When the hour came, he reclined at tabletranslateTextreclined at tableThe Greek ἀνέπεσεν means "reclined" — the Passover freedom-posture described in the note on 22:12. Free people reclined; slaves served standing. Jesus and the apostlestranslateTextthe apostlesLuke uses "the apostles" here, not the broader term "disciples." Whether women were present at the meal is not stated. The women who traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry from their own resources (8:1-3) are neither confirmed nor denied at this table. are performing liberation. This is where the meal's political meaning is embodied. with the apostles. And he said to them: "With deep longing I have longedtranslateTextWith deep longing I have longedThe Greek Ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα is a Semitic cognate dative — an intensifying construction that doubles the verb with its own noun form (cf. Genesis 31:30 LXX). It is the strongest available way to express desire in Greek. "I have wanted" or "I have desired" are total losses. The doubled form is deliberate: this is not casual desire but the longing of someone who can see what is coming and has chosen to walk into it. to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of GodlinkContextuntil it is fulfilled in the kingdom of GodJesus frames this Passover as the last on the old side of the kingdom. The next time he eats this meal, it will be in the fulfilled kingdom of God. This is simultaneously a farewell and a promise: the meal points forward to a final banquet that has not yet come.."

He received a cuptranslateTextHe received a cupLuke alone among the Gospels records two cups at the Last Supper: this cup before the bread (22:17) and a second cup after the meal (22:20). Mark and Matthew record only one cup, after the bread. The first cup may correspond to the Kiddush cup that opened the Passover meal; the second to the "cup of blessing" after the main course. Luke and Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) appear to share a common liturgical source distinct from Mark's tradition., gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

He took bread. He gave thanks. He broke it. He gave it to them.translateTextHe took bread. He gave thanks. He broke it. He gave it to them.These four verbs — taken, thanked, broken, given — form Luke's Eucharistic signature. The same pattern appears at the feeding of the five thousand (9:16) and at the Emmaus meal where the risen Jesus is recognized "in the breaking of the bread" (24:30-31, 35). The four-verb sequence structures Luke's entire theology of meals and recognition. "This is my bodytranslateTextThis is my bodyThese four words have generated more theological controversy than perhaps any other sentence in the New Testament. Catholic tradition (transubstantiation): the bread becomes the body of Christ in its deepest reality, while retaining the appearance of bread. Lutheran tradition (real presence): Christ is truly, bodily present "in, with, and under" the bread. Reformed tradition (spiritual presence): Christ is truly present to faith through the Holy Spirit, though the bread remains bread. Memorial tradition: the bread represents Christ's body; the meal is an act of proclamation and remembrance. The 1982 World Council of Churches document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry found significant convergence around the concept of anamnesis (living memorial) as a bridge between these positions., given for you. Do this as my living memorialtranslateTextas my living memorialThe Greek ἀνάμνησις does not mean "remember me in your minds." In the Jewish liturgical tradition (Hebrew zikkaron), it refers to a living memorial act — a liturgical re-presentation that makes a past saving event present before God and the community. The Passover meal itself was this kind of memorial: not nostalgia for the Exodus but a covenantal act of making the liberation present again. The present imperative "do this" (ποιεῖτε = "keep doing this") establishes the meal as a repeated, ongoing practice of covenant renewal.."

The cup after supper, likewise. "This cup is the new covenant in my bloodlinkContextthe new covenant in my blood"New covenant" echoes Jeremiah 31:31-34, God's promise of a relationship written on the heart rather than on stone tablets: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." The "blood" language echoes Exodus 24:8, where Moses sealed the original covenant by splashing sacrificial blood on the people and declaring, "See the blood of the covenant." Jesus is performing a new covenant-sealing: not with the blood of animals at Sinai but with his own blood at a Passover table in Jerusalem. The present participle "poured out" (ἐκχυννόμενον) signals that the act is happening now, not retrospectively., poured out for you."

"But look — the hand of the one handing me over is with me, on the table. The Son of Man goes according to what has been determined — but how terriblehelpDifficultaccording to what has been determined — but how terribleThe theological paradox is stated without resolution: the passion follows a determined divine plan (κατὰ τὸ ὡρισμένον) AND the betrayer bears genuine moral responsibility (οὐαί — a prophetic judgment-word). Jewish and early Christian thought held divine sovereignty and human responsibility simultaneously without requiring one to cancel the other. The text refuses to choose between determinism and free will. Both are real. for that man through whom he is handed over."

They began asking one another which of them it could be.