LUKE 22:19-20
19 And when He had taken bread and 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.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant [ratified] in my blood.
Before this day, the Passover had one point of reference; the night the Lord delivered the children of Israel from bondage and the chains of slavery in Egypt. As much as that was a good thing, sin was still an issue that the priest had to offer sacrifices for.
On this night Jesus made a bold declaration, he was basically changing the Passover from what they had know it to be for many generations and now He was declaring that the bread represented His body and the wine His blood ushering in a new covenant in His blood. No longer would the blood of animals be needed to atone for the sins of men, Jesus had become the sacrifice one and for all. Jesus tells us to do this, meaning partake of this meal as often as we drink it in remembrance of him.
The Passover in the old testament marked the setting free of Israel from slavery in Egypt setting them off into the wilderness towards the land of promise. It also signified the protection of God over them when the angel of death visited every Egyptian home and the first born died.
The new covenant or the Lord Supper as we call it, reminds us of the death burial and resurrection of Christ. That He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. That he became the son of man that we who believe in him could become the sons of God. That through his death and resurrection the sting and grip of death has been defeated once and for all and now we have the gift of God which is eternal life!
May we do this as often as we drink it in remembrance of Him!
Reflective Thoughts
What does the “Holy Communion” mean to you?
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How often do you take it and is it just another religious practice for you?
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