Matthew 26:26–30; Luke 22:19–20

The Sacrament

Cleopas and another disciple [possibly Luke] sitting to eat and breaking bread, and they recognize the Savior. Jesus’s hands pass the bread to one of them.

In a place known as the upper room, the Savior “sat down with the twelve” (Matthew 26:20) and observed the Passover feast one last time while in mortality. During this final Passover meal, Jesus Christ instituted the ordinance of the sacrament as the new way for His disciples to remember Him. This lesson can help you understand and feel the importance of remembering the Savior as you partake of the sacrament.

The importance of the sacrament

How might you respond if someone were to ask you the following question:

Why do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go to church every Sunday?

One important reason we attend Church is to partake of the sacrament. Sister Cheryl A. Esplin, formerly of the Primary General Presidency, shared an interaction that took place between a 96-year-old man and his son that demonstrates the central role of partaking the sacrament as part of Church attendance.

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The more we ponder the significance of the sacrament, the more sacred and meaningful it becomes to us. This was what a 96-year-old father expressed when his son asked, “Dad, why do you go to church? You can’t see, you can’t hear, it’s hard for you to get around. Why do you go to church?” The father replied, “It’s the sacrament. I go to partake of the sacrament.”

(Cheryl A. Esplin, “The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 14)

What do you think this man understood and felt about the sacrament that made it so important to him?

Evaluate your experience attending church and participating in the ordinance of the sacrament. Using a scale of one to five, with one being low and five being high, answer the following questions.

How much of a priority is it for you to attend church and partake of the sacrament?
When you partake of the sacrament, how likely are you to think of Jesus Christ and have a meaningful experience?

After you have evaluated your experience, contemplate why you ranked yourself as you did. As you study this lesson, seek the Lord’s help to know how to deepen your understanding of the importance of remembering the Savior as you partake of the sacrament.

Jesus Christ institutes the sacrament

Jesus Christ participated in the Passover feast just prior to His sufferings in Gethsemane and death on the cross. This event has come to be known as the Last Supper. As the Savior ate this Passover meal with His Apostles, He instituted the ordinance of the sacrament.

Read Matthew 26:26–30 and Luke 22:19–20, looking for what the Savior taught His Apostles about the purpose of the sacrament. You may want to underline important words or phrases. You may also want to watch the video “Always Remember Him” from time code 0:00 to 0:53. This video is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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Luke 22:19–20 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will learn more about this doctrinal mastery passage in the next lesson.

What was the Savior’s purpose in instituting the ordinance of the sacrament?

One truth that we can learn from these passages is that Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament to help us remember Him. Although the Savior had not yet experienced the suffering and anguish of His atoning sacrifice, the ordinance and emblems He was teaching His Apostles were to help them remember Him and the gift of His Atonement.

What scriptures or personal experiences have helped you reflect on the sacrifice the Savior made for you?
What feelings for the Savior do you have when you read these verses or think of these experiences?
How can the symbols of the sacrament help you better understand what the Savior has done and can do for you?

Creating a lesson outline

Imagine that you have been asked to teach about the sacrament in an upcoming scripture study discussion in your home. Using the scriptures you have just studied and other references you choose (such as Gospel Topics, “Sacrament,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, or recent general conference addresses), prepare to help others understand and feel the importance of the sacrament.

In addition, the article “The Bread and the Water” (Ensign, July 2017, 68–69) could also be helpful.

Your lesson outline should include the following: (1) one or more scriptures or statements by Church leaders about the sacrament to study and ponder, (2) at least two questions you might ask to deepen understanding, and (3) an invitation to apply the truths you discuss. Use some or all of the following questions to help guide you in the creation of your outline.

What is the sacrament?
How can the sacrament help us better understand the Savior and His Atonement?
What has helped you to have meaningful experiences while partaking of the sacrament?
How might your life be different if you were to remember Jesus Christ more often?

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

Optional: Want to Learn More?

What is the connection between the Passover and the sacrament?

The infographic “The Passover Supper” (New Era, Apr. 2019, 8–9) can help in understanding the connection between the Passover and the sacrament.

Why do we use water for the sacrament instead of wine?

Doctrine and Covenants 27:1–2 states that it does not matter what is used for the sacrament as long as it is done “with an eye single to [Christ’s] glory” (verse 2). Today, Church leaders ask us to use water as we partake of the sacrament.

What can I do to make the sacrament more meaningful?

President Steven J. Lund, Young Men General President, taught:

Every time a deacon holds a sacrament tray, we are reminded of the sacred story of the Last Supper, of Gethsemane, of Calvary, and of the garden tomb. When the Savior said to His Apostles, “This do in remembrance of me” [Luke 22:19], He was also speaking through the ages to each of us. He was speaking of the unending miracle that He would provide as future deacons, teachers, and priests would present His emblems and invite His children to accept His atoning gift.

All of the sacramental symbols point us to that gift. We contemplate the bread that He once broke—and the bread the priests before us are, in turn, now breaking. We think of the meaning of the liquid consecrated, then and now, as sacrament prayers solemnly pass from the mouths of young priests into our hearts and into the heavens, renewing covenants that connect us to the very powers of Christ’s salvation. We may think about what it means when a deacon carries the sacred emblems to us, standing as he does where Jesus would stand if He were there, offering to lift our burdens and our pain.

(Steven J. Lund, “Finding Joy in Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 36)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency shared the following counsel:

During sacrament meeting—and especially during the sacrament service—we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others. Even a person who slips into quiet slumber does not interfere with others. Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines. Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior. How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 18–19)