Mark 14:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

NIV: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.

NASB: And He said to them, 'This is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many.

CSB: He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

NLT: And he said to them, 'This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.

KJV: And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

NKJV: And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

In the Bible, spiritual life is represented by bread (John 6:22–71) and water (John 4:13–14), but blood is the deepest metaphor God uses. As the physical life of an animal is in its blood (Leviticus 17:11; Genesis 9:4), God uses the sacrifice of blood to restore spiritual life. During the last of God's ten plagues against Egypt, the Israelites covered their door posts and lintels with the blood of the Passover lamb. God passed over the homes marked with blood and left them unscathed while the firstborns of the houses of the Egyptians died (Exodus 12:1–32).

Earlier that day, the disciples sacrificed the Passover lamb so Jesus and the disciples could commemorate the original event (Luke 22:8). Now, Jesus uses wine as a visual representation of the blood He will spill. God will accept Jesus' sacrifice and apply it to the sin-soaked death that lives in us. The impact of spiritual death will "pass over" those of us who accept Jesus' blood: His sacrifice on our behalf. No more blood needs to be shed for forgiveness from God (Hebrews 7:27).

But the disciples don't apply the wine on their foreheads as the Israelites painted the lambs' blood on their doorframes. They ingest it. Eating blood is especially taboo in Jewish culture. God's prohibition pre-dates the Mosaic Law: it is in the few laws God gave Noah directly after the flood (Genesis 9:4). This may be why Jesus tells the disciples that the wine represents His blood after they have finished drinking. By drinking the "blood," they symbolize that Jesus' healing power goes inside them. They are not whitewashed tombs that only appear to be clean (Matthew 23:27). They are renewed from the inside-out, given new hearts (Ezekiel 11:19).

This is the new covenant. The blood sacrifices performed on the altar of the temple covered the sins of the people, but only God can turn hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–33).

Mark 14:22–25 occurs almost 1500 years after the event that Passover commemorates. Here, Jesus radically repurposes the God-given tradition, creating the Lord's Supper we celebrate today. Instead of escaping Egypt, we escape hell. Instead of gifts from Egyptian neighbors (Exodus 11:2), we receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). Instead of sacrificing a lamb, we remember the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Matthew 26:26–29 is nearly identical; Luke 22:14–23 adds a bit more detail; John doesn't mention the Lord's Supper, but Paul goes into more detail about how it should be observed (1 Corinthians 11:23–32).

Jesus is anointed in a symbolic anticipation of His death. Judas decides to secretly cooperate with local religious leaders to arrest Jesus in secret. During the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas, and Peter's denial. He also institutes the Lord's Supper, also known as communion. After praying on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is captured when Judas identifies Him to a hostile mob sent by Jewish authorities. He endures a corrupt, prejudiced trial, ending in a conviction for blasphemy. Peter, fearing for his life, lies about knowing Jesus, before remembering Jesus' prediction and breaking down in sobs.

Jesus has finished His public teaching ministry and now prepares for the crucifixion. His sacrificial loyalty will provide the means by which the disciples' abandonment will be forgiven. Next, the Romans, as representatives of Gentiles throughout history, will join the Jews and kill Jesus. Jesus will be buried, but He will rise again with the promise that His sacrifice will redeem the world. Matthew 26 and Luke 22 follow Mark 14 more closely while John 13:1—18:27 records more of Jesus' teaching in the upper room.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.