The Last Supper was the Passover meal Jesus shared with His twelve apostles in an upper room in Jerusalem on the night before He was crucified. The Bible tells it in Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-38 and John 13-17, and Paul repeats Jesus' words in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. At the meal Jesus washed His disciples' feet, revealed that Judas would betray Him, gave a new commandment to love one another, and took bread and wine, saying, "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). Christians remember it in Communion.
The Last Supper is one of the most painted scenes in history, but the Bible's own account is richer than any single picture. Each Gospel adds something. Matthew and Mark give the words over the bread and cup and the shocking announcement of betrayal. Luke adds Jesus' longing to eat this Passover and the cup after supper. John leaves out the bread and cup entirely and instead tells of the foot washing, the dipped morsel given to Judas and the long farewell talk. Paul, writing perhaps twenty years later, passes on the words as the church already used them. This page puts the passages together, scene by scene, in 12 KJV verses. For the timeline of the whole week, see the Holy Week timeline; for Jesus' teaching that night, see John 14 KJV.
Preparing the Passover and washing feet
1. Luke 22:7-8
"Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat."
The Last Supper was a Passover meal, the yearly feast remembering how God rescued Israel from Egypt (Exodus 12). Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. Lambs were sacrificed at the temple that afternoon and eaten after sunset with unleavened bread, bitter herbs and wine. Jesus sent two of His closest disciples ahead: Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. The setting matters. The meal that celebrated a lamb whose blood saved God's people became the meal where Jesus explained His own death.
2. Mark 14:15
"And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us."
Jesus told Peter and John to follow a man carrying a pitcher of water and ask the owner of the house for the guest chamber. And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. Furnished means set with couches, since people reclined at a Passover meal. The owner is not named; the arrangements seem to have been made quietly, perhaps so that Judas could not tell the authorities where Jesus would be before the meal was finished. Christians call this room the Upper Room, and it is mentioned again in Acts 1:13.
3. Luke 22:14-16
"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 any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. Jesus opened the meal with deep feeling: With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. The doubled phrase is a Hebrew way of saying very much. He knew it was His last meal before the cross, and He wanted to share it with His friends. I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Every Passover had looked back to Egypt; this one also looked forward to a great feast still to come.
4. John 13:4-5
"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded."
John records what the other Gospels leave out. During the meal Jesus riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet. Washing feet was a servant's job; on dusty roads in sandals, feet were filthy. None of the twelve had offered, and Luke says that same evening they argued about which of them was greatest (Luke 22:24). Peter at first refused to let Jesus wash him, until Jesus said, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me (John 13:8).
The example, the betrayer and the new commandment
5. John 13:14-15
"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."
Afterwards Jesus explained what He had done: If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Some churches practice foot washing on Maundy Thursday to follow this command literally. All Christians are called to its meaning: greatness in Jesus' kingdom looks like humble service. A few hours later Jesus would give the ultimate example by laying down His life. See Bible verses about leadership.
6. Matthew 26:21-22
"And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?"
Then came the moment Leonardo da Vinci painted on a wall in Milan in the 1490s. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. The disciples' response is striking: they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? No one pointed at someone else. Each one questioned his own heart. Jesus added that the betrayer was one who dipped his hand with Him in the dish, the closest kind of table fellowship (Matthew 26:23, Psalm 41:9).
7. John 13:26-27
"Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly."
When the beloved disciple quietly asked who it was, Jesus answered with a sign: He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. A sop is a morsel of bread dipped in the dish, which a host might give to an honored guest. Jesus offered it to Judas, a final gesture of friendship. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. The others thought Judas was going to buy something for the feast. John adds four chilling words: and it was night (John 13:30).
8. John 13:34-35
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
With Judas gone, Jesus gave His remaining disciples A new commandment: That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. The command to love was old (Leviticus 19:18); the measure was new: as I have loved you, the love that had just washed their feet and would soon die for them. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. The name Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word mandatum, commandment, from this verse. See Bible verses about love.
This is my body, this is my blood
9. Luke 22:19
"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."
During the meal, Jesus gave the familiar Passover bread a new meaning. 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. Christians have understood the words This is my body in different ways, but all agree on what Jesus asked: to remember Him, and His body given for us, whenever believers break bread together. The phrase gave thanks translates the Greek word behind Eucharist, one of the names for this meal. See Bible verses about communion.
10. Luke 22:20
"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Testament here means covenant. At Mount Sinai, Moses sprinkled the blood of sacrifices on the people and called it the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:8). Jeremiah had promised a new covenant in which God would write His law on hearts and remember sins no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34). At the Last Supper, Jesus said that new covenant was about to be sealed, not with an animal's blood, but with His own.
11. Matthew 26:29
"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."
Jesus ended the meal with a promise and a farewell: 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. The Last Supper was last only for a time. It points ahead to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), when Jesus will share the cup with His people again. Then they sang a hymn, probably from the Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) sung at Passover, and went out to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30).
12. 1 Corinthians 11:26
"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come."
Paul, who was not at the meal, passed on Jesus' words to the church in Corinth as something he had received from the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23). He added what the meal means for every generation: For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Every time Christians share Communion, they preach a sermon without words. They look back to the cross and forward to Christ's return. The Last Supper was one night in Jerusalem; its meaning reaches until He comes again.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the night You shared the Passover with Your friends, knowing what was coming. Thank You for washing feet, and teach me to serve the same way. Search my heart as Your disciples searched theirs: Lord, is it I? Thank You for Your body given for me and Your blood of the new covenant shed for me. Help me to love others as You have loved me. Each time I take the bread and the cup, let me remember You and long for the day I drink it new with You. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Study the Last Supper with the free SOAP sheet · Get the SOAP Bible Study Journal · Download free printable Bible study lessons
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Last Supper in the Bible?
The Last Supper is told in all four Gospels: Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-38 and John 13:1-17:26. John's account focuses on the foot washing and Jesus' farewell teaching rather than the bread and cup. Paul gives the words of the bread and cup in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, the earliest written record of them.
What did Jesus eat at the Last Supper?
The Last Supper was a Passover meal, so it would have included roasted lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and wine, as commanded in Exodus 12. The Gospels mention only the bread, the cup and a dish into which food was dipped (Matthew 26:23). Some scholars debate the exact timing of the Passover that year, but Matthew, Mark and Luke all call the meal the passover.
Who was at the Last Supper?
Jesus and the twelve apostles were at the Last Supper (Luke 22:14), including Judas Iscariot, who left during the meal to betray Him (John 13:30). The apostles were Peter, Andrew, James and John (sons of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus (also called Judas, not Iscariot), Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. See the 12 disciples of Jesus.
What day was the Last Supper?
The Last Supper took place on the Thursday evening of Holy Week, the night before the crucifixion on Good Friday. Many churches remember it on Maundy Thursday, which in 2027 falls on March 25, three days before Easter Sunday on March 28. See the Holy Week timeline for the whole week day by day.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Holy Week timeline · John 14 KJV · Communion · The 12 disciples · Good Friday · Love · Easter · Were You There · Free Lent Bible reading plan (Maundy Thursday is Day 38)
Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans
