The words and elements for the Lord’s Supper come from the Last Supper. Jesus was physically present with his disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus is spiritually present with us at the Lord’s Supper. While I (or another minister) preside at the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is the host. Jesus invites his own: taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in him.

At the Last Supper Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover which remembers how the Lord delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. Jesus added new words to that ceremony which would signify how the Lord delivers his people from the bondage of sin. The "body and blood" speak about the cross.

You might think the Last Supper would be a time of quiet and safety for the disciples. They surely needed it. After all, people were constantly coming to Jesus for healing and teaching. How often they could not even eat a meal in peace without interruption. Also, those who wanted to kill Jesus were getting bolder and more hateful. The Last Supper might have been a time of calm and rest. Is that not how we view the Lord’s Supper, as a time when the cares of the world are far away and we can commune with the Lord Jesus?

It was not so. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me." Jesus dropped a bomb on the gathering. At the time they should have felt safe, Jesus tells them the betrayer is present. They were saddened and surprised. Each protested his innocence. "It’s not I Lord." One by one, they all said this to Jesus. Each one wanted Jesus and the others to know that he was not disloyal.

There at the table was the one who would betray Jesus. In one way, betrayal was in all of them. Each would deny Jesus and desert him. From the first time Jesus said those words, this is my body, sin and deception was present. From the first time he said, this is my blood of the covenant, the reason for his death was there around the table. Only one would be his betrayer, but all had sinful disloyalty.

The Lord’s Supper is not for the perfect, because none are perfect. When you come near the Lord’s Table and hear the call to repent of your sin, don’t look around. That call is not for someone else—it is for you. Don’t look to another time, as if you used to need forgiveness but now you are OK. You need Jesus’ forgiveness now. The Supper reminds you of that. It also reminds you that you can have Jesus’ forgiveness now.

Did Judas the betrayer eat the bread and drink from the cup that Jesus passed? I would like to think that he did not. If anyone should be barred from the table, it would be Judas. Yet, as I look at the text, I think Judas was there for the bread and the cup. If so, it is a poignant illustration of the truth of St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians: those who eat the bread and drink the cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Jesus told them that the betrayer would be one of the twelve. It would happen according to God’s plan, but woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. Judas heard the words of Jesus. Even though he protested his innocence with the rest, Judas had already agreed to betray Jesus. The 30 pieces of silver—the price of betrayal—were in his pocket at that very moment. Jesus was giving Judas a final warning. Judas could return the money and not go through with it. This was the kindness of God urging repentance. You remember that Judas would try to return the money later, but he could not undo his sin. Can any of us undo our sin?

If the betrayal of Jesus was all laid out beforehand, is it really Judas’s fault? The simple answer is, "Yes." God does not trick or force Judas into doing this deed. Jesus even tries to dissuade him by giving the warning. "Judas, you have been found out. There is still time to repent." There was time, but no repentance. Just as it is with all sin, this sin was committed because the sinful heart wanted to do it. Judas authored his own sin. We author our own sin.

With the hurt and pain in the room, the disciples tried to chew their food. At that moment Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it and broke it, saying, Take it; this is my body. Then in like manner he took the cup. Through uncertainty and confusion in their hearts, the disciples heard Jesus’ words of forgiveness and restoration.

The Lord’s Supper is not just for times when you are feeling holy. At the time Jesus instituted the words, there was turmoil around the table. You do not need to "get holy" in order to take communion. The Supper calls you to the holiness and peace of Christ. It reminds you of your sin that caused Jesus’ death on the cross. It points to the love of God that made the atoning cross possible. Look at how much God loves you that he would send his only Son for your redemption.