Mark 14:12-15 - Not-so-extraneous Details

Cell No.35. It's a monk's cell in San Marco Monastery, Florence. 

The monastery is known for frescos by Fra (Brother) Angelico. To do a fresco, Fra Angelico added coloring to the plaster before it dried on the wall.  The fresco in Cell No.35 depicts Jesus Last Supper with His disciples.

Some elements of the fresco are purely for symbolism, such as the halos. Jesus has a decorative gold halo. Eleven of the disciples have simple gold halos... except for Judas. He has a dark halo, just so you can identify him. The are all sitting or standing, waiting for Jesus to serve them as if it's a formal Eucharist. Historically, Jesus said that the one to betray Him would be the "one who dips with Me in the bowl." (Mark 14:20, New American Standard Bible, 1995)

Parts of the fresco are historically accurate. The Gospels record that Jesus came "with the twelve"  to share in the Passover feast (Mt 26:20; Mk 14:14), but that's not to say that women were not present. Women had followed Jesus in His ministry and were present, along with the men, in the Upper Room after the Resurrection. (Luke 8:1-3; Acts 1:13-14.) So Fra Angelico's fresco includes a woman standing off to the side, perhaps having helped serve the food.

The cells at San Marco are very austere. They aren't much larger than ten or twelve square feet with one small window. The frescos are also sparse when it comes to detail. This one has an odd detail. Outside a window of the room where they dined there's a well. Why is that detail included?

Before the scene in the Upper Room, the disciples asked Jesus where to have their Passover Meal. 

13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” (Mark 14:12–15, New Living Translation, 2015)

If the man was carrying a pitcher of water, it would make sense that the second-floor dining room was nearby. What difference would that make if they were drinking wine, not water, with their meal? What was the need for a supply of water?

Jesus intended all along to wash the disciples' feet after supper (John 13:1-17). Perhaps water could have been retrieved from a distance. But just like Jesus knew a room was waiting for them, it would not be surprising that He made sure there was water nearby for teaching them a lesson in serving each other.

Lord, we sometimes get distracted by unimportant details. All the while, there are details that You know are important. Give us discernment to catch the details You don't want us to miss; thank you for taking care of the details that escape us. Amen. 

Photographs: San Marco Monastery, Florence - Communion of the Apostles (Last Supper) by Fra Angelico.