This is a study of Jesus needing a guest chamber in order to eat the Passover meal with His disciples.

1. JESUS WAS IN NEED OF A GUEST CHAMBER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 14:14 14Say to the owner of the house he enters,
'The Teacher asks:Where is my guest room, where I
may eat the Passoverwith my disciples?'
Wanted, A Guest Chamber! BY SPURGEON
“The Mastersays, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the
Passoverwith My disciples?”
Mark 14:14
As far as we know, out of the many thousands who had come to Jerusalem
from the utmost ends of the earth to keep the Passover, none were left
unaccommodatedwith a guestchamber except our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jerusalem, at the time of the Passover, was one greatinn–the whole of the
houses were occupiednot only by the regular tenants, but by their friends
from the country parts of Judea. Eachone had invited his own friends and all
the houses were filled. But there was found no one to invite the Savior and He
had no dwelling of His own. He who receivedsinners, was excluded by all. The
Friend of man was houseless, andat the national festival He was no man’s
guest. He would have been left in the streets, if by His ownsupernatural
powerHe had not found Himself an upper room in which to keep the feast.
It is so even to this day–Jesus is not receivedamong the sons of men save only
where by His supernatural powerand Grace He makes the heart anew. Every
pursuit has its eagerfollowers,everyart its votaries, every objectits devotees,
but Jesus is uncared for and neglected. Art, science,poetry, literature,
mechanics, politics, wealth–allthese obtain a willing homage. Menneed no
renewalof their minds to follow after these! But to the natural man the Lord
Jesus has no form nor comeliness and He, therefore, is despisedand rejected.

2. “He came unto His own, and His ownreceived Him not.” Like the Levite in
the days of the Judges, “There was no man that took him into his house to
lodging.”
All doors are open enough to the Prince of Darkness,but Jesus must cleara
way for Himself or lodge in the streets. I think I hear Him crying even to His
own Church, “Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled–for
My head is filled with dew and My locks with the drops of the night.”
Doubtless one reasonfor this may be found in the fact that it was dangerous to
receive Christ at that season. The rulers were hunting Him–thirsty for His
blood–and they had issued the command that if any man knew where He was,
he should tell them, that they might take Him. In the first place, to harbor
Christ was to run the risk of being put out of the synagogue, to become the
objectof public contempt. In the second, and perhaps in conclusion, to meet
with a sudden and violent death!
Therefore, prudent, careful men closedtheir doors againstHim and argued
that they could not expose their families to so much peril. They might in their
hearts admire Him. In their souls they might lament that He was so harshly
dealt with, but they could not run the risk of declaring themselves to be on His
side by entertaining Him at that moment of excitement. So is it at this hour,
men always have a goodreason, as they think, for that most unreasonable of
all unkindnesses–the rejectionof Jesus, their best Friend. The farm, the
merchandise, the newly-married wife–allthese are the transparent, weak
excuses fornot coming to the Gospelsupper.
Preoccupationofmind with some other pursuit, or the self-denials which
Christianity would involve, or the difficulties which are supposedto beseta
consistentChristian profession–any, orall of these, and worse than these–
serve to satisfy the human consciencewith the shadow of an excuse. Jesus
Christ is kept on the coldside of the door and our worst enemies are
welcomed!Though it is the highest honor that man can have to entertain Him,
yet a cruel refusalis given Him and any excuse in the world is thought to be
sufficient. Yet there was one who was willing to entertain the Savior, and the
Lord knew Him and where to find Him according to that ancient saying, “The
Lord knows them that are His.”
There shall never be a time in the world’s history so dark but surely the Lord
will have His chosenstars shining brightly amid the gloom. Christ shall never
be so much despisedbut what there will be found here and there electsouls,
hearts that the Lord has touched, who will say, “Come in and welcome most
sweetLord! We rejoice to render You the hospitality of our loving hearts.” Be
of goodcourage, my Brothers and Sisters!Piety may be at a low ebb, but it

3. shall never run dry! The lamp may flicker, but it cannotbe extinguished! Our
ranks may be thinned, but the host shall hold the battlefield! There are a few
names evenin Sardis!There is one Lot, at least, even in Sodom! And in the
raging Sanhedrim a Nicodemus holds a seat!
In the worsttimes of superstition God raises up witnesses forHis Truth. We
need never fear for the Church–an imperishable seedis in her and nothing
shall destroy her. The gates ofHell shall not prevail againsther. Thoughher
ministers may fall and many of her professedmembers may apostatize, yet the
Lord will keepup the successionof the saints, and Jesus shallnot lack a man
to bear up the standard of the Cross!So long as the earth remains, the
everlasting kingdom of the Son of David shall stand!
I shall now call your attention to the whole incident of our Lord’s finding a
guestchamber in which to keepthe Passover. I shall regardthe question
which I have selectedfor a text, first, as the mighty word of the Master’s
effectualGrace, and next, as the affectionate enquiry of the servant’s obedient
solicitude.
1. First, the Mastersays, “Where is the guestchamber?” This question
may be regarded as THE MIGHTY WORD OF THE MASTER’S
EFFECTUALGRACE. Our Lord intended to celebrate the Passoverin
the large upper room belonging to the personto whom He sent Peter
and John. The message whichHe sent by their lips was all-powerful–the
man at once yielded up his furnished parlor without difficulty or demur,
because there went a power with the word which the man was unwilling
and unable to resist.
Viewing this as a symbolical representationof the way in which hearts are
won for Jesus, we observe, in the first place, that the time and the
circumstances were all appointed. Two Apostles were commanded to go to the
city and when they should come to the city, Providence would be there
working before them–they were to meet a man just at the entrance of the city.
He was to be there at the very moment of their arrival–he and none but he.
This man must bear a pitcher–the pitcher must be filled with water. The
watercarrier must proceedto a certain house, and to no other. This house
must contain an upper room, large enoughto receive Christ and 12 others.
This room must be in the possessionofa person who would be perfectly
willing to receive the Masterand His disciples, and the goodman of the house
must be home to show the room and give the messengersadmittance at once.
Here were severalvery unlikely things to meet togetherat one particular
juncture, and yet they did so meet! Providence arranges that when the

4. Apostles are at the city gates, the tankard-beareris there, too, with his pitcher
full of water. He goes to the house, the house is the right habitation–the man
who possesses itshall be the right man, and Christ shall be entertained.
Beloved, there are quite as many notable circumstances to be observedin the
conversionof eachone of God’s people! I do not doubt that the Lord has
settled, concerning every one of His elect, the exacttime when they shall pass
from death unto life. He has determined the precise instrumentality by which
they shall be converted. He has determined the exactword that shall strike
with powerupon their mind, the period of conviction which they shall
undergo, and the instant when they shall burst into the joyful liberty of a
simple faith in Christ!
It is all settled, all arranged and predetermined in the Divine purpose. If the
very hairs of our head are all numbered, much more the circumstances ofthe
most important of all events which can occurto us! This may not seemto be a
very practicalTruth of God, and yet I think it is. I may go, for instance, a
journey by rail. It is left to my option at what time to start, and in what
carriage I shall ride. Yet I selecta particular hour and carriage, andsoona
person is thrown in my way whom I have never seenbefore. The conversation
is directed towards holy things. That person is already anxious, and my
conversationis so consoling that it seems to him that I am sent for the very
purpose of relieving his anxiety!
As we converse upon Divine things he is led to see what he never saw before–
the wayof salvationby the Substitutionary Sacrifice is opened up to him and
he casts himself into the hands of the Savior! Now, who shall say but what
there was an arrangement there which God Himself, in His infinite wisdom,
saw fit to make for the designedend?
You have two ways, today, of going home from the Tabernacle. Youknow not
why, but you selectone of the two, and in that street, if you are on the alert as
you should be–and anxious to deliver souls from going down to the pit–you
may meet with an individual whom you would not have seenif you had taken
the other route. And it may be that you, by a few words concerning eternal
salvation, shall direct that person into the way of peace and lead him to lay
hold on eternal life. He who observes Providence shallnever need a
Providence to observe. And he who watches Providence with the view of
discovering occasions forusefulness will find himself surrounded with golden
opportunities for soulwinning.
I would have you, therefore, respectthe workings of Divine Providence by
being upon your watchtowerto avail yourselves of them. You know nothing of
the secretdecree ofGod but you can see whatthe decree brings forth. And if

5. you are wise, you canbenefit your neighbors by it. Believe firmly that God has
a purpose to serve by everything that occurs and that He would have you, His
servants, watchful for all opportunities that you may bring men to a
knowledge ofthe Truth. I hope, this morning, that there are some here who
scarcelyknow why they are in the Tabernacle and the secretis that eternal
purposes of Divine Grace towards them are now ripe for fulfillment!
Remarkable circumstancesmay have workedtogetherto bring them here!
Possiblyhad it been finer weather, the crowd would have filled the place
earlier, and they would have been excluded for lack of room–this wetweather
gave them a chance of admission where the Gospelis preached, and so the
very drops of rain may have been God’s messengers ofmercy to them,
indirectly working for their salvation! There may be circumstances whichI
cannot pretend to guess, whichrevolve round some of you concerning which
God has said, “Thus and thus it shall be, that I may bring this man to the spot
where I intend to arresthim by Divine Grace, and make him a savedsoul.” I
do trust this may be the case and that miracles of mercy may be workedby
our Redeemeraccording to the counselof His will.
Note further a secondthing, albeit the circumstances were allforeordained,
yet Christ’s entrance into this man’s house was workedby instrumentality.
Had our Lord pleasedto do so, He could have remained where He was. He
could have secretlysent forth His Spirit into the householder’s mind to
constrainhim to lend his upper room. Certainly there was no need why Peter
and John should go as pioneers, for, if the Lord had gone Himself in Person,
at once He would, of course, have obtained quite as ready admission as His
servants.
But He chose to work by means. So it is in conversion!The Lord could save
souls, if He willed, without ministers, without teachers, without prayerful
parents, without even the written Word! But He does not choose to do so.
There are a few instances in which men have been suddenly impressedwhere
no cause for the impression was apparent beyond the immediate operationof
the Holy Spirit. Apart from instrumentality men have been awakenedand
arousedin the midst of their sins, like Saul of Tarsus, who was struck down
while on the road to persecute the saints in Damascus. The mostobstinate
have been suddenly subdued, but the generalrule is that “Faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” And men do not hearwithout a
preacher, but Godsends the preacher and the hearing ear, and then gives the
willing heart by His effectualGrace.
So, Beloved, we must never fall into the delusion that the purposes of God set
aside the use of means. I have heard thoughtless or critical talkers say, “If

