The Last Supper Bible Study: Meaning for Lent (Matthew 26)

· Gospel Studies

For February 16

For February 16

Quick answer: The Last Supper was the Passover meal Jesus shared with his twelve disciples the night before he was crucified. He gave the bread and cup new meaning: his body given and his blood poured out for the forgiveness of many people’s sins (Matthew 26:28). It began the new covenant, and Christians remember it in Communion.

Passage: Matthew 26:17-30 (see also Luke 22:14-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26) · Read it first: read Exodus 12:1-13, then Matthew 26:17-30. Look for every connection between the first Passover and Jesus’ last one.

Introduction

Lent is a season of slowing down. For forty days before Easter, Christians around the world turn their eyes toward the cross. There’s no better place to start than at the table where Jesus sat with his friends on the night he was betrayed.

The Last Supper is one of the most painted scenes in history, but it’s far more than a famous picture. It’s the moment Jesus explained, with bread and wine, what his death would mean. Let’s take our seats at the table.

1. Preparing the Passover (vv. 17-19)

As the Unleavened Bread festival began, the disciples asked Jesus where he wanted them to prepare the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17).

Context: Passover was Israel’s great feast of rescue. It remembered the night God freed his people from slavery in Egypt. Each family sacrificed a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts. God promised that when he saw the blood, he would pass over that house and spare it (Exodus 12:13).

Jesus tells them his time has come (Matthew 26:18). He isn’t a victim caught by surprise. He knows exactly what’s coming, and he walks toward it on purpose. John tells us Jesus loved his own to the very end (John 13:1).

2. The Betrayer Announced (vv. 20-25)

That evening, as Jesus reclined at the table with the Twelve, he told them that one of them would betray him (Matthew 26:20-21).

Imagine the shock around the table. One by one the disciples ask whether it could be them (Matthew 26:22). None of them is sure of his own heart. Even Judas asks, and Jesus tells him that he has said it himself (Matthew 26:25).

Lent reflection: an honest heart

Lent invites us to ask the disciples’ question about ourselves. We may never betray Jesus the way Judas did, but every one of these men ran away that same night. The Last Supper isn’t a table for the spiritually impressive. It’s a table for sinners who need grace, and Jesus still sets it.

3. This Is My Body (v. 26)

During the meal Jesus picked up bread, blessed it, broke it apart, and handed it around, telling them to take and eat, because it was his body (Matthew 26:26).

At a Passover meal, the unleavened bread recalled Israel’s hurried escape from Egypt. Now Jesus says the bread is about him. Luke adds that his body is given for us and that we should do this to remember him (Luke 22:19).

The broken bread points to his body, broken on the cross. Isaiah had foretold it centuries before: the Servant would be pierced and crushed for our sins, and his punishment would bring us peace and healing (Isaiah 53:5).

Earlier, Jesus had called himself the bread of life (John 6:35). At the Last Supper he shows how he gives that life: by giving himself.

4. My Blood of the Covenant (vv. 27-28)

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and told them all to drink from it, saying, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, ESV).

What is a covenant?

A covenant is a binding promise-relationship between God and his people. The old covenant at Sinai was sealed with the blood of sacrifices. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). At the heart of that promise, God would forgive their sins and remember them no more (Jeremiah 31:34).

At the Last Supper Jesus announces that the promise is being fulfilled. Luke records him calling the cup the new covenant in his blood, poured out for us (Luke 22:20).

Jesus, our Passover Lamb

The blood of the Passover lamb meant judgment passed over the household. Paul makes the connection explicit: Christ is our Passover lamb, and he has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7). Everyone who trusts in Jesus is covered by his blood, and judgment passes over.

5. Until That Day (v. 29)

Jesus says he won’t drink wine again until the day he drinks it new with them in his Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29).

The Last Supper looks back to Egypt and forward to the cross, but it also looks ahead to a feast that’s still coming. Jesus promises a day when he’ll share the table with his people again, in a kingdom where there are no more goodbyes.

