The Passover meal and the Last Supper (Mark 14: 12–26) - The death and resurrection of Jesus - CCEA - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - CCEA - BBC Bitesize (2024)

The Passover meal and the Last Supper (Mark 14: 12–26)

Each year Jews celebrate the Passover festival. This is a festival which remembers the escape of the ancient Israelites from Egypt.

As this was the last meal that Jesus would share with his disciples, he took elements of the Passover meal and made them symbols of his death.

While they were at the table Jesus made a shock announcement. He said that he would be betrayed by one of his disciples, “the one who dips his bread in the dish with me”.

The disciples were shocked and anxious and said, “Surely not me?”

Jesus said that it would have been better if the traitor had never been born.

The Passover meal and the Last Supper (Mark 14: 12–26) - The death and resurrection of Jesus - CCEA - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - CCEA - BBC Bitesize (1)

Jesus blessed the bread, broke it and passed it around. He did the same with the wine. He explained that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood. Jesus’ death would be the final sacrifice, enabling all people to receive God’s forgiveness.

The Passover meal and the Last Supper (Mark 14: 12–26) - The death and resurrection of Jesus - CCEA - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - CCEA - BBC Bitesize (2024)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Last Supper being a Passover meal? ›

The dinner Jesus had with his friends, often called 'The Last Supper', was a Passover dinner actually. Christ used the traditional elements of the dinner, such as the unleavened bread and wine, as symbols of a new covenant, representing His broken body and blood poured out as a sacrifice of our sins.

What is the Last Supper BBC bitesize? ›

The Last Supper holds a special significance for Christians as it forms the basis of the Eucharist close EucharistA service celebrating the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, using elements of bread and wine., a key Christian church service.

What happened at the Passover meal with Jesus? ›

What Jesus did next at the meal has become the most important ritual for Christians as he asked that his actions be repeated. Jesus blessed the bread, broke it and passed it around. He did the same with the wine. He explained that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood.

What is the Passover in Mark 14? ›

Mark 14:12–21 depicts the evening of 14 Nisan, when Jesus and the disciples celebrate the Passover. This is an event Jesus has been earnestly looking forward to (Luke 22:15). After the traditional Jewish Passover, Jesus will transition into the new Lord's Supper.

Why was the Passover meal important? ›

Passover is the second most important holy day of the Jewish year. Jewish families gather for a ritual meal called a Seder (SAY-dur), during which specific elements recount the history of Israel and retell the story of God's dramatic deliverance of their ancestors.

What is the connection between the Passover and the Lord's Supper? ›

The Lord's Supper has historically been understood as a Passover meal, due to its depiction as such in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew writes that “on the first day of Unleavened Bread,” the disciples asked Jesus, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover” (Matt.

What lesson does Last Supper teach us? ›

On this last night, Jesus teaches that our best blessings come when follow his example with humility and love. There is a blessing for us in obedience in serving others, even in the most menial of tasks.

What is the message of the Last Supper? ›

The Last Supper marks the institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion, through which Christians are symbolically united with Christ and receive His grace and forgiveness. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is a symbol of God's love for humanity, and provides an opportunity for believers to join God in eternity.

What is the summary of the Last Supper? ›

Jesus has taken the bread and wine and given them a new significance for his followers, showing that a new covenant is about to be put in place between God and His people. Jesus' death is to be the final sacrifice which will allow all people to receive God's forgiveness.

Why was Jesus killed on Passover? ›

John indicates that Jesus died as the paschal lambs were being slaughtered for a "high day"--a double holy day when Passover and the Sabbath coincided (see John 13:1; 18:28; 18;39; 19:14; 19:31).

What is the difference between the Last Supper and the Passover? ›

Jonathan Klawans suggests in the Biblical Archeology Review that while the Last Supper may be “characteristic of the Passover meal, it is equally characteristic of practically any Jewish meal”: While reclining is unique to Passover, all Jewish meals traditionally begin with blessings over wine and bread.

Did Jesus eat the Passover before he died? ›

In John, Jesus dies on the Day of Preparation as the sacrificial Lamb of God. There is no Passover meal for, as Hippolytus wrote early in the third century AD, "He did not eat the passover of the law.

What is Mark 14 12 26 about? ›

During that meal Jesus demonstrates His sovereignty, announces His death, institutes a new meal for people of God and promises a future meal that's still to come. Securing a place – Because the Passover meal was to be eaten in Jerusalem the disciples knew they would need a place.

What does mark 14-26 mean? ›

Jesus and the disciples have completed the Passover dinner. Like most Galileans, they celebrate it the evening Passover begins, not the next afternoon as the Judeans do.

What does mark 14 12 25 mean? ›

The meal Jesus hosted for his disciples on Maundy Thursday was a Passover Meal. Maundy is from the Latin mandatum (which means commandment) based on the fact that Jesus commanded us to love one another (John 13:34) and to continue the practice of the Lord's Supper in Mark, Luke, and Matthew.

What is the meaning of the Passover Supper? ›

The Passover Feast commemorates Israel's deliverance from slavery in Egypt. On Passover, Jews also celebrate the birth of the Jewish nation after being freed by God from captivity. Today, the Jewish people not only celebrate Passover as a historical event but in a broader sense, celebrate their freedom as Jews.

What does the Last Supper symbolize? ›

The Last Supper marks the institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion, through which Christians are symbolically united with Christ and receive His grace and forgiveness. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is a symbol of God's love for humanity, and provides an opportunity for believers to join God in eternity.

Is the Passover supper the same as the Last Supper? ›

Jonathan Klawans suggests in the Biblical Archeology Review that while the Last Supper may be “characteristic of the Passover meal, it is equally characteristic of practically any Jewish meal”: While reclining is unique to Passover, all Jewish meals traditionally begin with blessings over wine and bread.

What is the Last Supper so important? ›

The L ast Supper symbolizes the last meal shared with Christ and his disciples. The painting is famous for detailing the relationship that each of them had with their Lord. It also has many hidden symbols and meanings for the Holy Trinity and foreshadows what the future held for the group.

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