Matthew 26: 26-29 – The Last Supper

The Last Supper, or commonly known today as the communion, was instituted by Jesus on the night that He was betrayed. In fact, this was a feast with a historical significance. God had instructed that the Passover feast be celebrated to commemorate the night He liberated their forefathers from Egypt, the land of their bondage. It was the night that the angel of death bypassed any household that had the blood of a lamb smeared over the doorposts of one’s house. Since that night, the Jews in every household, led by the head of the household, would celebrate this yearly commemorative feast, known as the Passover.

This Last Supper we read in Matthew 26:26-29 was actually a Passover celebration. At that meal, Jesus turned the meaning of the bread and the blood on Himself. He offered a new meaning and direction to all who would follow Him. We can imagine the disciples must had been quite astounded, to hear Him changed the scripts to talk about Himself. With the bread, He said, “Here’s, my body, take and eat it.” Then with the cup, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

For a few moments, just imagine the looks on the faces of all the disciples. For a few of them it must be anger. They must have felt that He shouldn’t be talking about His death at this hour. For others it could be anguish, and for most it was disbelief. If we look at Judas Iscariot that night, he was probably holding his breathe, and guessing how much Jesus knew about his intention and deal with the chief priests. What would our reaction be, if we were there that night?

At the Passover, Jesus was giving the real meaning and fulfilment to the Passover feast. The Jews for years celebrated the feast with the anticipation of the final one that God would finally fulfil all that He had promised. That He would forgive the sin of Israel and the world. Like Egypt, sin enslaves, only in a more debilitating way. But what Jesus would soon do, would be a greater deliverance than the deliverance from the land of bondage. He would deliver mankind from sin once and for all. And now in that private meal in Jerusalem, Jesus was revealing how the deliverance would be effected. He was revealing the moment that would take place. And it would all happen because of what would be happening to Him soon. Jesus then went on to help them to anticipate the coming of His new kingdom where they would partake of the wine anew.

None of Jesus’ disciples knew the pain and anguish the Master went through to write the New Covenant. They accepted His cup and drank of it. It was only later, after the crucifixion and resurrection, did they fully understood the cost to Jesus, to bring about the forgiveness of God. Many times in our self-centred, self-indulgent life, we forget how much it costed Christ to bring us back to the Father. Every time we partake of the communion, let’s remember how much it had cost our Lord to bring us to where God would accept us. Let’s love and cherish Him and give ourselves for His cause!