6. A Hymn on the Way to Gethsemane (v. 30)

After singing, they headed to the Olivet hillside (Matthew 26:30).

The Passover meal traditionally closed with psalms of praise (Psalms 113-118). Think of Jesus singing as he walked to the garden where he’d be arrested. He walked toward suffering with worship on his lips.

Why the Last Supper Still Matters: Communion

Paul passed on what Jesus did that night so the church would keep remembering it. Every time we share the bread and cup, we announce Jesus’ death until his return (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Every time Christians share Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist), we do three things:

  • We look back to the cross, where Jesus’ body was given and his blood was poured out.
  • We look around at the people sharing the table with us, a family made one by grace.
  • We look ahead to the day Jesus returns and we eat with him in his Father’s kingdom.

A Lent Practice: Six Weeks at the Table

Lent 2027 runs from Ash Wednesday (February 10) to Easter Sunday (March 28). Try this simple rhythm:

  1. Week 1: Read Exodus 12. Thank God for rescuing his people.
  2. Week 2: Read Matthew 26:17-25. Ask honestly whether it could be you, and confess what God shows you.
  3. Week 3: Read Isaiah 53. Meditate on the promise that his wounds bring our healing.
  4. Week 4: Read Jeremiah 31:31-34. Thank God that he remembers your sin no more.
  5. Week 5: Read Luke 22:14-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Prepare your heart for Communion.
  6. Holy Week: On Maundy Thursday (March 25), reread Matthew 26:17-30 slowly, perhaps over a simple meal with family or friends.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

  1. Which connection between the first Passover and the Last Supper stands out to you most?
  2. Why do you think every disciple asked if he could be the betrayer?
  3. What does it mean to you that Jesus’ blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins?
  4. How could remembering the new covenant change the way you take Communion?
  5. How can you use this Lent to make Jesus’ death known as you wait for his return?

To see how this fits the whole week from the triumphal entry to the empty tomb, read our walk through the Easter story in the Bible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the Last Supper?

At the Last Supper, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his twelve disciples the night before his crucifixion. He predicted that Judas would betray him, then took bread and called it his body, and took the cup and called it his blood of the covenant (Matthew 26:26-28). Afterward they sang a hymn and headed to the Olivet hillside.

Was the Last Supper a Passover meal?

Yes. Matthew, Mark, and Luke present it as a Passover meal. The disciples asked Jesus where to prepare the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17). Jesus deliberately gave the Passover new meaning. Just as the lamb’s blood protected Israel in Egypt, his blood would bring forgiveness and rescue from sin and judgment.

What do the bread and wine mean?

The bread represents Jesus’ body, given on the cross for his people (Luke 22:19). The cup represents his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28), which sealed the new covenant God promised in Jeremiah 31. Together they show that salvation comes through Jesus’ sacrificial death in our place.

Why do Christians take Communion?

Christians take Communion because Jesus commanded his followers to do it in remembrance of him (Luke 22:19). Paul explains that whenever believers share the bread and cup, they make Jesus’ death known until his return (1 Corinthians 11:26). It’s a way to remember the cross, share our unity in Christ, and look forward to his return.

How does the Last Supper connect to Lent?

Lent is the forty-day season of reflection leading up to Easter, and it culminates in Holy Week. The Last Supper is remembered on Maundy Thursday, the night before Good Friday. Studying it during Lent helps believers examine their hearts, remember the cost of their forgiveness, and prepare to celebrate the resurrection with deeper gratitude.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, the night you were betrayed, you took bread and broke it, and you gave yourself for me. Thank you that your body was given and your blood was poured out for the forgiveness of my sins. Like your disciples, I don’t always know my own heart. Search me, forgive me, and draw me close this Lent. Thank you that, because of you, God remembers my sin no more. Keep me faithful until the day I eat and drink with you in your Father’s kingdom. Amen.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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