“And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.’” (Matthew 26:27–28 NLT)

As the hour of Jesus’ arrest approached, we see God’s plan continuing to unfold with amazing precision. Jesus and His disciples needed a place to share the traditional Passover meal together. God arranged for them to encounter a man with just such a place (see Luke 22:10–13).

This Last Supper would be the last time these thirteen men, who had shared and experienced so much in their three years together, would ever be in the same room. And before their food had time to digest, the world as they knew it would be changed forever. Jesus used this final teachable moment to prepare them for what was to come.

Using the elements of the meal, He explained the sacrifice He was about to make. The bread represented His body, which was about to be nailed to a cross—that is, given in place of ours. The wine represented His blood. He said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20 NLT). Jesus’ blood covers our sins and makes us righteous in God’s eyes.

The disciples may have been reminded of the words He spoke after He had fed five thousand men (plus thousands more women and children) with only five barley loaves and two fish:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. . . . I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh. . . . I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:35, 51, 53–57 NLT).

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 NLT). When we share Communion together today, that’s exactly what we’re doing: remembering the sacrifice Jesus made.

The disciples needed to understand that sacrifice because, sooner than they possibly could have imagined, they would be sharing the news of it with the world.

That privilege and responsibility didn’t end with them. Every follower of Christ must be a truth-teller. We must help others see the truth of Christ’s sacrifice—why it was necessary, what it accomplished, and what it means for us.

Reflection question: Aside from Communion, how do you commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood?

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“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” (Matthew 26:1–2 NLT)

At the same time Jesus was breaking the news of His imminent death to His disciples, the leading priests and elders plotting His death were trying to work around a snag in their plans. Jesus was still popular with the Jewish people. (Their meeting was taking place only three days after Jesus’ triumphant arrival on Palm Sunday.)

Complicating things even further was the fact that Passover was one of the holiest celebrations on the Jewish calendar. Executing someone many people believed to be the Messiah during Passover was a good way to start a riot.

And a riot was the last thing the Jewish religious leaders wanted. Their goal was to maintain the status quo. The Romans were extremely tolerant of Jewish worship practices. Roman leaders understood that respecting the religious traditions and customs of conquered territories promoted stability in the empire. As long as things remained peaceful and orderly—and taxes were paid, of course—the Romans were content to let the Jewish priests and elders lead as they saw fit.

Jesus threatened not only the status quo with Rome but also the leadership of the priests and elders. Throughout His ministry, He challenged their authority and exposed their hypocrisy. As He neared the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus became bolder in His challenges. He was forcing their hand so that they had no choice but to kill Him.

Their task was made easier by the help of someone in Jesus’ inner circle. “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, ‘How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?’ And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus” (Matthew 26:14–16 NLT).

The Bible doesn’t say why Judas betrayed Jesus—only that “Satan entered into” him. What we do know is that Judas regretted his decision. When he heard that Jesus had been condemned to death, he hanged himself. The blood money he received was used to buy a potter’s field.

Judas’ betrayal may seem like the ultimate surprise plot twist—the blindside that no one saw coming. But there’s one problem with that interpretation: His betrayal was prophesied centuries before it happened.

David wrote, “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9 NLT).

The prophet Zechariah wrote, “And I said to them, ‘If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.’ So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord” (Zechariah 11:12–13 NLT).

Everything that led to Jesus’ death on the cross was carefully orchestrated by God. It was all part of His perfect plan of salvation. And it was driven by His amazing love for us.

Reflection question: Why is it sometimes hard to see God’s plan at work?

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“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:21 NLT)

After Jesus described the events surrounding His Second Coming, He ended His Olivet Discourse by sharing four parables with His disciples. The parables continue the themes of punishment and preparing for the Master’s return. But each one adds a new perspective to the discussion.

The first parable, found in Matthew 24:45–51, deals with a faithful servant who manages his master’s household wisely while his master is away. The faithful servant cares for and feeds his fellow servants. When the master returns, he rewards the faithful servant by entrusting him with greater responsibilities. An evil servant, on the other hand, beats his fellow servants, parties, and gets drunk while his master is away. When the master returns, he punishes the evil servant.

The wise servant was faithful because he trusted that his master would return. That’s why he took his responsibilities so seriously. The evil servant acted wickedly because he had some doubts about his master returning. He chose to follow his own agenda instead of his master’s.

The second parable, found in Matthew 25:1–13, involves ten bridesmaids who go to meet the bridegroom at midnight. Five wise bridesmaids made sure to take enough olive oil for their lamps; five foolish bridesmaids didn’t. The five foolish bridesmaids leave to buy oil. While they’re gone, the bridegroom comes and escorts the five wise bridesmaids to the wedding feast. The five foolish bridesmaids are locked out. The bridegroom is Jesus. The five wise bridesmaids are followers who are prepared for His return. The five foolish bridesmaids are those who are unprepared for His coming.

The third parable, found in Matthew 25:14–30, deals with a master who entrusts three servants with money while he’s away. Two of the servants invest the money entrusted to them so that they have a return to show their master when he comes back. They are rewarded for wisely using what their master gave them. The third servant buried the money entrusted to him because he was afraid of losing it. He is punished for his foolish use of his resources. The first two servants knew and trusted their master. The third servant did not.

The fourth parable, found in Matthew 25:31–46, is set after Jesus returns to judge the world. He will separate the sheep, the people who accepted Him as Savior and Lord, from the goats, the people who rejected Him. The sheep, whose lives were changed by Jesus, cared for those closest to His heart—the poor, the needy, the outcasts. The goats, whose lives were unchanged, ignored those people.

Two thousand years after Jesus shared these parables with His followers, their truths still resonate. We don’t know when Jesus will return. But we have important responsibilities to fulfill in the meantime. Let’s make the most of our time by growing in our faith, encouraging and supporting our fellow believers, and sharing Jesus’ message with the people who need to hear it.

Reflection question: What do you take away from the last four parables Jesus shared with His followers?

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