Thursday, April 1, 2021
No Ordinary Meal
“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (Luke 22:19 NKJV).
When Jesus gathered His disciples together in the Upper Room, they didn’t know it was the Last Supper. He didn’t say, “The Last Supper is officially beginning. Take your seat behind this table right here, and let’s all sit on one side.”
That isn’t the way it was. They had a lot of meals together, meals that would have lasted for hours around a table that was low to the ground. There would have been times of fun, laughter, and even some profound moments.
However, the meal that day wasn’t like any other meal. Jesus wasn’t acting as He normally did. There was a heaviness, a seriousness, about Him.
Holding the bread and breaking it, Jesus said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19 NKJV).
Then He took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (verse 20 NKJV).
While I don’t believe in transubstantiation, which is the teaching that the bread and juice (or wine) literally become flesh and blood, I do believe they’re powerful symbols. They’re symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
That’s why we receive what we call Communion, which is sometimes called the Lord’s Supper. It’s something that Jesus asks all of His followers to do.
By the way, this isn’t a ritual. there isn’t any magic in it. It’s a symbol for a believer, just as my wedding ring represents my commitment to my wife, Cathe. There’s nothing mystical about it, but it’s an important symbol that I always wear.
Jesus has never, even for a moment, forgotten about you and me. He was thinking of us when He went to that cross. He came to this earth to die for our sins. So let’s remember Him.
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