Session 11: Class Notes

A short class on Christmas week means more material for the blog.  Chapter 14 continues Mark's whirlwind pace as the final hours unfold.  It's a powerful story I encourage you to read it slowly in order to allow the scenes to develop in your minds eye.

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Plans and Preparations - Mark 14:1-16

Mark 14 opens with plans and preparations overlapping and intersecting.

Annas and Caiaphas

Chief Priests and the Scribes:  Actively seeking a way to capture and kill Jesus.  They wanted to avoid a riot.  As we've noted Jerusalem is a packed house during the time of the Passover and given the anti-occupation sentiment the city is a powder keg.  The Jewish religious establishment is in an uneasy alliance with the Roman political leadership.  Jewish High Priests were appointed and deposed by Roman political leadership.  If a Jewish rebellion breaks out that needs to be quashed by Roman force then the Jewish religious leadership lose face with the Roman leadership (as they were unable to help keep their people peaceable) and they lose clout with the Jewish people (as they won't be able to truly support any rebellion).

Woman with the Alabaster Jar: The anointing of Jesus with the costly perfume is an image that hearkens the ritual of appointing a new king.  Throughout Israel's history a new king was designated and deemed blessed by God when a high priest or prophet anointed an individual.  The anointing is also the tangible expression of Jesus' title.  Messiah (translated as Christ in Greek) literally means "Anointed One."  Jesus turns the image though by interpreting it as preparation for his death (we'll see later that his coronation is his death).  Jesus' interpretation of the anointing speaks to a very different vision for what kind of King and Messiah he is.

SIDE NOTE:  In this story some of Jesus' disciples complain that ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor.  In his response Jesus says, "The poor will always have with you."  What do we do with this?  It sounds a bit discordant from the other words and work of Jesus.  Here are a few interpretations of this statement.

• Jesus has previously made the analogy that this time of his ministry is like a wedding party.  He is the bridegroom and since he is near now is a time of rejoicing.  The woman's act is appropriate for it is a celebratory act.
• The woman's gift is an act of worship and as such it was an appropriate gesture.
• The Gospel of John contends that it was Judas who complained about the woman's gift.  The gospel says that Judas kept the common purse for the disciples and would steal from it.
• Jesus was poor and so such a gift to the poor was perfectly acceptable.
• "Poor" does not have to be limited to a definition of economic condition.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of heaven"
• "The poor you will always have with you" is not a statement of resignation but an exhortation to live and work among the poor.

Judas:  Judas makes a deal to betray Jesus and begins plotting for an opportunity to do so.  Why does Judas decide to betray Jesus

1. It's in his nature.  From the beginning Judas was an untrustworthy character and he was destined to betray.  Acts 1:16 seems to imply this (by the way, here are the two accounts of what happened to Judas, threw away the money and died by hanging AND bought a field and died by falling in his field)

2. He was a true believer that Jesus would save them from the Romans.  Because of this belief Judas thought he might be able to force Jesus' hand to act by betraying him to the Romans.

3. Judas became disillusioned with Jesus.  It was becoming increasingly clear that Jesus was not the Messiah Judas thought him to be and in his disappointment and anger (he did just invest three years of his life with this guy) he makes a bad call.

The Disciples:  Jesus instructs the disciples to set up the room for a celebration of the Passover feast.  The instructions sound very similar to the instructions given in preparation for the Triumphal Entry.  There is also a clandestine sense to the plans.  Interesting note, the plans do not outline instructions for the procurement and preparation of the Passover lamb, a central aspect of the meal that would have necessitated a sacrifice at the temple.

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The Last Supper - Mark 14:17-25

Before diving into the table the group present responded to the question, "What does Holy Communion mean for you?  What do you appreciate about that act of worship?"  Here's what I heard:

• Reminder of sacrifice for all
• Appreciate taking communion weekly
• Physical reminder that Jesus gave his life for us
• Renewal, it's like going out with friends
• Trouble with Transubstantiation
• It's still a mystery
• Feel fulfilled, makes my day, enjoyable
• Remembrance (of the life of Jesus and the gift of his life), Acceptance (God's acceptance of us and our acceptance of Christ as our savior), Fellowship (with other Christians)
• Appreciate walking to the front, there is an affirmative act that we partake in
• Appreciate breaking the bread as a community, reminder of sharing, of togetherness, and of equality

I believe that Holy Communion (or the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper) is a beautiful act of worship that is many layered in symbol and significance.  It is a beautiful mystery that is worthy of our continued exploration.  I celebrate the responses above and below I'll offer what I hear in the ritual as explored in the Gospel of Mark.

