Luke 22:19 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →On His last night, Jesus gives His friends bread and Himself, and asks them to remember.
The Context of Luke 22:19
The Last Supper, the Passover meal Jesus shared with His disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, hours before His arrest (Luke 22:7-15). On the very feast that recalled God delivering Israel from Egypt, Jesus speaks of His own body given for them.
What Does Luke 22:19 Mean?
Watch the simple actions: He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and handed it to them. These were familiar gestures at any Jewish table, yet Jesus fills them with new meaning. The bread He breaks is His body, soon to be broken on the cross, and He says it is given 'for you'. Then He asks them to keep doing this in remembrance of Him. He is turning an ordinary loaf into a lasting way to recall His love.
This is Jesus showing His friends, before it happened, what His death would mean. His body was not taken from Him; He gave it, freely and for them, and for us. Every time His people share this bread, they are drawn back to that gift and brought near to Him again. The Lord who broke bread that night still meets His own at the table, and what He offers there is Himself.
Luke 22:19 in the Original Language
anamnesis (ἀνάμνησις), 'remembrance' -- a calling to mind that makes the past present, more than a passing memory.
Where Luke 22:19 Echoes in Scripture
Paul handed this same scene on to the church: 'this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me' (1 Corinthians 11:24), saying he received it from the Lord.
How to Apply Luke 22:19 Today
Jesus asked to be remembered, and He gave us bread to do it with. When we come to His table, we return to the love that gave His body for us. It is a place to set down our hurry and be near Him again.