Mark 14:12-21 (NKJV) Jesus Celebrates the Passover with His Disciples
(Matt. 26:17–25; Luke 22:7–13; John 13:21–30)
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”
20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”
V12 “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”
This is the 14th of Nisan (April), our Tuesday sunset to Wednesday sunset. The Passover lamb is first mentioned in Exodus 12:3 and the last is Revelation 22:3. Jesus is our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Passover’s lamb blood had to be applied to the outside door frame or the firstborn of Israel would die. The lamb was the substitute dying in the place of the firstborn. This is the physical lamb. The spiritual lamb is Jesus Christ who is our substitute for eternal death and God’s wrath which we receive when we put our faith in Jesus alone (John 3:14-18).
The physical Passover meal is eaten by all those of Israel. The spiritual Passover lamb is when we believe (eat) the Passover Lamb of God—Jesus (John 6:51-56).
V13 “And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.”
Note the specific instructions Jesus gives. Women carried water pitchers, not men, but here it is reversed and thus would be recognized as the man to follow. Jesus’s leadership style is to delegate.
V14 “Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”
They are to follow this man carrying the water pitcher and speak to the owner of the house. When the disciples say, “The Teacher,” the owner recognizes that they are speaking about Jesus (Luke 7:40, John 1:38, John 3:10, and John 20:16). Jesus is an observant, faithful, and law-keeping Jew. See Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4, and Hebrews 4:15.
V15 “Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
The next instruction is to prepare the Passover meal. Everything they needed was there. What a blessing!
V16 “So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.”
Everything that Jesus said was true. The disciples obeyed and all was done. Note how they interpreted Jesus’s words in their plain, normal sense. So, we must interpret the Bible in its plain, normal sense.
“When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.” ~Dr. David L. Cooper
V17 “In the evening He came with the twelve.”
The evening is when they begin the Passover meal. This is explained by Messianic Jews in this link: https://jewsforjesus.org/passover .
V18 “Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
As they remember the greatness of God of the first Passover, Jesus makes a seemingly out-of-place comment, “One of you will betray Me.” See Psalm 41:9 and Psalm 55:12-14.
Betrayal is still going strong even today and increasing as a sign of the end times (Matthew 24:10). God never betrays His people (Psalm 118:8).
V19 “And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”
They believed Jesus. The Greek word for sorrowful is (G3076) λυπέω lupéō, which means (Vine) pain, of body or mind. Sorrow is a physical and emotional pain. The nerve of Judas to say the same, but he is a good thief and liar. He fooled the other Apostles but never fooled the Lord Jesus who knew about it from the beginning (John 6:70-71). God knows our every thought and action.
V20 “He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.”
Jesus will pinpoint the betrayer.
Comments:
Robertson’s Word Pictures: “One of the twelve (heis tōn dōdeka). It is as bad as that. The sign that Jesus gave, the one dipping in the dish with me (ho embaptomenos met’ emou eis to trublion), escaped the notice of all. Jesus gave the sop to Judas who understood perfectly that Jesus knew his purpose.”
Pulpit Commentary:
“The following appears to have been the order of the events:—First, our Lord, before he instituted the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, foretold that he would be betrayed by one of his disciples but only in general terms. Then came the eager question from them, “Is it I?” Then Christ answered that the traitor was he who should dip his hand together with him in the dish. But this did not bring it home to the individual, because several who sat near to him were able to dip with him in the dish. So that our Lord had as yet only obscurely and indefinitely pointed out the traitor. Then he proceeded to institute “the Lord’s Supper;” after which he again intimated (Luke 22:21) that “the hand of him that betrayed him was with him on the table.” Upon this, St. Peter hinted to St. John, who was “reclining in Jesus’ besom,” that he should ask him to say definitely and by name who it was that should betray him. Our Lord then said to St. John, “He it is, for whom I shall dip the sop, and give it him” (John 13:26). Our Lord then dipped the sop, and gave it to Judas Iscariot. Then it was that our Lord said to Judas, “That thou doest, do quickly” (ὅ ποιεῖς ποίησον τάχιον) (John 13:27). Then Judas went straightway to the house of Caiaphas, and procured the band of men and officers for the completion of his horrible design.”
David Guzik: “In Middle Eastern culture, betraying a friend after eating a meal with him was and is regarded as the worst kind of treachery.”
V21 “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”
The plan for Jesus, the Son of Man, was formulated before the Creation. The woe here is significant. It is the last warning to a very evil man—Judas. All have the opportunity to believe, but more refuse. Judas did sin and went to his own place (hell). See Acts 1:25.
We learn:
- How Jesus has a plan for any situation or problem.
- How Jesus delegates and gives exact instructions.
- How Jesus dealt with the evil Judas.
Questions:
- Do we believe and follow Jesus’s instructions given in the Bible?
- How do we deal with evil people?