Communion Message #3
Luke 22:14-20
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
There is much going on in this passage. But one aspect that is significantly highlighted is the personal relationship Jesus had with His disciples. There was a real closeness between them. They have travelled together for 3 years. He had served them, released them, taught them, cried with them. And in John 15, He makes this incredible statement that He no longer calls them servants but friends.
And then in this passage, He uses this very personal language:
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover...with you”.
He is really looking forward to having this meal with them.
This passage reminds us that Jesus is personal. He valued the disciples. In this final meal, He is not offering them any instruction. And He surely could have! He could have given them more information about building the church, about the coming persecution. But He doesn’t. He doesn’t give them any advice and He doesn’t teach them anything new. He is reflecting on the relationship He shared with them.
He asks them one thing…that they would REMEMBER
In 2014 a study was published showing the effects on married couples when they reminisce about positive memories. The study showed that for the average healthy relationship, positive reminiscing over things like holidays, major life events, significant songs, photos, were highly influential on how they saw each other and the positive feelings toward their relationship. In general, positive reminiscing enhanced the relationship….
One article about this study, described it this way:
….shared remembering re-awakens what has occurred long ago
as if it is actually happening all over again.
Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and suffering enhances our relationship. It reminds of the first day we discovered His love, as though it were actually happening all over again.
It doesn’t just giving the nice feelings associated with those memories, but it brings the reality of those moments into our present.
It reminds us of our first love…..Which is all we really need to faithfully run this race