March 30 – Mark 14:12-26
“The blood will be a sign for you…and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you…” ~ Exodus 12:13 (NIV)

On the Thursday of Holy Week, the night before Jesus went to the cross, He ate the Passover meal with His disciples. Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In order to convince the hard-hearted Egyptian pharaoh to release his captives, God sent ten plagues on Egypt to prove that He existed and that He wanted His people to be free. The tenth plague was the killing of the firstborn, and just before He sent this plague, God told the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb for each household and to put some of the lamb’s blood on the tops and sides of the doorframes of their homes. The blood was a sign that the people within the home were protected, and the Angel of Death was to “pass over” those homes. So, the Passover lamb and its blood became a symbol for Christ (see John 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7). Those covered by His blood are saved from death and given eternal life (see 1 John 1:7 and Romans 4:7-8).
Therefore, it is only fitting that Jesus would share the Passover meal with His disciples just before going to the cross and completing His mission as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 NIV). And it was at this meal that Jesus instituted a new observance—Communion. Taking the unleavened bread from the Passover meal, Jesus broke it and offered it to His disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body” (v. 22). After this, He took the “cup of salvation” (one of the cups of wine from the meal) and offered it to them, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (v. 24). So, now when we eat the bread and drink the juice of Communion, we remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. We remember that, just as the blood of Passover lambs covered the Israelites and protected them from death, the blood of Jesus covers us, protecting us from hell and imparting to us eternal life.
Jesus’ disciples would not fully understand what He was doing at this Passover meal, which we also call His Last Supper, until after His death and Resurrection, but they did understand that one of them was a traitor. Just before Jesus offered them the bread and wine, He told them that one of them would betray Him (v. 18). The disciples are understandably troubled by this, and Jesus reiterates that His betrayer is one of the Twelve—“one who dips bread into the bowl with [Him]” (v. 20). In Middle Eastern culture, sharing a meal together was a sign of mutual trust and peace. And Judas had shared many meals with Jesus. He was a close friend, so his betrayal was especially cruel.
Even though Judas’s betrayal was an egregious sin, God worked good out of the situation. Judas had free will, and he used it for evil. God had a plan, and He worked it out for the good of all. Just as the betrayal of Joseph’s brothers in Genesis ended up putting Joseph on the path that would lead him to helping save a nation from starvation during a famine, Judas’s betrayal sends Jesus to the cross, where He would save all His followers from sin and death. Jesus could say to Judas what Joseph said to His brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20 NIV). So, no matter how evil man gets, that evil can never stop the goodness of God and His plan. Let’s rejoice in that this week as we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Go to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, today. Remember that He takes away your sin, too. If you plan to attend a Maundy Thursday service this week, prepare your heart in advance in your quiet times with your Savior. Confess the sins that weigh on your heart, and worship Christ for who He is—the One who loves you so much that He purchased your salvation with His life’s blood.
I like the note in my commentary titled "The First Lord's Supper" (Mark 14:22-26). After taking the bread, Judas went out into the night (John 13:30). Jesus then instituted what we know as the Lord's Supper. It's meaning is beautifully outlined in the three words: (1) He took -- humanity upon Himself; (2) He broke -- He was about to be broken on the cross; (3) He gave -- He gave Himself for us. Then in 14:26-- At that point, they sang a hymn -- probably a portion of the Great Hallel -- Psalms 113-118. ~ Believer's Bible Commentary
I raise up praise and Thanksgiving to you, Jesus. Thank you for taking sinful humanity upon Yourself. Thank you for being…