Command to Action

Remember the game "Telephone"? You know, where one person comes up with a line and whispers it in their neighbor's ear, and they in turn whisper into their neighbor's ear, until it goes all the way around the circle. After the leader hears what comes back to them and shares it aloud, they, then tell the original statement. It's rarely the exact same statement. Our brains interpret information differently from one another because we are all unique with different experiences and backgrounds.

The Gospel writers are similar in some sense. Matthew and John were actually with Jesus as His called apostles... so they were on Jesus' guestlist for the Passover celebration or the Last Supper. The other guests were of the twelve disciples; Peter, Andrew, James, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, James, Judas, Jude and Simon. Mark and Luke were disciples, as they followed Jesus' ministry and reported the details, however they were not of the original twelve. Therefore, they were "outside the circle." This makes their reports somewhat different in focus.

We will be revisiting the Last Supper account from Matthew 26 (and from the earlier post titled "The Only Way" from Oct 27, 2013). This time we will be hearing it from Mark's perspective outside the circle.

"Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it." Mark 14:23

In this account, Mark focuses on the action that the disciples took in drinking from the cup of thanksgiving. In the Matthew account, the focus was on the command that Jesus spoke, "Drink from it, all of you." Generally speaking, Mark's account emphasized more of what Jesus did than what he said.

I find this interesting. Being a woman, I am all about the words. What was said, who said it, and how it was said. Probably part of the reason that I love stories, songs and acting. I also love having conversations face to face so I can see the reaction to my words and the expression on the face and body of the friend I'm visiting with. It gives me a better understanding and it feels so much more relational than the alternatives of phone, text, email or heaven forbid a hand-written letter. Maybe Matthew was more like me - concerned with the spoken words. Mark, it seems, was more about the action that was taken from Christ's offer of the cup.

I'm not discounting either account. Both elements are important. Let's get back to the focus of thanks now. Jesus is sharing the Eucharist, as it is called in many churches. Eucharist is a Greek word that translates into gratitude. It also means communion which is the act of sharing or being in common participation. Mark's account focuses on the action of the disciples participating together ("they all drank") with gratitude to their teacher, Jesus, and His father, God.

The interpretations may be different, somewhat like the results of the game telephone, however they both report the truth of an incredibly important event in history and a foretaste of what will represent the most important event in our spiritual lives as believers in Christ. His blood shed on the cross for our redemption which we celebrate regularly and symbolically in the form of the Lord's Supper or Communion. If I spoke Greek, I would have to say that my eucharist (gratitude) to God, my heavenly Father, has no end - for His love and sacrifice for my life (eternal) surpasses all my understanding. Praise God and give thanks.

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b