THE bread and the cup

THE TABLE — WEEK 3

LUKE 22

INTRODUCTION — THE TABLE ALWAYS LEADS TO JESUS

Church… We’ve talked about the invitation, we’ve talked about the seat, and today… we arrive at the center of the table.

The Table is not about food. It’s not about tradition. It’s not about religion. The Table is about Jesus.

Because at His table… He doesn’t just invite us. He feeds us. He strengthens us. He restores us. He renews us. He heals us. He forgives us. He fills us.

And in Luke 22, the King Himself sits at a table… hours before going to the cross… and He gives us the meaning behind everything He has ever done.

Not in a sermon. Not in a parable. Not in a temple.

But… at a table. Because Jesus always reveals the Kingdom around a table.

🙏 OPENING PRAYER

Father, we come before You with open hearts. Open our eyes to see Jesus clearly. Open our ears to hear Your voice. Open our spirit to receive Your presence today.

Prepare our hearts for the bread and the cup. Prepare our minds to understand the covenant. Prepare our souls to sit at Your table.

Remove distractions. Silence shame. Break every lie.

Holy Spirit, draw us close. Reveal Jesus to us. Sit with us at the table.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SET THE TONE — WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THAT TABLE

This wasn’t a normal meal. This wasn’t routine. This wasn’t tradition.

This was the last meal before the cross. Hours before betrayal. Hours before suffering. Hours before He gives His life.

Yet Jesus doesn’t gather soldiers, He doesn’t preach, He doesn’t call angels…

He sets a table.

Because the table represents access. Access to His body. Access to His blood. Access to His Kingdom. Access to His love. Access to His life.

📖 SCRIPTURE — LUKE 22:14–20

14When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. 

15Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 

16For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

17Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 

18For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

19He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

20After supper he took another cup of wine and 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.

POINT 1 — “THIS IS MY BODY BROKEN FOR YOU”

When Jesus takes the bread, He doesn’t start with explanation — He starts with gratitude.

“He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it…”

Why is this important?

Because Jesus is thanking God for the very body that will soon be beaten. He is thanking God for the body that will be nailed to a cross. He is thanking God for the suffering that will save humanity.

This reveals a Kingdom truth:

Kingdom people thank God even when the breaking is coming.

Jesus blesses what is about to be broken because He knows the breaking is not the end — the breaking is where the miracle begins.

Bread doesn’t multiply until it’s broken. Strength doesn’t come until the grain is crushed. Wine doesn’t flow until the grapes are pressed.

Everything useful in the Kingdom starts with breaking.

The alabaster box had to be broken. Gideon’s jars had to be broken. Jesus’ body had to be broken. Our pride has to be broken. Our independence has to be broken. Our old identity has to be broken.

Jesus isn’t saying, “My body was broken.” He says, “My body is broken for you.”

Which means:

Your healing is connected to His breaking. Your wholeness is connected to His wounds. Your forgiveness is connected to His suffering.

Every place you feel broken… Jesus has already been broken there.

If your heart is broken → His heart was pierced. If your body is weak → His body was torn. If your identity is broken → His identity was shamed. If you’ve been betrayed → He was betrayed too.

Jesus didn’t die instead of you. He died for you. With your name in His wounds.

And at the table, He isn’t handing you bread. He’s handing you Himself.

POINT 2 — “THIS CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD”

In Scripture, covenants were ALWAYS sealed with blood.

But Jesus changes everything:

No more lambs. No more goats. No more rituals. No more repeating sacrifices.

The Lamb of God offers the blood of God to create a covenant with God that cannot be broken.

This cup means:

You are forgiven once and for all. Not temporarily. Not until your next mistake. The blood of Jesus doesn’t cover sin — it erases it.

You are joined to Christ. Not just forgiven — joined. His life is your life. His righteousness is your righteousness. His victory is your victory.

You belong to a Kingdom family. You are not a guest — you are a son or daughter.

You have legal access to God. The blood is the passport. The blood is the access code. The blood is your authority.

God is bound to His promise toward you. He cannot lie. He cannot change His mind. He will not abandon the covenant sealed in His Son’s blood.

This cup is not wine. This cup is a Kingdom contract signed in the blood of Jesus.

When you drink the cup, you are declaring:

“I am in covenant with the King.”

That is why hell hates communion. Because every time you drink the cup:

guilt loses, shame loses, condemnation loses, the enemy’s accusations lose.

The cup declares: “I am forgiven, I am covered, I am in covenant, and I am His.”

POINT 3 — JESUS SHARED THE TABLE WITH IMPERFECT PEOPLE

Church… Jesus could have chosen anyone.

Imagine this:

Hours before He suffers, hours before He is betrayed, hours before He is crucified…

He chooses to spend His last moments with imperfect men.

