THE LAST SUPPER
Opening Prayer
As I read your Word today, loving Father, I want to hear your voice instructing me, encouraging me, challenging me. Thank you for your Spirit who speaks to me through it; I am listening.
Read LUKE 22:14–23
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.[a] 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.
Footnotes
- Luke 22:20 Some manuscripts do not have given for you … poured out for you.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”1
Think Further
Passover was a major festival observed by the Jews to commemorate God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt.2 During the period of the New Testament, this celebration generally involved the practice of drinking four cups of wine with the meal and recalling God’s earlier promises.3
During the meal, on this occasion, Jesus took the bread, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. In breaking the bread, he was reinterpreting the meaning of the bread to refer to his body and the cup to refer to his blood poured out for many (vv. 19, 20). This signifies that Jesus intended this meal to be celebrated after his death and resurrection in remembrance of him, just like the Passover meal was observed by the Israelites to remember the deliverance of God. Significantly, Jesus also mentioned that he would not eat the meal (v. 16) nor drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom comes (v. 18). He was indicating that the entire creation is still patiently waiting for this day when we will celebrate the heavenly banquet. Then, God will take people from every tribe and nation as his own. There is a strong eschatological significance in the participation in the last supper.
As we participate in Communion, we not only look back to the finished work of Jesus on the cross but also forward, to his coming again. We recall the words of Paul: ‘For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’4 May we be ready for the second coming of Jesus.
Apply
As we celebrate this memorial of breaking the bread and drinking the cup, may we be faithful to proclaim Christ’s death until he comes.
Closing prayer
Father God, thank you for sending your Son as our perfect sacrifice. Lord Jesus, thank you for taking on flesh, being broken and poured out for us. Holy Spirit, thank you for empowering us to accept this gift of salvation.
1 John 6:35 2 Exod 12, 13 3 Exod 6:6, 7 4 1 Cor 11:26
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