The Last Supper: What does Jesus' last meal symbolize for Christians?

1. THE HISTORY OF PASSOVER

The first Passover has was established on the night when Israel 🇮🇱 was to be delivered from slavery to the Egyptians (Exodus 12). God gave specific instructions to Moses regarding what had to be done, the most important of which was the sacrifice of a lamb.

It was extremely important during this first Passover because a angel of death was going to pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons, and the only thing that would spare the Israelites to know the same fate was the blood on the doorposts, meaning that a life had already been taken (the lamb), and that it must pass over that house.

In Exodus 12: 14-20, 24-27, God asked Moses to tell the Israelites that Passover had to be a permanent celebration every year to commemorate their supernatural deliverance from slavery 🙏🏻. 

2. THE PASSOVER OF JESUS

Jesus Christ will be the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, centuries later. The week of Passover had begun, and of course Jesus knew that the time of his crucifixion and subsequent death was near. His disciples were unaware of what was going to happen, even though Jesus had informed them. He had also spoken about it when Mary anointed him with expensive oil while they were in Bethany.

" When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. "
Matthew 26:12

It was the responsibility of a rabbi's disciples to prepare the Passover meal 🍗. So they asked him where in Jerusalem he wanted them to prepare it. Christ gave them unusual but precise instructions (Gospel according to Matthew 26:18), they obeyed him in faith, and found everything as he had mentioned.

He told them: "Go into the city to see a man and tell him: 'The Master says: The hour of my appointment is near. I will celebrate Passover with my disciples in your house.'"

Matthew 26:18

3. THE WORDS OF JESUS

The custom at Passover had changed over the centuries, and instead of standing fully dressed and eating the meal hastily, they reclined and enjoyed a multi-course meal while the story of Israel's supernatural deliverance was told. It was at this moment that Jesus said:

"I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I will not eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."
Luke 22: 15-16

I can imagine the disciples saying to themselves: "What on earth is He talking about now?" 🤔 That's when he said:

"Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said: "Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God comes. He took bread and thanked God for it. Then he broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying: "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
Luke 22: 17-19

4. JUDAS' BETRAYAL

Try now to imagine yourself in the place of the disciples. They did not have the overview we have now and must have been quite confused by these statements. Then He lets go a bomb on them when He said:

"But here, at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. For it has been determined that the Son of Man "must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him."
Luke 22: 21-22

The account of this event by the apostle John describes the disciples' dismay at this flash of news. Finally, they found the courage to ask him who would be the traitor among them. Jesus identified Judas Iscariot like the traitor, and as expected, He betrayed Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane with a kiss.

It is important to note that Judas's betrayal was not the result of Jesus' prediction. The Lord simply revealed what Judas Iscariot had already planned in his heart to do, and we see the evidence in the Gospel according to Matthew 26:14-16:

"Then one of the Twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked: " What will you give me if I deliver him to you? "So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on, Judas looked for an opportunity to hand him over."
Matthew 26: 14-16

5. THE MEANING OF THE LAST SUPPER

It was not by mistake that Jesus did not pass the lamb meat  🐑 on this table. He was the perfect and spotless Lamb, and He was about to to be killed for the sins of the world.

The breaking of the bread without leaven  🍞 symbolized how his sinless body would be broken by the soldiers' whips and spear, and the sharing of the wine 🍷 symbolized that His blood precious would be poured out for all humanity while he was nailed to the cross with nails in his hands and feet.

"Do this in remembrance of me" .

Jesus was not simply making a suggestion here, He was instituting what we now call the Holy Communion , the Lord's Supper or the Lord's Table. What had become a ritual for the people of Israel was about to become a means by which we activate our faith.

6. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE LORD'S SUPPER FOR BELIEVERS?

• The Lord's Table brings the manifest presence of God - Yes, God is omnipresent, but we come to know him experientially at the communion table.
• There is an anointing for healing at the Lord's Table - Every time the bread is broken and the wine is poured, we remember again the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and all that has been made available to us as a result. This stimulates our faith in a whole new way, and the anointing flows freely in an atmosphere of faith 🙏🏻. 
• The Lord's Supper activates the power of Blood of Jesus over our lives.
• There is a supernatural power at the Lord's Table.
• The Lord's Supper is meant to evoke memories of the power of redemption:  "And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying:" This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. ”  Luke 22:19
• Communion is the place of covenant authority - The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ have completely destroyed the works of sin and the devil. One of the ways we invoke this authority is communion.

7. FAMOUS PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI

Revisionists and historical writers have speculated on the alleged messages or hidden clues found in the mural of Leonardo da Vinci about the Last Supper 🎨, especially since the release of Dan Brown's novel in 2003: The Da Vinci Code.

While they debate and speculate about the codes and hidden meanings, let us focus on what is real and true; "When we take communion, we do not just perform a ritual, we share the life of Jesus Christ. When we share his life, we share his victory.

8. CONCLUSION

We learned in this article that Easter is not a tradition dating back to the time of Jesus, but is actually much older since Easter has been celebrated since the time of the prophet Moses. In fact, Easter is the oldest of the Christian holidays. We then reviewed passages from the Gospel describing the last meal of Jesus including some very significant details, such as the bread and the wine, or even the reason for the absence of lamb during this meal, which is traditionally part of Easter. Finally, we opened a door to posterity by giving examples of certain interpretations by Renaissance painters. Even today, the Last Supper is a very studied and analyzed subject in History.

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