The Last Supper
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom."—Matthew 26:26-29
It was Passover—the time when Jews commemorated their freedom from slavery in Egypt. In a display of mighty power that the world had never seen before, God delivered His people after they had been slaves for almost four hundred years. God had used His prophet, Moses, to deliver the Israelites out of slavery. Moses had gone to Pharaoh several times as God’s mouthpiece, demanding that Pharaoh let God’s people go. But Pharaoh refused time and again, inviting a display of God’s vast power. Ten plagues came upon the Egyptians—culminating in the death of every Egyptian firstborn. When the last plague was foretold to Pharaoh, Moses instructed the Israelites to stay in their homes that night. They were to slay a perfect lamb, at least a year old, without blemish or fault, and then take the blood of that lamb to cover the doorways of their homes, so that when death came, the blood of the lamb would be seen and thus death would “Passover” the people. And that evening, that’s what happened. Death came to all of the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh’s house to the firstborn of the lowliest slave. Only those who had placed the lamb’s blood over their doorway were spared. The last plague resulted in freedom for the Israelites. After enduring that horrific plague, Pharaoh let them go.
After the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were to celebrate the Passover each year as a reminder of what God had done on their behalf. This was the meal that Jesus was celebrating with His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before His crucifixion. It had already been a whirlwind week, but tonight was the night when He would be given over into the hands of sinners—this was the night for which He came to be born, and to die. He took one part of the Passover meal and used it to illustrate Himself—for He was the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:36; Revelation 5:6) Then He took off His outer garment and, in a display of humble servitude, washed His disciples’ feet, thus demonstrating that a servant of God is to be a servant to all. He told of His imminent betrayal and Peter’s denial, and then admonished them one last time to “love one another”—John 13:35.
The entire evening pointed to Him. From the Passover meal, to His washing of their feet, to the predictions that would soon become history—everything pointed to Him. He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He was to succeed where Israel as a nation had failed. Like Israel, He was and is God’s Son (Hosea 11:1). As the Israelites had death pass them over because of the blood of the lamb, so too would death pass over those who have trusted in Christ for salvation because His blood covers the doorposts of their hearts. As the Israelites were brought out of slavery in Egypt—so too does Christ bring all of us who have trusted in Him out of our slavery to sin. The Passover meal pointed forward to Christ, while the Last Supper is the revelation of who Christ is and what He came to do. He gave us “His body” for us to “eat.” It is not that we literally eat of His body, as much as we partake of Him by faith or trust in Him. In that sense, we consume or eat of Him. In the same way He took the cup and used it to represent His blood, the new covenant by which God would cover over the sins that we have committed, the law we have broken before Him. His blood made atonement before God for our sins.
Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper (taken from the Last Supper), is the practice, ceremony, and discipline whereby we visually remember what Christ did physically and spiritually for us in order to appease the wrath of God and to bring about our salvation. That very evening He was to dramatically illustrate the prophetic reality of His words.
Today, communion looks back at what Jesus did at Calvary, but it also looks forward. Jesus said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom." When Christ returns, all of those who have placed their trust and hope in Christ will participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb—the greatest celebration in eternity that the universe will ever know (Revelation 19:6-9).
Do we trust in Christ for our salvation? Do we see the rich symbolism in the Last Supper? Do we see Jesus as the Lamb of God who gave Himself for us, who shed His blood as the payment by which God passes over our sins? May we see Christ anew—may we see the Last Supper as not only a great theological fulfillment of Passover, but may we look forward in hope to Christ’s coming again, knowing that He conquered sin and death on our behalf so that we might experience the joy of eternity with Him. Amen.
It was Passover—the time when Jews commemorated their freedom from slavery in Egypt. In a display of mighty power that the world had never seen before, God delivered His people after they had been slaves for almost four hundred years. God had used His prophet, Moses, to deliver the Israelites out of slavery. Moses had gone to Pharaoh several times as God’s mouthpiece, demanding that Pharaoh let God’s people go. But Pharaoh refused time and again, inviting a display of God’s vast power. Ten plagues came upon the Egyptians—culminating in the death of every Egyptian firstborn. When the last plague was foretold to Pharaoh, Moses instructed the Israelites to stay in their homes that night. They were to slay a perfect lamb, at least a year old, without blemish or fault, and then take the blood of that lamb to cover the doorways of their homes, so that when death came, the blood of the lamb would be seen and thus death would “Passover” the people. And that evening, that’s what happened. Death came to all of the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh’s house to the firstborn of the lowliest slave. Only those who had placed the lamb’s blood over their doorway were spared. The last plague resulted in freedom for the Israelites. After enduring that horrific plague, Pharaoh let them go.
After the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were to celebrate the Passover each year as a reminder of what God had done on their behalf. This was the meal that Jesus was celebrating with His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before His crucifixion. It had already been a whirlwind week, but tonight was the night when He would be given over into the hands of sinners—this was the night for which He came to be born, and to die. He took one part of the Passover meal and used it to illustrate Himself—for He was the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:36; Revelation 5:6) Then He took off His outer garment and, in a display of humble servitude, washed His disciples’ feet, thus demonstrating that a servant of God is to be a servant to all. He told of His imminent betrayal and Peter’s denial, and then admonished them one last time to “love one another”—John 13:35.
The entire evening pointed to Him. From the Passover meal, to His washing of their feet, to the predictions that would soon become history—everything pointed to Him. He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He was to succeed where Israel as a nation had failed. Like Israel, He was and is God’s Son (Hosea 11:1). As the Israelites had death pass them over because of the blood of the lamb, so too would death pass over those who have trusted in Christ for salvation because His blood covers the doorposts of their hearts. As the Israelites were brought out of slavery in Egypt—so too does Christ bring all of us who have trusted in Him out of our slavery to sin. The Passover meal pointed forward to Christ, while the Last Supper is the revelation of who Christ is and what He came to do. He gave us “His body” for us to “eat.” It is not that we literally eat of His body, as much as we partake of Him by faith or trust in Him. In that sense, we consume or eat of Him. In the same way He took the cup and used it to represent His blood, the new covenant by which God would cover over the sins that we have committed, the law we have broken before Him. His blood made atonement before God for our sins.
Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper (taken from the Last Supper), is the practice, ceremony, and discipline whereby we visually remember what Christ did physically and spiritually for us in order to appease the wrath of God and to bring about our salvation. That very evening He was to dramatically illustrate the prophetic reality of His words.
Today, communion looks back at what Jesus did at Calvary, but it also looks forward. Jesus said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom." When Christ returns, all of those who have placed their trust and hope in Christ will participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb—the greatest celebration in eternity that the universe will ever know (Revelation 19:6-9).
Do we trust in Christ for our salvation? Do we see the rich symbolism in the Last Supper? Do we see Jesus as the Lamb of God who gave Himself for us, who shed His blood as the payment by which God passes over our sins? May we see Christ anew—may we see the Last Supper as not only a great theological fulfillment of Passover, but may we look forward in hope to Christ’s coming again, knowing that He conquered sin and death on our behalf so that we might experience the joy of eternity with Him. Amen.
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