By Audrey Bauman

Mark 14: 12 - 21  NLT

“The Last Supper"

¹² On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

¹³ So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” ¹⁶ So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

¹⁷ In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

¹⁹ Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

²⁰ He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. ²¹ For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

The disciples are wondering where they are going to have their Passover meal. Jerusalem would be filled with people coming to celebrate the Passover. Charles Swindoll in his commentary, Living Insights: Mark, says that Jerusalem's population at that time was likely 10 times its normal numbers. (pg. 340) Trying to find a place would be very challenging.

Jesus' instructions are interesting. He told 2 of his disciples to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water. In those days, women carried the pitchers of water, not men. So looking for this man would be looking for something quite unusual. In our culture, we don't ever see people carrying pitchers of water; taps are easily avaiblable everywhere. During the year I lived in Kenya, women in the village areas carried many things in large containers on their heads. It always amazed me that they could do that. Just think about how balanced you would have to be to carrya heavy basket on your head. I never saw a man in Kenya carrying anything on his head. So Jesus' instruction to the disciples to look for such a man was definitely something unusual. 

Notice that the disciples don't talk to the man. They follow him to the house where they tell the owner that the Teacher wants the room for the Passover meal, and the owner leads them to the space right away. Jesus knew that the chief preists and scribes were plotting to kill him, and He also knew that wouldn't happen until the time was right. This quiet finding of a place to celebrate Passover keeps Jesus away from the schemers/planners. Had Jesus made these arrangement ahead of that day? 

Once the disciples had the room, they went into the city to get all the things they needed to prepare the meal. Charles Swindoll in his Mark commentary tells us some cultural things that I was unaware of and thought you might find interesting:

"By midday on Passover day, all work came to an end as a representative of each family carried their lamb to the temple. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, a Levite blew the ram's horn, worshipers filled the temple court, and the massive gates closed behind them. Each representative then killed his lamb, skinned it, and drained its blood into a basin. 

While this mass killing of lambs is hard for the twenty-first century reader to imagine, killing a lamb and preparing it for supper was as ordinary a task as driving to the supermarket to shop for groceries. For Passover, however, the lamb was killed in the temple to be consecrated as a substitute. Worshipers drained the animal's blood into a basin held by a priest, who then splashed it against the base of the altar to signify atonement for sin. The fat and kidneys were burnt on the altar as a part of the peace offering, reaffirming good relations between God and the worshiper's family.

After the sacrifice, each household represetnative took the lamb home before the sunset and roasted the meat. In keeping with God's instructions to Moses, the disciples smeared some of the blood on the doorposts and lintel of the main entrance of their building." (pg 344)

The meal was ready, and as they were eating, Jesus tells them that one of them would betray him. Mark doesn't go into the details of Judas leaving the room at this point. Remember the end of yesterday's devotions when Mark tells us that Judas planned the arrest of Jesus with the chief priests? That meeting likely happened before the disciples met for the Passover. John gives us the details of that moment at the Last Supper in John 13: 21 - 30:

"Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” 25 So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?”  26 Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27 When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” 28 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29 Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30 So Judas left at once, going out into the night."

One of the things that strikes me about the verses we read today is that Jesus knew all about what would happen in the next days, but the disciples had no idea. Jesus knows about what is ahead for you as well. That doesn't mean you are some kind of robot who only does what God dictates. He knows you, he loves you and he knows what is ahead for you. 

Think about your life and all the experiences you've had. Some were likely fantastic, some were just ordinary day-to-day things, some were really difficult. What have you learned from them? How has God helped you to grow and trust him more? 

When God took my husband home to heaven over 6 years ago, it was one of the hardest times of my life. I discovered how introverted I am when I didn't have that friendly man beside me. I didn't have someone I could share my most personal feelings and thoughts with - and get great advice and encouragement. I was lonely even though I had family and friends. God had been important through my life, but in that painful time, I discovered God could be with me in a much more meaningful way. It was in that time that writing the devotions became my place of stability and comfort. 

I don't know where you are in your walk with God. But, I do know that God loves you and is present in your life. He knows what is ahead, and he knows what you need to survive and become more like Jesus. He's there to help you through tough times; he's there to help you find joy in that boring work life often brings; he's there to watch you when life is exciting and fun.

Whatever today brings, trust him. He knows you. He knows what lies ahead.

Our song for today is Perfectly Loved by Rachael Lampa and TobyMac.