Every evening since entering Jerusalem, our LORD spent them in Bethany. On the night before THE LORD'S SUPPER, HE was dining with Simon, along with the Disciples, when a woman entered and poured precious, costly oil on HIM, which caused HIS followers to become indignant, but HE told them that she had just prepared HIM for burial, and that she would ever be remembered for doing so, which still had not been understood by them...
In the meantime, Judas Iscariot went to the chief Priests and asked them how much they were willing to pay for him to turn CHRIST over to them. They told him 30 pieces of silver, to which he agreed. The Disciples asked where HE would like them to prepare for the Passover meal, and HE told them, so, they went to the man HE depicted, and began to put it together...
MATTHEW 26: 20-35...
20+++Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve.
21+++And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.”
22+++Being deeply grieved, they began saying to Him, each one: “Surely it is not I, Lord?”
23+++And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me.
24+++The Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25+++And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself.”
26+++Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27+++And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;
28+++for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
29+++But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”
30+++And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31+++Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED.’
32+++But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
33+++But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away!” 34+++Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35+++Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.
This ordinance of the Lord's supper is to us the passover supper, by which we commemorate a much greater deliverance than that of Israel out of Egypt. Take, eat; accept of Christ as he is offered to you; receive the atonement, approve of it, submit to his grace and his government. Meat looked upon, be the dish ever so well garnished, will not nourish; it must be fed upon: so must the doctrine of Christ. This is my body; that is, spiritually, it signifies and represents his body. We partake of the sun, not by having the sun put into our hands, but the beams of it darted down upon us; so we partake of Christ by partaking of his grace, and the blessed fruits of the breaking of his body. The blood of Christ is signified and represented by the wine. He gave thanks, to teach us to look to God in every part of the ordinance. This cup he gave to the disciples with a command, Drink ye all of it. The pardon of sin is that great blessing which is, in the Lord's supper, conferred on all true believers; it is the foundation of all other blessings. He takes leave of such communion; and assures them of a happy meeting again at last; Until that day when I drink it new with you, may be understood of the joys and glories of the future state, which the saints shall partake with the Lord Jesus. That will be the kingdom of his Father; the wine of consolation will there be always new. While we look at the outward signs of Christ's body broken and his blood shed for the remission of our sins, let us recollect that the feast cost him as much as though he had literally given his flesh to be eaten and his blood for us to drink.
Improper self-confidence, like that of Peter, is the first step to a fall. There is a proneness in all of us to be over-confident. But those fall soonest and foulest, who are the most confident in themselves. Those are least safe, who think themselves most secure. Satan is active to lead such astray; they are most off their guard: God leaves them to themselves, to humble them.
Jesus’ words during the Last Supper about the unleavened bread and the cup echo what He had said after He fed the 5,000: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. . . . I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. . . . Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink” (John 6:35, 51, 54–55). Salvation comes through Christ and the sacrifice of His physical body on the cross.
THE LORD'S SUPPER has particular significance for HIS CHURCH, of which HIS Disciples are the foundation.
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