Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30)

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The Last Supper designates the final meal Jesus shares with his disciples before his crucifixion. The scene takes place during the Jewish festival of Passover, and Jesus gathers with his disciples to commemorate the event. The Last Supper is described in all four gospels (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-39, and John 13:1-17:26).

Jesus and his disciples gather to consume traditional Passover meal. During the meal, Jesus reveals that one of his disciples will betray him, causing distress and self-examination among the disciples.

On this occasion, Jesus transcribes the Old Testament ritual onto a new meaning linked with his own death sacrifice as a Passover lamb. Jesus does a symbolic act of breaking bread and sharing wine with the disciples. The bread signifies his body, destined to be broken on behalf of people, while the wine symbolizes his blood, to be shed for the forgiveness of sins. This act serves to inaugurate a new covenant between God and humanity, mediated through Jesus' sacrificial offering.

The Last Supper concludes with Jesus and his disciples singing a hymn and departing for the Mount of Olives, where the events leading to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion begin to unfold. 

Vocabulary

Word Meaning
ὁ, ἡ, τό the
αὐτός, ή, ὁ he; self
καί and
ἐγώ I
δέ however, but
λέγω say
εἶπον I said (aor. of λέγω)
εἰμί I am; be
μαθητής, οῦ, ὁ disciple
TpHaMfKSyl4s7qRnmvodCJ0B9cUDjzW2VA6N2683 ἐσθίω eat

Biblical text

26:17Τῇ δὲ πρώτῃ τῶν ἀζύμων προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντες Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα;18 δὲ εἶπεν Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὴν πόλιν πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα καὶ εἴπατε αὐτῷ Διδάσκαλος λέγει καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστιν· πρὸς σὲ ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν μου.19καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ ὡς συνέταξεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἡτοίμασαν τὸ πάσχα.20Ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης ἀνέκειτο μετὰ τῶν δώδεκα μαθητῶν21καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με.22καὶ λυπούμενοι σφόδρα ἤρξαντο λέγειν αὐτῷ εἷς ἕκαστος Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, Κύριε;23 δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἐμβάψας μετ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ, οὗτός με παραδώσει.24 μὲν Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑπάγει καθὼς γέγραπται περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐαὶ δὲ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ δι’ οὗ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται· καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος.25ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἰούδας παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν εἶπεν Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, Ῥαββεί; λέγει αὐτῷ Σὺ εἶπας.26Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν λαβὼν Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον καὶ εὐλογήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ δοὺς τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἶπεν Λάβετε φάγετε· τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου.27καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες·28τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυννόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.29λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπ’ ἄρτι ἐκ τούτου τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ὅταν αὐτὸ πίνω μεθ’ ὑμῶν καινὸν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρός μου.30Καὶ ὑμνήσαντες ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν.