Church Fathers Commentary Luke 22:14-18

"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 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 shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come." — Luke 22:14-18 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: As soon as the disciples had prepared the Passover, they proceeded to eat it. As it says, And when the hour was come...

The Venerable Bede: By the hour of eating the Passover, He signifies the fourteenth day of the first month, late in the evening, with the fifteenth moon just appearing on the earth.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But how is our Lord said to sit down, whereas the Jews eat the Passover standing? They say that after they had eaten the Passover according to the Law, they sat down, following their usual custom, to eat the rest of their meal.

It follows, And he said to them, With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: He says this because the covetous disciple was looking for an opportunity to betray Him. But so that he would not betray Him before the Passover feast, our Lord had not revealed either the house or the man with whom He would keep the Passover. That this was the reason is very evident from these words.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or He says, With desire have I desired, as if to say, "This is My last supper with you; therefore, it is most precious and welcome to Me," just as those who are going far away speak their last words to their friends most affectionately.

St. John Chrysostom: Or He says this because after that Passover, the Cross was near. We find Him frequently prophesying about His own Passion and desiring for it to happen.

The Venerable Bede: He first, then, desires to eat the symbolic Passover, and in doing so, declare the mysteries of His Passion to the world.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Alternatively, when our Lord was celebrating the new Passover, He rightly said, With desire have I desired this Passover—that is, the new mystery of the New Testament which He gave to His disciples, and which many prophets and righteous men desired before Him. Then He, thirsting for the salvation of all, delivered this mystery to be sufficient for the whole world. But the Passover was ordained by Moses to be celebrated in one place, that is, in Jerusalem. Therefore, it was not suited for the whole world and so was not desired.

St. Epiphanius of Salamis: By this we can refute the folly of the Ebionites concerning the eating of meat, since our Lord eats the Jewish Passover. Therefore, He pointedly said, “This Passover,” so that no one could interpret it to mean something else.

The Venerable Bede: Thus, then, our Lord was the approver of the Passover according to the Law. And as He taught that it was a figure of His own redemptive plan, He henceforth forbids it to be represented in a physical way. Therefore He adds, For I say to you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

That is, "I will no longer celebrate the Mosaic Passover until, being spiritually understood, it is fulfilled in the Church." For the Church is the kingdom of God, as it says in Luke, The kingdom of God is within you.

Again, the ancient Passover, which He desired to bring to an end, is also alluded to in the words that follow: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this... He gave thanks for this: that the old things were about to pass away and all things were to become new.

St. John Chrysostom: Remember, then, when you sit down to a meal that you must pray afterward. Therefore, satisfy your hunger, but with moderation, so that you are not so overfilled that you cannot bend your knees in supplication and prayer to God. Let us not, then, turn to sleep after our meals, but to prayer.

For Christ plainly indicates this: that eating should not be followed by sleep or rest, but by prayer and the reading of holy Scripture. It follows, For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God come.

The Venerable Bede: This may also be taken literally, for from the hour of the supper until the time of the resurrection, He would drink no wine. Afterward, He partook of both food and drink, as Peter testifies, Who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The resurrection is called the kingdom of God because it has destroyed death. Therefore David also says, The Lord reigns; He has put on beauty—that is, a beautiful robe, having put off the corruption of the flesh. But when the resurrection comes, He again drinks with His disciples to prove that the resurrection was not merely a shadow.

The Venerable Bede: But it is far more natural that, just as He spoke before of the symbolic lamb, so now also of the Passover drink, He should say that He would no longer taste it until the glory of the kingdom of God is made manifest and the faith of the whole world appears. This was so that, by means of the spiritual transformation of the two greatest commands of the Law—namely, the eating and drinking of the Passover—you might learn that all the sacraments of the Law were to be transferred to a spiritual observance.