Do This in Remembrance of Me: The Meaning of Luke 22:19

At the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples with the words, "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19 has shaped Christian worship through Communion, the Eucharist, and the Lord's Supper. Christian traditions explain the meal in different ways, but all return to the actions and words of Jesus. The verse joins memory to a shared meal, gratitude, self giving love, and the events of the cross.

What does "Do this in remembrance of me" mean?

The command means that Jesus' followers are to repeat the meal as an active remembrance of him and of what he gives for them. Luke 22:19 says in the KJV, "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." Biblical remembrance is more than recalling information from the past. In worship, it brings a defining act of God before the community so that identity, gratitude, and conduct are shaped by it in the present. The disciples are not asked merely to admire the moment. They receive bread together and are told to continue the practice. The word "this" includes visible actions: taking, giving thanks, breaking, giving, and eating. The remembrance is therefore embodied and communal. It directs attention to Jesus, to his willing self giving, and to a people formed around receiving a gift they did not create for themselves.

Why did Jesus use bread at the Last Supper?

Jesus used bread because it belonged to the shared meal and could become a sign of his body given for the disciples. Luke places the supper in the setting of Passover, a festival of remembrance connected with Israel's deliverance from Egypt. Within that setting, Jesus takes an ordinary and necessary food and gives it a focused meaning through his words and actions. The bread is taken, blessed with thanksgiving, broken, and distributed. Those actions make the sign both personal and shared. Christians differ in how they understand Christ's presence in the bread and wine, and the verse should not be used to erase those real theological differences. Still, the common center is clear: Jesus interprets his approaching death as a gift "for you." Bread that sustains physical life becomes the sign through which the church remembers his self giving life. Its ordinariness also means the remembrance can be repeated wherever a community gathers.

What is the connection between the Last Supper and Communion?

Communion continues the pattern Jesus gave at the Last Supper by sharing bread and the cup in remembrance of him. The practice is also called the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper, with names emphasizing thanksgiving, fellowship, and the meal's origin. Paul's account in 1 Corinthians 11 repeats the command to remember and shows that early Christians already treated the supper as a received tradition. Churches differ about who presides, who receives, how often it is celebrated, and how Christ is present. Those differences are significant, but Luke 22:19 supplies a shared scriptural center. The meal looks backward to Jesus' death, gathers believers around a present act of thanksgiving, and points toward the kingdom Jesus mentions in the surrounding passage. Communion is not simply a private visual aid. Because one bread is shared, it also asks a community to consider its relationships, its care for others, and the unity it confesses.

Why does Jesus give thanks before breaking the bread?

Jesus gives thanks because the meal is received before it is shared, placing gratitude at the center of remembrance. Luke's sequence is deliberate: Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it. The English word Eucharist comes from a Greek word associated with thanksgiving, which is why many Christian traditions use that name for the sacrament. Gratitude here is not shallow optimism. Jesus gives thanks while knowing that betrayal, arrest, suffering, and death are near. The action therefore holds thanksgiving together with costly love. It also prevents Communion from becoming only a meditation on sorrow. The bread is gift, and the response begins with thanks. When Christians repeat the meal, thanksgiving directs attention away from achievement and toward grace received. It can also shape life beyond the service, since those who receive a shared gift are called to become people who give, forgive, and make room for others.

How do Christians understand "This is my body"?

Christians agree that the words identify the bread with Jesus' body given for his followers, but traditions explain that relationship differently. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, and other Protestant communities use distinct language for Christ's presence in the sacrament. Some emphasize a real sacramental presence, while others emphasize spiritual participation or a memorial act. A short explanation of Luke 22:19 cannot settle those differences, and the verse is better approached with humility than by pretending all churches mean the same thing. The text itself keeps several truths together: Jesus gives himself, the disciples receive, the bread is shared, and the act is to continue in remembrance. These words locate the meaning of the meal in Christ's initiative rather than in the worthiness of the participants. Across traditions, the verse calls the church back to the giver and to the love made visible in his gift.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Jesus say "Do this in remembrance of me"?

The words appear in Luke 22:19 and in Paul's account of the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:24 to 25. In Luke, Jesus speaks them after taking bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and giving it to the disciples during the shared meal before his arrest.

What does the bread represent in Luke 22:19?

Jesus identifies the bread with his body given for the disciples. Christian traditions differ in how they explain that relationship and Christ's presence in Communion. They share the central focus on Jesus' self giving, the reception of the bread, and his command to continue the meal in remembrance.

Are Communion, Eucharist, and the Lord's Supper the same?

The terms usually name the Christian practice rooted in Jesus' final meal, though each emphasizes something different. Communion highlights fellowship, Eucharist highlights thanksgiving, and the Lord's Supper highlights the meal instituted by Jesus. Practices and theological explanations vary among churches.

Which Bible translation is quoted in this article?

The direct quotation of Luke 22:19 is from the King James Version. Its wording includes "brake it" and "this do in remembrance of me." Modern translations generally use "broke it" and "do this in remembrance of me" while conveying the same sequence of actions.