Jesus and the disciples have the Last Supper (Matthew 26:20-29; Mark 14:17-25; Luke 22:14-30; John 13:21-30)
Matthew 26:20-29
20 Now when they even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say into you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began everyone of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
26:26 Each name we use for the sacrament brings out a different dimension to it. It is the Lord’s supper because it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples; it is the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) because in it we thank God for Christ’s work for us; it is Communion because through it we commune with God and other believers. As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we should be sober as we recall Jesus’ death and his promise to come again, grateful for God’s wonderful gift to us, and joyful as we meet with Christ and the body of believers.
26:28 How does Jesus’ blood seal the new covenant (testament)? People under the old covenant (those who lived before Jesus) could approach God only through a priest and an animal sacrifice. Now all people can come directly to God through faith because Jesus’ death has made us acceptable in God’s eyes (Romans 3:21-24).