6. God works out His purposes, then there is no need for preaching or any other
means.” Ah, simpleton that you are, if we teachyou that God works out His
purposes by means, how crazy must you be to charge us with thinking lightly
of the means! If God accomplishesHis eternalpurposes by preaching, then
the more need for preaching! And the more encouragementin it, for what
were the use of preaching if God had not purposed to bless it? What were the
use of plowing and sowing if God had not predestinateda harvest by such
means?
We do not believe in a decree whichordains effects without causes–the
ordinance of God is comprehensive, and takes in all things–instrumentality is
as much in the decree as is the result of such instrumentality. God, who
determined to save, determined also to save by means–He determined to save
no man without faith, and to give no man faith except through the knowledge
of the Truth. The means are as much in the decree as in the result, and in
using the means we hope to see the result following according to the will of
God.
The Apostles who were sent to the householder afford us a few instructive
lessons. Mark carefullythat all the disciples were quite willing to go. You
observe it is said, “His disciples said unto Him, Where will You that we go and
prepare that You may eatthe Passover?”So everyChristian should be
anxious and willing to win souls to God–as wellthe Sisters as the Brothers! As
well the weak as the strong! As wellthe babes as the full-grown men–we
should all stand prepared to evangelize the world, and all be anxious to have
our Master’s blessing upon our work!Let everyone here this morning who
knows Christ in his heart, be saying, “Lord, what will You have me to do?”
Let us eachbe in the spirit of Isaiahwhen he cried “Here am I; send me!”
At the same time, the Masterdid not employ the whole of the 12 in this case,
but preferred to send Peterand John. So in the conversionof His people, He
more frequently blesses His chosenservants–His ministers of Truth–these
turn many to righteousness and bring many captives to the Captain. He
choosesHis Peters and his Johns who have had the most familiar
acquaintance with Himself and are best adapted to deliver His gracious
message. And upon these He puts specialhonor, thus manifesting His
Sovereigntyin the distribution of both gifts and Graces. Letevery man who
seeks to preachthe Gospellearnto do his Lord’s work in the style of Peter
and John who went not without being sentand commissioned.
No man has any right to aspire to the Christian pastorate without a call from
the MostHigh. There must come to us a setting apart, an ordination not of
man, but by the Eternal Spirit making us to be vessels ofmercy unto the

7. nations. When we obtain this anointing and appointment, we must take care
that we go about our work in our Master’s way. These men were not to go
blundering into the city, hurrying to knock at the first door they might hit
upon! They must look out for the man with the waterpot, and follow him. I
think I see them. How anxiously they look around! And when they see the
man they ask no questions of him–that was not in the command–they follow
blindly where he leads.
I mark the holy joy in their faces as they see the watercarrier stop at a door
and put down his load! How confidently they enter the house and enquire for
the landlord! The Masterhas given them the sign, they see the countersign
and feelthat all is well. The story reminds you of Eleazar, the servant of
Abraham, when seeking a wife for Isaac. He, too, had an appointed sign–the
damsel shall say, “Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.” And lo,
Rebekahcame, and just what he had askedshe might do, she did! And then
the man lifted up his heart to God and blessedthe God of his Master
Abraham for giving him goodspeed on his errand.
If we would seek souls we must follow the indications of God’s will! We must
be like the handmaidens whose eyes watchtheir mistresses. We must be
anxious to detectthe first sign of Divine Grace, to observe the kindling of the
newborn life in the awakenedsoul, to discoverthe first incomings of the
Divine light into the thick darkness of the natural heart. And then we must
follow our Master’s will–notinventing this clap-trap, and that excitement as
new methods of revival, not fashioning new gospels ofour own–but keeping
close to the all-perfectGospelof our blessedGod! We must preachthe Truth
of God simply after the Apostolic precedent, believing that in this way, and in
this way only, we may expect to see the revival which we seek. The Master’s
word of power comes to men, then, by instrumentality.
DearHearers, you who are not converted, never neglectthe means of Divine
Grace, becauseit is through the means that God’s blessing will be most likely
to come to you. “Being in the way, the Lord met with me.” I have heard of a
young lad who was observedto be especiallyattentive to the sermon, and
when he was askedthe reason, he said, “BecauseI believe that if there is
anything likely to do me good, Satanis sure to prevent my hearing it if
possible, and therefore I listen with all my heart in the hope that I may hear to
my soul’s profit.” You will not listen long in vain, if you listen so.
In the pools of the Gospel, men mostly catchwhat they fish for, and if you
come to hear the Word desiring salvation, you will, I trust, soonobtain it. If
you resortto the place of worship merely to pass the time away, or to hear a
popular preacher, you cannotexpect a blessing from God. But if you come

8. here breathing the prayer, “Lord, meet with me. Jesus, save me today,” I do
not doubt that whoeverthe preacher may be, God will visit you through him
and hear your prayer.
In the third place, although we are now speaking ofChrist’s effectual power,
yet the man’s will was consulted. Peterand John said to him, “The Master
says, Where is the guestchamber?” They did not push themselves into the
guestchamber and say to the owner, “We take possessionofthis parlor in the
Master’s name whether you like it or not. We have come here, and we mean to
stop here. Our Mastersent us, and we shall not go away.” Nothing of the
kind! The man’s chamber was his own, and the Lord Jesus Christ respects the
man’s household rights by calling him “the goodman of the house”–the
master, the proprietor, the landlord of it.
So it is in conversion. Menare brought to God by the effectualpower of
Divine Grace, but Grace never violates, though it subdues, the human will.
They make a great mistake who think that God treats men as if they were
logs–Godknows they are not logs, and never treats them so. He has made
them in His own image, to be free, intelligent agents and He acts upon them as
free agents. It is difficult for some men to understand how Grace canbe
effectualand almighty, and yet man can still be a free agent. Now, if persons
cannot see this, we are not bound to give them understandings, but the two
things are consistentenough–prejudice createsthe difficulty–and there is
none, really.
A man may be free enough, and yet he may be so overwhelmingly persuaded
to a certain course that he cannotdo otherwise. Suchmoral power does not at
all interfere with true liberty. If we taught that men were saved againsttheir
wills, and that physical force was put upon them to make them Christians, we
should deserve to be denounced as talking nonsense, orworse!But the power
which we speak ofis moral, spiritual, persuasive, and operates in strict
accordancewith the usual laws of mind. The Grace of God does no violence to
the will, but sweetlyovercomesits obstinacy, making it a willing captive. The
force that we speak of at any time when we speak of the powerof Divine
Grace, must be understoodby you all to be a force in consistencywith the
original constitution of manhood. And evermore, although our Lord works
upon men according to His own will, yet He always so works upon them as
thinking, judging, willing men, and not as substances whichare to be
hammered, broken, or twisted by brute force.
My Hearers, you must not expectthat you will be luggedinto Heaven by the
ears, or whirled into salvationby the hair of your heads!If you are ever saved,
the heart must be changed, and your whole being must freely consentto the

9. rule of Grace. If you are everborn again, you will be made willing in the day
of God’s power. His Grace will come to you to remove your prejudices, to
overcome your obstinacy, and to make you willingly obedient to the Divine
sway. How anxiously I wish that you had such a will this morning! May the
Lord bow your will by the Divine power of His love, and may you saytoday,
“Lord, I will to be saved. I am willing to renounce sin and lay hold on eternal
life.” You shall never find God’s will behind yours. Where He gives a willing
mind, think it to be the indication of His own merciful willingness. When
Grace has brought you to be willing to acceptChrist, then be not afraid, but
believe at once!
But now, in the next place, although his will was consulted, yet, through a
mysterious powerexerted by our Lord, the householder raisedno question
but at once cheerfully and joyfully opened his guestchamber. He was not
compelled to give up his upper room, but yet he did it as surely as if force had
been used. We do not observe the slightesthesitation. He acted as if he had
said, “Come in, and welcome. I owe too much to your Masterto refuse.”
Perhaps this man had seenhis child raisedto life. Perhaps he had been a
leper, and been healed. Perhaps he had been lame and been restored. At any
rate, he was a friend of Christ.
Who he was, and what he was, we do not know, but he joyfully acceptedthe
honor which the Redeemerproposedto conferupon him. By this shall we
know, today, who are the Lord’s chosenand who are not. Forwhen the
Gospelcomes to some, they fight againstit and will not have it. But where
men receive it, welcoming it, and blessing Godthat it has come to them, this is
a sure indication that there is a secretwork going on in the souland that God
has chosenthem unto eternal life. Are you willing, dear Hearer, to receive
Christ? Are you this day content to take Him and hold Him to be your All in
All? Then there is no difficulty in the way–youmay have Him–His own power
is working with you, making you willing, and the invitation is, “Whoeverwill,
let him take of the waterof life freely.”
As for this man, I may say in conclusionthat he had the unspeakable honor of
entertaining Christ in his upper room at the last supper at which our Savior
satbefore His death! And, O Brethren, if you and I receive Christ into our
hearts, what an honor to entertain the Son of God this side the stars!The
Heaven of heavens cannot containHim! All the glories of Paradise are too
little for the splendor of His Personand the dignity of His merits, and yet He
condescends to find a house within our narrow hearts!
We are not worthy that He should come under our roof, but what an
unutterable privilege when He condescends to enter, for then He makes a feast

10. and causes oursouls to feastwith Him upon such royal dainties as Solomon, in
all his glory, could not spread!We sit at a banquet where the viands are
immortal, and give immortality to those who feed on them. If you have ever
feastedwith the Well-Beloved, I am sure you will wish the festival would
never break up. You will long for the time when you may eat the bread of
Heaven in Heaven, and drink the wine of the kingdom new in Glory and go no
more out, but abide with the Fatherworld without end. Happy, thrice happy
is the man who entertains the angels'Lord.
Thus have I outlined the story of effectualGrace. Christ’s Grace comes to us
while we are yet dead in sin–we are called by it. Instrumentality is used, yet
the secretpowerof Goddoes it all, and as a result of it, we, by entertaining the
Savior, are greatlyhonored and eminently blessed. Now, is there not here, for
Believers, a theme for earnestpraise? Brethren, if Christ has enteredinto
your hearts and mine, and that entrance was effectedwholly through His
Grace, letus magnify Him exceedingly!–
“ ‘Twas the same love that spreadthe feast
That sweetlyforcedus in,
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.”
Let us extol the amazing love which has workedin us so mightily to redeemus
from our natural hardness of heart! Let those refuse to sing who have never
known their obligations to SovereignGrace!But those of us who feel our debt
must
And ought not this, moreover, to encourage everyworkerfor God? Brethren,
if the Mastercanthus find a banqueting house when He seems to be
altogetherdestitute, and find it with but a word, let us never despair of the
salvationof any man! Let us go forth to our labor for souls believing that the
Lord will still find Himself a lodging within men’s hearts! What if nine out of
10 of the unconverted here should say, “We will not admit the Savior,” yet
there is a remnant according to the electionof Grace who will welcome Him!
We may be content to be rebuffed with a 100 negatives if but one soul is
obedient to our message!
If we had to preachto thousands year after year, and never rescuedbut one
soul, that one soul would be a full reward for all our labor, for a soul is of
countless price! Let us be of goodcourage, the Mastermay give us all our
hearers as our hire if He wills to do so!He cansubdue the most hard heart
with a word, and make our ministry, which has been barren up to this

