The Eucharist in the Bible

The Eucharist, also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, is the meal instituted by Jesus on the night before His crucifixion as a perpetual remembrance of His sacrificial death. The word "eucharist" comes from the Greek for thanksgiving, recalling that Jesus "gave thanks" as He took the bread. At the table He "took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me'" (Luke 22:19). The cup carries the same depth of meaning, pointing to the new covenant sealed in His blood. "And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'" (Luke 22:20). Matthew records the same scene: "Take, eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26). The bread and cup proclaim the body broken and the blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. Paul preserves the earliest written account of the institution, stressing that he received it "from the Lord": "the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it" (1 Corinthians 11:23-24), and "in the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'" (1 Corinthians 11:25). The supper is also a proclamation of hope: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). Jesus underscored its necessity in John 6:53, declaring that there is no life apart from feeding on Him. The Eucharist therefore unites remembrance, communion, covenant, thanksgiving, and expectant hope in one sacred act.