Mark 14 23

Mark 14:23 kjv

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

Mark 14:23 nkjv

Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Mark 14:23 niv

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Mark 14:23 esv

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

Mark 14:23 nlt

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Mark 14 verses

Mark 14 23 Meaning

Mark 14:23 describes Jesus taking the cup during the Last Supper, giving thanks to God for it, and then giving it to His disciples for them all to drink. This act is a pivotal moment in the institution of the Lord's Supper, prefiguring the New Covenant established by His sacrifice. It highlights the transformation of a traditional Passover element into a central symbol of Christian faith, emphasizing corporate participation and Christ's provision.

Mark 14 23 Context

Mark 14:23 occurs during the Passover meal, which Jesus celebrated with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. This specific event, often called the Last Supper, transforms the traditional Jewish Passover ceremony into the foundational act for the Christian rite of Communion or Eucharist. Immediately preceding this verse, Jesus has taken bread, blessed it, broken it, and given it to the disciples, identifying it as His body. Verse 23 details His similar action with the cup. Historically, the Passover meal involved four cups of wine, each with a specific blessing and significance, symbolizing stages of deliverance from Egypt. Jesus reinterprets one of these cups, investing it with a new, profound meaning related to His atoning blood and the establishment of the New Covenant. The action unfolds in a climate of both intimate fellowship and impending betrayal and suffering, adding solemnity and urgency to Jesus' words and deeds. The disciples are the direct recipients, indicating the corporate nature of the coming covenant and the continuity of community worship.

Mark 14 23 Word analysis

• And he took (καὶ λαβὼν - kai labōn): "And" (καὶ - kai): A simple conjunctive, continuing the narrative from the bread. "he took" (λαβὼν - labōn): A participle, indicating an action taken by Jesus. It highlights His agency and purposeful initiation of the sacrament. It connects this action directly to the preceding action with the bread in Mk 14:22, showing continuity. Significance: Jesus is not merely participating in a Jewish ritual; He is actively leading and redefining it, exercising divine authority. This "taking" is deliberate, setting the object aside for sacred use.
• the cup (ποτήριον - potērion): Meaning: A drinking vessel. In the context of Passover, it refers to one of the four ceremonial cups of wine shared during the meal, likely the third "cup of blessing" or the fourth "cup of praise." Cultural Context: Wine cups were integral to ancient Jewish feasts. For Passover, the wine symbolized God's redemptive power and liberation from bondage. Significance: Jesus' focus on "the cup" transforms its previous significance from Old Covenant deliverance to New Covenant atonement through His blood, connecting physical participation to spiritual reality. It represents both future suffering (cup of wrath - e.g., Ps 75:8, Mk 10:38) and future salvation (cup of salvation - e.g., Ps 116:13).
• and when he had given thanks (εὐχαριστήσας - eucharistēsas): Meaning: An aorist participle of the Greek verb εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō), meaning "to give thanks" or "to be thankful." Connection: This is the verbal root from which the Christian term "Eucharist" (Holy Communion) derives, highlighting thankfulness as a core element of the observance. Biblical Theme: Christ models profound gratitude even in the face of imminent suffering. Thanksgiving (often a blessing over something) consecrates the item to God. It shows dependence on and worship of God. Significance: His thanksgiving affirms the divine origin and purpose of the elements. It links the New Covenant not to sorrow but to gratitude for redemption, despite the costly means.
• he gave it to them (ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς - edōken autois): Meaning: "He gave it to them." Simple past tense of δίδωμι (didomi - to give). Significance: This emphasizes Jesus' act of distributing, initiating communal participation. It is a gift freely given, demonstrating His willingness to share the benefits of His sacrifice with His disciples. The action underscores His authority and loving provision.
• and they all drank of it (καὶ ἔπιον ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες - kai epion ex autou pantes): "they all drank" (ἔπιον - epion): Emphasizes active participation, not just observation. "of it" (ἐξ αὐτοῦ - ex autou): Literally "out of it," indicating consumption from the common cup. "all" (πάντες - pantes): Crucially important. This highlights the universality of the covenant for those present, their unified participation, and foreshadows the church as a collective body receiving the benefits. It speaks against any exclusive access or refusal, signifying unity in partaking of the new covenant. Significance: Collective drinking signifies shared commitment to the new covenant, shared benefit, and shared identity as recipients of Christ's sacrifice. It lays the groundwork for communal practice in the early church (Acts 2:42) and later Christian traditions, emphasizing that salvation is for all who partake by faith.

Words-group analysis

• The institution of the cup: This phrase initiates the institution of the blood element of the New Covenant sacrament, following the bread (body). It contrasts with the Law, which forbade consumption of blood (Lev 17:11-14). Jesus transforms this, signifying that His given blood will be the life-giving essence of the New Covenant.
• Thanksgiving and giving: The combination of Jesus "giving thanks" and then "giving it" to the disciples highlights the movement from divine grace (Christ's gratitude to the Father) to human reception (disciples receiving the gift). It signifies that the Supper is first and foremost an act of gratitude for God's redemptive plan before it is a communal act.
• Universal participation: "They all drank of it" underscores that the benefits and responsibilities of the New Covenant are extended equally to all present disciples. It forms the basis for the early church's practice of communion as a shared meal for the community of believers, unifying them under one covenant. This participation points to unity in Christ and in the covenant.

Mark 14 23 Bonus section

The action described in Mark 14:23, while brief, carries immense theological weight for Christian practice and doctrine. The immediate compliance of "they all drank of it" suggests an immediate understanding, or at least obedience, from the disciples, setting a pattern for corporate participation in the Christian life. This collective consumption distinguishes the Lord's Supper as a communal, unifying act, in contrast to individual spiritual disciplines. The simple nature of the description (just the action, without much immediate verbal explanation of the cup's meaning until the next verse) might imply the power was in the doing and partaking itself, and not solely in an intellectual comprehension at that moment. The Passover context, with its deep traditions of remembrance and deliverance, means Jesus' actions are not foreign but deeply resonate with the disciples' existing spiritual framework, now radically re-centred on His person and redemptive work.

Mark 14 23 Commentary

Mark 14:23 succinctly presents Jesus' solemn act of transforming a Passover ritual into the foundational Christian ordinance of Communion, focused on the cup. His act of "giving thanks" elevates the physical element into a consecrated vessel of spiritual meaning, a deliberate re-interpretation of the covenant meal. This gratitude, the very root of the word "Eucharist," sets the tone for future observances as acts of thanksgiving for divine redemption. The act of "giving" the cup underscores Christ's role as the benevolent provider of salvation. Crucially, the disciples "all drank of it," signifying their corporate acceptance and participation in the new covenant established by His impending sacrifice. This unity in drinking speaks to the inclusive and communal nature of the New Testament church. The verse sets the stage for the explanation of the cup as Christ's blood of the New Covenant in the subsequent verse (Mk 14:24), confirming that this is not merely a meal, but a sacred covenant event.