The Lord’s Supper in the Gospel of Matthew

I’ve known for quite some time that the gospel of Matthew includes an account of the Lord’s Supper. What I didn’t know until recently was that Matthew foreshadows the supper and prepares the reader for its two central elements through a “bread” and a “wine” section. Interestingly, these two sections contain most of the parables in the gospel.

The bread section (Matt 13-16) – 15/21 occurrences of “bread” in the gospel

The parable of the sower (13:1-9, 18-23) – the seed is sown

The parable of the wheat and the tares (13:24-30, 36-43) – the wheat grows and is harvested

The parable of the leaven (13:33) – the bread is made

The feeding of the 5000 (14:14-21) – the bread feeds people

The question of defilement (15:1-20) – question regarding how the bread is eaten

The healing of the woman of Canaan’s daughter (15:21-28) – bread for non-Jews

The feeding of the 4000 (15:29-39) – the bread feeds people

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16:5-12) – the deeper meaning of the bread

The wine section (Matt 20-21) – 10/10 occurrences of “vineyard” in the gospel

The parable of the workers in the vineyard (20:1-16)

The request of the sons of Zebedee (20:20-28) – are you able to drink the cup?

The parable of the two sons (21:28-32)

The parable of the wicked vinedressers (21:33-46)