It is not likely that Peter, James, John, and the other disciples understood the significance of the Lord’s supper when it was instituted. Peter might have said to himself, “The Lord speaks of a loaf and then of His body? What does this mean? How can a loaf be a body? A loaf is of the vegetable life, and a body is of the animal life. How can the vegetable life become the animal life? I don’t understand this.” Furthermore, James and John may not have cared for the loaf, but only for sitting on the Lord’s right and left. James may have said to himself, “I don’t care for this loaf. I care for the throne and for whether or not I shall sit at the Lord’s right or left.” The disciples had neither the heart nor the ears for the Lord’s word concerning the loaf and the cup.
We should learn of the disciples and be different. We should not care for the throne or for sitting at the Lord’s right or left hand. Rather, we should care for the loaf, the Body, the church life, and we should also care for the cup, for the Triune God being our portion for us to enjoy for eternity.
In His ministry, whether in Galilee or on the way to Jerusalem, the Man-Savior emphasized His death and resurrection. Three times He unveiled His death and resurrection to His disciples (9:21-22, 44-45; 18:31-34). Now with the institution of His supper the most important matter emphasized by Him was again His death and resurrection. It was through His death and resurrection that He terminated the disciples, buried them, redeemed them, and germinated them. By germinating them He made them one with Himself to be the loaf. Furthermore, through His death and resurrection He has brought us all into the Triune God as our blessing. Therefore, by His death and resurrection the Man-Savior has brought us into oneness with Himself as His Body and also into the enjoyment of the Triune God and all that He has been doing for us.
To be one with the Lord as the Body is a matter of life, and to enjoy the Triune God is a matter of blessing. At the Lord’s table we have the loaf signifying the Body in life, and we have the cup signifying the blessing of the Triune God. At the table we have life and blessing. Here we are free from bondage, and we are in the enjoyment of the Triune God. This is the significance of the Lord’s table as a sign of the jubilee.
In 22:21-23 we see that the Lord pointed out that one of the disciples would betray Him: “But behold, the hand of the one delivering Me up is with Me on the table. For the Son of Man indeed is going according to what has been determined; but woe to that man through whom He is delivered up! And they began to discuss among themselves who then of them it might be who was about to do this.” The one who was about to betray the Lord Jesus was, of course, Judas. After being exposed, Judas left (John 13:21-30) before the Man-Savior’s supper (Matt. 26:20-26). He did not participate in the Man-Savior’s body and blood, because he was not a real believer in Him but a son of destruction (John 17:12), considered by the Man-Savior even a devil (John 6:70-71).
Luke 22:21-23 seems to indicate that Judas left after the Lord’s supper, mentioned in 22:19 and 20. However, Mark’s record, as Matthew’s, shows that Judas was pointed out by the Lord Jesus as His betrayer in Mark 14:18-21 before He instituted His supper in verses 22-24. Mark’s record is according to historical sequence, whereas Luke’s record is according to the sequence of morality.
Do you know why the Lord Jesus exposed Judas? The Lord’s exposing him hastened the time when He would be delivered to the opposers. Knowing that the time was near for Him to be crucified, the Lord caused Judas to hasten to betray Him.