Luke 22:14–23

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage.

1.         Thursday evening now, Passover began at night fall, Jesus and the Twelve, including Judas, are celebrating the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

2.         Jesus said He “earnestly desired” to eat the Passover with them and in the same sentence He said, “before I suffer.” This of course is in reference to His betray and crucifixion. He, looking forward, said He would “eat it” again with them.

3.         There are four “cups” taken during the Passover meal, the one mentioned in verse 17 is one of these. Following this Jesus took unleavened bread, broke it, gave it to them to take a piece off it and eat it. He said that the piece of broken bread was as His body, and that when they would eat it, they would remember Him and what it stood for.

4.         Then the last, fourth cup, with red wine in it as tradition tells us, the liquid represents His blood which will be “poured out” or spilled or shed for them.

5.         This shed blood is the “new covenant” or testament, or agreement. Though not mentioned here, but the shed blood represents the forgiving or covering of sin by Jesus’ own blood. Jesus actually dies in our place.

6.         Judas, present at the Passover celebration, does betray Him, and he will pay the greatest price for this.

7.         The apostles then question who the betrayer might be because Judas had not tipped his hand.