Why did Jesus wait until the Last Supper to institute the Holy Communion?

To ensure safe landing in your inbox please add Lipnick@eTeacherGroup.com to your contacts list. This message contains Graphics, if you can't see this messege properly please use our online version. Hello carl,   Let's continue to rediscover the biblical stories and scriptural passages on our Journey through Jerusalem and visit the Cenacle, also known as The Upper Room, traditionally held to be the site of The Last Supper.   Why did Jesus wait until the Last Supper to institute the Holy Communion? The Gospels tell us that on Thursday evening Jesus eats the Last Supper with his disciples in “a large room upstairs” somewhere near the Temple. At this meal Jesus takes a cup of wine and says: “this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).  The Hebrew word for covenant is brit, a political term referring to a written contract between a king and his subjects. Blood was often used to sign such contracts as an illustration of the seriousness of the situation, as if to say “we are aware that the price for violating this treaty is death.” This is precisely what happens in the case of the old covenant when Moses dashes the blood of  sacrificial oxen on the people (Exodus 24:8). But Jesus is not merely the new Moses, sealing a new covenant with his blood. He also says the blood is “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). This offering of sacrificial atonement for sins is the greatest gift Jesus could give his disciples; this is precisely the reason he waited until the very last minute to give it to them.       Rediscover the Bible, open your eyes to new interpretations and hidden secrets, and join us in studying Biblical Hebrew. Enroll Now Jonathan A. Lipnick Jonathan Lipnick is a doctoral candidate in Early Christian Studies at Harvard University. He holds MA degrees in religious studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard University and a BA in religious studies from Indiana University. eTeacher Group is committed to the highest standards of the can-spam regulations. If you do not wish to receive any more messages from us please click here and your address will be removed immediately. For any further questions please contact us using our online contact page or simply send us a postal letter to:  eTeacher Group, Oholiav 8, Ramat-Gan, 52522, Israel.

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