RealRealityZone

…thoughts from a sinner saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone

In Remembrance of Jesus

Do this, whenever you drink it, said Jesus the night of His betrayal, in remembrance of me. And we, like Israelite children before us, ask: “What is the meaning of this service?” Is it simply kneeling at the Communion rail and thinking back about the deliverance God won for us at Calvary? Is it digging into our memory for an event out of past? Is it remembering Jesus, as we would reminisce about a departed loved one? What, really, is the meaning of the Communion rite?

Here Jesus helps us out. Take and eat; this is my body, He says of the Communion bread. And regarding the Communion wine, He says: Drink of it, all of you. For this is My blood of the last will and testament, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:26-28 NET). This is no mere exercise in memory recall. This is the real thing. This eating and drinking is the meal of our deliverance.

As it was in the Passover, so it is in the Holy Supper. Time and space are transcended. Israel was delivered from bondage in Egypt only once; and yet the annual Passover was its repeated participation in that climactic deliverance. So too, Jesus gave His body and shed His blood only once on the cross. And yet in His holy meal He distributes that very same body and blood again and again for us Christians to eat and drink. Do this, invites Jesus, in remembrance of me (1 Cor. 11:24).

In remembrance of me cuts in two directions. In this sacramental eating and drinking we remember Jesus, and He also remembers us. At the center of this remembering is the very body and blood once given for the forgiveness of sins. The “remembrance” in this meal is far more than just a memory exercise!

For this sacred meal is a living memorial in two distinct and yet inseparable ways. In this supper we continually recall our redemption. It is the sign of our deliverance from certain death as we eat the body of the true Lamb of God who takes away our sins. Yet in this holy meal God the Father also remembers the new testament in the blood of His Son, the sign and seal of His redeeming love. This testament stands forever sure, founded on the incarnate body and blood of the Son of God. In His instructions, Jesus Christ Himself points out for His church the benefit of this eating and drinking: given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

In this supper Jesus preaches a powerful sermon for us. Each time we eat and drink His body and blood once given and shed we participate in all the benefits He earned for us on His cross. Here the forgiveness of sins is personally applied. Not only did Jesus die for the sins of all the world, but in this sacred meal through His called servants He hands us the actual body and blood He once gave and says, for you for the forgiveness of sins.

This is a powerful public testimony. It is personal testimony, direct from God, addressed personally to us. This Sacrament offers, gives, and seals the same forgiveness as a Gospel sermon. The difference is that in the eating and drinking it’s applied to us individually and personally: for you for the remission of sins. And sometimes a personal address makes all the difference in the world. Think for a minute which kind of mail you prefer; a third-class flyer addressed to “occupant” or a first-class letter with your name on it?

Our living Lord hasn’t left anything to chance. Because we are inclined to doubt the forgiveness of our sins, Jesus presents us with the tangible results of His death on our behalf. Just as a canceled check is evidence of purchase, so His body once broken and His blood once shed is the sign of sins forgiven. Under the bread and wine of His Holy Supper, Jesus Christ hands us the sign of our deliverance from sin and death. Take eat, He says, … my body given for you….the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:19, Matt. 26:28). Here there is encouragement for faith. Here there is reason to rejoice. For this is the meal of our deliverance in the forgiveness of our sins.