July 9, 2023

Matthew 26: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (NIV)

He chose his own memorial.*

If I were to ask you what this is, you would probably answer, “A soccer ball.” To which I would have to reply, “No, it’s not.” Because it’s not a soccer ball. It’s a picture of a soccer ball.

At the table that night, Jesus was handing out pieces of bread to his disciples, not actual body parts. He wasn’t advocating for cannibalism. He and his body were still alive and well and in the room with them. If modern technology had been available to him, Jesus might have texted a selfie to his disciples and said, “Every time u c this pic, think of me & what I did for u.” Instead, he used what he had – bread and fruit juice – to represent his body and his blood. From that moment on, whenever Jesus’ followers eat the bread and drink the juice, they are holding up a picture of his broken and bloody body to remind themselves of his sacrifice, and as a testimony to the world. 

Paul goes on to give us instructions about proper Lord’s Supper etiquette that we might not think of on our own. He says we ought to examine ourselves before we eat and drink the emblems (I Corinthians 11: 29). Eating and drinking in an unworthy manner would be akin to defacing a great work of art – only with much more serious consequences. Vandalism has a price, but going through the motions of the Lord’s Supper without recognizing the Lord’s body brings judgment that should not be taken lightly. 

Prepare yourself. Approach the Lord’s table with a clear conscience and a clean heart. Reflect on his sacrifice and your unworthiness. Thank him for saving you anyway. Leave the table refreshed and renewed, ready to walk with him until you come to the table again. As often as you do it, do it in remembrance of him.

It can be a deadly thing to come to God with unexamined lives.*