The Last Supper took place during the heavily symbolic Passover meal.

Passover is the celebration of when the angel of death passed over the Hebrews, killed the first born of the Egyptians, and convinced the pharaoh to free the Hebrews from slavery.  Passover is a celebration of deliverance, of liberation.  The people of God were free from oppression and free to worship.  Passover was a meal of identity.  The story of God's deliverance was a core story for the people of God and it was a key way of understanding YHWH.  The God of Israel is a God of liberation.  The meal itself helped tell this story and reinforce this identity.  For example:

• The unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, was a reminder of suffering endured and survived.
• Vegetable or herb dipped in salt water serves as a reminder of the tears shed while enslaved and how the people cried out to God for deliverance.
• Bitter herbs reminded people of the bitterness of servitude.
• Lamb shank reminds the celebrants of the lamb that was slain on the night of the first Passover.  The Hebrews were to paint lamb's blood over their door frame as a sign to the Angel of Death to pass over that house.

Over the years elements have been added and symbols have been reinterpreted.  Deuteronomy 16:1-8 outlines the core elements of the celebratory meal, the bread and the lamb.  In the celebration of the Lord's Supper Jesus reinterprets the symbols of the meal, specifically the bread and the lamb.

Now wait, you may say, "I remember Jesus talking about the bread ("this is my body"), but we don't have lamb at communion."  Jesus doesn't mention lamb in Mark 14.  In fact, it's kind of odd that they are celebrating Passover, yet this central element is missing.  Mark 14:12 specifically states that this is the time the Passover lamb is sacrificed right before it talks about the disciples going out to make preparations for the meal.  So, what happened?  Did they forget that part?  I see two theories:

1. This is once again a dig at the Temple complex.  The Passover lamb was to sacrificed the day before the meal at the temple.  The scriptures state clearly that the lamb has to be offered at "the place God will choose as a dwelling for his name".  By not having the lamb were they shunning the temple and making the implicit accusation that the temple was no longer the dwelling place for the name of God?  Or...
2. The lamb was present at the Lord's Supper in the person of Jesus.  Perhaps, this is what Jesus is referencing when he says about the cup, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many."  The image of Jesus as the "Lamb of God" was prevalent in Johannine literature (ie Gospel of John and Revelation) and thus had a place in the early church.  Was Jesus layering metaphors by referring to himself as both the lamb and the new temple, the place God had chosen for his name to dwell (Mark 14:58)?

Perhaps it's a combination of both theories.  Whatever the case it's clear that Jesus is taking existing tradition and setting it in a new direction.

It's important to note that the Passover meal is not only a meal of remembrance but a meal of identification.  The meal was a means but which those who partake share in the experience.  It is not simply a case of "this is what happened to others long ago" but  broadened to mean, "this is what happened, and happens, to me/us."  Jesus refers to this idea when he asks James and John, "Are you able to drink from the cup I drink" (Mark 10:38).  This makes the supper scene ironic in the moment (all the disciples share the common bread and the common cup identifying themselves with Jesus yet all desert Jesus on the night of betrayal) and sets up redemption in the story of Pentecost (the disciples finally live into their role as ambassadors of the gospel).

"OK, everybody get on this side of the group picture!"

The church celebrates the Lord's Supper as a table of remembrance ("Do this in remembrance of me").  Yet we also need to celebrate it as a table of identification.  A place where we affirm our desire to walk the way of Christ, to see his story become our story.  The Apostle Paul puts it beautifully when he says,

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:10-11

This is my "so what" of Mark 14.  Each time I'm offered communion, I ask myself, "Is this true for me?  Do I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings?"  I wish I could say that the answer is always a confident, "Yes!".  I cannot.  What I can say is that the invitation from Christ to come and follow is always there, regardless of my response.  And that the offer of the bread and the cup is grace that I can claim with confidence.