The Last Supper

He said to them, “I have really looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you. I wanted to do this before I suffer.” Luke 22:15

The disciples joined Jesus
In the upper room,
To celebrate Passover;
Nothing unusual to assume.

But Jesus knew this would be
His last time to celebrate
The Feast with His beloved disciples
Before He faced His fate.

He took the bread and broke it,
Saying, “Remember me whenever you eat it.”
His body would be broken for
All the sins we would commit.

Then He took the cup of wine,
Blessed and passed it to His friends;
“This is my blood of the covenant
Poured out for forgiveness of sins.”

As they ate the bread and drank the wine,
They did not fully understand,
What Jesus was really telling them was
He is the sacrificial lamb.

Then, He took off His outer robe
And knelt before each one;
Washing their feet as an example,
To be a servant like God's Son.

Now we remember Jesus
Each time we take communion;
And honor His example
Whenever we serve someone.

It was the first day of The Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Every year the Jewish people celebrated the time that God protected their ancestors during the last of the ten plagues. They sacrificed a lamb and used the blood on the door posts of their homes as a sign for God to pass over their homes. Hence, the name Passover. They ate lamb and bread with no yeast in remembrance of that day. Jesus sent Peter and John to go ahead of the rest of them to prepare for the meal in the upstairs guest room of a certain man’s home. This is often referred to as The Upper Room.(“And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” Mark 14:15)I wonder if Peter and John sensed something different about this Passover meal as they prepared for it. So much had happened that week: Jesus entering Jerusalem to crowds praising Him, Jesus driving merchants out of the temple, the Jewish leaders threatening Jesus, Jesus giving sermons about keeping their faith, and Jesus predicting His own death. Did they sense a different kind of urgency in Jesus this week?

When Jesus and the rest of the disciples arrived, they took their places at the table. I can imagine Jesus looking at these men gathered around the table with a deep sense of love. (He said to them, “I have really looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you. I wanted to do this before I suffer.” Luke 22:15) As they were eating, Jesus took the unleavened bread and held it up. When He broke it, He told the disciples this was His body broken for the sins of many. Jesus is often referred to as the Bread of Life, because He died to give us everlasting life. Then He held up the wine as a symbol of His blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. Just like the blood of the lamb covered the homes of the Israelites, so the blood of Christ covers our sins. Did the disciples fully grasp what Jesus way conveying?

Jesus had another object lesson for the disciples. Washing hands was part of the tradition during the meal. Jesus took it one step further when He washed the disciples’ feet. Washing feet was a common practice in those days because there were no paved roads and everyone wore sandals. Either the host or a servant would wash the guest’s feet before they entered the home. So, when Jesus knelt to wash His disciples’ feet, He was teaching them to be like Him and serve others. (“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many,” Our Lord said. Matthew 20:28) But to the disciples, Jesus was their teacher, their Rabbi, someone they held in high esteem, so it felt out of place for Him to wash their feet. (Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me [we can have nothing to do with each other].” John 13:8 AMP) Jesus continued washing their feet, because He did not come seeking power and fame. He came to show love, and He demonstrated it in a simple act of washing feet. That’s the beauty of Jesus! A humble servant full of power to heal us physically and spiritually.

Communion is the remembrance of that last supper Jesus had with His disciples. He looked forward to celebrating it with them, because He knew it would soon hold a new meaning for them. It would no longer just be about God saving their ancestors, but about Jesus saving them! We continue that celebration whenever we take communion as we remember Jesus as the Bread of Life and Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins, and we honor Him as we serve others.

Dear Jesus, thank you for sacrificing Your life in order for us to have everlasting life with You. May we honor You as we remember this sacrifice whenever we have communion and to serve others with a humble heart. Amen