Far Context

It's time for the big kick-off to the festival of Unleavened Bread, which starts with the
sacrifice of the Passover lamb. Jesus tells Peter and John to enter the city, where they'll spy a
man carrying a jar of water. They're supposed to tail him to whichever house he's going, and then
ask the owner of that house where "the teacher" (22:11) can celebrate the Passover with his
disciples. The owner will show them a big room. That's where they should make their
preparations. Wait, is Jesus the Son of God or a really creepy fortune teller? Everything happens
exactly as Jesus foretells! Later, Jesus and his disciples are reclining for the Passover meal. Jesus
says he's really excited to celebrate this holiday with them before things go south. After all, he's
not going to celebrate like this again until everything's fulfilled in God's kingdom. Jesus raises a
cup of wine, give thanks, and passes it around. Then he takes a loaf of freshly baked bread, gives
thanks, breaks it up, and distributes a few morsels for everyone. He says, "This is my body,
which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me" (22:19). How about some blood to wash
that body down? Don't mind if we do: "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in
my blood" (22:20). Jesus's table-talk is already ominous enough, but then he adds that one of the
people he's eating will rat him out. There's a mole in the mix!

Near Context
At the Last Supper Jesus shared a meal with His disciples and then led them in the
Passover. Jesus used this opportunity to plant an important memory in His disciples. Jesus shared
this meal for their benefit and for ours. As Jesus raised the bread and the cup in thanksgiving, He
added new significance to this ritual. Jesus took an old symbol and filled it with new meaning.
As today's disciples, we observe the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Christ. We should
remember the Supper's redemptive significance. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching,
he cried out, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). John
clearly established the reason for Jesus' coming: as the fulfillment of what the Passover lamb had
only foreshadowed. In Exodus 12, the lamb was sacrificed for the deliverance of one family; at
the cross, the Lamb of God was sacrificed to deliver the whole world from the power and penalty
of sin. The Lord's Supper presents the powerful message of the gospel. What a perfect time to
give people an opportunity to receive the salvation purchased at the cross! We should remember
the Supper's personal significance. Luke 22:19-20 record Jesus' words: "This is my body given
for you. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Jesus
personalizes His statements by using the pronoun you. Jesus told His disciples that He was going
to suffer for them. He was going to die for them. Jesus would die for everyone, for "the sin of the
world"; but His disciples heard Jesus say, "I am doing this for you!" Observing the Lord's Supper
carries personal significance to me because Jesus calls us to remember that He gave His body
"for you." It also carries personal responsibility for us to participate with reverence, humility, and
sincerity, understanding Christ's great act of love. I believe that we are never more a church than
when we gather at the table to worship by remembering Him.