Reflection from my reading in Matthew 26:26-50  in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper, is one of two primary religious traditions that Jesus himself established (the other being baptism).

A Reminder of His Body Broken For Us

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Matthew 26:26

When Jesus said this is my body, he did not mean literally his body. He meant that his body was about to be broken for us. He gave us this practice as a physical reminder for us of how Jesus died for us.

A Reminder of His Blood Shed For Us

“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27–28

Again, Jesus doesn’t mean literally the it is his blood. He means that the wine is a symbol of how his shed blood on the cross washed away our sins. The covenant refers to the promise that God made to his people for a savior. Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise.

The True Passover Lamb

It is significant that this last supper was celebrated during the Jewish festival of Passover.

During the original Passover, the Jewish people living in captivity were told to spread the blood of a lamb over the door of their home in order for the angel of death to pass over and not harm those inside.

God instructed the Israelites to celebrate this day to remember how the angel of death had passed over them because of the blood of the lamb.

Jesus is the ultimate Passover lamb. His blood shed on the cross is the sacrifice that was necessary to wash our sins clean, saving us from spiritual death!

Next time you take communion don’t just think of it as a religious ritual but use it as a time for reflection on the sacrifice that Jesus made for you on the cross by sacrificing his body and blood in our place for our sins!

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