Jesus knew he was going to die and that he needed one more meal with his disciples. Jesus made the plans. He found a room and got everything prepared for supper. Jesus was going to be the host of this special meal.

The meal was special in a lot of ways. For starters, it was Passover—the holiday where God’s people celebrated when the angel of death passed them over in Egypt and the Lord set them free. It was also the last supper Jesus would have with his disciples before Judas betrayed him. And it was the meal where Jesus handed down the practice of the Lord’s Supper (sometimes called Communion) to the church. This was no ordinary dinnertime.

As they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He then broke the bread into pieces and gave it to his disciples. Nothing too extraordinary so far. But then Jesus said something very important. “Take and eat. This is my body.” Jesus wasn’t saying that the bread somehow became his body. He was saying, “You used to eat the bread of suffering from Egypt. Now you will eat the bread of suffering from my death. Whenever you eat this bread, I will be with you.”

Then Jesus took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave each of the disciples something to drink. “This is my blood of the covenant,” Jesus said. Jesus wasn’t saying the red wine they drank was actually his blood. Jesus was saying, “You used to sacrifice the blood of bulls and goats for the forgiveness of sins. Now there is a better promise. If you feast on me in faith, God will wipe away your sins and you will live forever.”

When Christians meet together for worship, they still celebrate the supper that Jesus gave his disciples. It’s a special meal for those who repent of their sins, trust in Jesus, and belong to a church. Communion is a time to remember what Jesus did and to tell the world that he died for sinners.

It’s also a time where Jesus is with us. When we eat from the broken bread and drink from the cup, we have fellowship with Jesus. We are joined with one another and joined with the one who died for us. It’s food to help our faith, a supper to give us strength.