11. moment, suddenly become fruitful to His glory! God grant that many this day
may learn what effectualGrace is, and Christ shall have all the praise.
II. During the secondpart of our discourse we shallregard the question of the
text as the AFFECTIONATEENQUIRYOF THE LORD’S SERVANTS. We
have not, this morning, any verbal direction as to any specialpersonin this
house. I am not told to speak especiallyto that young man, or to yonder young
woman. I am not directed to address the appeals of the Gospelto those who
may be sitting in this area, or to those in the galleries. Iam not at all directed,
as were Peterand John–still the directions to the Gospel-preacherare very
sufficient and plain.
Here they are, “Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospelto every
creature.” I am not called to preachto the electalone–Ido not know them. I
know that my messagewillbe of no service to any but the chosen, but, in
order that it may come to these, it is our work to address it to all. We castthe
net into the sea and the Lord sends us what fish He wills. To one and all,
therefore, of you who have not known Christ, I have this question to ask–“The
Mastersays, Where is the guestchamber?”
I will explain the question first. Christ Jesus would have entertainment in the
human heart. He says, “Where is the heart in which I may dwell? Where is
the soulthat is ready, this morning, to open its gates thatI may enter in and
dwell there?” Now, observe that I am not asking you the question, “Where is
Christ?” for your answerwould be a very distressing one–youhave not found
Him! There are, I hope, many scoresand hundreds here who have admitted
Him into the inner chamber of their spirits, and are now enjoying fellowship
with Him. But to you unconverted ones I put no question as to that matter, for
you are strangers to communion with Jesus.
Nor am I asking, “Where is there a feastfor the Master? Where will He find a
festival of virtue and goodworks?” No, but, “Where is there room for Him?”
He will bring the feast–the chamberis all He asks. Christ asks nothing good
from you–he only asks the empty room in which He may spread the good
things which He will bring with Himself. The Masterasks younot to prepare
the feast, for you are penniless in your natural estate. You have absolutely
nothing upon which He can feed, for you have not even food for your own
soul! And you have spent your money for that which is not bread, and your
labor for that which satisfies not. He asks anempty chamber–this is all. Room
for the Savior! Roomfor the Savior! Roomfor the Saviorto enter and dwell!
It is not your virtues, your excellencies,nor anything goodof you that He asks
for, but simply the empty room in which you are willing to entertain Him. The

12. question is, simply and alone, “Where is the guestchamber?” Not, Where is
the guestchamber that is sumptuously decoratedand made fit for the great
King? Not, Where is the chamber that is glittering with gilded panels and
pavements of mosaic? Jesus seeks no lofty chamber in which to lodge!No, if
there is one of you that has a heart lofty and proud, Christ will not come to
you–for all the splendor of your pretended goodness are fadedand stained in
His sight. He dwells not with the proud, nor with the great.
But if you have a brokenheart and a contrite spirit, “to this man will I look,
and with this man will I dwell, says the Lord.” Are you guilty? Well, that need
not keepthe sin-atoning Priestaway. Is the guestchamber of your heart all
soiledand foul? Is it full of evils? Jesus Christdoes not enquire concerning
that! He only asks you if you are willing that He should come in and dwell
there, and if you say, “Yes,” it will be His business to cleanse the chamber and
fit it for Himself. Only, “Where is a guestchamber?” Is there a heart here,
this morning, that is open to Jesus? Is there a man or woman who has room
for the Lord of Glory?
Still further explaining the question, let me remark that some offer Christ a
room which He cannot acceptas a guest chamber. Yes, they will receive
Christ into their heads, they have no objectionto believe the Truths taught in
the Bible concerning Him with a notional faith. My Lord will not eat the
Passoverthere. No, you may be very orthodox, indeed, and exceedinglysound
in doctrine, but when Jesus comes into the house He will have the best parlor,
namely, the heart. Not here in the cold attic of the brain, but there in the
warm parlor of the heart–there must Jesus dwell!Are you willing this day to
have Christ to be your Lord and Savior?
Soul! Soul, are you willing to trust Christ with your eternalinterests? Are you
willing, now, to hang upon Him as the vesselhangs upon the nail, having no
other dependence? Are you willing to become His servant, to do what He bids
you? Are you willing to be His friend, to find your bestsolace in fellowship
with Him? Are you willing now, all guilty and defiled as you are, to acceptHis
righteousness as your righteousness,and His blood as your cleansing? Does
your mind bring out the keys of the heart’s castle and offer them to the King,
and do you say, “Come in, my Lord, come in! I have too long stoodout against
You and resistedall the invitations of Your Grace, but now lift up your heads,
O you gates, andbe you lift up, you doors of my spirit, that the King of Glory
may come in”?
That is all I ask ofyou. No merits am I sent to seek after!Nothing good am I
bid to seek in you! Only if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good
of this land. If you are willing to trust Him, then I have found out the man

13. with whom Christ is predestinated to dwell! God has given the will–He will
surely work the way. He has made you cheerfully to be His host–He is equally
willing to be your guest. Where is the guest chamber? I cannot very wellcome
round to all of you and take you by the hand and say, “Is there a guest
chamber, my Friend, in your heart?”–itmight take too long a time to pass
from pew to pew to put to you the question, but I do desire to put it (and to
press it very earnestly) to eachone, “The Mastersays, Where is the guest
chamber?”
Did you notice, when I read the passagein Luke just now, that it ran a little
differently from what it does in Mark?–“The Mastersays unto you, Where is
the guestchamber?” I trust He says that to some of you in the singular, and
with singular power. The Mastersays to you, this morning, this day of Grace,
this hour of love which you have been spared to see, though you might well
have been cut down in your sins–the Mastersays unto you, “Mary, John,
Where is the guestchamber?” Take my advice and give a speedy affirmative
answerto that question, and may this be the day when Jesus shallenter in
triumph into your soul!
I will tell you in a minute or two why it is that I feelearnestto press this
question, “The Mastersays, Where is the guest chamber?” I press it, first, for
His sake–yes, allHis true servants long to getHim entertainment in human
hearts. Sometimes I have thought upon my ownministry, and I have said,
“Yes, during the time in which I have been pastor of the Church, we have
carried out many greatworks. We have built a vasthouse for prayer, erected
houses for almswomen, orphanages forthe young and carried on the college.
But what would all this be if these were the only results of gathering this
people together, and preaching to them from Sunday to Sunday? The only
successthat is worth having is the winning of souls!If we do not see souls
brought to Christ to bow at His feet, and own Him as King, we go back to our
closet, crying, "Who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed?”
Christ must be crownedin men’s hearts or we pine with grief! We cannotbe
satisfiedto see Him stand in the street, His head wet with dew, and His locks
with the drops of the night–we must have the Sonof God entertained, for oh,
it grieves us even unto brokenness ofheart–it troubles us exceedinglythat He
should be used so ill who loved us so well! That He should be rejectedwho
gave up Heaven and all its glories that He might redeem us from going down
to Hell! By the wounds of Christ, and by the bloody sweatthat coveredHim
when He redeemedus from our sins, we do beseechyou listen to this voice,

14. “Where is the guestchamber?” and reply, “Lord, that guestchamber is in my
soul today.”
We press this upon you also for our own sake. We are afraid lestwe shall be
found unprofitable servants. If you can be won to Christ, so much the more
joy and rejoicing to us, for what is our crown of rejoicing? Is it not you, in the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ? But most of all, we press this upon you for your
own soul’s sake. O Beloved, if you do but entertain Christ, you will have
entertained Heaven! You will be no losers by loving Christ, but unspeakable
gainers!Trust in Jesus and your sins are forgiven you, a bright future is
securedand the vile past is blotted out! Get Christ, and if you are ever so
poor, or ever so full of pain, yet are you to be envied!
But oh, if you live and die without Christ, we scarcelydare to picture the
scene around your dying bed–imagination refuses to lift the curtain and to
view your soul in a disembodied state driven forever from hope! We recollect
that dreadful text, “These shallgo away into everlasting punishment.” We
cannot bear it that you should know the eternity of God’s wrath! That you
should have to feel the perpetual flame of the Divine anger! Oh, for your own
sake, if you have any true self-love and would be delivered from eternal
misery, open wide your heart that Jesus Christ may enter in!
Do you still ask, “Butwhat do you mean by ‘Where is the guestchamber?’ ” I
will answerit yet again. Jesus Christ deserves from you a simple, personal,
immediate, undivided faith in Himself. WhereverChrist comes, He comes to
be trusted–you must trust Him wholly–rejecting allconfidences of your own.
Trust Him at this moment and do not postpone or put off faith to a more
convenient season. If Jesus Christ is to be the Guest in the guestchamber of
your heart, you must now give yourself up wholly to Him, for–
“Know, nor of the terms complain,
To reign, and with no partial sway–
Where Jesus comes,He comes to reign,
Lusts must be slain that disobey.”
If you trust Christ, you must then obey Christ. In the powerof the Spirit sin
will have to be castout, for Christ willnot eat the Passoverwith sin reigning in
the chamber. All the lusts of the flesh must be renounced. He will make you to
renounce them, for Christ will not feastwith you while you enjoy the dainties
of sin. Christ will have no fellowship with Belial. He will not sit at the same
table as the devil. Are you willing now? It is all I ask. Has His Spirit made you
willing by His powerto give up favorite sins, to renounce secretlusts, to be

15. molded and fashionedby the Divine hand, and made to be vessels fit for
Divine use? Are you willing to have Christ for your Master and your Savior?
Where, where is the guest chamber? My Master, You know!Would God some
voice would say, “Here it is.” For, remember (and then I have done), if you
entertain not Christ now, the day will come when you will wish you had, but
wish in vain! In the day you shall see Him upon His Throne and He shall say
to you, “You rejectedMe, and now I rejectyou. You heard the Gospel–you
were invited, you were pleaded with–but you had no ear to all My
invitations.” In that day, when He has no ear for you, but when He deals out
the thunderbolts of His just anger, you will wish that you had hearkenedto
Him!
Oh, I would to God I could make men look upon their Sabbaths and the
sermons they hear as they will look upon them another day. How many there
are today wringing their hands in torment, and crying, “O that we could hear
the Gospelagain!O for another invitation to come to Christ! But it is past
now. The hour of mercy is struck, and we have come into the eternity of
vengeance where there are no acts of pardon passed, and no hopes held out
for souls to escape fromtheir everlasting misery!” O be wise, now! “Today, if
you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Today, while yet His Spirit
pleads with men, make your souls guest chambers for Him, and, if you admit
Him now, you will now rejoice exceedinglyin that day when He comes in His
glory!
It will be no mean joy to the Believerto say, when He sees His Lord in the
clouds of Heaven, “By His effectualGrace I have known Him before. I
receivedHim into my heart when men spoke evil of Him–when He was
rejected, I acceptedhim. When He walkedthrough the streets, and they were
miry, and He was clothed in rags, I took Him in. He was hungry and I fed
Him. He was sick and in prison, and I visited Him, and ministered to Him.”
Oh, it will be a joy unspeakable for the soul to hear Him say, “Inasmuch as
you did it unto one of the leastof these My Brethren, you did it unto Me. You
have been with Me in My temptations, you shall be with Me in My glory. You
shared My tribulations and humiliations, and now you shall partake in all My
triumphs. You shall sit on My right hand foreverand ever.” Be this the
portion of every person within these walls, and may God be glorified in each
one of us, not in His justice, but in His mercy, for Jesus'sake. Amen.

16. BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Preparing ForThe Passover
Mark 14:12-16
A.F. Muir
The festival of "unleavenedcakes," or"unleavenedbread," commencedon
the night of the 14thof Abib or Nisan(Exodus 12:16)after sunset; that day,
corresponding to our 16th of March, was therefore popularly calledthe first
of the festival, because it was the preparation day for it. This preparation of
the Passover, i.e. the killing of the lamb, etc., had to take place between three
and six o'clock, the ninth and twelfth hours of the solarday. "Sacrificed," or
"killed," has the force of "accustomedto sacrifice orkill." The room was to
be "furnished," literally "strewn," i.e. the tables and couches were to be laid;
and it was to be ready, i.e. cleansed, etc., inconformity with ceremonial
purifications. A considerable amount of work had to be carefully gone
through ere all things would be ready. The lamb, unleavened bread, bitter
herbs, wine, and "conserve ofsweetfruits," had to be purchased; the lamb
had to be slain by the officiating priest in the temple; and then it had to be
roastedwith the herbs. From the circumstances connectedwith this
preparation in the case ofChrist and his disciples we see -
I. THE REPRESENTATIVE HEADSHIP OF CHRIST. The disciples looked
to him for direction. They spoke ofhim, and not themselves severally, as being
about to observe the Passover, whichindicated, not that they themselves were
not going to observe it, but that they ranged themselves under him as
constituting, so to speak, his household· That they should have to seek his
direction at the last was no proof of carelessness,but only of habitual
dependence upon him; and it pathetically suggestedhow closelytheir
circumstances correspondedwith the typical characterof the first celebrants,
who as strangers and sojourners partook of the hasty feast. Fittingly enough,
he who sought at birth the shelterof an inn, goes to such a place to observe the
Passoverwith his disciples, in a separate and distinct capacityfrom that of
any other household in Israel. They were to ask, "Where is my guest-
chamber?" it was he who was to entertain.
II. His REGARD FOR THE OBSERVANCESAND INSTITUTIONS OF
THE LAW. This is shown in the carefulattention he gave to the details of the

17. feast. Whether the arrangements made were due to the exercise of
supernatural foresight, or merely to the natural forethought and human care
of Christ, it is impossible to determine. In the former case, the "man bearing a
pitcher of water," who was to meet them, would be indicated as a Divine
token; in the latter, the man would be simply arrangedfor with the master or
"goodman" ofthe hostelry. Either way, the feastwas really prepared for by
Christ, and no regulation was neglected. Whenthe poverty, homelessness, and
personaldanger of the Saviorare remembered, his observance ofthe Passover
will be seento possessanemphasis and intention quite special.
III. THE CONTINUITYIN WHICH THE "LORD'S SUPPER" STANDS. It
was a "moment" or stage ofthe Paschalfeast, andtherefore a portion of the
same celebration. Doubtless the feastwould be protracted, or at any rate the
actualeating of the lamb would be distinguished in time from the partaking of
the bread and wine, which came a little later, as a new commencementafter
Judas had withdrawn at the bidding of the Master. In this way the
retrospective characterofthe eating and drinking is quite natural. The two
greatfeasts of Judaism and Christianity are thus vitally connected, the new
celebrationbeing a survival of the old one, and a perpetuation of its spiritual
meaning. In such instances do we see the continuity of essentialideas,
observances, and institutions throughout the varying phases and progressive
stages ofreligious development.
IV. THE SPIRITUAL PREPARATION OF CHRIST FOR THAT WHICH
THE PASSOVER SYMBOLIZED. It is just in the attention to these minute
details, paid by One to whom in generalthe "spirit" was everof so much
more consequence thanthe "letter," that the inward preparedness ofthe
Savior is suggestedfor his greatsacrifice. The whole typology of the sacred
festival had been spiritually realized by him, and its connectionwith his own
death. In Matthew's Gospelthis foreboding consciousnessofdoom, elevated
into a higher mood by spiritual willinghood, is expressed:"The Mastersaith,
My time is at hand," etc. - M.

18. Biblical Illustrator
Go ye into the city.
Mark 14:13, 15
The finding the guestchamber
H. Melvill, B. D.
We might expectthat Christ, knowing to how greateffort the faith of His
followers was aboutto be called, would, in His compassionateearnestnessfor
their welfare, keeptheir faith in exercise up to the moment of the dreaded
separation. He would find or make occasionsfor trying and testing the
principles which were soonto be brought to so stern a proof. Did He do this?
And how did He do it? We regard the circumstances whichare now under
review, those connectedwith the finding the guestchamber in which the last
supper might be eaten, as an evidence and illustration of Christ's exercising
the faith of His disciples. Was it not exercising the faith of Peterand John —
for these, the more distinguished of the disciples, were employed on the
errand — to send them into the city with such strange and desultory
directions? There were so many chances, ifthe word may be used, againstthe
guestchamber being found through the circuitous method prescribed by our
Lord, that we could not have wonderedhad Peterand John showed
reluctance to obey His command. And we do not doubt that what are called
the chances were purposelymultiplied by Christ to make the finding the room
seemmore improbable, and therefore to give faith the greaterexercise.Again,
there would have been risk enough of mistake or repulse in accosting the man
with the pitcher; but this man was only to be followed;and he might stop at
many houses before he reachedthe right. But Christ would not be more
explicit, because, in proportion as He had been more explicit, there would
have been less exercise forfaith. And if you imagine that, after all, it was no
greatdemand on the faith of Peter and John that they should go on so vague
an errand — for that much did not hinge on their finding the right place, and
they had but to return if anything went wrong — we are altogetherat issue
with you. There was something that lookeddegrading and ignoble in the
errand, which required more courage and fortitude than to undertake some
signalenterprise. And the apparent meanness of an employment will often try

19. faith more than its apparent difficulty; the exposure to ridicule and contempt
will require greatermoral nerve than the exposure to danger and death. We
believe that it is very frequently ordered that faith should be disciplined and
nurtured for its hardest endurances, and its highest achievements, through
exposure to petty inconveniences, collisions with mere rudeness, the obloquy
of the proud, the sneer of the supercilious, and the incivility of the ignorant.
Nowhere is faith so welldisciplined as in humble occupations;it grows great
through little tasks, and may be more exercisedby being left to the menial
business of a servant than by being summoned to the lofty standing of a
leader. And we do earnestlydesire of you to bear this in mind; for men, who
are not appointed to greatachievements and endurances, are very apt to feel
as though there were not enough in the trials and duties of a lowly station for
the nurture and exercise ofhigh Christian graces.Whereas, if it were by
merely following a man bearing a pitcher of waterthat apostles were trained
for the worstonsets of evil, there may be no such schoolfor the producing
strong faith as that in which the lessons are ofthe most everyday kind. But
there is more than this to be said in regardof the complicatedway in which
Christ directed His disciples to the guestchamber where He had determined
to eat the last supper. He was not only exercising the faith of the disciples by
sending them on an errand which seemedunnecessarilyintricate, and to
involve greatexposure to insult and repulse — He was giving strung evidence
of His thorough acquaintance with everything that was to happen, and of His
powerover the minds whether of strangers orof friends. You must considerit
as a prophecy on the part of Christ that the man would be met bearing a
pitcher of water. It was a prophecy which seemedto take delight in putting
difficulties in the wayof its own precise accomplishment. It would not have
been accomplishedby the mere finding the house — it would have been
defeatedhad the house been found through any other means than the meeting
the man, or had the man been discoveredthrough any other sign than the
pitcher of water;yea, and it would have been defeated, defeatedin the details,
which were given, as it might have seemed, with such unnecessaryand
perilous minuteness, if the master of the house had made the leastobjection,
or if it had not been an upper room which he showedthe disciples;or if that
room had not been large;or if it had not been furnished and prepared. And
whatevertended to prove to the disciples their Master's thorough
acquaintance with every future contingency, ought to have tended to the
preparing them for the approaching days of disasterand separation. Besides,
it was beautifully adapted to the circumstances ofthe disciples that Christ
showedthat His foreknowledge extendedto trifles. These disciples were likely
to imagine that, being poor and mean persons, they should be overlookedby

20. Christ when separatedfrom them, and, perhaps, exalted to glory. But that His
eye was threading the crowded thoroughfares of the city, that it was noting a
servant with a pitcher of water, observing accuratelywhen this servant left his
master's house, when he reachedthe well, and when he would be at a
particular spoton his way back — this was not merely foreknowledge;this
was foreknowledgeapplying itself to the insignificant and unknown. Then,
again, observe that whateverpowerwas here put forth by Christ was put
forth without His being in contactwith the party on whom it was exerted.
Christ acted, that is, upon parties who were at a distance from Him, thus
giving incontrovertible proof that His visible presence was not necessaryin
order to the exercise ofHis power. What a comfort should this have been to
the disciples. It is easyto imagine how, when His death was near at hand,
Christ might have wrought miracles and uttered prophecies more augustin
their character. He might have darkened the air with portents and prodigies,
but there would not have been in these gorgeous orappalling displays the sort
of evidence which was neededby disquieted and dispirited men. But to
ourselves, who are looking for the guest chamber, not as the place where the
Paschallamb may be eaten, but as that where Christ is to give of His own
body and blood, the pitcher of water may wellserve as a memento that it is
baptism which admits us into Christian privileges;that they who find a place
at the supper of the Lord must have met the man with the water, and have
followedthat man — must have been presented to the minister of the Church,
and have receivedfrom Him the initiatory sacrament, and then have
submitted meeklyto the guidance of the Church, till introduced to those
deeper recessesofthe sanctuary where Christ spreads His rich banquet for
such as call upon His name. Thus may there have been, in the directions for
finding the guestchamber, a standing intimation of the process through which
should be sought an entrance to that upper room, where Christ and His
members shall finally sit down, that they may eattogetherat the marriage
supper.
(H. Melvill, B. D.)
Providential meetings
Sunday SchoolTimes.
There are no chance meetings in this world. They all are providential. They
are in God's plan. On many of them greatpossibilities hinge. You enter a
railroad car, and take your seatamong strangers. A proffered courtesybrings
you into conversationwith a fellow traveller. An acquaintance is the result.

