As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
Parallel translations
- WEB As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.”
- KJV And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
- BSB While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”
- NKJV And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
- NASB While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper, giving bread as a sign of his body about to be given for them. It anchors Christian worship in his sacrificial death.
Overview
During the Passover meal Jesus reinterprets the bread around himself, declaring it to be his body. This points to the cross, where his body would be broken for his people. The Supper becomes the ongoing meal by which the church remembers and proclaims his death until he comes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 26:26–29As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
- Mark 14:24He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.
- 1 Cor 10:16–17The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ?
- 1 Cor 11:23–29For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.
- Luke 24:30When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave to them.
- Luke 22:18–20for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until God’s Kingdom comes.”
- John 6:48–58I am the bread of life.
- Matt 14:19He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
- Zech 5:7(and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah basket.”
- Mark 6:41He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves, and he gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all.
- Gen 41:26The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.
- John 6:23However boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
- Gal 4:25For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.
- 1 Cor 10:4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.