逾越节的筵席在安静和敬虔的气氛中进行，直至耶稣突然说话，彻底改变了席上两种食物的象征意义。原来的意义已维持了过千年。当耶稣拿起饼来，戏剧性地赋予它新的意义时，门徒一定异常惊讶。一直以来，那饼是象征「我们的先祖在埃及吃的苦饼」；但如今，基督却说：「这是我的身体，为你们舍的。」祂的意思并不是叫他们吃祂的肉；但这个拿起饼来吃的简单动作，乃是表明与祂的认同和对祂的纪念。

经常有人会拿出儿女的照片来给我们看，说「这是我儿子」，我们也理解。他的儿子并不在场，在场的只是他的照片，但我们却明白他的意思。同样地，当基督说：「这饼是代表我的身体，为你们舍的；你们拿起来，把它吃了，为的是纪念我。」也就是这个意思。

随后，基督拿起一杯酒，也赋予它新的意义。过往，它代表在埃及所流的血；但如今，它代表基督为我们众人，在各各他山上所流的血。它也成了神与人之间所立的新约，在这新约之下，借着基督的血通往神的道路向世人打开。

基督谈及过去，也说到未来。祂说祂不会再饮这杯，直等到祂进入神的国。保罗提醒我们，将来，基督会以王的身份再来：「你们每逢吃这饼，喝这杯，是表明主的死，直等到祂来。」

如今，我们有无上的特权去定期守这「主餐」。事实上这是我们的主餐，不是祂的，纪念主的死，回想救恩的代价，对我们来说是非常有意义的纪念和反省时刻。每当我们守主餐的时候，我们记得要以安静、敬虔和感谢的心，去思想这背后主对我们的爱。

The Passover Feast was proceeding quietly and reverently until Jesus suddenly spoke up, changing the whole meaning of two of the symbols on the table. These meanings had remained the same for over thousand years. The disciples must have been greatly surprised when Jesus picked up one of the loaves of bread and dramatically gave it a new meaning. It had always stood for “the bread of affliction our fathers ate in Egypt”. Now Christ said, “This is a memorial of my body which is given (broken) for you.” He did not mean they were actually eating His flesh, but that the simple act of taking the bread and eating it was an act of identification and remembrance.

Often someone shows us a picture of their son or daughter. They say “This is my son” and we understand. The son is not present but the picture is. We understand what they mean. In the same way we understand what Christ meant when He said “take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me”.

A little later Christ took a cup of wine in His hand and gave that a new meaning also. It had stood for the sheltering blood shed back in Egypt. Now it was to stand for Christ’s own blood shed for them on Calvary. It was and is also a seal of the new covenant made between God and man. Under the new covenant, the way to God is open through the blood of Christ.

Christ spoke of the future as well as of the past. He said He would not drink of this cup until He came into His rightful place in the kingdom. Paul reminds us of the future when Christ will have His rightful place. He said, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again.”

It is our privilege to regularly celebrate what we call the “Lord’s Supper”. Actually it is ours, not His. It can be a very meaningful time of remembrance and heart searching as we remember our Lord’s death, the cost of our salvation. Whenever we partake let us do it quietly, reverently and gratefully, thinking of His love behind it all.