Easter: Part 1 – The Last Supper

This Sunday, Rob lea brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.
 
The talk will be available clicking here from 10am on Sunday 10th April.
 
Once you have listened, here are some questions to consider:
 
Readings:

Mark chapter 14 verses 1 to 42 (New Living Translation)

14 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
 
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
 
4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
 
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticise her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
 
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
 
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
 
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
 
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
 
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
 
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
 
22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
 
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 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. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
 
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
 
27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
 
‘God will strike the Shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered.’
 
28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
 
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
 
30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
 
31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.
 
32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
 
35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
 
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
 
39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
 
41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”



Prayer & Reflection
 
Father God, we confess that there have been times when ‘your will be done’ has been replaced by what we want done, and we have not followed Jesus’ example.

Lord Jesus, we are grateful that when we are experiencing the trials and tribulations of life, or even ‘crushed with grief’, you know our pain and you are with us in our ordeal.

Holy Spirit, please strengthen us in our commitment to grow more like Jesus, not to count the cost, and to always do what we can, whenever we can, whatever the circumstances.

Lord, please hear our prayer. AMEN



Questions to Consider
1) What is your best estimate of the number of times that you’ve either read or heard the ‘Easter Story’? Do you think that this familiarity has blunted your emotional involvement with the events?
2) What do you think was the motivation of the woman who poured the expensive perfume over Jesus? 
3) What possible reason(s) did the religious leaders have for wanting to kill Jesus?
4) Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied even knowing him. Would you have behaved in a similar way in the circumstances? If yes, why? If no, what would you have done?
5) How would you explain that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human?
6) Are you encouraged by knowing that Jesus understands from personal experience what it’s really like to go through the pain and struggles of human life? How does it help you?
7) When we pray the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, we say, ‘Your will be done’. Do you pray that and if so, do you really mean it?
8) Looking back over the past year, in what way(s) are you becoming more like Jesus?