The Last Supper and God's Plan of Redemption

The Context of The Last Supper

The Last Supper took place in Jerusalem’s Upper Room during the Passover festival, days before Jesus’ crucifixion.

The Passover was a Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt, making its timing deeply symbolic for Jesus’ final meal with his disciples. According to Mark 14:12-16, Jesus’ disciples prepared a room in the city for the meal, likely a rented space used for religious gatherings. Before the supper began, Judas Iscariot had secretly agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Mark 14:10-11).

What Jesus Instituted at The Last Supper

During the Last Supper, Jesus transformed the Passover meal into a spiritually significant act by instituting the practice of communion.

In Luke 22:19-20, Jesus takes bread and wine, declaring, 'This is my body given for you... This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.' The bread symbolizes his impending sacrifice, while the wine represents the ratification of a new covenant through his death. By invoking the Passover’s ritual, Jesus reorients its meaning toward his redemptive mission, explicitly linking the meal to the fulfillment of Scripture and the establishment of a divine relationship grounded in forgiveness. This act also foreshadows his crucifixion, framing his suffering as intentional and purposeful.

When Jesus says, 'This is my body,' he employs metaphor to signify that his physical sacrifice will become the means of spiritual nourishment and atonement for believers. The 'new covenant' echoes Jeremiah 31:31-34, promising a direct, internal relationship between God and humanity through his shed blood.

By commanding his disciples to 'do this in remembrance of me,' Jesus emphasizes that his sacrifice is to be continually recalled and participated in by future generations. This ritualized remembrance commemorates the past and invites believers into the ongoing reality of his death and resurrection. The immediacy of this institution, amid Judas’s betrayal and the disciples’ confusion, underscores its urgency and foundational role in Christian worship.

The Last Supper’s Enduring Legacy

The Last Supper established the foundation for Christian communion, a practice that continues to embody Jesus’ sacrifice and the new covenant in the Church’s worship.

Modern Christian communion directly reflects Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper, where He declared, 'This is my body given for you... This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you' (Luke 22:19-20). By partaking in bread and wine, believers symbolically participate in His sacrificial death, receiving spiritual nourishment and affirming their inclusion in the covenant of grace. This ritual underscores the theological truth that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate atonement for sin, offering forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The enduring practice of the Eucharist thus links believers across generations to the redemptive work of Christ, shaping worship as both remembrance and anticipation of His promised return.

Going Deeper

To deepen our understanding of the Last Supper's significance, we turn to Paul's account in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

In this passage, Paul writes, 'For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread... This is my body broken for you... Do this in remembrance of me' (1 Cor. 11:23-25). Paul’s teaching emphasizes that the meal is a continual remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice, inviting believers to reflect on how His death secures their faith and transforms their lives through ongoing spiritual participation.