21. Years of helpful Christian co-work follow in the train of that first meeting.
You visit a place of winter resortfor health seekers. At the dinner table you
meet a man unknown to you until then. An entire change in the aim and
conduct of his life is one consequence ofthat meeting; and his labours for
goodmay be far more effective than yours in your whole lifetime. You look in
upon a celebratedpreparatory school, where two hundred young men are at
their studies. One face impresses you. Your meeting with him affects your
course and his for all time, and involves the interests of a multitude. Your
meeting of another young man in a Sunday schoolwhere you are present only
for that one sessionhas more influence over his life than all other agencies
combined — and scarcelyless overyours. You may even meet on the street
one whom you wished not to see, one whom at that moment you were seeking
to avoid; and as a result more lives than one are affectedin all their human
course, and in their highest spiritual interests. All these illustrations are real
incidents; and there are thousands like them. It behooves us to considerwell
our duty in every meeting with another. We can fail to improve our
opportunity and lose a blessing. We can fill our place just then, and have
reasonto rejoice eternally that we did so. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do
— when next I meet one whom thou hastplanned for me to see?
(Sunday SchoolTimes.)
The Master's question
J. Vickery.
"The Mastersaith!" Has the charm of the Master's name vanished in these
latter days? Are we, men and women of the nineteenth century, children of a
modern life and civilization which is everextending itself with feverish
restlessnessand painful throes of new birth, are we grownfamiliar with
strange voices, with forces unknown in that ancientworld, and those ancient
days spent under the blue Syrian sky; are we become superior to the claims,
the force, the beauty, and the authority of a greatpersonallife? Have we
relegatedJesus ofNazarethmerely to a place, howevergreat, in the
development of history? Is He merely the product of socialforces andpolitical
and historicaltraditions? "The Mastersaith!" Being dead, doth He yet speak;
yet so as through the faint vibrations of memory — of memory which grows
weakeras the ages rollbehind us into the eternity of the past; or is it a living
voice still which I hear — a voice which no results of time can shake with the
tremulousness of age? Do not our own hearts — we who have become
disciples, we who, constrainedby a force which we could not resist, have

22. exclaimed, "Master, Thouart the Christ who hast conqueredme, Thou art
the Christ who hast died for me" — do not our own hearts passionately
exclaim, "He liveth still to make intercessionforus, and to rule us with the
supremacy of perfect love"? Will ye also admit the Masterwithin? Will ye
hear Him? Will ye let Him talk with you? This night, as a disciple of the Lord
Jesus Christ, I bring the word to you also:"The Mastersaith!" The voices of
all His disciples are but weak echoesofthe mightier and abiding voice which
is His. "The Mastersaith!" But where? Hath His voice a localhabitation and
a name? Doth He reachme through the channelof my senses, orhow doth He
touch my living spirit? It is here that "the Mastersaith!" — even now. These
poor temples of ours, they are for the most part but shapeless structures of
stone and lime, yet they are clothedwith the spiritual and unfading beauty of
a Divine guestchamber; a voice which is not my voice overpowers my
struggling will, subdues by gentle and beautiful processes my efforts to make
my ownwill my law and arbiter of duty, and speaksthrough me. And most of
all is it of infinite moment to know that there is one called"Master," andwho
does speak. This is what I need to know and feel. In Jesus ofNazareth life and
duty are reconciled. In Him I recognize the Masterwhom I need. To Him, in
whom gentleness was so perfectlyblended with strength, I come, craving to
touch but the hem of His garment, contented in that I have seenmy Lord.
"The Mastersaith!" If His voice is the voice of an authority, sublimely
enforcedthrough self-denial, patience, gentleness, suffering, and death, why
should I crave more? Shall I not say, It is enough; He calleth me, and I must
answer? He bids me arise, and I must arise. For me the highest virtue is
obedience, for it is the Masterwho saith.
(J. Vickery.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(14) The goodmanof the house.—Better, the master. The better MSS. give the
reading, “Where is my guest-chamber,” a form which implies discipleship on
the part of the owner of the house, evenmore than that given by St. Matthew.
The word translated “guest-chamber”is the same as that which appears in
Luke 2:7 as “inn.” It was, in fact, the generic term for a hired lodging.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

23. 14:12-21 Nothing could be less the result of human foresightthan the events
here related. But our Lord knows all things about us before they come to pass.
If we admit him, he will dwell in our hearts. The Sonof man goes,as it is
written of him, as a lamb to the slaughter;but woe to that man by whom he is
betrayed! God's permitting the sins of men, and bringing glory to himself out
of them, does not oblige them to sin; nor will this be any excuse for their guilt,
or lessentheir punishment.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The goodmanof the house - This signifies simply the "master" of the house.
The original word expresses nothing respecting his character, whetherit was
goodor bad.
The guest-chamber- A chamber for guests or friends - an unoccupied room.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Mr 14:12-26. Preparationfor, and Last Celebration of, the Passover—
Announcement of the Traitor—Institution of the Supper. ( = Mt 26:17-30;Lu
22:7-23, 39;Joh 13:21-30).
See on [1501]Lu22:7-23;[1502]Lu 22:39;and see on [1503]Joh13:10, 11;
[1504]Joh13:18, 19;[1505]Joh13:21-30.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 14:10"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And wheresoeverhe shall go in,.... Into whatsoeverhouse he shall enter, go in
after him:
and sayye to the good man of the house; the owner, and master of it, who
might be Nicodemus, or JosephofArimathea, or some man of note and wealth
in Jerusalem, that might have some knowledge ofChrist, and faith in him,
though he did not openly profess him; since by only saying what follows, he
would at once, as he did, direct them to a suitable and convenientroom;
the mastersaith. The Syriac and Persic versions read, our mastersaith: he
that is yours, and ours, our master Jesus;though that is not expressed, yet it
was understood by the masterof the family; which confirms the above
conjecture, that he was a secretdisciple of Christ.
Where is the guestchamber; the chamber provided for guests that might be
expectedat the passover:

24. where I shall eat the passoverwith my disciples? where it might be done
conveniently, and in a proper and comfortable manner; See Gill on Matthew
26:18.
Geneva Study Bible
And wheresoeverhe shall go in, sayye to the goodman of the house, The
Mastersaith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passoverwith
my disciples?
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 14:14. τὸ κατάλυμά μου,my guestchamber. This μου of the best texts is
interesting as suggesting a previous understanding betweenJesus and the
householder. It is not necessaryto import the miraculous into the narrative.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. say ye to the goodmanof the house]The words addressedto him, and the
confidential nature of the communication, make it probable that the owner of
the house was a believing follower. “Discipulus, sednon ex duodecim,” Bengel.
Some have conjecturedit was Josephof Arimathæa, others John Mark; but
the Gospels andtradition alike are silent. “Universal hospitality prevailed in
this matter, and the only recompence that could be given was the skin of the
paschallamb, and the earthen dishes used at the meal.” Geikie, ii. 462.
the guestchamber]Curiously translated by Wyclif, “my fulfilling, or etyng
place.” The original word only occurs here, in the parallel Luke 22:11, and
Luke 2:7, “and she brought forth her firstborn son, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 14:14. Ποῦ ἐστι, where is) It is taken for granted in this question, that
there is some guest chamber already prepared through the providence of the
Lord.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - The Mastersaith, Where is my guest-chamber(κατύλυμα μοῦ);
literally, my lodging.
Vincent's Word Studies
My guest-chamber(κατάλυμάμου)

25. Luke 22:11. The word is not classical, andas used by an oriental signifies a
khan or caravanserai. Hence inn at Luke 2:7. My chamber. It was a common
practice that more than one company partook of the paschalsupper in the
same apartment; but Christ will have his chamber for himself and his
disciples alone.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
The King Prepares ForHis Passion
Mark 14:12-25
Introduction: 1) In 1906 Albert Schweitzerpublished his groundbreaking
work The Questof the
Historical Jesus. He believed Jesus saw Himselfas a 1stcentury
eschatologicalprophet who
believed His ministry would usher in the apocalyptic end of history. Sadly
and unfortunately He
was mistaken, things got out of hand, and he was brutally put to death in the
process. Itis worth
letting Schweitzerspeak for himself:
“There is silence all around. The Baptistappears, and cries:“Repent, for the
Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand.” Soonafter that comes Jesus, andin the knowledge that
he is the coming Son
of Man lays hold of the wheelof the world to set it moving on that last
revolution which is to
bring all ordinary history to a close. Itrefuses to turn, and He throws Himself
upon it. Then it

26. does turn; and crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the eschatological
conditions, He has
destroyedthem. The wheelrolls onward, and the mangled body of the one
immeasurably great
Man, who was strong enough to think of Himself as the spiritual ruler of
mankind and to bend
history to His purpose, is hanging upon it still. That is his victory and His
reign.” (Schweitzer,
370-371, quotedin The Historical Jesus:Five Views, 20).
2) This perspective, still popular among some liberal and skepticalscholars,
falls on hard times
with a fair and honest reading of the Gospels. There we see ourSavior in total
control down to
the lastdetail as He makes His way to the cross to die for the sins of the world
(John 1:29). He
will indeed be crushed, but not by the “wheelofthe world,” but by the will of
His Father(Is.
53:10), a will our Lord both understood and embraced. James Edwards is
exactly correct, “Jesus
is not a tragic hero caught in events beyond his control. There is no hint of
desperation, fear,
anger, or futility on his part. Jesus does not cowerorretreat as plots are
hatched againsthim. He
2
displays, as he has throughout the Gospel, a sovereignfreedomand authority
to follow a course
he has freely chosenin accordancewith God’s plan” (Edwards, 419).
3) Our King knows exactlywhere He is going and what will happen.
Sovereigngrace willuse
even human evil to accomplishits saving purposes. Our Lord will be certain
everything goes
according to plan.
I. Jesus is in control of the events leading to His death. 14:12-16

27. The time for the Passover(4x)has arrived, a celebrationthat always took
place in the
spring. It was a time of greatjoy and remembrance of God delivering the
Hebrews out of
slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 12). According to Deuteronomy16:5-8, the
Passoverhad
to be observedwithin the walls of Jerusalem. The influx of worshipping
pilgrims would
have been massive. The Jewishhistorian Josephus said255,600lambs were
slaughtered
in the temple in A.D. 66.
“The first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificedthe Passoverlamb”
(v. 2), was
Thursday. The disciples approachJesus wanting to know where the location
of the
memorial meal would take place that they might make preparation.
In a scene reminiscentof our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem(Mark
11:1-6), Jesus
provides precise instructions in vs. 13-16:1) He sent 2 disciples into the city
(Luke 22:8
tells us it was Peterand John); 2) He tells them they will meet a man carrying
a jar of
water(something quite unusual as this was normally the work women or
slaves would
perform); 3) Follow him to a specific house (church tradition says it was
Mark’s home
and the owner or master his Father); 4) Tellthe masterof the house “The
Teacher” wants
to know where His guestroom is that He may eat the PassoverwithHis
disciples;5) “He
3
will show you a large upper room furnished and ready” (v. 15); 6) There you
will make

