Holy Communion has been Important Throughout the Centuries of the Church.
Mat 26:17 On the first day of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus with the question, "Where shall we make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
Mat 26:18 "Go into the city," He replied, "to a certain man, and tell him, 'The Teacher says, My time is close at hand. It is at your house that I shall keep the Passover with my disciples.'"
Mat 26:19 The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and got the Passover ready.
Mat 26:20 When evening came, He was at table with the twelve disciples,
Mat 26:21 and the meal was proceeding, when Jesus said, "In solemn truth I tell you that one of you will betray me."
Mat 26:22 Intensely grieved they began one after another to ask Him, "Can it be I, Master?"
Mat 26:23 "The one who has dipped his fingers in the bowl with me," He answered, "is the man who will betray me.
Mat 26:24 The Son of Man is indeed going as is written concerning Him; but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been a happy thing for that man if he had never been born."
Mat 26:25 Then Judas, the disciple who was betraying Him, asked, "Can it be I, Rabbi?" "It is you," He replied.
Mat 26:26 During the meal Jesus took a Passover biscuit, blessed it and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it: it is my body."
Mat 26:27 And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, "Drink from it, all of you;
Mat 26:28 for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins--the blood which ratifies the Covenant.
Mat 26:29 I tell you that I will never again take the produce of the vine till that day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."
Mat 26:30 So they sang the hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. WNT
Introduction.
Most Christians find the Holy Communion a very solemn ceremony; a Holy Remembrance.
This simple feast was the Passover Seder meal for Jesus and His disciples. It involves the Breaking of the Bread and the sharing of the wine representing His Blood. Some Christians drink from a single cup while others have small individual glasses. Some break a Loaf of Bread while others have unleavened wafers. They are all celebrating the same thing.
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| Unleavened Bread or Matzoh |
Mat 26:17 On the first day of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus with the question, "Where shall we make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
Notes
On the first day of the Unleavened Bread...
The feast of Unleavened Bread starts at Passover and runs for seven days when no leaven is allowed in their Jewish Homes. As they prepare for the feast they sweep and dust every bit of leaven from their houses. Unleavened Bread is the Flat Bread made without rising or yeast. Yeast is symbolic of sin in many Bible illustrations because it proliferates through all the dough.
the disciples came to Jesus with the question, "Where shall we make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
Where shall we make preparations - How astonishing is this, that He who created all things, whether visible or invisible, and by whom all things were upheld, should so empty himself as not to be proprietor of a single house in his whole creation, to eat the last passover with his disciples! This is certainly a mystery, and so, less or more is every thing that God does. But how inveterate and destructive must the nature of sin be, when such emptying and humiliation were necessary to its destruction! It is worthy of note what the Talmudists say, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem did not let out their houses to those who came to the annual feasts; but afforded all accommodations of this kind gratis. A man might therefore go and request the use of any room, on such an occasion, which was as yet unoccupied. The earthen jug, and the skin of the sacrifice, were left with the host. Adam Clark
Mat 26:18 "Go into the city," He replied, "to a certain man, and tell him, 'The Teacher says, My time is close at hand. It is at your house that I shall keep the Passover with my disciples.'"
Notes
Go into the city…..
That is, to such a man in the city of Jerusalem, for, as yet, they were in Bethany, or at the Mount of Olives however, without the city; he does not mention the man's name, but describes him, as Mark and Luke say, and tells them, "there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house, where he enters in", Mar_14:13; who seems to be not the master of the house, but a servant, that was sent on such an errand. This is a very considerable instance of our Lord's prescience of future contingencies; he knew beforehand, that exactly at the time that the disciples would enter Jerusalem, such a man, belonging to such a house, would be returning with a pitcher of water in his hand; and they should meet him; and follow him, where he went, which would be a direction to them what house to prepare the passover in; J.G.
'The Teacher says, My time is close at hand. It is at your house that I shall keep the Passover with my disciples.'"
Notes
My Time is close at hand…...Jesus was very conscious of the timing of the events of his mission..Joh_7:6 "My time," replied Jesus, "has not yet come, but for you any time is suitable.
Joh_7:8 As for you, go up to the Festival. I do not now go up to this Festival, because my time is not yet fully come."
The disciples wanted Him to go up to Jerusalem post haste but they didn’t understand that the Leaders were looking to trap Him. He knew the right time to be in the right place to accomplish the right thing..
It is easy to get out of Sync in this world where there is so much disorder and chaos.
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| Every member of a rowing team must be certain to move in a calculated rhythm that helps the team move in a forward motion. One or two wrong strokes of an oar can result in the team either moving in the wrong direction or not getting to where they need to go, specifically, losing a race. http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/10412 |
Now His time is close at hand. His death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension are fast approaching.
