The Cup - Mark 14:23

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 as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body”, and in chapter fourteen and verse twenty-three of his book, Mark shared how Jesus, “took the cup, and … gave it to them”, where we read:

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

The verse reads, “And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them:” Mark began with the words, “and he took the cup which means “and Jesus lay hold of the drinking vessel”, “and when” or “and at the time and moment” “he had given thanks” which means “Jesus expressed gratefulness and thankfulness”, “he gave it to them” or “Jesus delivered, furnished and supplied the cup to His disciples”. Mark shared how Jesus lay hold of a “cup” at the passover meal, expressed thankfulness for it and distributed the drinking vessel to His disciples.

The verse continues, “and they all drank of it.” Mark added the words, “and they all” which means “each, every, the whole and everyone of Jesus' disciples”: “drank of it” or “imbibed from the cup”. Mark shared how Jesus' disciples “drank” from the blessed “cup” Jesus gave to them.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how Jesus initiated the second part of His “communion, eucharist, Lord's supper or blessed sacrament”. The “cup” represented the “blood” Jesus shed for the remission of the sins of mankind. Because He came to the world to die on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of every person, Jesus shared this “cup” reminder of what He did for them. Hebrews chapter nine and verse twenty-two says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”, and those who yield their lives to Jesus will appreciate what an awesome sacrifice Jesus made so they may live with His Father God forever.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus, “said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many”, 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".