Luke 22:19-20
Verses 19-20 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.” 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.”
This portion of the meal may be so familiar to us that we actually miss truly thinking about it and what it was like for these men hearing the words for the first time. While they may not have understood the suffering He would soon be experiencing, this change in the normal wording during the Passover meal would have caused them to take notice. Jesus was going off-script on one of the most important holidays on the calendar.
He begins with the bread. This bread would have been unleavened as was required for the festival. Instead of a fluffy loaf of bread, Jesus would have been sharing chunks of a dense bread. He broke it to pass it around but notice He says it is His body given for them. Often this is misquoted as “this is my body broken for you.” The covenant He was making with them was not about the brokenness of the bread but rather the fact they were eating of one piece of bread. His body was going to be given for them just as the lamb was given so blood could be spread on the doorpost, but the lamb had to be whole.
Next He took the cup, not cups and pitcher just a singular cup, and told them all drink from it (Matthew 26:27). This cup was the new covenant of HIs blood. He didn’t say it was His blood or that it would become His blood only that it was a covenant of His pouring His blood out for them and we know it was also poured for us.
The covenant God had made with the Israelites in Egypt was if they did just as He said, He would pass over their homes and their oldest son would be saved. With this new covenant He was kind of flipping the tables on the first covenant. With this new covenant He would be allowing His own perfect Son to be sacrificed so all His people were saved. He was showing them the difference between the old and new covenants, while during the first Passover it was their obedience which would save them, this new covenant was all on Jesus, His obedience alone could save them, and us.
Making It Personal
When you participate in the Lord’s Supper what are your thoughts about? What does it mean to you that Christ went to the cross and suffered because of your sins? What is your response to His sacrifice?
Making It Personal Kids
What do you think about during the Lord’s Supper? Does Jesus’ death mean anything to you? What should you do because of what Jesus has done for you?
Closing Prayer
Father, there is nothing which shows Your love for us more than Christ’s sacrifice on the cross during the Passover. Give us hearts which desire to think about the magnitude of Your sacrifice and surrender fully to Your Lordship. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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