READ
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
“As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, He said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:17-30
“As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, He said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:17-30
REFLECT
If you knew that you only had a few hours of freedom left, who would you eat a meal with and what would you eat? Jesus spent His last few hours with His best friends (the disciples) eating bread and drinking wine. That might seem like a strange last meal, but the bread and wine symbolized what Jesus was about to do. The bread represented His body, which was about to be broken; the wine represented His blood, which would be spilled as payment for the sins of the world. When followers of Jesus gather to eat bread and drink wine (or juice) to honor Jesus’ sacrifice, it’s called taking communion – something you may have heard of or participated in before!
Why do you think Jesus chose to have His followers remember His sacrifice with food and drink?
Why do you think communion is something we do in the presence of other followers of Jesus and not by ourselves?
Why do you think Jesus chose to have His followers remember His sacrifice with food and drink?
Why do you think communion is something we do in the presence of other followers of Jesus and not by ourselves?
RESPOND
Spend some time thinking about what it would have been like to be at the dinner table with Jesus that night. What are some things you would say to Him? Pray those things to Him.
What do you need today? What are you grateful for today? Is there anything you need to get off your chest? Tell Jesus about it.
What do you need today? What are you grateful for today? Is there anything you need to get off your chest? Tell Jesus about it.