"The Lord's Supper Inaugurated" Matthew 26:17-29

In our passage today, we see Jesus in His last moments of calm before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He is celebrating the final Passover with His disciples—and I do mean the final Passover. Certainly, Israelites continued and continue to celebrate it, but in this moment, and in the next 3 days, this special observance fundamentally changed. People can still observe the Passover as a holiday or a cultural observance, but its spiritual power is gone.
In the middle of the ceremonial meal, Jesus fulfills the picture that Passover began to paint. The Angel of the Lord truly did pass over the houses that were covered by the blood of the lambs, and God truly did deliver His people out of bondage in Egypt, but that moment was a picture of a greater deliverance, a greater rescue.
Jesus, as He inaugurates the Lord’s Supper, reveals the true meaning and significance of this meal.
For a few moments, let us look at the events of that evening as we prepare ourselves to observe the Lord’s Supper. We will see what Jesus did and said, how He demonstrated His role of Lord and Master, and how He gave hope to is followers who would be living their mortal lives without His physical presence.