Flashback Episode — Seeing Jesus Inside Communion: Matthew 26:26-30

On the night of His arrest, which happened on the day before His crucifixion, Jesus shared a special supper with His followers. This supper has become known throughout the Christian church as “The Last Supper”, and one of the key things that happened during this supper is an event we call communion.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include Jesus eating and sharing bread and wine with His disciples, and each of these gospels includes Jesus attaching a symbol to each part of the communion ceremony. Let’s read from Matthew’s gospel to uncover what happened and what symbolism Jesus attached to the bread and the wine during this supper meal.

Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 26, and we will read it using the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 26, Matthew describes what happened:

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take and eat it,” he said; “this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you,” he said; ²⁸ “this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

³⁰ Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

In these short 5 verses, we have one of the most symbolic and treasured ceremonies throughout the entire Christian Church. While different denominations celebrate communion differently, what is always present is bread and some form of grape juice, and everyone rightly attaches symbolism to each item as they eat or drink it.

Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, He describes eating His flesh and drinking His blood when challenging a crowd of supposed followers. While at the time, most people thought He was crazy and cannibalistic for saying this, perhaps He was simply pointing forward to the foundation He lays during this meal.

Verse 26 describes the first symbol, which is attached to the bread: “While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. ‘Take and eat it,’ he said; ‘this is my body.’”

The Passover bread represented Jesus’ body. When reading this, part of me wonders if Jesus isn’t actually describing any new symbolism. I wonder if the Passover bread that was eaten throughout the centuries following the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt was a symbol of the Messiah. If this was the case, then what the people had missed for over a thousand years was a symbol pointing to the Messiah tucked in one of the highest, most significant Jewish feasts in their entire calendar.

When breaking and eating the Passover bread, if we keep in our minds the symbolism that it represents Jesus’ body, then we can associate it with Jesus’ sacrifice and Him giving His body to be put to death. While Passover was celebrated as a reminder of the last plague that struck Egypt, tucked in it is an incredible symbol of God’s love, protection, and redemption of His people.

Verses 27 and 28 draw our attention onto the next symbol: Then [Jesus] took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you,” he said; “this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

While the bread was symbolic, the cup filled with wine is even more symbolic. The wine represented Jesus’ blood, and while it sounds disturbing to think about drinking blood, a person or animal’s blood represents its life. The Jews were commanded to not drink blood from an animal, or even to eat meat with the animal’s blood still in it.

Perhaps there is symbolism in the command to avoid an animal’s blood as well. Since God views us as being more valuable than animals, if we blend these two ideas together, the idea of eating or drinking an animal’s blood would symbolically imply that we desire to be more animal-like. This is just speculation on my part, but it would be an interesting study to undertake.

But we cannot escape the symbolism pointing Jesus’ blood being symbolic of His life. Jesus’ life and death sealed God’s covenant with His people, and it made a way for God’s justice to allow for the forgiveness of sins. The symbolism in the communion drink is that we are taking in Jesus and desiring to be more Christ-like with every drop that is consumed. Drinking during communion is a way for us to symbolically internalize Jesus’ life and accept His sacrifice on our behalf.

In one of the most significant Jewish festivals, Jesus draws out one of the most significant pair of symbols for the early Church. Maybe the Jews understood the Passover memorial of the final plague in Egypt to be symbolic of the Messiah, but maybe not. Either way, the plague of the angel of death, and the lamb’s blood that saved the Israelites marks an incredible symbol of the effectiveness of God’s Messiah.

None of the previous plagues had worked to change Pharaoh’s heart into letting Israel go. It took the most powerful symbol of the Messiah coming and dying to protect His people that ultimately broke the Pharaoh’s grip on God’s people.

As I say this, I wonder if the plagues’ themselves, and Israel’s exodus is symbolic – representing history, specifically God’s redemption for all His people throughout all of history. If this is the case, at the heart of the exodus event was the blood of the lamb, and at the heart of our salvation story is the blood of Jesus. In both cases, God’s people are protected by the sacrifice and life that was not theirs. We all benefit from the sacrifice that Someone else made and that makes our salvation that much more valuable.

When we celebrate communion, we pick up and remember thousands of years of symbolism in a seemingly simple ritual, but even though we might not think about how deeply the Messianic symbols flow through Communion and the Passover celebration, we still can be blessed knowing that we are carrying on a symbol that Jesus began long ago.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life. The next time you take part in a communion ceremony, remember how everything points to God. Also, remember how the Passover celebration itself foreshadowed Jesus as God’s Messiah.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do in one way or another, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself. While pastors and other religious leaders are valuable for giving you ideas to think about and places to start, what matters most is that you are growing a personal relationship with God through the reading and study of His Word.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!