Most Holy Body And Blood Of Christ
MARK 14:12-16, 22-26 (Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18; Hebrews 9:11-15)
“On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover Lamb.”
This is how Mark begins the Passion Narrative of Jesus the Messiah (Christ). Passover and Unleavened Bread were both ancient Rites of Spring. The Rite of the Passover Lamb was a feast of herders. The Rite of Unleavened Bread was a feast of farmers. At some point in history they were combined with the celebration of ancient Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt. The con-nection with “independence” made this feast a celebration of patriotism, a celebration of free-dom. The ultimate rite of this feast was the Passover Meal in which there was a recital of how the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt. In the time of Jesus the Passover Meal had taken on an undertone of sacrifice. This was especially evident by the fact that, in Jerusalem, the slaying of the Passover Lambs was done by priests in the temple. How fitting therefore that the Passover Meal became the first setting for the process by which Jesus began the act of sacrifice which leads not just Israelites, but all people into freedom from sin.
Since neither Jesus nor, it seems, his Galilean disciples had a residence in Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples into the city to prepare for the group to eat the Passover with him. Preparations were extensive – acquiring (probably renting) a large enough room, purchasing a yearling Lamb,
plus the other foods required for a Passover Meal. Whether the work of preparing the meal was done by a caterer or by members of the disciples families we do not know. It is however likely that at least some of the apostles had their spouses and children with them for this family feast.
The instructions given to the two designated disciples are intended by Mark to show that Jesus has more than natural knowledge of the future. He tells them they would meet a certain man, to whom they were to say, “The Teacher (a favorite title for Jesus in Mark’s gospel) says, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” This man would show them a large room furnished (not necessarily furnished according to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting).
Mark writes, “That evening, Passover Eve, when Jesus and Company had gathered at the table,” then inserts an interlude about the betrayal, omitted in today’s gospel reading. We move on to the heart of this gospel – the action and the Words of Institution. “While they were eating, he took bread, blessed, broke, and gave, and said, ‘Take! This is my body!’” Note how brief Mark’s ver-sion of the Words of Institution. These words and actions of Jesus echo Mark’s two stories of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, 6:34-44 and 8:1-10. It is very likely that the Words of Institution influenced the composition in our gospels of the feeding of the multitudes. The earl-iest narrative of the Words is in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, about 54 A.D. Mark’s gospel is best dated about 70 A.D. The four versions of the Words of Institution, in Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke, differ. The versions we use at Mass are a combination of the various versions.
After the sharing of the bread/body of Christ, Mark continues, “Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank of it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed for many.’” The use of the word “cup” has special significance. In the Gospel of Mark 10:38-39, Jesus addresses James and John, “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be bap-tized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?” They affirm it. And Jesus continues, “The cup that I drink, you will drink….” The cup as a synonym for suffering and death is an Old Testament tradition. Example: Isaiah 51:17, 22-23. Because of Old Testament implications and Jesus’ earlier use of the word cup as a symbol for his death,the words, “taking a cup” at the Last Supper can only refer to his death.
In Jesus’ next statement, “This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed for many,” a slay-ing, a sacrificial death, is clearly intended. Although in the Old Testament there was no drinking of the blood of a sacrificed animal, a reference is clear to two Old Testament sacrificial episodes. In Exodus 12:22, at the first Passover, the blood of the Passover Lamb was applied to the lintel of the doorposts of the Israelite homes to protect them from the destroying angel. In Exodus 24:8, to seal the covenant between the Lord and his people, Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the sacrifices consumed by fire and the blood of the peace sacrifices. In a peace sacri-fice, part of the animal was given to God and part was reserved to be consumed by the people.
The body and blood of Jesus at the Last Supper can be compared with the peace sacrifice in which God shares a meal with his people. When Jesus shares his body and blood with his disciples at the Last Supper, in view of the Old Testament background noted above, there is an implied claim that Jesus is God sharing the sacrificial meal. The words Moses speaks while sprinkling God’s people with blood, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you,” echo the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, “This is my blood of the covenant.” The old covenant was sealed with the blood of bulls. Therefore the oldest version of the Words of Institution, that of Paul, reads, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Mark notes that Jesus and his disciples closed the Last Supper with a hymn. That would be part of the Hallel – Psalms 115-118, sung after the last blessing at Passover Meals. Psalm 118 thanks God for future victory!
