Big Idea: There are two primary aspects to this story: (1) Jesus has given himself as the Passover sacrifice, producing a new exodus and a new covenant; (2) the disciples will fail, but Jesus will meet them after his resurrection and give them the strength to overcome.

Understanding the Text

This is the core of the eucharistic scene, the reason why Jesus celebrated the Last Supper—to show his disciples that his coming death was to be a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

Structure

There is an A-B-A-B pattern in the Last Supper:

A Jesus prepares for the interpretive meal (vv. 12–14);

B he prophecies Judas’s betrayal (vv. 15–21);

A? as the meal progresses, he interprets the elements to show his coming death as a new exodus, a redemption event (vv. 22–26);

B? he prophecies t…