26:26 and brake it. This is the first of twelve references in the New Testament to the breaking of bread, each reminding the participants of Christ’s sacrificial death. The last is in Paul’s exposition of the Lord’s supper and its meaning (I Corinthians 11:23-24).

26:28 my blood. The next verse makes it clear that the liquid in the cup was not actual blood but “the fruit of the vine.” Nevertheless, it became an unforgettable symbol of His shed blood, just as the bread represented His broken body. This last meal of the Lord has, therefore, been commemorated by His followers ever since (I Corinthians 11:23-26). The regular practice of the Lord’s supper, or the Holy Communion, or whatever it may be called by different churches, has thus itself become a perpetual testimony to the authenticity of the Christian faith. There is no way of accounting for the beginning of this universal and unique practice except that Christ Himself commanded it just before He died. It could have been initiated only when this account was first read by the churches, for it has been observed ever since the last supper of Christ. In fact, if it were not already being observed when the written account was first received, the written account would itself have been rejected as false.