Matthew 26:17-35--The Lord's Supper

​Matthew 26:17-35 English Standard Version (ESV)
LISTEN:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.26.17-Matt.26.35
​
The Passover with the Disciples
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
​

---

We don't see much about Jesus participating in the feast of Passover since we see the story about Jesus teaching in the temple when He was 12 years old in Luke 2.  There we are told that it was the custom of Jesus' family to attend the feast in Jerusalem and we have no reason to doubt that Jesus would also celebrate this feast--especially to fulfill all that is required of the Law, we just aren't given every detail of Jesus' life.  This time however is a very special time.  Jesus is once again in Jerusalem for the feast and He tells His disciples to go to a certain man's house to tell the man that the Lord and His disciples will eat  the Passover Meal there.  This may seem somewhat unusual to just tell someone that they must host you for the meal, but this is actually the way that the Law was written....everyone that had more than enough was to share invite those who were without and didn't have a place to celebrate to eat with them.  In this case it appears this person probably had some close relationship with Jesus as it appears this is the same "upper room" where the disciples will go after the crucifixion when they were hiding and where they would wait for the Holy Spirit to come at Pentecost in the book of Acts.

Jesus takes this opportunity when they are all together to point out that He knows there is a traitor among them.  All of them deny that it could be them, but at the same time ask the Lord if He's talking about them.  When Judas asks, Jesus leans in close to Him so that the others cannot hear and says, "“You have said so." This indicated that Jesus knew it was Judas Iscariot who would betray Him and at that moment the other gospels tell us that Satan entered Judas Iscariot.  Jesus had tried to give Judas one final out, but Jesus knew this had to happen for all prophecy to be fulfilled, but that it would be better for Judas if He had never been born.  Things would not end well for Judas and this saddened Jesus, even though Jesus knew Judas was the one meant to betray Him.  Judas then leaves the meal to go make plans to betray Jesus.  He is not there for the next part.  This is important because this ordinance and covenant is only for believers which Judas was not.

As they eat the Passover meal together, Jesus establishes a new covenant with them.  The Passover mean was remembrance of an old covenant when God rescued His people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and it was a sign to point them forward to the time when the Bread of Life without any sin (yeast/leaven usually represented sin in the Bible) and the Lamb of God without blemish would die to free all people from their slavery to sin and so that spiritual death would "pass over" them and we might have eternal life.  He would make a new people for Himself and lead them into the Promised Land that is heaven.  But the disciples did not understand all that at this time--they will learn much of that after the Resurrection and when the Holy Spirit comes to reveal all truth to them.  For now, Jesus takes the bread and says, "Take, eat; this is my body," and of the cup of win He says, "Drink of it, all of you for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."  To this day we celebrate what is called the Eucharist, or Communion or the Lord's Supper (depending on what church you attend) to remember this covenant that He made with His body and His blood for us.  It is that which all Christians should share in common with one another and something we are commanded to do until Christ's return as we do this in remembrance of Him.  Jesus then tells them that He will not drink of the cup with them again until He drinks it with them again in the Father's kingdom (heaven).

Jesus' heart is heavy at this point as He knows that all of His closest friends (the Eleven that remain) will all deny and abandon Him in His time of greatest need and moment of crisis and that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crows.  All the disciples protest and say that even if the others would do such a think they would never do that, but Jesus knows that this once again must happen to fulfill the Scripture that "I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered."  Notice it is God saying that He will strike the shepherd, so this is God's doing....just like we see in the story of Abraham and Isaac it is the Father who holds the knife to sacrifice the Son of Promise.  Jesus, like Isaac gave His life willingly, and it is the Father--not the Jews nor the Romans who would kill Jesus as the sacrificial Passover Lamb.