Slices
Prepare
Eating together is an important part of the life of the church. Thank God for the gift of food and consider inviting someone round for a meal soon.
Bible passage
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 fulfilment 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. 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.
Explore
It is very clear in today’s reading that Jesus knew his time was at hand (vs 15,16). He had eagerly anticipated this special meal that marked the end of an era – not just in his life on earth, but for all those who believe in him.
The Passover meal was instituted in Exodus 12 as a meal of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt. But at this celebration, Jesus revealed the beginning of a new covenant, marked by a new feast.
In the old feast, a perfect lamb was sacrificed on behalf of the people. Its blood was poured out and painted on the doorposts. Those who came under this symbolic ‘covering’ of the blood of the lamb would be saved from destruction (Exodus 12:22,23).
Now Jesus was saying the old covenant was passing away, to be replaced by a new and better one (v 20). This one would be made in his own blood and would be open to everyone who believed in him. We who accept Christ come under the protective covering of his blood, and we celebrate that through the new ‘feast’ of Communion.
Respond
‘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.’
Deeper Bible study
‘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
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 (vs 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.
O Lord, 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.
1 John 6:35 2 Exod 12,13 3 Exod 6:6,7 4 1 Cor 11:26
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 33,34; Romans 9
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for the small team of people who will be providing safeguarding support to the Easter holidays. Pray that they will be equipped with wisdom and care for everyone that they work with over the next few weeks.
