“This do in remembrance of me.” It’s part of a verse in First Corinthians 11:24. It has to do with the Last Supper. The one that Jesus and his disciples had shortly before he was betrayed and crucified. Nowadays it’s referred to as Communion.
An account of it is given in Mark 14:22-31. Jesus and the twelve are together one last time. Jesus begins by taking the bread, braking it, and giving it to them. He said, “Take, eat: this is my body.” Then he takes the cup, give thanks, and gives it to them. When they had drunk, he said, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.”
God’s grace is at work even during this evening. After all, Judas has already slipped out and gone to the chief priests to arrange the betrayal of Jesus. He was there at the table eating the same bread and drinking the same cup as the others. He heard the words.
Jesus goes on to say that all of them at the table will be offended at him before the night is over. But his grace was still there. They ate the bread and drank the wine and heard their Master’s words. The evening had to look pretty grim for our Lord and Savior.
Peter jumps in and protests. The others may be offended but he won’t. Jesus warns him that before daylight and the cock crows, Peter will have denied him three times. He ate the bread and drank of the cup, too.
Even Thomas, after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples except for Thomas because he wasn’t there, wanted proof before he would believe that Jesus had risen. (John 20:24-29) He had also eaten of the bread and drank from the cup.
There you have it. All twelve took off like a covey of hunted quail when the tides turned against them. But Jesus was gracious and loving in spite of what lay before him. That is why Paul warns all of us to be introspective. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” First Corinthians 11:26-29 points out in detail why it is so important to examine ourselves.
An account of it is given in Mark 14:22-31. Jesus and the twelve are together one last time. Jesus begins by taking the bread, braking it, and giving it to them. He said, “Take, eat: this is my body.” Then he takes the cup, give thanks, and gives it to them. When they had drunk, he said, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.”
God’s grace is at work even during this evening. After all, Judas has already slipped out and gone to the chief priests to arrange the betrayal of Jesus. He was there at the table eating the same bread and drinking the same cup as the others. He heard the words.
Jesus goes on to say that all of them at the table will be offended at him before the night is over. But his grace was still there. They ate the bread and drank the wine and heard their Master’s words. The evening had to look pretty grim for our Lord and Savior.
Peter jumps in and protests. The others may be offended but he won’t. Jesus warns him that before daylight and the cock crows, Peter will have denied him three times. He ate the bread and drank of the cup, too.
Even Thomas, after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples except for Thomas because he wasn’t there, wanted proof before he would believe that Jesus had risen. (John 20:24-29) He had also eaten of the bread and drank from the cup.
There you have it. All twelve took off like a covey of hunted quail when the tides turned against them. But Jesus was gracious and loving in spite of what lay before him. That is why Paul warns all of us to be introspective. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” First Corinthians 11:26-29 points out in detail why it is so important to examine ourselves.
