Luke 22:14-23 (ESV)

¹⁴ And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. ²¹ But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. ²² For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” ²³ And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

The time came for Jesus to eat his final meal with his disciples. The Passover’s elements reminded the Israelites of God’s passing over his people when the Angel of Death went through the land of Egypt. The death of the firstborn son was the last of the ten plagues God allowed the Egyptians to experience when the Lord brought judgment on Pharaoh. To keep the angel from killing the firstborn sons in the Israelites’ homes, God instructed his people to sacrifice an unblemished male lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts of their homes. Exodus 12:13 states, “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The Angel of Death would literally pass over these homes because the blood was present. Jesus taught his disciples during this meal, giving the components of the Passover new meaning. He taught that the bread now represents his body, which would be offered for his followers. The cup now represents his blood, to be poured out on their behalf. The bread and the cup are symbols of what Jesus did on the cross to usher in the new covenant. No longer would the blood of sacrificed animals need to be offered again and again for forgiveness. The payment Jesus would provide to the Father through his blood and body would completely atone for the sins of the world.

How strange it must have felt to Jesus as he ate and celebrated the Passover with his disciples, knowing that he was about to literally become the ultimate Passover lamb. Just as the blood on the doorpost of the Israelite home signaled to the Angel of Death to bypass that house, the application of Jesus’ blood to our lives signals the fact that those who trust in the Lord will not experience the second death. In verse 15, Jesus added the phrase “before I suffer.” He knew exactly what he was getting into, but he did so willingly. Jesus told his followers to take the bread and the cup when they celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him. As we look backward, we are called to look forward too. One day, we will celebrate a meal with Jesus himself present at the table. The greatest meal of all time is yet to come for those who are followers of Christ.