Feb 27: Lest we forget

Mt 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

1 Cor 11:26  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

The Lord’s supper would have been a bitter sweet time for the disciples. Bitter because Jesus kept telling them that one among them would betray Him, and that His time on earth was coming to an end. Sweet (in hindsight) because of all the thousands of people, only the twelve got invited to celebrate the Passover meal with their Master. It was also during this final meal with Jesus that He instructed them to continue the practice of breaking bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him.

But there was a certain expectation that Jesus had for his disciples when they practiced the Lord’s table. They were to remember the suffering and persecution that Christ went through. The scourging, the spitting, the nail pierced hands, the bloodied cross. It was not something that they could forget, but needed to do till He returned back.

One cannot be a disciple of Jesus without remembering the sacrifice that Christ made for us. The Cross is where it all came to an end. Centuries of offering sacrifices for the remission of sins was broken by God Himself becoming the perfect sacrifice. The old law was done with, a new covenant was made through the blood of the sinless lamb of God. It was the start of the era of God’s grace poured upon all mankind, irrespective of whether they were descendants of Abraham or not. Salvation became a free gift, paid in full. There was nothing more that man could do, other than believe. The death of Jesus Christ resolved all things between God and man, and broke open the veil that separated us from Him.

One last thing. The Lord’s table reminds us that Jesus is coming back. He promised that He will return, just the way He went. And He will take His pure and holy bride (the church / his faithful disciples) to be Him forever and ever. And so we not only look behind and remember the death of Jesus, we also look forward with eager anticipation the return of Christ.

When you partake of the Lord’s table next time, don’t just go with the motions. But take the time to remember all that Christ has done for you. Lest we forget. And may it bring healing and strength to your bodies, knowing that He “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed (1 Pet 2:24).