He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 (NLT)
How many times do you think Jesus and His disciples shared a meal together?
Over the course of three years, if you count three meals a day, that’s well over three thousand meals. They were often walking from place-to-place and perhaps staying outdoors at times, so there’s a good chance they didn’t have regular meal times every day, but the point is they would have had a lot of time to share their lives with each other over meals.
The Bible is full of people eating together. From David reveling in the LORD preparing a banquet for him in the presence of his enemies in Psalm 23, to the wedding feast at Cana, to the banquet at Matthew’s house after he was called to be a disciple, to the Last Supper –and Jesus making reference to not drinking wine until He does so in Heaven– it’s clear the LORD values time spent with each other around a table.
Which is why, when Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” I’ve got a deep-seated feeling that He wants us to remember Him more deeply and genuinely than we usually do when partaking of Communion.
Don’t get me wrong, here. Scripture clearly says we ought to examine ourselves and partake of Jesus’s body and blood with great reverence and a clear conscience toward God and our fellow man. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) That’s a given.
But, in those same passages, Paul is referring to gatherings for Communion as “love feasts.” Clearly, the early church didn’t do the Lord’s Supper by lining up to partake of a tiny cracker and a sip of wine. It’s pretty clear it was a bigger deal than that.
Of course, it’s not about the quantity of bread and wine as we are strongly cautioned that these events should not become anything at all like the drunken festivals of hedonism the Greeks of the time practiced. I get the distinct impression that it was about the quality of the “remembrance.”
I think when those disciples sat down with bread and wine to remember Jesus, of course they remembered the cross and the empty tomb, but I can’t help but also picture some reminiscing:
“Hey Peter, remember when Jesus was on the mountain with Moses and Elijah?”
“Yes, Mark, I remember. It was amazing!”
“So, when you offered to build them all some shelters, dude, what were you thinking?”
“I was terrified, man! I didn’t know what else to say!”
“Hey, James and John, remember when you wanted to burn up the Samaritans by calling fire down on them?”
“Okay, okay. Yes, He straightened us out. We all had a lot to learn.”
My point here is that these guys ended up being friends with Jesus, and with each other. Each of them had a personal relationship with the Messiah, the King of kings and LORD of lords! I think Communion should be a little less like ritual and a little more like sitting around the kitchen table talking about someone we love with great joy and celebration.
And I think Jesus wants that for each of us, too.
One of the most powerful moments in my life was when a dear pastor friend of mine had a few of us sit down at a table with some bread and grape juice and share stories of times when Jesus had done amazing things in our lives.
There’s something deep and glorious about sitting around a table, sharing a meal, and remembering someone we love. I think it’s why people stopped calling them “funerals” and started calling them, “A Celebration of Life.”
From where I sit, that’s even more appropriate for a Savior who rose from the dead and is alive to this day!
Today’s Praise
Revelation 19:9
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” (NLT)
Amen Dan, that sounds amazing!