Mark's account of the Last Supper is the shortest in the gospels.

Matthew is almost identical (adds "for the forgiveness of sins")

Luke is considerably longer,

and adds the idea of rememberance.

Mark's account fits nicely with the purpose of his gospel.

Chapters 1-8 of Marks' gospel set forth the preaching and the power of Jesus,

together with the opposition of the Pharisees.

In other words, these chapters explain why Jesus made enemies of the ruling powers.

Peter's confession at the end of chapter 8 is the decisive turning point of the book.

No sooner has Peter declared that Jesus is the Christ,

then Jesus "began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things...

be killed, and after three days rise again." (8:31)

Three times in the next three chapters Jesus will predict his suffering and his resurrection.

Mark wants us to understand that the cross was not an accident.

It was the reason why Jesus came.

The brevity of Mark's gospel is due to this emphasis.

The brevity of his account of the Lord's Supper is also due to this emphasis.

Anything extraneous to his purpose is omitted.

He writes so that you may understand the gospel.

Mark says in 1:1 that this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is the gospel?

We sometimes think that the gospel is

"repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins"

But that is not the gospel.

That is the answer to the question, "what must I do to be saved?"

The gospel-the good news-is that the Messiah has come,

and that through his death and resurrection

he has done all that God promised he would do

for the salvation of his people.

THAT is the gospel.

And Mark wants to make it plain that this gospel is exactly what Jesus intended.

Let us then turn our attention to the cup (which after all is where Mark centers his focus),

and seek to understand the "blood of the covenant"

which he sets forth as the central theme of the Lord's Supper.

I. The cup in Mark

Mark speaks of the cup in three places in his gospel. Here in 14:23, and two other places.

14:36-"Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.

Yet not what I will, but what you will."

This statement, coming immediately after Jesus claim "I will not drink again

of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God,"

is striking.

Jesus has a different cup to drink.

10:35-40-Jesus declares that his suffering and death can be called a "cup" or a "baptism."

Interesting choice of words.

We will leave baptism for another time.

But why does Jesus call his suffering and death a "cup"?

It is interesting language,

because when used to refer to suffering and death in the OT,

it generally refers to the punishment of the wicked.

II. The Cup in the OT

As curse:

Psalm 75:8 warns that God will pour out his cup upon the nations,

but says that the righteous will be exalted.

Isaiah 51:17-23-declares that after Jerusalem has drained the cup of the Lord to the dregs,

then God will give the cup of his wrath to their enemies.

Jeremiah 25:15-29 (which we read a couple weeks ago when we looked at Psalm 16)

speaks of how the nations will drink the cup of the wine of God's wrath,

and be destroyed.

Habakuk 2:15-16 and Zechariah 12:2, along with Ezekiel 23 use the same sort of language.

The cup of God's wrath is designed for the total and utter destruction of his enemies.

But there is also a cup of blessing:

Psalm 16-we saw a couple weeks ago how the Lord is my cup-the portion of my inheritance.

Psalm 23-"my cup runneth over"

Psalm 116:13-"I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

Because all of these uses of the "cup" must be understood in the light

of the way the cup functioned in ancient near eastern hospitality

(still reflected in the coffee rituals of the modern near east).

Do you remember how Joseph brought his brothers to repentance?

It was by placing his cup in Benjamin's sack.

Why a cup?

The cup of a ruler was a symbol of his authority.

The cupbearer was one of the highest servants in the household.

Not only was he trusted to prevent poisonings,

but he was custodian of the cup,

which was used ratify important agreements.

(The "toast" is a remnant of this ancient custom:

drinking-and eating-together is a sign of friendship and good will)

This is why Mark emphasizes the presence of Judas at the Supper.

There is one sitting at the Table,

eating the bread and drinking the cup,

who will betray Jesus.

And Jesus knew it.

"It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

Every time we come to the table,

we are reminded also of Judas.

He sat here.

He ate the bread.

He drank the cup.

And the reason why we fence the table-

the reason why we warn the ignorant and scandalous-

is because those who follow Judas and betray Christ

are condemned by his judgment.

Because this is no ordinary meal.

This is no ordinary cup.

"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."

III. The Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-11 (read verses 6-8).

Hebrews 9:18-22 explains this by showing that "without the shedding of blood

there is no forgiveness of sins." (V22)

The Mosaic Covenant was ratified through the blood of the covenant,

sprinkled on just about everything and everyone.

Zechariah 9:9 is often read for its usage at the triumphal entry of Jesus.

but verses 10-11 are usually overlooked.

What was Jesus doing when he entered Jerusalem?

Zechariah declares that the King will establish his rule over all nations,

but especially with Jerusalem,

"because of the blood of my covenant with you."

So on the one hand, Jesus' reference in Mark 14:24 is doing lots of traditional things.

He is speaking of the cup of blessing in the context of the Passover meal,

the closest fellowship of the Jewish year.

He is speaking of the blood of the covenant-which brings salvation to his people.

But NEVER in all of redemptive history had anyone brought these two themes together.

Nowhere in scripture does the blood of the covenant come together with the cup.

Indeed, the prohibition against drinking blood (Dt 12:23)

would have prevented most people from ever imagining a connection.

Think about it.

1) OT sacrifices were pictures of Christ-but they could not actually remove sins.

And it was forbidden to drink the blood of those sacrifices (or any animal).

2) The cup of wrath had to be drained by Israel

before judgment could fall on their enemies (Isaiah 51)

Jesus was the first person to bring these together.

He would drink the cup of God's wrath,

bearing the sins of the world.

He, as the covenant representative of Israel would drink the cup of God's wrath,

becoming the sacrifice that would actually remove sin

and establish the kingdom of God.

The conclusion then was obvious:

"My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." (John 6:54-55)

If this is the sacrifice that removes sin,

then you must partake of it.

The life is in the blood-if you want eternal life, you must drink of him.

And this is also why the warning is so strong.

Hebrews 10:28-29 says:

"Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy

on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

How much worse punishment do you think,

will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God,

and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,

and has outraged the Spirit of grace?"

The blood of the covenant sprinkled in the OT was but a sign.

The blood of the covenant in the NT, by which we have been sprinkled in our baptism,

and of which we partake in the Lord's Supper,

is none other than the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you profane the blood of the covenant through your rebellion,

Hebrews says, just remember,

"it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"!

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,

but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." (10:39)

IV. Conclusion

Mark 14:25

This is the reason why I always draw attention to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb

when we partake of the cup.

We cannot forget that when we partake of the cup,

we are anticipating that eschatological banquet.

Our participation in the Supper a participation in the sacrifice of Christ,

and an anticipation of the glorious day when we feast with Christ

at the wedding supper of the lamb.