28. preparation.
Amazingly but not surprisingly v. 26 records, “the disciples set out and went
to the city
and found it just as He told them.” It is quite possible Jesus knew the man
carrying the
wateras wellas the master of the house, and yet the details transpired more
than hint of
His divine knowledge ofwhat would happen.
The 2 disciples did as they were instructed and made preparation for the
Passover. They
would have set the table with unleavenedbread, wine, bitter herbs and sauce.
They also
would have roastedand prepared the Passoverlamb that most clearly marked
their
deliverance from slavery and redemption out of Egypt. Little did they know
that a greater
preparation of an even greaterPassoverwas unfolding in their presence as
Jesus prepared
Himself to be sacrificedas our PassoverLamb (1 Cor. 5:7). John the Baptist
had declared
when he saw Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes awaythe sin of the
world”
(John 1:29). Jesus is indeed this PassoverLamb, and He is in complete control
of the
events leading to His death. The cross was no surprise that unexpectedly
caught Him off
guard. No, it was a divine appointment that was scheduledas Peterwould
write, “before
the foundation of the world” (1 Peter1:20). Jesus knew down to the lastdetail
what was
happening and He joyfully embracedit (Heb. 12:2). Such confidence in God’s
will
should inspire us to trust Him even when the road of life may be difficult,
painful, even

29. deadly. Our God is in control!
II. Jesus was notcaught by surprise by His betrayal. 14:17-21
If Jesus was in complete control of all the events leading up to His death, then
He was not
caught by surprise by His betrayal. Surprised? No. Heartbrokenand
disappointed?
4
Certainly yes, especiallywhenwe considerthat the betrayer was a close and
trusted
friend.
Mark provides a more abbreviated accountof the Passovermeal, the last
supper, than the
other Gospels. He focuses primarily on 2 events: 1) Our Lord’s betrayal (vs.
17-21)and
2) Jesus’institution of what we commonly call“the Lord’s Supper (vs. 22-25).
It is evening when the Passovermealwas eaten(v. 17). Jesus is there with
“the twelve,”
thought it is likely others joined them as well. It was a “large upper room” (v.
15) and
Jesus specifies in verse 20 that “it is one of the twelve” who will betray Him.
While they are reclining at the table and eating (v. 18), the normal posture for
having a
mean in that day, Jesus utters words that must have shockedallin attendance
and sent a
cold chill running throughout the room: “Truly (Gr. amen, “I tell you the
truth” (NIV)), I
say it to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” How He
knew we
are never told, but the Scriptures are clear, He knew. Psalm41:9 says, “Even
my close
friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his head againstme.”
Was this

30. text, at leastin some way, an indicator He drew from?! It is clearHe applies
this Davidic
text to this moment.
Our Lord’s words provoke grief and soul-searching as they should. The
disciples were
“sorrowful” and one after another they ask Him, “Is it I?”
Jesus narrows the possible list of betrayers in verse 20 to the 12 disciples, His
most
intimate and trusted companions. We are, of course, privy to information no
one in the
upper room had at that time but the Lord. The betrayer is Judas (cf. Mark
3:19; 14:10).
5
Jesus then makes in v. 21 one of the most profound and theologically
significant
statements in all the Bible [read vs. 21]. Severalimportant observations arise
from this
text.
1) Jesus, as Daniel’s “Sonof Man” (Dan. 7:13-14), was ordained and
predestined to
be betrayed and crucified. Once again, though implicit, Jesus weds Daniel’s
apocalyptic figure to Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant of the Lord” (Isa. 52:13-
53:12;
also Psalm22).
2) The one betraying the Sonof Man, the Lord Jesus, was pitied in spite of his
unconscionable deed(“woe to that man”). Jesus lovedand caredeven for
Judas.
3) The future judgment for Judas will be so terrible it would have been better
“if he
has not been born.” Again, we see the truth, “revelationbrings
responsibility.”
4) Even though Judas’ betrayal was ordained and according to God’s plan, he
is

31. morally responsible for his freewill action. Jesus will be betrayed and
crucified
according to God’s predetermined will, but this in no way relieved Judas of
his
responsibility and guilt. In a divine mystery we will never completely
comprehend in this life, we embrace the truth and tensionthat divine
sovereignty
never cancels out human freedom and moral responsibility. Both are true. We
embrace them both.
In a painful sense the answerto the question of the betrayer of verse 20, “Is it
I?” requires
an answerof “yes” from eachand every one of us. Yes, Judas betrayed Jesus,
but by
morning all the disciples would betray Him. Judas betrayed Him for greed
(14:10-11),
but the rest would betray Him from weakness (14:37-42), fear(14:50-52)and
cowardice
(14:66-72). But what about you? What about me? James Edwards hits us
right between
6
the eyes when he writes, “Surely not I?” How that protest echoes downthe
centuries” (p.
424). We are all a Judas because eachand every sin againstJesus is an act of
betrayal,
and a personalone at that. And yet this is where the grace ofthe gospelshines
so bright,
cleanand pure. Even those who betray this greatKing and glorious Savior
can experience
immediate and complete forgiveness through simple repentance and
confessionofsin (1
John 1:9). Godly repentance will grieve, even weep, overthe terrible thing it
has done.

32. But then it flees to Jesus who took that very sin on Himself at the cross. In
grace God
forgives. And, He provides the strength to move forward in the “family of the
forgiven.”
What a greatfamily that is! If only Judas had turned from his sin.
III. Jesus prepared a lastsupper that was actually a first supper. 14:22-25
1) Thomas à Kempis said, “He who would learn to serve must first learn to
think little of
himself. This is the highest and most profitable lesson…” (quotedin
Bonheoffer, Life
Together, 1954, 94). Jesushas already servedHis disciples on their last night
togetherby
washing their feet (John 13:1-20). Now He serves them againas He institutes
what we
call “the Last Supper.”
2) This sacredmeal is recordedin all 3 synoptic gospels (Matt. 26:26-29;Luke
22:18-20;
see also 1 Cor. 10:14-22;11:17-34)but not the gospelof John. It has been
called“the
Last Supper,” “the Lord’s Supper,” “the Eucharist” (meaning
“thanksgiving”),
“Communion” and “the Lord’s Table.” However, we stand on solid
theologicalground to
refer to it also as “the First Supper” as it inaugurates the “New Covenant”
(Jer. 31:31-34;
Luke 22:20) which God made with us through the Lord Jesus, the true
PassoverLamb
who had been sacrificedfor us (1 Cor. 5:7). His death made possible a new
and greater
7
Exodus (see Luke 9:31) as we are delivered and set free from our bondage and
slavery to
sin.

33. 3) This Passoverwas the proper occasionfor the Lord’s Supper to be
instituted. Tim Keller
notes, “The Passovermealhas to be prepared in a certain way and had a
distinct form. It
included four points at which the presider, holding a glass of wine, got up and
explained
the Feast’s meaning. The four cups of wine representedthe four promises
made by God
in Exodus 6:6-7. These promises were for rescue from Egypt, for freedom
from slavery,
for redemption by God’s power, and for a renewedrelationship with God.
The third cup
came at a point when the meal was almost completelyeaten” (King’s Cross,
164-65).
This 3rd cup, I believe, is the one alluded to by Mark in verse 25-26. There is
great
significance in this as we shall see.
4) Verse 22 indicates that the Passoveris proceeding as usual when suddenly
Jesus departs
from the normal script in a most shocking manner. What He says are the
words of a
madman unless He is the Son of God and the true PassoverLamb. Breaking
the bread
and blessing it He says, “Take;this is my body.” Then in verse 23 He took the
cup (the
3rd), blesses itand “they all drank of it.” Then He said, “This is the blood of
the covenant,
which is poured out for many” (v. 24). These words inform us that the new
covenant, like
the old covenant, is a “blood covenant.” Thatit is “poured out for many”
informs us that
the new covenant, promised in Jeremiah31:31-34, is made possible by the
death of

34. Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant of the Lord” who “bore the sins of many and
made
intercessionfor the transgressors”(Isa. 53:12). Hebrews 8:1-13 speaks ofthe
New
Covenantin greaterdetail.
8
5) Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24 inform us that Jesus told His disciples
that eachtime
they gatheredin the future to celebrate this meal they were to do it “in
remembrance of
Me.” Once againit is almost impossible to overstate how shocking these words
are. I
think pastor Sam Storms helps us graspthe massive significance ofwhat Jesus
said:
What Jesus requested, indeed commanded, His followers and friends to do
subsequent to His death is nothing short of shocking!It’s one thing to desire
that your memory be preserved by your loved ones and that they continue to
honor and esteemyou throughout the remainder of their lives. You see this all
the time at cemeteries where people have their photographs somehow
embedded into their headstones or some other piece of memorabilia
permanently affixed to the gravesite. Butit is altogethersomething else to
command that your friends, family, and followers gathertogetherregularly at
a meal not only in your name but with you as the sole and exclusive focus. We
all want to be remembered, we’d all like to leave behind something of a
legacy, but Jesus commandedHis followers, everytime they broke bread
together, to make Him the centralpoint of their celebrationand to recalland
re-tell His life and death. Were anyone to make this request of me prior to
their death, I would probably conclude that the proximity of their demise had
afflicted them with delusions of grandeur and megalomania. Yet, this is
preciselywhat Jesus commanded that eachof His followers do in memory of
Him! In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul recites the very words of Jesus that He spoke
on the night of His betrayal: “Do this in remembrance of Me!” (vv. 24-25).
(Sermon Summary #43 on Mark)

35. 6) In v. 25 Jesus brought things to a close by refusing to drink the 4th and
final cup (read v.
25). Why? Becauseit is the cup of consummation and life in the promised land
of God.
For that cup He would wait. First, He must drink to the last drop the cup of
God’s wrath
and justice. Apart from it, no cup of blessing would be possible.
Conclusion
In 1991 Christiansongwriterand vocalistTwila Paris penned a song to
accompanythe
observance ofthe Lord’s Supper by the Lord’s people. It has a simple title,
“How Beautiful.” It
has, however, powerful words for reflection, meditation and celebrationas we
considerthe King,
His Supper and His Passion.
9
“How Beautiful” How beautiful the hands that servedThe
wine and the bread and the sons of the earth How beautiful the feet that
walkedThe long dusty roads and the hill to the cross
How beautiful, how beautiful How beautiful is the body of Christ
How beautiful the heart that bled That took all my sin and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes That chose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful, how beautiful How beautiful is the body of Christ
And as He laid down His life We offer this sacrifice Thatwe will live just as he
died Willing to pay the price Willing to pay the price

