Jesus and the twelve gathered to celebrate the Passover. As the sun was setting and the meal was about to be served, Jesus made an announcement: “One of you will betray me” (Matt. 26:21). The twelve couldn’t believe their ears! How could one of Jesus’s closest friends betray him? They were super sad and seriously surprised. They had no idea who would do such a terrible thing. One after the other they asked, “Is it me?” When it came to Judas and he said, “Is it me?” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is you.” Soon after, Jesus said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). He then took some flatbread, blessed it, broke it, and handed pieces of the broken bread to each disciple. “Take and eat,” he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Matt. 26:26; Luke 22:19). He didn’t mean that his body somehow turned into thirteen pieces of bread. He meant that that bread symbolized what would happen to his body—it would be broken, in a way. He would suffer and die! And each and every time they celebrated this meal in the future it would be a reminder that he died for them.

After they ate the bread, Jesus took a cup and said, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:27–28). They all drank from the cup, and as they drank they may have had some questions. They certainly didn’t think they were actually drinking Jesus’s blood (he hadn’t even died yet). But they would soon understand—after Jesus died and rose again—that the red wine poured out of the cup was a symbol of Jesus’s blood being poured out on the cross. Instead of forgiveness coming from the blood of bulls and goats, it would come from Jesus’s blood. If we have faith in Jesus—who is the only sacrifice we need—all our sins have been forgiven. Nothing could be more important! No wonder Jesus commanded Christians to continue that meal “in remembrance” of him.