Lesson 03 · The upper room
This cup
“This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Luke 22:19–20
At a Passover table — a meal that was itself a memorial of rescue — Jesus takes the cup and says the words Jeremiah had promised centuries earlier.
Every covenant in Scripture had a sign: a rainbow, circumcision, a Sabbath. This one has bread and wine, and the sign is His own body.
Notice who is at that table. Judas is there. Peter, hours from denying Him, is there. Jesus hands the cup to people who are about to fail Him, which is exactly the point.
Communion isn't a reward for a good week. It's the sign of a covenant God keeps carrying from His side.
Put plainly
The new covenant was handed to a table full of people about to let Jesus down. That's who it was always for.
Sit with this
- Do you come to communion feeling like you earned it or like you need it?
- Why do you think Jesus chose a meal as the sign?
If you're giving the message
- 01Jesus quotes Jeremiah's promise at the Last Supper.
- 02Every covenant has a sign; this one's sign is Christ Himself.
- 03He served Judas and Peter both.