Mark 14:22-25
Read Mark 14:22-25
Helpful Background Information:
On Jesus’ final night with His disciples, they shared the Passover meal. This is a symbolic meal that points back to the story of how God provided the Israelites with freedom from slavery (Exodus 12). As they were eating, Jesus chose to distribute the symbolic bread and wine in a way that the disciples had seen before. As for the bread, we’re told that Jesus “took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them” (Mark 14:22).
Earlier in Mark’s Gospel account, readers find Jesus distributing bread in a similar way (6:30-44). In the presence of His disciples, Jesus “took the five loaves and the two fish, He said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples” (6:41). If you follow the four verbs carefully, you’ll notice that they progress in the exact same way in both stories: taking, blessing, breaking, and giving (6:41; 14:22). Though the connection is subtle it is almost certainly intentional. In each case, Jesus gives His disciples a pattern and a tangible image for the way He provides. Just as Jesus took five loaves and fed the five thousand, so too would He take the Passover bread and feed His disciples.
Each of these stories symbolically point both backward and forward. When Jesus uses bread to feed five thousand (Mark 6) and to teach His disciples (Mark 14), they are not only reminded of the Exodus story but they’re also pointed forward to what will soon take place—Jesus Himself taking the place of the Passover lamb as His body is taken, broken, blessed, and given for the salvation of all who believe.
Reflection Questions:
Consider the story of the Exodus, the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6), and the institution of the Lord’s supper (Mark 14). When it comes to the way God provided for His people in these stories, what consistent themes do you see? What are some unique/different aspects of each story?
As Mark’s Gospel reaches its climax with the death and resurrection of Jesus, earlier parts of the story begin to make more sense. In light of Jesus' death and resurrection, how do the stories in Mark 6 and Mark 14 take on even deeper meanings?
Next time you take the Lord’s Supper (Communion), remember the countless stories where God nourished the needs of His people.