Matthew 26:26–35
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
We come now to one of the central moments in the history of the world. The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, established the central ritual of the Christian faith. This was not the invention of a new ceremony out of whole cloth. Rather, He took the ancient Passover meal, the remembrance of Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt, and He filled it to the brim with new and final meaning. Everything the Passover pointed to, He was about to accomplish. But we must see this event for what it is. This is not a quiet, sentimental gathering of friends before a sad departure. This is the institution of a covenant meal, a loyalty oath, on the eve of the decisive battle. And immediately following this solemn meal, Jesus announces the total collapse of his entire officer corps.