus is preparing his disciples for the sacrifice of his body and blood which will feed the countless who believe in him.

In the Bread of Life discourse (Jn. 6:22-59) Jesus told the crowd, "The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn. 6:33,47-51)."  

The bread is the body of Christ which hung on the cross and the cup is the blood of Christ which flowed from his side.  Let us eat this sacred food so that our bond of unity with Christ may never be broken, and let us drink this sacred blood, the price he paid for us, so that we may never lose heart because of our sinfulness.  In so doing we will become members of his body.[1]

Mark does not see the Last Supper as an isolated event but a part of the messianic banquet in heaven which is a continuing event in which all past, present and future Christians are invited to participate.  

Almighty God, you gave the Israelites manna in the desert to sustain them as you were forming them into a people of your own.  By his sacrifice on the cross Jesus gave his body and blood as spiritual food for all who believe in him to sustain them on their journey to the messianic banquet.  Grant we pray that we may never put other gods before you for you to turn your wrath against us and take from us the promised heavenly reward we desire so much.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!


[1] Office of Readings for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Reference:

Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.



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