What did Jesus say about communion?A Scripture-grounded answer about what did jesus say about communion
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Jesus instituted communion at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' He then took the cup and said, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood' (Luke 22:19-20). These words connect communion to three realities: Christ's sacrificial death ('my body given'), the new covenant ('new covenant in my blood'), and the command to remember ('do this in remembrance').
Why this answer? It starts with Luke 22:19-20, then cross-checks Matthew 26:26-29 and Mark 14:22-25 so the summary stays anchored in Scripture.
Understanding What Did Jesus Say About Communion
Jesus' words at the Last Supper are recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20) and quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, making them among the most attested words in the New Testament. The setting was a Passover meal — Jesus reinterpreted the ancient Jewish feast in light of his own sacrifice. The bread, which in Passover recalled the bread of affliction in Egypt, now represents his body 'given for you.' The cup, which recalled God's covenant with Israel, now represents 'the new covenant in my blood.' The command 'do this in remembrance of me' is not mere mental recall — the Greek anamnesis implies making the past event present and real. Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that every time the church celebrates communion, it 'proclaims the Lord's death until he comes' — the meal is simultaneously retrospective (remembering the cross), present (proclaiming now), and prospective (until he comes).
Key Scripture
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'”
- Luke 22:19-20
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