The Lord’s Supper is a most sacred event in the body life of the local church. It’s a time of remembrance, celebration, and anticipation. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal, He transformed the significance of the bread and wine into powerful symbols of His body and blood. As we reflect on the first Lord’s Supper, we can glean three profound insights from the Scriptures that help us understand this ordinance: consummation, transformation, and anticipation.

1. The Consummation of the Passover

The first point we see is a word of consummation. The Jewish Passover meal, which had been practiced for over 1,500 years, came to its fulfillment in Jesus. In Matthew 26:26-28, Jesus broke the bread and passed the cup, declaring that the bread represented His body and the wine represented His blood. The Passover, which celebrated the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt, was now fulfilled in the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The Passover meal originally commemorated God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 12 gives us the account of how the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a spotless lamb and place its blood on the doorposts and lintel so that the death angel would pass over their homes. The blood was a sign of God’s mercy and deliverance. Similarly, Jesus’ body and blood are now the ultimate and final means of deliverance—not from Egypt, but from the power and penalty of sin.

Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, “Take, eat; this is My body…drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28) bring an end to the old Passover meal. The Passover is now “swallowed up” in the greater deliverance that comes through Jesus Christ. The Passover meal, which once pointed to deliverance from Egypt, now points to the deliverance from sin through the death of the Lamb of God.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember that Jesus has brought the Passover meal to its conclusion. It is brought to its consummation even a completion of our faith in Christ. We no longer need to look back at Egypt, but to the cross of Christ. Our salvation is secure, not because of anything we have done, but because of the work of Jesus alone. We can rejoice that our salvation is completely from God—just as the Israelites’ deliverance was entirely God’s doing, so is our redemption in Christ.

2. The Transformation into the Lord’s Supper

The second point is a word of transformation. In Matthew 26:26-28, Jesus takes the traditional elements of the Passover meal and gives them new significance. The unleavened bread, which had once symbolized the haste of the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, now symbolizes Jesus’ body, broken for us. The wine, which had been a symbol of joy and celebration, is now a symbol of the blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of sins. Now we joy in the literal blood of Christ shed for our sin.

Through His death, Jesus fulfills the purpose of the Passover meal. The Passover was a shadow of the greater reality to come. Jesus the true Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice is once for all. The blood of the lamb in Egypt was temporary, but the blood of Jesus is eternal and sufficient for the forgiveness of all who believe. The Lord’s Supper now serves as a reminder of this ultimate sacrifice, as we remember Christ’s body broken and His blood shed.

So, the Passover was a type of Christ, a foreshadowing of Jesus and His work of delivering us through His work on the cross. The Passover was the jeweler’s “black cloth” that illuminated by context the “diamond” of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is now the reality of the deliverance we need—not from Egypt, but from sin. Jesus took the Passover and transformed it from a deliverance from Egyptian bondage to a deliverance from sinful bondage.

We are reminded that the deliverance we celebrate in the Lord’s Supper is not a temporary, earthly deliverance like the one Israel experienced. Rather, it is a permanent, eternal deliverance from sin. As Jesus’ body was broken and His blood shed, we are reminded that our salvation is secured once and for all. The Lord’s Supper helps us to look to the cross as the full and final means of our salvation.

3. The Anticipation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

The final point is a word of anticipation. In Matthew 26:29, Jesus speaks of the future, saying He will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He does so with His followers in His Father’s kingdom. This statement is a promise that the Lord’s Supper is not just a remembrance of the past, but a forward-looking anticipation of the glorious day when we will feast with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

This future event is described in Revelation 19:7-9, where the marriage supper of the Lamb is announced. In that future, glorious day, the Church, as the bride of Christ, will be united with Him in eternal communion. The Lord’s Supper we celebrate now is a foretaste, a preview of that great and final feast. As we partake of the elements, we look back in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, but we also look forward in hope to the eternal celebration we will have with Him in glory.

It’s as if the Lord sits in heaven today, refusing to rejoice in that cup until every single one of His lambs are safely home. He is bringing every one of them home. He sits in heaven in joyous, restful contemplation, marveling at all the perfections of our salvation. How He foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us, and is now sanctifying us. And in that day, how He will glorify us. This should stir our hearts and souls to realize that Jesus longs for us to be with Him. He is eagerly longing for that day. He said, ‘I will not drink this until we are together again.’ The rich, omnipotent love affair of Jesus with His church.

Conclusion

The Lord’s Supper reminds us of the consummation of the Passover, the transformation from the old covenant to the new, and the anticipation of the eternal feast with our Savior. As pastors and church members, we must approach the table with a deep understanding of its significance. It is not merely a ritual or tradition, but a means of grace that deepens our treasuring and joy in Christ’s past sacrifice, present fellowship, and future glory. When we partake of His table, it is a dim foretaste, but true foretaste of the glory we have as one united family in our Savior. May we be reminded of the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice, the newness of our covenant with God, and the hope we have in the coming kingdom. Let us come to the table with grateful hearts, knowing that our salvation is secure in the finished work of Christ, and let us eagerly await the day when we will partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.

To hear more listen to: The First Lord’s Supper, A1400 (3/2/2025)