During the final evening of the Savior's mortal life, He gathered His apostles together for the annual Passover celebration. He chose this occasion to introduce an ordinance which is known as the sacrament.
He taught His disciples that this new covenant represented His body and His blood. (Matt. 26:26,28.) Moreover, it was to be received in remembrance of Him. (Luke 22:19.)Then, as He concluded His instructions, He placed the sacrament in a specific context which only the Prophet Joseph Smith has preserved for us. In the Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 14:22 records that the Savior blessed the bread, gave it to His apostles and said: "Take it, and eat: Behold, this is for you to do in remembrance of my body; for as oft as ye do this will ye remember this hour that I was with you." (Italics added) Similarly, as Jesus blessed the wine and gave it to His disciples the JST reads: "And as oft as ye do this ordinance, ye will remember me in this hour that I was with you and drank with you of this cup, even the last time in my ministry." (Italics added)
These prophetic additions place a special importance upon the events of the Last Supper and all those who participate in the ordinance of the sacrament. What things should one ponder as the sacrament is received?
Remember Me in this hour: The Passover meal. It was no mere coincidence that the crowning moment in the Savior's life occurred during the Feast of the Passover. This ancient celebration prefigured the Savior's atoning sacrifice. Consider the following similarities.
Trumpets echoed throughout Jerusalem, heralding the onset of the Passover sacrifices. Blood from the Passover lamb was collected and sprinkled on the temple altar to symbolize the redemption of God's people. The legs of the lamb remained unbroken yet it was sacrificed and then spitted on a piece of wood. Each participant was required to eat some of the cooked meat of the lamb. Cups of wine were served in the meal with one designated as the "cup of blessing." Bitter herbs and bruised fruit were administered. Blood from the sacrifice was smeared on the doorposts to identify the believers. And always the youngest son asked the question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
The overall message of this solemn feast centered in the theme of divine deliverance through a blood sacrifice. President Howard W. Hunter, in the Clyde Williams edition of the Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, once characterized the Passover as a "covenant of safety." For Israel there was safety only in the blood of the paschal lamb.
In the upper room Jesus instituted the sacrament. Shortly thereafter, the symbols of the Passover were fulfilled in His ultimate sacrifice. Prophets had long predicted this transition with statements such as, "this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit, pointing to that great and last sacrifice." (Alma 34:14.)
For God's people the Passover was a preparation for the ordinance of the sacrament. Recalling the final Passover with its symbolic messages helps us remember the hour when He offered Himself as the sacrifice.
Remember Me in this hour: His final evening. As important as the Last Supper was in the Passover celebration, the Savior's final evening included much more. Events such as Christ washing the feet of the apostles, identifying His betrayer, and discussing the messenger of peace or the Holy Ghost were all within this evening. Reflecting on the Savior's responses in these interactions can deepen an appreciation for this hour.
Shortly after the Passover meal Jesus rose and washed the apostles' feet. (John 13:4.) This act was routinely required by a servant or slave. As Jesus approached Peter, the apostle tersely refused the gesture. Whereupon Jesus bluntly told him it was essential that He wash Peter's feet. Peter immediately conceded. This simple exchange emphasized Christ's ability to cleanse others and the constant requirement of humble service.
Shortly thereafter, Jesus shared His "sop" with the betrayer, Judas. Culturally, this act symbolized a close friendship. With perfect insight, Christ quietly told Judas to do quickly what he had set in motion. Jesus did not succumb to derisive or vengeful feelings even when it would have appeared justifiable.
Later that evening, sensing a mood of apprehension and fear, Jesus taught the eleven about the spiritual presence that would follow in His absence. He promised them the Comforter or the spirit of peace.
All of these interactions -- washing the feet, promising comfort to the disciples, and even interacting with Judas -- had a common thread. Each demonstrated the Savior's pure love. The entire evening of the first sacrament culminated with His statement, "As I have loved you, love one another." What a powerful lesson on love for members of the Church as they remember Him on the evening of that first sacrament.
Remember Me in this hour: The Savior's life. In the scriptures, terms such as "day" or "hour" often represent a lifetime. (Alma 34:31-32, Gen. 3:5.) Hence, the admonition of "remembering this hour" might be encouraging all to consider the Savior's entire life that culminated in His final atoning sacrifice.
His beginnings were humble. From His youth through His adulthood, Jesus devoted Himself to the will of His Father. He experienced hatred, but taught love. He was tempted in all things, but maintained a perfect life. He served unstintingly regardless of reception. He was this and much more.
Then came the crowning "hour" of His mortal life as He offered Himself a ransom for man. To "remember this hour" is a forceful reminder of a perfect life pressed into a single evening. "Remembering this hour" represents a host of thoughts that include the ancient Passover, the events of Christ's final evening, and His entire life.
These thoughts are all tied to the context of the first sacrament. They coalesce around one central idea, remembering Him. Latter-day sacramental prayers reiterate this same covenant with the words, "always remember him." (Moro. 4:3.)
Modern prophets have often counseled Church members to deepen their understanding of the sacrament. In the April 1946 general conference, President David O. McKay, then second counselor in the First Presidency, stressed the importance of the sacrament when he proclaimed, "No more sacred ordinance is administered in The Church of Jesus Christ than the administration of the sacrament."
President Harold B. Lee, in the Clyde Williams edition of the Teachings of Harold B. Lee,sensed the challenge of keeping the sacrament sacred while partaking of it frequently. He equated taking the sacrament with an expression of personal testimony and suggested that those who treat the sacrament lightly might be guilty of offering a "false testimony" to God. Truly remembering Christ during the sacrament virtually eliminates superficial participation in this sacred ordinance.
It seems imperative that all who are baptized realize the tremendous blessing and obligation associated with the sacrament. While visiting the ancient inhabitants of America, the Savior administered this ordinance. As He concluded, He promised those who remembered Him the constant companionship of the Spirit.
He then summarized what faithful observance would mean to the devout, "And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock." (3 Ne. 18:12.)
Keith J. Wilson, a BYU professor of ancient scripture, serves as gospel doctrine teacher in the Edgemont 7th Ward, Provo Utah Edgemont Stake.