Blog »The Lord's Supper: Do We Really Understand?
Tuesday, April 30, 2013

On Sunday we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper or Communion.   Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the event precisely in the way Jews experienced the Old Testament system of sacrifice.   The priest would take an unblemished (because God is without flaw), innocent , substitute (God is paying for their sin) animal.   He would lay hands on it, blessing it (transferring human sin onto the animal), then break/kill it (God represented by the animal dies for the people), then they would eat a meal with the meat from the sacrifices, celebrating God’s freeing them from sin.    

At  the Last Supper Jesus reenacts this very ceremony, familiar to all Jews, only now He, the  host of the meal, is also the sacrifice (symbolized by the bread and wine).   All four elements are in this event:    the taking of an unblemished, innocent substitute, blessing it (the transferring of sin), breaking (killing) and the meal which represents the taking into ourselves the Life of God Himself.  

            "While they were eating, Jesus took brea, and when he had given thanks, he
             broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying 'Take and eat; this is my body.'"
                                                                                                          Matthew 26:26

This is incredible!  

I wonder if you and I really “get” this.  I suspect that our familiarity with this event makes us to some degree unfamiliar with it.  

The creator of the cosmos, the one who is perfection and who defines goodness and power, chooses to humble Himself even unto death for us.  Is this not beyond comprehension?  

Please take some time today to comprehend.    Does what this tell you about God break you?   Humble you?  Motivate you?   Or does it leave you unchanged?