Luke 22:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

NIV: For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.'

NASB: for I say to you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'

CSB: For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

NLT: For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.'

KJV: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

NKJV: for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Along with the Twelve disciples, Jesus is eating the Passover meal. This is His last Passover—His last festival—during His ministry on earth. The Passover looks back to when God "passed over" the homes of the Israelites as He killed the firstborn males of the families of Egypt. Ironically, the next afternoon, God's only begotten Son will be killed so God's judgment can pass over those who trust Him for salvation (John 3:16–18).

Some have taken Jesus' statement to mean He does not eat the meal. In the previous verse, He says, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you" (Luke 22:15), indicating He is, in fact eating. Others claim more allegory than is necessary. The "it" He is talking about eating is not death; it is the meal. The "it" that will be fulfilled is not every promise God ever made. Nor does it refer to the Lord's Supper which begins later (Luke 22:19). It is the Passover which will be fulfilled with His death.

The pertinent question is: what is the fulfilled Passover? Jesus may be alluding to the reinstitution of feasts during the millennial kingdom. Or He may mean when He will be the guest of honor at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–10). The church, His bride, will celebrate that they will experience no more death, sickness, or sin. The kingdom of God will have arrived.

This verse gives context to Jesus' later comment: "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:18). When Jesus is on the cross, the soldiers give Him sour wine (Luke 23:36). This leaves people confused as Jesus says He will not drink wine. He means He will not drink wine in a celebratory meal, not that He will never touch something made from grapes.

Luke 22:14–20 records the Last Supper. Bible scholars debate at what point, exactly, Judas left this gathering, raising the unanswered question of whether he, too, participated in what we now call "communion." Jesus has warned the disciples of the hardships they will face. Yet He promises they will not perish and encourages them to remain faithful (Luke 21). The Last Supper gives them the symbols to remind them their faith is not in vain: Jesus gave His life for them, ushered in the new covenant, and rose from the dead, and He will return. The disciples' fear and doubt described in the following verses are a demonstration of our need for Jesus' work on the cross (Luke 22:21–34). Parallel accounts of the Last Supper include Matthew 26:20, 26–29; Mark 14:17, 22–25; and 1 Corinthians 11:23–26.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.