36. How beautiful the radiant bride Who waits for her groom with His light in
her eyes How beautiful when humble hearts give The fruit of pure lives so that
others may live
How beautiful, how beautiful How beautiful is the body of Christ
How beautiful the feet that bring The sound of goodnews and the love of the
King How beautiful the hands that serve The wine and the bread and the sons
of the earth
How beautiful, how beautiful How beautiful is the body of Christ Twila
Paris http://www.danielakin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark-14.12-
25-The-King-Prepares-For-His-Passion-Manuscript-kh.pdf
BRIAN BELL
Mark 14:12-26 11-3-13 Value MealI. Slide#1 Announce: A. Slide#2
IsraelTrip - Registrations are due now. March21-April 1. B. Slide#3 Taking
Off the Gloves - Mark calendar, Sat/Jan.25More info & register
takingoffthegloves.com1. Being a man matters. Round 4. C. Slide#4 Movie
Nov.17th- NotToday free showing [along w/our schools Justiceclub] 1.
Friends Church PastorMatthew Cork encounteredthe plight of India's Dalit
people. The church createdthe powerful movie NOT TODAY. D. Slide#5 Bike
Cambodia - Kelly, Donna Hansen, Michelle Banister, Jill Andrews are doing a
450mbike ride thru VN/Cambodia to raise support/awarenessfor Hagar
Ministries at the end of Dec/Jan. 1. Hagaris an international Christian
organizationdedicated to recoveryof extreme human rights abuses,
particularly human trafficking, gender-basedviolence, and sexual
exploitation. [support member or the group - see them or CMs missions page]
E. Slide#6 Pray for - Dr.Les, Julie Ghironzi & Emi Fugi, MedicalMissions
training in Burma. 1. Greg - 3 day hike in Burma. II. Slide#7 Intro: A. Here
Jesus takes a major Jewishcelebration, calledthe Passover, one that the Jews
had observedeachyear for over 1500 years since the time of Moses, and
convertedit and elevatedit into what we know now as communion. 1. The
Lord's Supper is the Fuller View, the Completed view, of redemption. 2. It

37. contains the Passoverand its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. B. Last week:we had
Mary’s beautiful anointing of Jesus’body…for His burial. (His death looms
over these next chapters)C. Slide#8 Outline: PassoverMeal;LastMeal;
Value Meal.
III. Slide#9 PASSOVER MEAL (12-16)A. Jn.13:1 Now before the feastof the
Passover, whenJesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart
from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world,
He loved them to the end. B. Slide#10 He seeks to demonstrate He is God’s
PassoverLamb. C. (13) Note Jesus was very organized. This wasn’t
happening to him. 1. He did not leave things to the last minute. 2. Also, its
possible only these 2 disciples (Peter & John) knew the location, to make it
impossible for Judas to revealit? a) This was to be the most important meal
eatenin the history of the world.
1
D. Slide#11 A man carrying a pitcher – This would have been very unusual as
the womendid this chore. 1. But, in Khans, lodging houses, Inn’s where there
were so many male strangers, they would hire male servants to fetch the
water. Men carried waterin large goatskinon back. 2. Guest room (14) - same
word as Inn in Nativity story...kata’lyma. 3. Streets weren’tnamed & ran
crooked, so easiestwayfor directions...followhim. E. Slide#12 (15)Furnished
& prepared – i.e. spread w/carpets & cushions. 1. Furnished w/a low table (U-
shaped) by which they would recline. F. Slide#13 The Passoverlamb was
selectedonthe 10th day of Nissan(our March/April), examined for blemishes,
slain on the 14th day of the month. 1. It was to be slain in the Temple
precincts (you did your own lamb). 2. The lamb’s throat was slit the blood was
caught in a gold or silver bowl, passedup 1 of the 2 lines of the priests, & at
the end of the line it was dashedupon the altar. a) Josephus says more than
250,000 were slain. 3. The supper eatenw/in the Jerusalemcity limits. G. This
was a memorial of a past victory. H. The meal consistedofthe roastedlamb,
unleavened bread, & the dish of bitter herbs, & 4 cups of diluted wine. 1.
RoastedLamb – to remind them of the lambs blood that was applied to the
doorposts in Egypt to keepthe angelof death from killing their 1st born. 2.
Unleavened Bread– to remind them of their haste in leaving Egypt. 3. Bitter
Herbs - to remind them of suffering as Pharaoh’s slaves. 4. 4 cups of Wine – 3
parts wine/2 part water. a) This was to remind them of the 4 promises in
Ex.6:6,7. I. The Four Cups: 1. The cup of Kiddush (sanctification/separation)
ie. separationfrom all other common meals 2. The cup of Haggadah
(explaining or proclaiming) {before meal} 3. The cup of Thanksgiving (prayer,

38. “Blessedare you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has createdthe
fruit of the vine.”) {after meal} 4. The 4th cup – after the conclusionof Hallel.
IV. Slide#14 LAST MEAL (17-21)A. Jesus’lastsupper/last meal. 1. Slide #15-
18 Last meals for some…[TedBundy/steak eggs hasbrowns coffee;Timothy
McVeigh/2 pints of mint choc-chip; Aileen Wuornos/1 cup of coffee;Jonathan
Nobles/bread/wine]2. Slide #19,20Jesus lastmealwas to be a farewell
meal…but so much more.
2
3. Insteadof getting a last meal…He gave one. B. Betweenvs.17,18is the
washing of the feet & the lessonon humility, found in Jn.13:1-20. C. (18)
What a shattering announcement - one of you will betray Me. 1. John says,
Jesus was troubled in spirit. Jn.13:21 D. (19)Is it I? – the Greek indicates that
a negative answeris expected. 1. i.e. “Surely, it is not I!” 2. The men that often
debated on which one of them was the greatest, now discussedwho was the
vilest. 3. Judas chimed in & mouthed the words “surely not I”, fooling
everyone…but Jesus. 4. Had Jesus pointed out Judas, Peterwould have had
him in a chock-holdbefore you could say the word traitor. E. (20) Dips w/me
in the dish – In the East, to break bread w/someone means to enter into a pact
of friendship & mutual trust. 1. As if to say, “I know what you are going to do.
Will you not stop even yet?” (Barclay) 2. To break bread, then betray your
host, is the basestof treachery. 3. Even this was the fulfillment of God’s Word,
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who sharedmy bread, has lifted up
his heelagainstme. Ps.41:9 4. Judas may have had the honored position at our
Lord’s left. a) Judas was close because Jesus was able to hand him the morsel
of bread. b) Lets’ getthe picture: John was on Jesus’right. Everyone would
lean on their left hand, thus leaning partially on the personto their left & then
they would eat w/their right hand. c) Thus we have John leaning on Jesus
chest/shoulder. And Jesus leaning on…Judas? (1) Thus Judas had the
opportunity to have whispered a repentance at any time during the meal. 5.
What an actof love - What an actof friendship - Just like when Boazinvited
Ruth to do the same. Now Boazsaid to her at mealtime, Come here, and eatof
the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar. 6. “Judas, here is my
friendship & forgiveness...ifyou take it.” “Will you?” a) Jn.13:27 Now after
the piece of bread, Satanentered him. F. (21) Neverbeen born – Some say
Judas was just forcing Jesus hand to reveal his power & setting up the
kingdom. Others say, he was just obeying what God’s Word had prophesied
of him. 1. Yet, Judas was no martyr nor robot. He was neither a hero nor the
victim of some merciless predestination. 2. He was a responsible human being

39. who made his own decisions, but in so doing, fulfilled the Word of God.
Warren Wiersbe, pg.136. 3
3. Judas was lost for the same reasonmillions are lost today: he did not repent
of his sins & believe on Jesus Christ, the true PassoverLamb.
V. Slide#21 VALUE MEAL (22-26)A. Slide#22 Bread& wine were 2 common
items that were used at practically every meal, but Jesus gave them a
wonderful new meaning. 1. New meaning so that from now on they would
serve as memorials of His death. 2. Every detail of the Passoverpointed to
that greatday of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. a) Now, Jesus will redirect
the details to Himself & to His deliverance of the world from sin. b) When you
do this again, do it in memory of Me and not of the lamb slain in Egypt. 3.
This is the Original Value Meal - and what a value He placedon it :)
B. Slide#23 Bread(22)C. Jesus now shatters the Passovertradition with the
words, ...take, eat;this is My body. 1. Yes, this bread representedthe life of
Christ: 2. Slide#24 His birth: He was given that body at His birth in
Bethlehem (house of bread) 3. His life: He said, I am the bread of life. A
sinless life He led in that body. 4. His cross:He bore our sins in that body. 5.
His res:He triumphed from the grave bringing that body back to life. 6. His
ascension:He now lives in that glorified body at the right hand of the Father.
Take, eat;THIS...is My body.
D. Slide#25,26 The Cup (23) E. New covenant? - ...this is My blood. 1. Old
covenant(Sinai) ratified w/the blood of animals sacrifices. 2. New covenant
was ratified by His blood. a) This blood did what the animal’s couldn’t…take
awaysin, not just coverover it. b) We are not savedby participating in a
religious ceremony, but by trusting Jesus Christ as our Savior. 3. The deep
red of the wine in the cup representedJesus’atoning blood. 4. Shed for many
– is an illusion to Is.53:12 BecauseHe poured out His soul unto death.
(describing a violent death) 5. These symbols should drive home the objective
fact, the actualexistence & reality of our redemption. a) We should say, “yes,
I am really forgiven.”
4
F. Slide#27 (25)The supper ends on a note of Hope...until that day when I
drink it new in the Kingdom of God. 1. Looking forward to the 2nd Coming.
“Right now, I’m facing suffering & death…but one day we will be reunited in
the kingdom.” G. (26)They sung a hymn - Imagine the Lord singing, when the
cross was only a few hours away. H. Jesus was sure of 2 things: He was to die,
& His kingdom was to come. 1. He was certain of His cross & certainof His
glory. 2. He was certainof the Love of His Father& certainof man’s sin. 3.

