Last Supper

The final meal Jesus shared with his twelve disciples before his crucifixion, during which he instituted the Eucharist (Communion) and gave his farewell discourse. This Passover meal transformed into the central Christian sacrament.

Biblical Accounts

All four Gospels and Paul describe the Last Supper, though with variations.

Synoptic Account (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

Setting: Passover eve in an upper room in Jerusalem

Preparation: Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal

The Meal:

• Jesus reclined at table with the Twelve
• During supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me”
• After supper, he took the cup: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you”
• Prediction: “One of you will betray me”—the disciples distressed, asking “Surely not I?”
• Judas identified as betrayer (Matthew explicitly states this)
• Jesus predicted Peter’s denial: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”
• They sang a hymn (likely the Hallel psalms) and went to the Mount of Olives

John’s Account

John doesn’t describe the bread and cup institution but includes unique material:

Footwashing (John 13):

• Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the disciples’ feet
• Peter protested; Jesus insisted
• Teaching: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you”

Farewell Discourse (John 14-17):

• “I am the way and the truth and the life”
• Promise of the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete/Advocate)
• “I am the vine; you are the branches”
• “Love one another as I have loved you”
• High Priestly Prayer

Betrayal: Jesus gave bread to Judas, saying “What you are about to do, do quickly”—Judas left into the night

Paul’s Account (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Paul claims to have received this “from the Lord”:

• “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread…”
• Emphasizes: “Do this in remembrance of me”
• “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”

Historical Setting

Passover Context

The meal occurred during Passover (synoptics) or just before (John’s chronology):

• Passover themes: Redemption, covenant, sacrifice, freedom
• Traditional elements: Lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, wine
• Haggadah liturgy: Retelling Exodus story
• Four cups of wine: Representing God’s promises of redemption

Jesus transformed Passover symbolism:

• Bread → His body
• Wine → His blood of the new covenant
• Passover lamb → Himself as the sacrificial Lamb

Upper Room

Location: Traditionally identified with the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (though this is debated)

Significance: Same room may have been used for:

• Last Supper
• Post-resurrection appearances
• Pentecost gathering

Theological Significance

Eucharist/Communion Institution

Jesus established what became Christianity’s central sacrament:

Catholic/Orthodox: Bread and wine become Christ’s actual body and blood (transubstantiation/real presence)

Lutheran: Christ truly present “in, with, and under” the elements (consubstantiation)

Reformed: Spiritual presence—believers fed by Christ through faith while partaking

Memorial View: Symbolic remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice

New Covenant

Jesus’s words echo Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 31:31-34):

• “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”
• Old covenant established at Sinai with sacrificial blood
• New covenant established through Christ’s blood
• Internalized, written on hearts, not tablets

Sacrificial Interpretation

Body given/broken: Points to crucifixion Blood poured out: Atoning sacrifice New covenant: Relationship with God restored

Jesus as both priest and victim—offering himself

Kingdom Anticipation

“I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29)

Points forward to:

• Messianic banquet
• Wedding feast of the Lamb
• Eternal communion with God

Liturgical Practice

Early Church

• Weekly observance (Acts 20:7: “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread”)
• Love feast (agape meal) combined with Eucharist initially
• Later separated due to abuses (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Orthodox

• Divine Liturgy centers on Eucharist
• Elaborate ritual developed
• Mystery/Sacrament of great solemnity
• Preparation through fasting and confession

Catholic

• Mass as re-presentation (not repetition) of Calvary
• Transubstantiation dogma (Fourth Lateran Council, 1215)
• Seven sacraments, Eucharist as “source and summit”
• Adoration of the reserved sacrament

Protestant

Lutheran: Consubstantiation, frequent communion

Reformed: Various views, typically monthly or quarterly

Anglican: Via media between Catholic and Protestant

Free Church: Memorial view, frequency varies

Restoration Movement: Weekly communion as early church pattern

Maundy Thursday

Holy Week observance commemorating the Last Supper:

• Maundy: From Latin mandatum (“commandment”)—Jesus’s command to love one another
• Footwashing in some traditions
• Stripping of altar
• Eucharist often celebrated
• Begins the Paschal Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday)

Elements and Symbolism

Bread

• Unleavened (matzah in Passover context): Purity, sinlessness
• Broken: Body given in death
• Shared: Unity of believers (“one loaf, one body”—1 Corinthians 10:17)

Wine (Cup)

• Red: Blood of sacrifice
• Poured out: Life given
• New covenant: Relationship restored
• Shared cup: Participation in Christ’s death and life

Remembrance

“Do this in remembrance of me”—anamnesis (Greek), more than mental recollection:

• Making present again
• Participating in the reality
• Proclaiming the Lord’s death

Artistic Representation

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” (1495-1498):

• Most famous depiction
• Captures moment of betrayal announcement
• Psychological drama in disciples’ reactions
• Iconic composition

Other Notable Works:

• Medieval mosaics and frescoes
• Tintoretto, Titian, Rubens
• Salvador Dalí’s surrealist version

Controversies

Real Presence: Extent and nature of Christ’s presence in the elements

Transubstantiation: Catholic dogma vs. Protestant rejection

Worthy Reception: Who may partake? Requirements for communion

Closed vs. Open Communion: Restricted to members or open to all believers?

Frequency: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly?

Elements: Wine vs. grape juice; leavened vs. unleavened bread

Related Themes

Betrayal: Judas’s departure into darkness

Denial: Peter’s overconfidence before his fall

Servanthood: Footwashing as example

Love: “Love one another” command

Unity: Prayer that believers “may be one”

Farewell: Jesus preparing disciples for his departure

Historical Impact

• Liturgical calendar: Shaped Christian worship rhythm
• Eucharistic theology: Major theological developments
• Church divisions: Sacramental disagreements contributed to schisms
• Spiritual life: Central to Christian devotion and piety
• Art and culture: Infinite artistic representations

Significance

The Last Supper stands at the hinge between:

• Old covenant and new
• Jesus’s ministry and his passion
• Passover and Easter
• Flesh and spirit
• History and eternity

In this meal, Jesus:

• Fulfilled Passover’s deepest meaning
• Established the new covenant
• Gave himself as sacrifice
• Created the church’s central sacrament
• Provided ongoing means of grace
• Pointed toward the kingdom’s consummation

Every celebration of Communion/Eucharist echoes that upper room—proclaiming Christ’s death, experiencing his presence, anticipating his return. The bread and cup connect believers across centuries to that night when Jesus, knowing he would die, gave his followers a way to remember him until he comes again.

The Last Supper transformed a meal into a mystery, history into sacrament, and memorial into living encounter with the risen Christ. What began in an upper room on a Thursday night became the Sunday rhythm of Christian worship—“Do this in remembrance of me”—repeated billions of times across two millennia, still making Christ present to his people.