Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God

 

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

 

- Mark 14:12–25 

 

Yesterday we read that while Jesus was in the temple, following a confrontation with the religious leaders regarding His authority, He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "  

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  My study Bible notes that while the synoptic Gospels (such as here in St. Mark's Gospel) date the Crucifixion on the first day of Passover, John dates it on the Preparation Day, the day before Passover.  So, in the synoptic tradition, the Last Supper covered in today's reading is the Passover meal.  In John's Gospel, however, Jesus, as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), dies at the same time the Passover lamb(s) were being slain in the temple.  My study Bible says it's not possible to know which one is historically accurate, but both traditions are accurate theologically; the Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (synoptic tradition), and Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being killed (John's tradition).

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.   My study Bible explains that these two disciples are Peter and John (see Luke 22:8).  

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."   My study Bible notes that Christ emphasizes both that His betrayer is one of the twelve, and also that he is one who dips with Me in the dish, not so much in order to identify the person.  Rather, this emphasizes the level of betrayal; His betrayer is one of His closest friends (see Psalm 55:13-15).  

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."   My study Bible comments that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal takes away neither Judas' moral freedom nor his accountability.  It says that for God, all things are a present reality; God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them. 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."    To give thanks has as its root the Greek word eucharist.  My study Bible says that this immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Before the end of the first century, an early manuscript called the Didache ("Teaching") makes reference to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  My study Bible adds that in AD 150, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Jesus says, "This is My body."  In the Orthodox Church it has always been accepted that Christ's words are true, (quoting St. Justin) "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus." 

 

Today's lectionary reading skips ahead in St. Mark's Gospel from the the one we read in yesterday's reading, from chapter 12 to chapter 14.  But it is, nevertheless, remarkable and interesting that we go from a focus on the parable of the vinedressers (who failed to deliver the harvest of vintage to the vineyard owner) to Jesus' statement in today's reading that He will "no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  In light of the discussion of the parable in yesterday's reading and commentary, we might yet again consider what "the fruit of the vine" means here.  Is Jesus talking about literal wine, or the fruit of the vine in the Kingdom?  Or is this yet another reference to the spiritual fruits which go to make possible the time of the New Jerusalem, the cosmic wedding feast of Bride and Bridegroom, of God and God's people?  These sort of "coincidental" occurrences and overlaps within Scripture (such as today's reading echoing an element of yesterday's from a different chapter) invite us to think more deeply about the language and concepts give to us by Christ, and to seek to understand what He has given us -- even the questions He invites us to ask.  It's also quite startling to look at the details invoked in today's reading.  When the disciples Peter and John ask about preparing the Passover, Jesus replies with very detailed instructions:  "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."   Not only is this remarkable in terms of wondering how Christ not only knew but had planned all of the detailed instructions, but how it is related to the note in my study Bible regarding Judas' accountability for his choice.  To remind, let us repeat the contents of that note in my study Bible:  that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal does not take away Judas' moral freedom or his accountability.  This is explained by saying that for God, all things are a present reality; that in fact, God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.  Both Christ's minutely detailed instructions regarding preparations for the Passover (including what words to say, that the man will be carrying a pitcher of water, that they will be shown a large upper room), and His apparently detailed understanding of where Judas has been and what he has already done (in Mark 14:10-11, the verses just prior to today's reading) fall into this pattern.  The Gospel once again shows us that Christ is divine by revealing these details of His knowledge, even as we're given to understand that God's foreknowledge of all things as present reality does not take away responsibility from Judas.  It reminds us that every detail of our lives, of our days, our choices, our actions, even our words are known to God and are included in Christ's knowledge of us (see, for example, Matthew 10:30; 12:36).  In the context of today's reading, it is clear that Christ knows precisely where He is going (to His Passion) and how that is going to unfold.  As we journey this week toward Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection, let us remember this knowledge about our Lord and Savior, even as we prepare to participate in it and live it with Him in our worship services, and especially through the Eucharist.  In keeping with the subject of yesterday's commentary, let us, moreover, with Him, look forward to the day of the new wine in the kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem -- for we also participate in that, especially in the spiritual fruits we produce through faith.