A meal of Jesus
The Last Supper
An upper room in Jerusalem, the night before the cross
Read the chapter: Luke 22
“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
What happened at the table
On the night He is betrayed, Jesus shares the Passover meal with His disciples. He takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and says, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. And the cup, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Knowing all that is coming, He turns the meal of Israel's rescue into a sign of His own life poured out.
What it reveals
Every meal in the Gospels has been leading here. The take, give thanks, break, give of the feeding of the crowd now becomes the shape of His own self-giving. He does not merely teach about sacrifice; He hands Himself over, bread broken, cup poured, and tells them to keep doing this in remembrance of Him. The night of His deepest anguish, He spends giving His friends a way to receive Him forever.
How it leads to the Living Bread
Here Jesus makes plain what the Bread of Life meant. His body would be broken and His blood poured out, so that all who receive Him might live. The Passover lamb, the manna, the bread on the hillside, all of it converges on this table, where He gives Himself as the true bread and the cup of a new covenant. Christians have gathered at this table ever since, because the crucified and risen Christ is still, and forever, the meal that feeds the soul.
Questions people ask
What is the meaning of the Last Supper?
At the Last Supper (Luke 22), Jesus took bread and wine and identified them with His body given and His blood shed for His disciples, telling them to keep doing this in remembrance of Him. He turned the Passover into a sign of His own sacrifice and instituted the meal Christians share as Communion.
How does the Last Supper connect to the Bread of Life?
It fulfills what Jesus meant in John 6 by calling Himself the Bread of Life. His body broken and blood poured out at the Last Supper are how He gives Himself so His people may live. The manna, the feeding of the crowd, and the Passover all converge on this table.