252 THE LAST SUPPER
In a Catholic mass, the
priest acts in persona
Christi—in the person
of Christ.During the sacrament,
he says: “Take this,
all of you, and eat of it:
for this is my body
which will be given
up for you.”Catholic dogma
teaches that when
this phrase is spoken
by the priest,
transubstantiation occurs.This means that
although the bread
remains unchanged
in appearance ...... Catholics believe
that the essence
of the bread has
become the body
of Christ.This is my body; this is my blood
The words that Jesus instructs
His disciples to use when they
re-enact this meal together have
provoked controversy through
the centuries. Known as the
words of institution, the phrases
“this is my body” and “this is
my blood” announce the special
significance of the elements
of this special meal, now
celebrated in the Eucharist.
Churches have differing
views about the force of the
word “is.” For some Christians,
it means that Jesus becomes
physically present in the
elements, an understanding
known as “transubstantiation.”In the 13th century, the great
theologian St. Thomas Aquinas
explained this concept: while
the physical characteristics
of the bread and wine stay the
same, the “substance” of them
is transformed into the very
being of God. Other Christians
understand the words to be
purely symbolic, inviting them
simply to remember Jesus’s
suffering and sacrifice. In
between these two views, a
third understanding suggests
that Jesus is spiritually present
“along with” the bread and the
wine when Christians today
celebrate the Eucharist.Taking the unleavened bread,
Jesus lifts it up and thanks God
for it, tears it apart, and then
passes it to each of His disciples.
“This is my body,” He says, “given
for you; do this in remembrance
of me” (Luke 22:19). Then, pouring
out another cup of wine, He raises
it in blessing, and gives it to
them to share around: “This cup
is the new covenant in my blood,
which is poured out for you”
(Luke 22:20).Foretelling His death
With the words, “This is my body”
and “This is my blood,” Jesus
brings a deeper significance to
the Passover meal. He foretells that
He will soon give Himself up for
others, and during this last meal
with His disciples, He warns them
about the events that are about to
unfold: Jesus’s arrest and trial, His
crucifixion, and, after three days,
His resurrection. The Gospels make
it clear that these are not events
that will befall Jesus unexpectedly;
rather, they are part of God’s plan.
They are integral to His newcovenant with humanity, which
will be sealed by the sacrifice
of His only son.
Jesus has used the familiar
Passover meal to teach His
disciples about His impending
death. Since Moses’s day, the lamb
at the Passover meal had been a
reminder of the blood of the lamb
that the Israelites painted on the
doorposts of their houses so that
God’s angel would “pass over” their
homes and only bring destruction
to the Egyptian overlords. Now
Jesus is offering Himself up as
a new Passover lamb, a perfect
lamb in accordance with God’s
instructions to Moses. The goblet
of wine symbolizing the blood of
His sacrifice introduces the New
Covenant—the promise of eternal
life through Christ—foretold by
Jeremiah (31:31–34).Judas leaves
During the Passover meal, Jesus
also explains to His disciples that
one of them will betray Him to the
authorities and trigger the events
that will lead to His crucifixion.US_248-253_The_Last_Supper.indd 252 27/09/17 10:17 am
THE GOSPELS 253
Judas Iscariot (fifth from left) leans
back in shadow, his face turned away,
in Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
This 19th-century copy of the painting
is by Michael Kock.According to John, this too has
been foretold: “This is to fulfill this
passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared
my bread has turned against me’”
(John 13:18).
As the evening goes on, one
disciple fulfills this prophecy.
Judas Iscariot makes his excuses
and leaves, because he has made
arrangements to betray Jesus later
that night. The remaining disciples
continue with their evening of food,
drink, prayer, and storytelling, until,
after a final hymn, they make their
way to the Garden of Gethsemane
on the Mount of Olives.Everlasting sacrament
Importantly, Jesus does not
envisage His last supper as being
a one-off occasion for His disciples.
Just like the Passover meal, it will
serve as a reminder to Jesus’s
followers of the significance of
His life and death. As the first
Christians gather in the days
following Jesus’s resurrection
and ascension to heaven, they
share this meal together, joyfully
remembering that Jesus’s death
has brought them life. UnlikePassover, which is celebrated
once a year, the Last Supper will
be shared more frequently, even
weekly in some church traditions.
Today, the Last Supper remains
a vital part of the life of the Church
and is one of its “sacraments”—
special activities that convey God’s
profound truth through physical
actions. There are many ways of
celebrating the Last Supper; some
are highly formal, while others areintimate and informal. In some
traditions, the ritual is called
“communion,” because it is a
sharing with Jesus; in Catholicism,
it is called “mass,” from the Latin
words Ite, missa est, the dismissal,
the concluding rite of the Eucharist
during the medieval period.
What all forms of the Eucharist
share is their connection to the
meal that Jesus shared with His
disciples that final night before
His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.
The Last Supper reveals the deeper
significance of Jesus’s crucifixion
and shows that He was well aware
of His impending confrontation
with the forces of evil and death.
As Jesus says in John 10:18, He
gives His life freely: “No one takes
it from me, but I lay it down of my
own accord. I have authority to lay
it down and authority to take it up
again. This command I received
from my Father.” ■I am the living bread
that came down from
heaven. Whoever eats
this bread will live forever.
This bread is my flesh,
which I will give for
the life of the world.
John 6:51US_248-253_The_Last_Supper.indd 253 27/09/17 10:17 am