Mark did not record all that happened in the upper room. He stressed the announcement of Jesus' betrayal and Jesus' explanation of the significance of the bread and wine.
14:17 This would have been Thursday evening. Because the Jews began their days at sundown this incident would have happened at the beginning of the fifteenth of Nisan. Jesus came with the Twelve to the upper room. Luke 22:15-16, 24-30 and John 13:1-20 record what happened next.
14:18 Originally the Jews ate the Passover standing (cf. Exod. 12:11). However in Jesus' day they customarily reclined to eat it.335
"To betray a friend after eating a meal with him was, and still is, regarded as the worst kind of treachery in the Middle East [cf. Ps. 41:9]."336
The disciples heard for the first time that one of them would betray Jesus. Mark's account stresses Jesus' identification of His betrayer as one of the Twelve.
14:19-20 The disciples' grief expressed sadness at this announcement. Their question was a protestation of innocence but with a tinge of self-distrust. It expected a negative answer, but it was a question. Judas' motive in asking was obviously different from the others. Jesus' answer again implied the treachery of the betrayer. It also gave him an opportunity to repent since Jesus did not name him.
14:21 Jesus explained that His betrayal was part of divine purpose that the Old Testament had predicted (e.g., Ps. 22; Isa. 53). Nevertheless the betrayer would bear the responsibility for his deed and would pay a severe penalty.
"The fact that God turns the wrath of man to his praise does not excuse the wrath of man."337
The seriousness of Judas' act was in direct proportion to the innocence of the person he betrayed (cf. v. 9). "By whom the Son of Man is betrayed"(NASB) views Judas as Satan's instrument.
