June 24 2025

Tuesday June 24

Luke 22:17-20

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Today, we will go back to Luke 22:17-20. It was when the Passover meal was drawing to a close (Matthew 26:25; Luke 22:20) that Jesus instituted the ordinance that the church calls "The Communion" (1 Cor. 10:16), or "The Lord's Supper" (1 Cor. 11:20), or "The Eucharist," from the Greek word which means "to give thanks."

The Passover feast opened with a prayer of thanksgiving, followed by the drinking of the first of four cups of wine. We believe that this wine was diluted with water and was not intoxicating. Next they ate the bitter herbs and sang Psalms 113-114. Then they drank the second cup of wine and began eating the lamb and the unleavened bread. After drinking the third cup of wine, they sang Psalms 115-118; and then the fourth cup was passed among them. It is likely that between the third and fourth cups of wine, Jesus instituted the Supper.

Paul gave the order of the Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. First, Jesus broke a piece from the unleavened loaf, gave thanks, and shared it with the disciples, saying that it represented His body which was given for them. He then gave thanks for the cup and shared it, saying that it represented His blood. It was a simple observance that used the basic elements of a humble Jewish meal. Jesus sanctified the simple things of life and used them to convey profound spiritual truths.

Jesus stated one of the purposes for the Supper: "in remembrance of Me" (v. 19: also see 1 Cor. 11:24-25). It is a memorial feast to remind the believer that Jesus Christ gave His body and blood for the redemption of the world. There is no suggestion in the accounts of the Supper that anything "miraculous" took place when Jesus blessed the bread and the cup. The bread remained bread and the wine remained wine, and the physical act of receiving the elements did not do anything special to the eleven disciples. When we partake, we identify ourselves with His body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16), but there is no suggestion here that we receive His body and blood.

A second purpose for the supper is the proclaiming of His death until He returns (1 Cor. 11:26). The Supper encourages us to look back with love and adoration to what He did for us on the cross and to look forward with hope and anticipation to His coming again. Since we must be careful not to come to the Lord's table with known sin in our lives, the Supper should also be an occasion for looking within, examining our hearts, and confessing our sins (1 Cor. 11:27-32).

A third blessing from the Supper is the reminder of the unity of the church: we are "one loaf" (1 Cor. 10:17). It is "The Lord's Supper" and is not the exclusive property of any Christian denomination. Whenever we share in the Supper, we are identifying with Christians everywhere and are reminded of our obligation to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3).

For us to receive a spiritual blessing from the Supper, it takes more than mere physical participation. We must also be able to "discern the body" (1 Cor. 11:29), that is, see the spiritual truths that are inherent in the bread and the cup. This spiritual discernment comes through the Spirit using the Word. The Holy Spirit makes all of this real to us as we wait before the Lord at the table.

Following the instituting of the Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus taught His disciples many of the basic truths they desperately needed to know in order to have effective ministries in a hostile world (John 14-16). He prayed for His disciples (John 17); then they sang a hymn and departed from the Upper Room for the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas knew they would go there and he would have the arresting officers all prepared.

As you review this passage, you cannot help but be impressed with the calmness and courage of the Savior. It is He who is in control, not Satan or Judas or the Sanhedrin. It is He who encourages the Apostles! And He is able even to sing a hymn before He goes out to die on a cross!

Isaac Watts' hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" has best expressed what our response should be: “Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

God bless!