Luke 22:19 (CSB)
“And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”
Before the cross… there was a meal.
Not just any meal. A covenant meal. A Passover meal with prophetic weight. Jesus wasn’t just sharing bread and wine—He was clarifying the meaning of both.
For centuries, Israel remembered how the blood of a lamb spared them from judgment in Egypt. Now, Jesus holds the bread in His hands—hands that would soon be pierced—and says:
This is my body… for you.
And then the cup—Not just the fruit of the vine.
This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Don’t miss what He’s doing.
Jesus is showing them the true meaning of Passover. What they have been celebrating was a real physical deliverance from Egypt, but it was also a foreshadowing of a more powerful, permanent, and eternal deliverance.
He’s not pointing back to Egypt—He’s pointing forward to the cross.
He’s saying: The redemption from slavery you really need isn’t from Pharaoh. It’s from sin. And I’m the Lamb to be slain.
Therefore, this isn’t a sentimental dinner party… it is the beginning of a new covenant.
The bread is broken because His body will be. The wine is poured because His blood will be.
He’s giving them far more than a ritual—He’s giving them the promised rescue.
And then… He washes their feet.
The same King who instituted a covenant knelt down like a servant, first in an incredible act of devotion to His followers, then in the ultimate sacrifice on the cross that fulfilled all of the promises of the Old Testament.
Takeaway: As you honor the Passover, remember that this celebration isn’t just about recognizing God’s grace in the exodus from Egypt; it’s about acknowledging a Savior who loves us so much that He was willing to pay our debts on the cross as our sacrificial Passover lamb, setting us free from the bondage and consequences of sin.
So don’t just take the bread and cup.
Take Him at His word… and live like you’ve been set free.
