The words of Jesus
What Did Jesus Say About the Lord's Supper?
On the night before He died, Jesus gave His followers bread and a cup and told them to remember Him. In this simple meal He gives us His own body and blood, broken and poured out for us.
“This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
Jesus, in Luke 22:19, King James Version
The bread points to His body, given in our place.
“This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Jesus, in Luke 22:20, King James Version
The cup points to His blood, poured out for our forgiveness.
“Take, eat; this is my body.”
Jesus, in Matthew 26:26, King James Version
He offers Himself to us, personally and freely.
“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
Jesus, in John 6:53, King James Version
Life comes only by taking Him in, not admiring Him from afar.
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Jesus, in John 6:54, King James Version
To receive Him is to receive eternal life.
What Jesus is really saying
The Lord's Supper is a memory that feeds us. Jesus turns an ordinary meal into a lasting sign of His sacrifice, telling His people to keep coming back to remember that His body was given and His blood was shed for them. Every time we take it, we are pointed again to the cross and the love that held Him there.
Who these words reveal Him to be
This is my body, this is my blood, He says, giving Himself as the true bread and cup. Only God could make an ordinary meal a lasting means of grace, and only the Savior could offer His own body and blood for the life of the world. Jesus is not merely remembered at the table; He is received there. He is the Lord who feeds His people with Himself, the sacrifice and the host at once.
Come to Him
The bread and the cup point to a Person who gave Himself for you. The invitation of the table is the invitation of the gospel: receive Jesus, take Him in, and live.
His words were always meant to lead you to Himself. You can begin with Jesus here, ask someone to pray with you, or read His words in the Bible.