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And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. + Commentary The collision of brokenness and hope in this passage is overwhelming. On the one hand, you have suffering & betrayal. On the other, the inauguration of the new humanity, the Kingdom of God.  Suffering & Betrayal. A new people shaped in the broken and bloodied Savior’s wake. It’s aggressively paradoxical. There’s a seamless blending of the power struggle. A table of sacrifice and a table of cowardice. A table of grace eaten by sinners. Which is the point of the Passover meal, right? A yearly pause to reorient an entire people towards the one defining act which simultaneously revealed their brokenness (need) and God’s grace (rescue/salvation). This now well-worn ritual, which we “observe,” was a radical call to participation. To participate in the death and future resurrection of humanity. Putting to death the self and reveling in the unmerited beauty of the new humanity. The new path. Sinners living as if sin had no hold on them. Imagine that world. The Holy Scriptures call it “the Kingdom of God.”
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

+ Commentary

The collision of brokenness and hope in this passage is overwhelming. On the one hand, you have suffering & betrayal. On the other, the inauguration of the new humanity, the Kingdom of God. 

Suffering & Betrayal.

A new people shaped in the broken and bloodied Savior’s wake.

It’s aggressively paradoxical.

There’s a seamless blending of the power struggle. A table of sacrifice and a table of cowardice.

A table of grace eaten by sinners.

Which is the point of the Passover meal, right? A yearly pause to reorient an entire people towards the one defining act which simultaneously revealed their brokenness (need) and God’s grace (rescue/salvation).

This now well-worn ritual, which we “observe,” was a radical call to participation.

To participate in the death and future resurrection of humanity. Putting to death the self and reveling in the unmerited beauty of the new humanity. The new path.

Sinners living as if sin had no hold on them.

Imagine that world. The Holy Scriptures call it “the Kingdom of God.”