HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
The time that Jesus spent with His apostles in the upper room on the night of His betrayal was special. But it’s unlikely that anything done or said was more special than the event recorded here. For centuries, the Jews had observed the Passover to commemorate God’s mercy and care as He worked to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. Following that pattern established by God so long ago, Jesus instituted a new memorial feast to commemorate His upcoming sacrifice and the deliverance that it would bring to mankind from sin and death. This memorial was to be observed by all those who accepted the new covenant offered by God through Christ and done in remembrance of Jesus and His sacrifice. It is this beautiful memorial that we still take part in each Lord’s day as we come together. With hearts full of gratitude and love, we are reminded by the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine of the body and blood of our Lord, offered up as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. What a special time it is to be able to commune with our Lord in the memorial that He Himself established.
Why do you think Jesus desired for us to take part in this memorial?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