40. He was certain that in the end that love would conquer that sin. I. Slide#28
When Leonardo da Vinci was 43 years old, the Duke Ludovinco of Milan
askedhim to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus’lastsupper with His disciples:
Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, he spent 3 years on the
assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes, two groups on either side of
the centralfigure of Christ. Christ’s arms are outstretched. In his right hand,
He holds a cup, painted beautifully with marvelous realism. When the
masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, “Observe it and give me
your opinion of it!” “It’s wonderful!” exclaimedthe friend. “The cup is so real
I cannot divert my eyes from it!” Immediately Leonardo took a brush and
drew it across the sparkling cup. He exclaimedas he Slide#29 did so:
“Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!”
CHRIS BENFIELD
The Last Supper (Part 1) Mark 14: 12-26
Our text today reveals one of the most intimate moments our Lord had with
His disciples. It records their last meal together, and the intense emotion
experiencedon that faithful evening. While the disciples were unaware of the
enormity of this moment, Jesus was wellaware that His hour was quickly
approaching. His time had come, and He would soonembrace the cross as He
offered Himself the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
This text offers a beautiful look into this intimate moment, revealing
instruction regarding a sacredobservance believers continue unto this day. As
Jesus offeredthis final meal with the disciples, He spoke of its great
significance, revealing the provision and grace ofGod for the sin of mankind.
Eachtime we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we do so in remembrance of the
provision that was made for our redemption through the gracious sacrificeof
Christ our Lord.
As we examine the details within the text, I want to consider:The Last
Supper. I pray this study will remind us of the sacrifice that was made on our
behalf and increase our devotion to the one who took our place, dying on the
cross so we might be forgiven of sin and reconciledto God.

41. I. The Preparation for the Meal(12-16)– These verses revealthe preparation
that was made for the Last Supper. Consider:
A. The Occasion(12) – And the first day of unleavened bread, when they
killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go
and prepare that thou mayesteat the passover? This was during the time of
Passover, and the disciples questioned where the Lord desired to eat the
Passovermeal. This was a time setaside centuries prior in celebrationof
God’s mighty hand of provision as the people departed from Egypt. On that
faithful night they were expectedto offer a lamb as a sacrifice, putting the
blood of the sacrifice on the door posts and lintels, preparing the lamb along
with bitter herbs and unleavened bread for their meal. This was also referred
to as “The FeastofUnleavened Bread.” The order of the meal was as follows:
• They drank a cup of red wine mixed with water, Luke 22:17. • There was a
ceremonialwashing of hands which symbolized the need for spiritual and
moral cleansing. • They ate the bitter herbs, which symbolized their bondage
in Egypt. • They drank a secondcup of wine, at which time the head of the
household explained the meaning of Passover. • They would then sing the first
two of the Hallel Psalms, Psalms 113-114.
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• Next, the lamb was brought out, and the head of the householddistributed
pieces of it with the unleavened bread. The unleavened bread symbolized
haste. There was no time to allow the dough to rise before the journey would
begin. • They drank a third cup of wine. • Then, they would conclude the
meal by singing the restof the Hallel Psalms, Psalm115-118.i

42. ▪ It would be easyto move on in our text and not discuss the Passoverany
further, but it would be an injustice not to take a moment and considerthe
prophecy revealedin the Passoverandhow this celebration, observedfor
centuries, pointed to the coming of Christ. We must consider the instruction
given in Exodus 12.
➢ The feastinvolved a lamb, Ex. 12:3-8. Notice that Ex. 12:3 calledfor Israel
to choose “a lamb”. This could have been any lamb at all. Then, it is called
“the lamb” in verse 4. This refers to the particular lamb that was chosenfor
the meal. Then, it is called “your lamb” in verse 5. This makes the meal very
personal. They were to selectthe lamb on the “tenth day of the month”, Ex.
12:3, and they were to keepthe lamb until the “fourteenth day” of the month,
Ex. 12:6. There would be an attachment that would develop betweenthe
family and the little lamb. This was intentional, God wanted them to see the
high costof sin. He wantedthem to understand that salvationis an intensely
personalbusiness. ii Our Lord is not just a lamb, He is the Lamb! He alone
securedour salvation!In order to be savedby grace and reconciledto God,
Jesus Christ must be our Lamb. One must know Him in a personal wayin
order to be saved. We must repent of sin and receive Him as the sole means of
salvation!
➢ Exodus 12:5a – Your lamb shall be without blemish. The Hebrews were
instructed to carefully selecttheir lamb for sacrifice. Any ordinary lamb
would not be sufficient. This lamb had to be without blemish. God demanded
a perfect sacrifice in order for His judgment to pass-overthem. In order for
our sin to be atoned, there had to be a perfectsacrifice. Godalone was able to
provide such a sacrifice. OurLord came to this earth, Godrobed in flesh,
offering Himself the perfect sacrifice for our sin! 2 Cor.5:21 – Forhe hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness ofGod in him.
➢ The lamb at the Passoverhadto be killed, Exodus 12:6-7. Once the lamb
was slain, they were to take hyssopand apply the blood of the lamb to the
doorposts and lintels above the door. As the Lord came through that night to
slay the firstborn, when He saw the blood applied, He would pass-overthose
houses where the blood had been applied, Exodus 12:22-23. This is a beautiful
picture of the sacrifice Jesus Christwould make as the Lamb slain for our

43. transgression. In order for sin to be atoned, the sacrifice had to die. Without
the shedding of blood, there is no remission. Jesus had to die on the cross to
redeem us from sin. Following His sacrificialdeathon
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PastorChris Benfield – FellowshipMissionaryBaptist Church 3
the cross, His blood must be applied in order to cleanse us from our sin and
prevent God’s wrath from consuming us. Rev.1:5 – And from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness, and the first begottenof the dead, and the prince of
the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washedus from our sins in
his ownblood. Rom.5:9 – Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be savedfrom wrath through him.
➢ Exodus 12:8 – And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roastwith fire, and
unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eatit. The lamb had to be
roastedin the fire in order to appease the righteous judgment of God. The
sacrifice shieldedthem from the horrific judgment to come. As we consider
the sacrifice ofChrist on our behalf, we are reminded that He endured the
wrath of God in our place. The holy, sinless Sonof God drank the cup of
God’s righteous judgment so we could escape eternaldeath and be reconciled
to God.
➢ We also see in this verse that the lamb had to be eaten, the Jews had to
consume its flesh. Again, salvation is personal. Salvationis only available to
those who respond to the gracious provisionof Christ, coming in repentance
and faith in His finished work on the cross!Christ died to redeem the lost, but
eachone is responsible to receive His provision. John 3:16 – For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoeverbelieveth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Eph.2:8-9 – For by grace are ye
savedthrough faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: [9] Not of
works, lestany man should boast.

44. B. The Instruction (13-15)– Jesus gave specific instructions to two of the
disciples regarding the place they were to prepare the Passover. Theywere to
make their way into Jerusalem, looking for a man carrying a waterpitcher.
When they met this man, they were to tell him the Master needed a room to
eat the Passover, and he would take them to a large room, already furnished
and prepared for the meal. Upon arriving, these two were to make
preparations for the Passover.
▪ This may seemvery insignificant to some, but it reveals the sovereigntyand
omniscience ofour Lord. He revealedthe details necessaryforthe
preparations to be made. The Lord was in control of the smallestof details.
He had already provided that which was needed.
▪ That is quite a blessing when we pause to considerit. Our Lord is sovereign
over our lives and in controlof the smallestof details. He knows our hearts
better than we know them ourselves and has already made provision for what
is needed in our lives. He is aware of the burdens we carry, the uncertainties
we experience, and the fears we face. He knows our weaknessesand is more
than able to provide for us. Just as Jesus wouldprovide everything His
disciples needed, He takes care ofour lives as well. We have receivedmuch in
Christ!
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C. The Devotion(16) – And his disciples went forth, and came into the city,
and found as he had saidunto them: and they made ready the passover.
Making their way into Jerusalem, the disciples found everything just as Jesus
had described. The man revealedthe Upper Roomto them and they began to
prepare for the Passovermeal. This may have seemedlike menial work to
some, but these disciples were happy to do as the Lord had commanded. They
were devoted to Him, fully committed to serve in whatevercapacityHe
desired.

45. ▪ We need that type of devotion today as well. This was a task that took place
in a concealed, upper room. No one was around to see whatthe disciples had
done. It may have appearedto be a simple, ordinary task, but Jesus knew the
significance ofthis moment. In fact, these men were greatly honored to have
been askedto serve in this capacity. You and I have no way of knowing the
impact of our efforts. On the surface they may seem small, but we must
remember that our Lord has a plan for our lives and the lives of others.
Through our obedience, we have an opportunity to honor the Lord and
impact others. I want to be willing to prepare the Upper Room so that I might
be able to fellowship with my Lord.
Conclusion:Originally, I had planned to deal with this text in one study, but
there was too much to discuss. I would rather take our time and dealwith the
depth of this passage thanrush through and miss such rich detail. We will
continue next week and hopefully finish this passage.
Aren’t you thankful for the greatsacrifice Christthe Lord made on our
behalf. He stoodin our place, enduring the judgment of God, dying on the
cross so we could escape eternaldeath and judgment. The saved are justified
in the eyes of God through the provision of Christ. Do you know Him as your
Lord and Savior? Have you respondedto His offer of grace and receivedHim
as your personalSavior? If so, are you committed to serving at His leisure,
willing to go and serve as He pleases?If there are needs, come to Christ!
CHRIS BENFIELD
The Last Supper (Part 2) Mark 14: 12-26
In our last study we began to look at this beautiful passagedealing with the
Last Supper in the Upper Room. Jesus had met with His disciples as they
prepared to eatthe Passovermeal. This was a feastthe Jews had celebrated
for centuries as they commemoratedthe deliverance of Israelfrom Egyptian
bondage, through God’s mighty hand.

46. The centralfocus of the Passoverwas the offering of the lamb and partaking
of the Passovermeal. We discussedthe significance of the meal in our last
study. Sadly, the Lamb of God had come to deliver humanity from their sin,
and yet, most of those who knew Jesus did not embrace Him as their Lord and
Savior. He had come to earth with purpose – to die for our sin. Apart from
salvationin Christ, there is no means of forgiveness and reconciliationto God.
As we continue to discuss the details in the text, I want to conclude our study
of: The Last Supper. As a reminder, last time we discussed:
I. The Preparation for the Meal(12-16)A. The Occasion(12)B. The
Instruction (13-15)C. The Devotion(16)
II. The Proclamationatthe Meal(17-21)– In these verses, Jesus makesa
statementthat stuns the disciples. Consider:
A. The Announcement (17-18)– And in the evening he cometh with the
twelve. [18] And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One
of you which eateth with me shall betray me. At this moment the meal had
been prepared; Jesus and the twelve disciples were there eating. We cannot
know what the disciples were thinking at that moment, but it would seem
likely that it was a mood of celebration. No doubt the men had been talking
among themselves about various things. I canimagine possibly a time of
silence as they are eating, and then Jesus breaking the silence as He spoke
these words. Can you imagine how they felt as they heard these words? These
men had walkedawayfrom the lives they had known to follow Him. They had
been with Jesus through the goodtimes and the bad. At an event to celebrate
God’s faithfulness, Jesus declaredthat one of the twelve would betray Him!
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