Mark 14:17

Mark 14:17 says, And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  Verse eighteen adds, And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  After securing the room for what would be Jesus's last meal, Jesus and His twelve disciples came together that evening to celebrate.   Jesus then told them that one of those who ate with Him would also betray Him.  I believe we often look at Judas, who was the one to betray Him as we know and ask how he could have done it after spending so much time following and listening to Jesus, but we as Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, too often betray our belief in Him.  Jesus called Judas, even knowing he could betray Him.  I say could, because I believe the choice was always his.  If Judas had no ability to not do so, then we cannot blame him, as we as Christians can never blame God if we betray Him.  Like Judas, even knowing that we will possibly betray Him at some point in our life, Jesus still calls us and accepts us.  Verse nineteen continues, And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?  The disciples began to be sorrowful and ask Jesus if he was the one. Obviously, eleven were unsure, but one didn't need to ask.  Judas already knew.  We need to pray that our faith is not so small that we question whether or not we will be unfaithful to Jesus, but not so prideful that we say it could never happen.  Verse twenty states, And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.  Jesus said that the one who dipped with Him in the dish would be the one to betray Him.  I don't believe that Judas was the only one who had done this, but that they all had.  There was no flashing neon sign over Judas telling the other disciples that Judas was the one.  If we hear today that someone who professes to be a Christian is going to betray Jesus, we should have enough faith to know if it is us or not.  We should not expect flashing neon signs to point out who is being unfaithful to their calling to follow Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one adds, The Son of man indeed goeth, 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.  Jesus then said that He was going on His way to be betrayed, but woe to the one who betrayed Him.  Jesus is still actively calling people to follow Him today, and there will still be everlasting woe to those who do not put their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord. Verse twenty-two says, 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.  This is when Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s Supper.  As they were eating, Jesus broke the bread, blessed and broke it and said it was His body.  It did not somehow become His actual body, but was only symbolic of it, as is still true today.  When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we are to remember that Jesus gave his body, or more correctly His life, for our sins.  The bread does not bring any saving power when we eat it, but we are never to eat it if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and confessed all our sins to Him and asked for forgiveness. Verse twenty-three adds, And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  Verse twenty-four continues, And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  Jesus said the cup was His shed blood of the new testament, which was shed for many, or the sins of all.  Jesus then took the cup, gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples to drink, saying it was His shed blood, but again this was only symbolic, and it did not actually become his blood.  We today drink of the cup during the observance of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus's shed blood, and again we are not to do so with unresolved sin in our life.  It is then up to each individual to accept Jesus's sacrifice for their sins.   Verse twenty-five states, Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Jesus then said He would no longer drink of the fruit of the vine, not His actual blood, until He did so in the new kingdom of God, which is in Heaven.  As Christians, one day we will join Jesus Christ there, and until then we are to observe the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him.   Verse twenty-six adds, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. They then sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives. Once we have observed the Lord’s Supper, we need to go out into the world ready to do what God has called us to do.