Table Talk – Glimpses into the Conversations and Teachings of Jesus during the Last Supper
Conversations continue around the table of the Last Supper. Here, amidst the shared meal, a momentous shift unfolds that forever alters the fabric of faith and fellowship. So much more than another Passover meal; it’s the dawn of a new covenant, not marked by the sacrifice of animals, but by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Himself.
Jesus introduces a radical change that evening – a shift from the old to the new, from law to grace. Through His words and actions, Jesus lays out a path of forgiveness, unity, and eternal promise, beckoning us to grasp the fullness of His love and the profound gift of forgiveness available to us all.
3. Something entirely new happens during the Last Supper:
When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and His people—an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:14-20 NLT).
As Jesus goes through the ceremony, Matthew makes is very clear what is represented by the cup:
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “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” (Matthew 26: 27-28 ESV).
The blood of Jesus was poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Luke makes it clear how radical a change this is, as Christ says:
“This cup is the new covenant between God and His people—an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20 NLT)
A New Covenant
For about 1500 years, the Jews had sacrificed animals for the forgiveness of their sins, but the author of Hebrews makes it quite plain:
What was proclaimed by Christ at the Last Supper and explained by the Author of Hebrews (See Hebrews 10:1-10).
- The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.
- For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
- “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.”
- “But you have given me a body to offer.”
- He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.
- For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
This is what Christ meant by a new covenant. Three things make this really new:
- It wasn’t an animal that shed its blood, it was the Son of God who shed His blood.
- The Old Covenant was canceled.
- It wasn’t something to be done over and over; rather it was done ONCE for ALL.
Speaking of “once for all” …
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God (Romans 6:8-10 ESV).
There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. (Hebrews 7:23-27 NLT).
With His own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever (Hebrews 9:12 NLT)
For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:24-28 NLT).
Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all (Hebrews 10:9-10 NLT).
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18 NASB).
Note that “Once for all” refers to time, and it refers to us. From the perspective of time, it has been done once, and never needs to be done again. And from the “Us” perspective, He was our sacrifice; it was for our sin; our redemption; and we are made holy!
Only the Son of God could do “Once for all time” and “Once for all.”
And BTW: because of the “All,” we Gentiles are included.
One Thing: FORGIVENESS FOR US ALL (Romans 3:22-24 NIV).
Let’s move on to Lesson 4: The True Measure of Greatness; if you missed Lesson 1 or Lesson 2, you can go back and read it now.