That is, the time of my crucifixion. Kypke has largely shown that καιρος is often used among the Greeks for affliction and calamity. It might be rendered here, the time of my crucifixion is at hand. A.C.
It is at your house that I shall keep the Passover with my disciples.'"
Notes
I keep the passover at thy house (pros se poiō to pascha). Futuristic present indicative. The use of pros se for “at thy house” is neat Greek of the classic period. Evidently there was no surprise in this home at the command of Jesus. It was a gracious privilege to serve him thus. RWP
Mat 26:19 The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and got the Passover ready.
Notes
They made ready the passover - That is, they procured a lamb, multitudes of which were kept for sale in the temple; they had it killed and flayed by the priests, and the blood poured by the altar; they roasted the lamb, and prepared the bitter herbs, the sauce, and the unleavened bread.
This was done, it seems, while our Lord was absent, by the two disciples.Barnes Notes
Mat 26:20 When evening came, He was at table with the twelve disciples,
Mat 26:21 and the meal was proceeding, when Jesus said, "In solemn truth I tell you that one of you will betray me."
Notes
when Jesus said, "In solemn truth I tell you that one of you will betray me."
One of you (heis ex humōn). This was a bolt from the blue for all except Judas and he was startled to know that Jesus understood his treacherous bargain.RWP
Joh_13:21-22. John says that before Jesus declared that one of them should betray him, “he was troubled in spirit, and testified;” that is, he “felt deeply” in view of the greatness of the crime that Judas was about to commit, and the sufferings that he was to endure, and “testified,” or gave utterance to his inward feelings of sorrow.
Mat 26:22 Intensely grieved they began one after another to ask Him, "Can it be I, Master?"
Notes
Mat 26:22 Feeling deeply hurt, they asked him one by one, "You don't mean me, do you, Lord?"GW
The Declaration that one of them would betray Him surely ramped up the Emotional Atmosphere a lot. They were fretting exceedingly, deeply hurt, and emotionally distressed
They were exceeding sorrowful - John says Joh_13:22 “they looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake” - that is, they anxiously looked one at another, conscious each one, except Judas, of no such intention, and each one beginning to examine himself to find whether he was the person intended.
This showed their innocence, and their attachment to Jesus. It showed how sensitive they were to the least suspicion of the kind. It showed that they were willing to know themselves, thus evincing the spirit of the true Christian. Judas only was silent, and was the last to make the inquiry, and that after he had been plainly pointed out Mat_26:25, thus showing:
- that guilt is slow to suspect itself;
- that it shrinks from the light;
- that it was his purpose to conceal his intention; and,
- that nothing but the consciousness that his Lord knew his design could induce him to make inquiry.
The guilty would, if possible, always conceal their crimes. The innocent are ready to suspect that they may have done wrong. Their feelings are tender, and they inquire with solicitude whether there may not be something in their bosoms, unknown to themselves, that may be a departure from right feeling.Barnes
Mat 26:23 "The one who has dipped his fingers in the bowl with me," He answered, "is the man who will betray me.
Notes
He that dips his hand with me in the dish - The Jews, at the observance of this ordinance, used a bitter sauce, made of bunches of raisins, mixed with vinegar and other seasoning of the like kind, which they said represented the clay which their fathers were compelled to use in Egypt in making brick, thus reminding them of their bitter bondage there.
This was probably the dish to which reference is made here. It is not improbable that Judas reclined near to our Saviour at the feast, and by his saying it was one that dipped “with him” in the dish, he meant one that was near to him, designating him more particularly than he had done before. John adds (Joh_13:23-30; see the notes at that place), that “there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved” - referring to himself; that Simon Peter beckoned to him to ask Jesus more particularly who it was; that Jesus signified who it was by giving “Judas a sop” - that is, a piece of “bread” or “meat” dipped in the thick sauce; and that Judas, having received it, went out to accomplish his wicked design of betraying him. Judas was not, therefore, present at the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
Mat 26:24 The Son of Man is indeed going as is written concerning Him; but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been a happy thing for that man if he had never been born."
Notes
The Son of Man is indeed going as is written concerning Him;
The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. GW
See Isaiah 53 and Ps.22
Jesus made clear that His Death on the Cross has a place in the Will of God and His program for the Earth. Nothing has been done that is outside of the Divine Purpose.L.M. p.656
JESUS DEATH WAS ACCORDING TO THE OT PROPHECIES
but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been a happy thing for that man if he had never been born."
However, Jesus knowing, does not let Judas off the hook.. The betrayer is no less guilty because Jesus knows.
