Matthew and Mark's accounts of this event are similar, but Paul's is more like Luke's.
14:22 The bread Jesus ate would have been the unleavened bread that the Jews used in the Passover meal. The blessing Jesus pronounced was a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the bread, not a consecration of the bread itself.338Jesus' distribution of the bread to the disciples was more significant than His breaking of it. By passing it to them He symbolically shared Himself with them. When Jesus said, "This is my body,"He meant the bread represented His body (cf. Luke 12:1; John 10:7). The disciples could hardly have eaten the literal flesh of Jesus since He was standing among them. Moreover the Jews abhorred eating human flesh and did not drink even animal blood much less human blood (cf. Lev. 3:17; 7:26-27; 17:10-14).339
14:23-24 The common cup likewise symbolized Jesus' sharing Himself with the disciples and their unity as disciples.340Jesus' viewed His blood as the ratifying agent of the New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31:31-34) as animal blood had made the Old (Mosaic) Covenant valid (Exod. 24:8). The Greek word translated "covenant"is diatheke, a word that describes an agreement made by one person for others. A different word, syntheke, describes an agreement that two parties made in which both had obligations to each other. The diluted wine in the cup was also a reminder of the covenant's existence.341Jesus' blood poured out is an obvious allusion to His death. "For"translates the Greek preposition hypermeaning "in behalf of"or "instead of,"a clear reference to vicarious atonement (cf. Matt. 26:28). "Many"means all (cf. 10:45; Isa. 53:11-12).
"By the word manyhe means not a part of the world only, but the whole human race."342
14:25 The phrase "the fruit of the vine"may have been a liturgical formula describing wine used at a feast.343In any case Jesus was saying He would not drink wine again until He did so in the kingdom. Jesus was anticipating the messianic banquet at the beginning of His kingdom (cf. Isa. 25:6). This was a welcome promise in view of Jesus' announcement of His coming death.
"Jesus seldom spoke of His death without also speaking of His resurrection (8:31; 9:31; 10:34)."344
"New"or "anew"means in a qualitatively different way (Gr. kainon). Now Jesus and the disciples anticipated suffering and death, but then they would anticipate joy and glory.
14:26 The hymn was probably the second part of the Hallel(lit. praise, Ps. 115-118) that the Jews sang antiphonally at the end of the Passover. The other evangelists recorded more that Jesus said and did in the upper room (e.g., John 13-16). By the time they left, it was probably quite late at night.