• Peter — loud, emotional, unstable • Thomas — analytical, struggling with faith • James & John — ambitious, positional • Judas — the betrayer • The rest — fearful, weak

And Jesus knows all of this…

AND HE STILL SETS THE TABLE FOR THEM.

Because:

The Table of Jesus is not for the perfect — it’s for the imperfect who keep coming back.

The Table is for: ✔ failures ✔ doubters ✔ strugglers ✔ the inconsistent ✔ the broken ✔ the ashamed ✔ the ones who still want Jesus even when they fail

Your imperfections don’t disqualify you — they draw Him closer.

Jesus breaks the bread KNOWING He is feeding men who will fail Him.

He passes the cup KNOWING one of them will betray Him.

Jesus does not serve communion based on perfection… He serves based on promise.

🕊️ POINT 4 — JESUS DID NOT JUST GIVE THEM BREAD… HE GAVE THEM A PLACE

Before the cross, before the betrayal, before the nails…

Jesus secures one thing:

Their place at His table.

Why?

Because the table represents:

• Identity • Belonging • Authority • Family • Presence

Jesus wasn’t just sharing a meal — He was establishing their position.

Before God deals with your behavior, He secures your belonging.

Communion reminds you:

“You already have a seat. You already belong. You already matter. You already carry My name.”

And the enemy hates this point the most.

Because once a believer knows their seat… once they know their identity… once they know their access…

They walk in Kingdom confidence.

Communion is not a reminder of your past. Communion is a reminder of your place.

🧠 POINT 5 — “REMEMBER ME” MEANS “REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE IN ME”

Jesus wasn’t worried the disciples would “forget” Him like a name on a list.

He was talking about Kingdom memory — your ability to live out the truth of who Jesus is and who you are because of Him.

Communion is Jesus saying:

Remember your forgiveness Remember My sacrifice paid your debt Remember My blood made you righteous Remember you are Mine Remember you don’t fight alone Remember you live under covenant Remember you’re part of a Kingdom Remember you’re not who you used to be Remember I’m coming back for you

Life makes us forget. Communion makes us remember.

Communion resets your identity. Communion resets your faith. Communion resets your heart. Communion resets your focus.

It is a Kingdom reminder:

“You are Mine. I am yours. This is who you are now.”

POINT 6 — COMMUNION IS A KINGDOM ENCOUNTER

Paul says:

“As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

Communion is not a backward-looking ritual. It is a forward-looking proclamation.

When you take communion:

You declare the cross still has power You declare the blood still speaks You declare the resurrection is still alive You declare the covenant is still intact You declare the King is still returning You declare darkness has no authority You declare grace wins over shame You declare your identity in Christ is real You declare your place at the table is secured

Communion is not remembering a funeral — Communion is proclaiming a Kingdom victory.

Every time you eat and drink, you are saying:

“Jesus is alive. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is coming. I belong to His Kingdom.”

This is not routine. This is not religion. This is encounter.

COMMUNION INSTRUCTIONS (PASTOR-READY)

1. Transition Into Communion

Church, as we prepare to take Communion together… I want to remind you of something important:

Communion is not a ritual. Communion is not a routine. Communion is not something we do out of habit.

Communion is a Kingdom moment. A moment where heaven touches earth. A moment where the sacrifice of Jesus becomes personal again. A moment where we remember His body and His blood.

If you have your bread and your cup, go ahead and hold them in your hands.

Let’s come before the Lord with reverence, with gratitude, and with faith.

2. Instructions for the Bread

(Hold up the bread)

This bread represents the body of Jesus — the body that was broken FOR YOU.

The stripes He took… were for you. The pain He carried… was for you. The wounds He suffered… were for you. Every part of His breaking… brings life to you.

Jesus said:

“This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Church, wherever you are broken — physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually — His body brings healing.

Let’s pray:

“Father, thank You for the body of Jesus. Thank You that through His brokenness, we are made whole. We take this bread in faith, remembering the sacrifice that saved us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

— Now, take the bread. —

🍷 3. Instructions for the Cup

(Hold up the cup)

This cup represents the new covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus.

His blood cleanses you. His blood covers you. His blood protects you. His blood gives you access to the Father. His blood breaks every accusation of the enemy. His blood declares that you belong to the Kingdom.

Jesus said:

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”

Church, you are forgiven. You are cleansed. You are redeemed. You are His.

Let’s pray:

“Father, thank You for the blood of Jesus. Thank You for covenant, for forgiveness, for freedom, and for salvation. As we drink this cup, we declare that we belong to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

— Now, take the cup. —

4. Post-Communion Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your table. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for forgiveness, healing, mercy, and new beginnings.

Strengthen Your people. Restore every heart. Remind us that we belong to You and that we carry Your covenant everywhere we go.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.