35] They did eat and as they ate, Jesus introduced the New Covenant   

Matthew 26:26-28 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat: This is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying: Drink ye all of it; for this my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sin. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Mark 14:22-25 “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed, and brake it and gave them and said Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day I drink it new in the kingdom of God. ” 

Luke 22:17-20 “And he took the cup, and gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread and gave thanks and brake it and gave unto them saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

Notice Luke’s account. Luke mentions two separate cups.

According to Luke, the cup after supper was the cup of the New Covenant.

The cup before supper was not the cup of the blood of the New Covenant. This cup before supper was the cup of the fruit of the vine which Christ said he would not drink of until the Kingdom of God shall come.

Continuing, notice in the Book of Luke, we read information that is not found in Matthew or Mark.

Luke reveals that Christ did not eat the Passover that year.

Notice first in Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:16 and Luke 22:13 we read, “… they made ready the Passover.

Now in Matthew 26:20-21 the next sequence of Matthew’s narration informs us, Now when evening was come he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat he said verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Next in Mark 14:17-18 the next sequence of the narrative tells us, And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

Now notice what information Luke provides. Let us read Luke 22:13. And they went and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.

Let us now read the next scripture; the sequence of narration from Luke’s writings. Notice what Christ tells His disciples as He was with them in the Upper Room; information which neither Mathew nor Mark record.

Luke 22:14-16 (KJV) “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not eat any more thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."

Let us read Luke 22:15-16 from the Interlinear Bible (the Textus Receptus):  "with desire, I desired this Passover to eat with you before the me to suffer. I say for to you that never in any way I eat of it until when it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."

Let us also consider the Nestle-Aland Greek-English New Testament (edition 27 from the Codex Sinaiticus), which reads:  “And he said unto them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom.”

Regardless of which translation one reads, notice carefully, read Luke’s narrative once again. Luke does not say “they sat down and ate.” Rather Luke records that Jesus said, “’I earnestly desired’” to eat this Passover, but I will not.”

Why would Jesus express this desire to want to eat it if that night they did eat or would be eating the Passover?

The fact is, Christ realized even though He desired to eat the Feast of Passover meal with His disciples on the night of the 15^th (when it should be eaten), He could not. For the truth of the matter was, He knew He would be dead by the time the Passover meal would be eaten.

Just as Jesus prayed three times, Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, so Christ’s desire was to be with His disciples another year and to enjoy another Passover with them.

But now that his hour had come, he knew there was no turning back.

What hour was Luke referring to, of which Christ knew had now come?

John 13:1; it was now His time to die and this year was the year.

Consider this commentary with regard to Luke 22:15-16:

"Again it is possible that it was a deliberate choice and in view of the ominous developments of those days Jesus moved his observance of the Passover ahead one day. In this connection his statement in Lk 22:15-16 may be significant. He speaks of how earnestly he has desired to eat the passover with his disciples before he suffers, and according to Codex Bazae, the Washington Codex, certain minuscules and Syriac versions and the Koine text, he says: "for I tell you I shall never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God." But according to the Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Ephraemi rescriptus, and some minuscules and Egyptian versions, he said: "for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God." The first and less attested form of the saying supposes that he was actually then eating the real Passover meal. The second and much better attested form of the saying supposes that he wanted to do so, but was unable. If the later form of the saying represents the actual situation at the time, we think that the Johannine record is literally correct in picturing the last supper as a meal held one evening prior to the real passover meal, and we could also surmise that the Synoptics were led to present the last supper as itself the passover meal because it was held so close to the time when the passover meal itself was to be held."

  HANDBOOK OF BIBLICAL         

  CHRONOLOGY

  JACK FINNEGAN

  PAGE 289

From Matthew and Mark we are never told; they ate the Passover.

From Luke we are told; they ate a supper, not the Passover.

Notice Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper (deipneo Strong’s 1172 – meaning principle or evening meal, sup, supper), saying, this cup is the new testament …

What Luke wrote agrees with what Paul taught. I Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped (deipneo), saying, this is the cup of the new testament …

One more time, we can ask; if that meal was the Passover, why was it not called the Passover?

Why did neither Luke nor Paul write, He took the cup after Passover? Supper (as a meal) is by far different than Passover (as a meal).