There is an impressive unity and continuity in sacred history, which is illustrated in the relation between the institution of the Passover in Egypt and that of the Last Supper in Jerusalem. As many as fourteen hundred years may have passed since the Israelites had celebrated their impending deliverance from Egyptian slavery (c. 1445 B.C.), and faithful members of the chosen race kept the observance alive under favorable and adverse circumstances.
When Jesus entered His twelfth year, He observed His first Passover with his parents in Jerusalem and there witnessed the service that He himself had instituted for Israel in Egypt and that symbolized the sacrifice He would make for all people.
As He grew older He saw more clearly the meaning of the annual celebration until, on the eve of the crucifixion, He was ready to make the Passover obsolete by the reality of His own vicarious death and triumph over the oppressor of God’s people.
At this crossroads of both sacred and human history, He shared with His disciples the service that solemnized the end of the old and the beginning of the new understanding of redemption. His last supper with His companions would be their first Lord’s Supper and a revelation of the true meaning of Passover ritual.
But the savior made no abrupt break with tradition. It would seem that He allowed the Passover meal to merge into the supper that first foreshadowed His death and victory and would soon commemorate those central events. He used the bread and wine that were part of the traditional meal and found them completely appropriate to His need, which was not surprising since they had been chosen in the first place as emblems of the sacrifice planned “before the foundation of the world.”
With what deep unfathomable emotion must He have formed the words over the broken bread, “Take, eat: this is my body”; and over the wine, This cup is the new testament in my blood.” Those were some of the most solemn words ever to be uttered. If what some scientists tell us is true, they are still echoing around the circle of our earth. The day may come when we shall be able to recall them and learn from our Lord’s own lips the full significance of each phrase. The disciples had to see their master crucified, resurrected, and ascended before their meaning dawned upon them.
While we humans are creatures of custom, repetition easily dulls the edge of our finest experiences. We, therefore, need to take deliberate steps to safeguard the most exalted experience of all, this side of eternity, as we share with fellow Christians the symbols of the death that effected our redemption.
One proved way of guarding our appreciation for the communion service is to make each celebration the occasion for meditation upon the closing scenes of our Lord’s earthly life, to spend that recommended thoughtful hour in contemplation of His words and acts in the upper room (The Desire of Ages, p. 83).
In the video below New Testament, Professor Ranko Stefanovic shares with us his scholarly insights into the story of the Last Supper according to the book of Matthew.
Related:
Revelation 6 Commentary: Breaking The Seals of The Mysterious Book (End of Days Prophecies)
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