Mat 26:25 Then Judas, the disciple who was betraying Him, asked, "Can it be I, Rabbi?" "It is you," He replied.
Notes
The Betrayer asked, "Can it be I, Rabbi?" "It is you," He replied.
He calls Jesus not ‘Lord = Master’ but Rabbi. he prefers to address Jesus as Teacher rather than His Lord. Lordship of Jesus is quite a stumbling block to many self-willed and arrogant people.
“It is you,” He replied. Or “You (emphatic) said it.” Or “It is just as you have said.”
Jesus made Judas aware that He knew that he was the Traitor. Now Judas was exposed and he would need to act quickly if he was going to betray Jesus at all.
The Institution of the Communion or the Lord’s Table.
Mat 26:26 During the meal Jesus took a Passover biscuit, blessed it and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it: it is my body."
Notes
During the meal Jesus took the Passover Matzah biscuit.
Matzo, matza or matzah is an unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the Passover festival, when chametz is forbidden according to Jewish religious law.
...blessed it and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples,
This is what he did when He feed the five thousand.
Mat_14:19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
saying, "Take this and eat it: it is my body."
This is my body - This represents my body. This broken bread shows the manner in which my body will be broken; or this will serve to recall my dying sufferings to your remembrance. It is not meant that his body would be literally “broken” as the bread was, but that the bread would be a significant emblem or symbol to recall to their recollection his sufferings. It is not improbable that our Lord pointed to the broken bread, or laid his hands on it, as if he had said, “Lo, my body!” or, “Behold my body! - that which “represents” my broken body to you.” This “could not” be intended to mean that that bread was literally his body. It was not. His body was then before them “living.” And there is no greater absurdity than to imagine his “living body” there changed at once to a “dead body,” and then the bread to be changed into that dead body, and that all the while the “living” body of Jesus was before them.
Yet this is the absurd and impossible doctrine of the Roman Catholics, holding that the “bread” and “wine” were literally changed into the “body and blood” of our Lord. The language employed by the Saviour was in accordance with a common mode of speaking among the Jews, and exactly similar to that used by Moses at the institution of the Passover Exo_12:11; “It” - that is, the lamb - “is the Lord’s Passover.” That is, the lamb and the feast “represent” the Lord’s “passing over”. Barnes
Mat 26:27 And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, "Drink from it, all of you;
Notes
He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? NIV
Mat 26:28 for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins--the blood which ratifies the Covenant.
Notes
this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins-
Luke and Paul vary the expression, adding what Matthew and Mark have omitted. “This cup is the new testament in my blood.” By this cup he meant the wine in the cup, and not the cup itself. Pointing to it, probably, he said, “This - ‘wine’ - represents my blood about to be, shed.” The phrase “new testament” should have been rendered “new covenant,” referring to the “covenant or compact” that God was about to make with people through a Redeemer. The “old” covenant was that which was made with the Jews by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices. See Exo_24:8; “And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you,” etc. In allusion to that, Jesus says, this cup is the new “covenant” in my blood; that is, which is “ratified, sealed, or sanctioned by my blood.” In ancient times, covenants or contracts were ratified by slaying an animal; by the shedding of its blood, imprecating similar vengeance if either party failed in the compact. See the notes at Heb_9:16. So Jesus says the covenant which God is about to form with people the new covenant, or the gospel economy is sealed or ratified with my blood. Barnes
Mat 26:29 I tell you that I will never again take the produce of the vine till that day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."
Notes
But I say unto you ... - That is, the observance of the Passover, and of the rites shadowing forth future things, here end.
I am about to die. The design of all these types and shadows is about to be accomplished. This is the last time that I shall partake of them with you. Hereafter, when my Father’s kingdom is established in heaven, we will partake together of the thing represented by these types and ceremonial observances - the blessings and triumphs of redemption.
Fruit of the vine - “Wine, the fruit or produce” of the vine made of the grapes of the vine.
Until that day - Probably the time when they should be received to heaven. It does not mean here on earth, further than that they would partake with him in the happiness of spreading the gospel and the triumphs of his kingdom.
When I drink it new with you - Not that he would partake with them of literal wine there, but in the thing represented by it. Wine was an important part of the feast of the Passover, and of all feasts. The kingdom of heaven is often represented under the image of a feast. It means that he will partake of joy with them in heaven; that they will share together the honors and happiness of the heavenly world.
New - In a new manner, or perhaps “afresh.”
In my Father’s kingdom - In heaven. The place where God shall reign in a kingdom fully established and pure.Barnes
Mat 26:30 So they sang the hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. WNT
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