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The Lord’s Supper Instituted
This chapter is based on Matthew 26:20-29; Mark 14:17-25; Luke
22:14-23; John 13:18-30.
“The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed
took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,
‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in
remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after
supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you
eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till
He comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
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Christ, the Lamb of God, was about to bring to an end the system
of types and ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed
to His death. The Passover, the Jews’ national festival, was to pass
away forever. The service that Christ established in its place was to
be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages.
God gave the Passover to commemorate Israel’s deliverance from
Egyptian slavery. The Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the
great deliverance that Christ’s death brought about. This ordinance
is God’s way of keeping His great work for us fresh in our minds.
In Christ’s time, the people ate the Passover supper in a reclining
position. The guests lay on couches placed around the table. They
rested on the left arm, keeping the right hand free for use in eating.
In this position a guest could lay his head on the chest of the one
who sat next above him. And the feet, at the outer edge of the couch,
could be washed by someone moving around the outside of the
circle.
Christ was still at the table on which the Passover supper had
been spread. The unleavened loaves were in front of Him. The
Passover wine, untouched by fermentation, was on the table. Christ
used these emblems to represent His own unblemished sacrifice. See
1 Peter 1:19
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