And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

MARK 14:22KJV
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Mark 14:22 (KJV)

What does Mark 14:22 mean?

Mark 14:22 describes Jesus, during a meal with his disciples, taking bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and giving it to them, saying, "Take, eat: this is my body." This moment is often understood as Jesus using the bread to symbolize his body, which he would soon give up for them.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples during what is commonly called the Last Supper, just before his arrest. The act of breaking and sharing bread was a familiar part of Jewish meals, but here Jesus gives it new meaning by connecting it to himself. This verse marks the beginning of what many Christians later call the Lord’s Supper or Communion, setting the stage for the events that follow in the Gospel.

The Greek behind Mark 14:22

  • "Blessed" (εὐλόγησεν, eulogēsen): This word means to give thanks or to speak well of, and it shows that Jesus is offering gratitude to God before breaking the bread, following Jewish custom but also giving it special significance here.
  • "Body" (σῶμά, sōma): The Greek word used here means a physical body. Jesus uses it to refer to himself, making a direct connection between the bread and his own life about to be given up.

Why Mark 14:22 matters

  • Mark 14:22 shows that Jesus is intentionally giving new meaning to a familiar meal, preparing his disciples for his coming death in a way they could understand.
  • This verse helps clarify that the bread is a symbol Jesus chooses to represent his body, which has shaped Christian practices of remembering him.
  • The setting and Jesus’ words connect this moment to the larger story of his sacrifice, making it a turning point in the Gospel narrative.

Where else these words appear

“brake” Greek G2806 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 14:19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
  • Mark 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
  • Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

“blessed” Greek G2127 · used in 41 verses

  • Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
  • Luke 1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
  • Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

“eat” Greek G2068 · used in 55 verses

  • Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
  • Mark 14:18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
  • 1 Corinthians 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

“eat” Greek G5315 · used in 90 verses

  • Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
  • Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
  • John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.