Daily Devotional For Sunday, March 8, 2026
We are making our way through Matthew 26 and today we come to Matthew 26:26-30:
“While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ (27) And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; (28) for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. (29) But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ (30) After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (NASB).
This experience was so powerful it is recorded in three other passages: Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20 and in 1 Corinthians 11:22-26. Jesus took the bread, blessed it and then distributed it to His disciples. He also took the cup and did the same thing. But there was a difference here with this Passover Seder. Jesus used the bread to refer to His body that would be broken and killed and the wine to refer to His own blood that would be shed. So, Jesus introduced new symbolism of it for His disciples and all future disciples.
John’s Gospel lets us know that at this point, satan fully entered Judas (see John 13:27) which Jesus told Judas to go do quickly what he had planned to do. The other Gospels let us know that the remaining disciples were clueless as to why Judas left. Thinking he was the Treasurer, they thought Judas had left to take care of some financial obligation (see John 13:28-29). One thing we do know is that this is one of the Psalms that was always read before they concluded with their hymns. That was Psalm 136. This is the Great Hallel, or praise psalms. John 13:30 tells us that after Judas received his morsel, he immediately left and went out into the night or darkness. Here it means not just the darkness of the night, but also spiritual darkness.
When it comes to the Lord’s Supper, there have been two different approaches to it:
- In the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) they literally believe that when they eat the bread and swallow it, it becomes the real flesh of Jesus. And when they drink the wine and swallow it, it becomes the real blood of Jesus. This is the RCC’s doctrine called Transubstantiation. As protestants, we do not believe this. Think of it this way. Let’s say you were to visit my office at church and you see a picture of a woman and you ask me, “Who is that?” I answer with, “That is my wife, Audrey.” I am pretty sure you would not believe that I am married to a picture frame. The picture is a visual image of my wife.
- In some Protestant, even Baptist churches, the Lord’s Supper has simply become a ritual we do on a certain Sunday. We stress that the bread and the wine/juice are symbolic and we lose the reverence and the thanksgiving of the sacrifice Jesus made. So, if you were to take that picture of my wife Audrey on my desk and spit on it, sling it across the room, smashing the frame and glass into pieces and damaging the picture, I would not say to you, ‘Oh, that is okay. It’s just a picture, a symbol of my wife. It really doesn’t matter how you treat it. You can burn it if you want to do that.” No, I would be angry because to show disrespect towards the symbol of my wife is to show disrespect against her and me. The same idea is seen in how people will trample on the American flag or burn it and get upset that the rest of us get upset. It is what that flag represents to us.
The same is true with The Lord’s Supper. We have a sacred responsibility to treat it with respect and reverence. To do anything less, is to disrespect and be irreverent to our Lord. The Lord’s Supper is more than something that is sensory – see, hear, taste and touch. It is an expression of the Gospel, our confession in Christ, our repentance from sin to Christ and being a whole new person in Christ with an attitude of gratitude. To do anything less, could bring the judgment of God on us (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-32).
Reflection Assignment: When you take The Lord’s Supper, what is your attitude? Is it gratitude? Is there respect and reverence for the Lord’s sacrifice? Is it just a ritual you do? The next time you have an opportunity to partake in Communion, be intentional not to betray Christ with the wrong attitude and action as Judas did. Be grateful. Be humble. Be sincere.
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Corinthians 11:29, “For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I have to admit that there are times I come to take communion and my heart is not in it. My gratitude is not in it. My humility is not in it. Please forgive me for treating You as Judas did. I admit my betrayal. I admit my sin. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly