Jump Start # 3756
Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’”
Our verse comes from the solemn scene in which the Lord institutes what we commonly call, “The Lord’s Supper.” The meal which this came from was the Passover meal. It was a special memorial for Jewish people. It was a reminder of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the sacrifice of a lamb’s blood that identified their home as belonging to the Lord.
What is interesting is all the food items that would have been on that table with Jesus and His disciples. There was bitter herbs. There were vegetables. There was unleavened bread. There was the juice of grapes. There was lamb. There were some fruits. It was indeed a meal. It was accompanied by the reading of portions of Exodus and many prayers.
From this feast, reaching across the table, Jesus pulls two items: unleavened bread and juice. The bread, lacking any leaven, a symbol of the absence of sin in the Lord’s life. The juice, the color of blood, represented His blood.
Jesus didn’t pick some vegetables. He didn’t choose the lamb, even though He is referred to as the Lamb of God. We are not told exactly why bread and juice. It may be that they are so closely tied to Jesus’ pure and righteous life. It may be that they are affordable and in most places easily to acquire. The vegetables grown in Judea may not be the veggies we have here. The bitter herbs of that area may not be found in other regions. Not everyone can get or even afford a lamb. Bread and juice are a lot easier to handle, transport and pass among believers.
Some things for us to think about:
First, it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sins, not the bread and the juice of the Lord’s Supper. They are reminders of what Jesus did. They connect us to who Jesus is. But, don’t think that there is something magical or so sacred about the bread and juice. The do not take away your sins. It is the grace of God that saves us. We are washed in the blood of Jesus.
Second, it is often heard that someone does not feel worthy to take the Lord’s Supper. That’s a very common feeling. We remember our failures. Our sins are right before us. And, there are the bread and juice which reminds us of that amazing sacrifice that brought forgiveness. But, if we follow that thought, when would we ever feel like taking the Lord’s Supper?
Peter was in that upper room eating the bread as Jesus told him to. Yet, he was just hours away from trying to kill someone in the garden and then denying the Lord three times. It is because we are so unworthy that we take the Lord’s Supper. It reminds us that we desperately need Jesus. He is so pure and we are not. He always did what was right and we haven’t. We so need Him. Don’t withhold the Lord’s Supper because you are not good. That’s the point. You are not good and that’s why we gather to remember Jesus.
Third, it is so easy to allow this wonderful memorial to become a lifeless tradition for us. Every week. Every month. Every year. Our minds wander. Our hearts are filled with things that we need to do. Focusing is hard. Concentrating takes effort. Read some passages. Look at the words of some hymns. Imagine seeing the cross. All of this was because He loved you. All of this is because He wants to forgive you.
More and more congregations are putting longer moments and deeper thought into the Lord’s Supper. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, nothing else matters. Being good is pointless without a risen Savior. Fellowship has little value without a risen Savior that pulls us together.
Shame on us when we complain about a long Lord’s Supper discussion. What are we in such a hurry to do? Eat? Watch TV? Get away from God’s people? Those honest thoughts ought to help us with this. It’s more than just bread and juice. It’s what my Savior wants me to do. We need this. Without this memorial, how many days, even weeks, would pass without us returning to Calvary?
Take…Eat…Remember.
How can we ever forget…
Roger