Take, Eat: This is My Body - Mark 14:22

Mark wrote, “And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eats with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dips with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born”, and in chapter fourteen and verse twenty-two of his book, Mark how Jesus said, “Take, eat: this is my body”, where we read:

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said,

Take, eat: this is my body.

The verse reads, “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, ...” Mark began with the words, “and as they did eat” which means “and during the time Jesus and His disciples consumed and devoured the passover meal”, “Jesus” or “the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation” “took bread” which means “lay hold of food composed of flour mixed with water and baked”, “and blessed” or “and consecrated the bread with solemn prayers”, “and brake it” which means “and tore the bread”, “and gave to them” or “and bestowed, supplied and furnished His disciples”, “and said” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed”. Mark shared how Jesus “took” some “bread” at the passover meal, consecrated it and tore it into pieces and distributed it to His disciples as He proclaimed the following.

The verse goes on to say, “Take, eat: this is my body.” Mark continued with the words, “Take, eat” which means “receive and procure the bread, consume and devour it”: “this is my body” or “the bread is Jesus' physical body”. Mark shared how Jesus gave direction to His disciples to receive and “eat” the bread He blessed, broke and distributed to them, and Jesus told them the “bread” was His own “body”.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we see how Jesus began what is known as “communion”, the Lord's supper”, the Eucharist” or the “blessed sacrament”. Jesus used the “bread” to show His disciples how His body would be “broken” for them, and they were to “consume” the “bread” as a reminder of what He did for them. Jesus gave His body to be spat upon, beaten and crucified for the sins of every person, and those who believe and trust in Him and His sacrifice will be “saved” and receive “everlasting life” with His Father God.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus, “took the cup, and … gave it to them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".