Scriptures
Matthew 18:20: Where two or three are gathered in my name
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
This promise made to the disciples by Jesus is similar to the promise of God’s continued presence “until the end of the ages” at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. It is also similar to the promise: If two or three sit together and the words of the Law [are spoken] between them, the Divine Presence [Shekinah] rests between them (m.’Abot 3:2,6; 4:11). For Matthew, the new community of the Church is to gather together to pray, study and reflect on Jesus Christ, the new Lawgiver of God’s New Israel. It is there, in the holy assembly, that we will experience the presence of God, Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit in our midst (KWL, Teaching Companion, 3a, p98).
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
This promise made to the disciples by Jesus is similar to the promise of God’s continued presence “until the end of the ages” at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. It is also similar to the promise: If two or three sit together and the words of the Law [are spoken] between them, the Divine Presence [Shekinah] rests between them (m.’Abot 3:2,6; 4:11). For Matthew, the new community of the Church is to gather together to pray, study and reflect on Jesus Christ, the new Lawgiver of God’s New Israel. It is there, in the holy assembly, that we will experience the presence of God, Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit in our midst (KWL, Teaching Companion, 3a, p98).
Luke 22:7-20: The Last Supper
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying,
“Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.
He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”
They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said,
“Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
In this text, Jesus offers his whole life as a sacrifice to God for the sake of humanity: “given for you”. For the Hebrew people, the Passover “memorial” recalled and relived the saving action of God in the lives of his Chosen People, especially through the Exodus story. On this Passover night Jesus aligns his action of self-sacrifice with the saving action of God. Symbolic of the end time or Parousia when all will be fulfilled, the holy meal also indicates that his disciples will share at the banquet table of the Lord (KWL, Teaching Companion, 3a, p132).
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying,
“Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.
He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”
They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said,
“Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
In this text, Jesus offers his whole life as a sacrifice to God for the sake of humanity: “given for you”. For the Hebrew people, the Passover “memorial” recalled and relived the saving action of God in the lives of his Chosen People, especially through the Exodus story. On this Passover night Jesus aligns his action of self-sacrifice with the saving action of God. Symbolic of the end time or Parousia when all will be fulfilled, the holy meal also indicates that his disciples will share at the banquet table of the Lord (KWL, Teaching Companion, 3a, p132).