Matthew frames his telling of the Last Supper with two stories of betrayal. Just before this passage, Judas Iscariot visits the chief priests and sells out Jesus for thirty silver coins. Immediately following the Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that they will soon abandon and deny him. Within twenty-four hours, he will be hung on a cross. 

It seems like an odd time to institute a new celebration. But in the middle of all this betrayal, Jesus takes time to give his disciples the gift of assurance. Jesus wants his disciples to know that he loves them. That is why he provides them with this Supper, which will give them assurance of his continued love and faithfulness even after he is gone. 

Jesus takes the bread and the wine—elements that represent God’s provision in Jewish festivals such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover—and shows how God will continue to provide for them, but in a radically new way. Just as God provided the children of Israel with manna, God would now provide the bread of life through Christ’s body. The children of Israel will no longer be required to offer the blood of sacrifice to be right with God because God would do that through Jesus Christ. 

Jesus also wants the disciples to know that he forgives them. His disciples will soon scatter, as will their promises. But Christ’s promises will remain—promises of God’s covenant faithfulness, the forgiveness of sins, and the coming kingdom of God. Those promises provide the disciples with the hope they will need in the difficult days ahead. 

Through the Lord’s Supper, followers of Christ have the opportunity to participate in their redemption by repenting of their sins, professing their faith, and expressing their hope for the future. The Supper also reminds Jesus’ followers that salvation does not come through one’s own actions, but only through the work of Christ on the cross.