"As They Were Eating"

“And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”  (Mark 14:22-25 ESV)

Honestly, one part of me doesn’t want to be reminded of this section of Mark ever again, and the other part of me never wants to forget it. You would think that after being born again by the power of the Holy Spirit for more than 60 years, the upcoming death of Jesus wouldn’t break my heart, but it does. I can’t tell you how many messages I heard about the Last Supper that our Lord shared with His disciples. How many communion services have I participated in where we remember, as Luke 22:19 records Jesus saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Honestly, I hate remembering that it was the rebellion of my heart, it was for the sins that I personally committed that my precious Jesus had to die on the cross as the only acceptable sacrifice to pay the penalty for what I had done.

I fully understand that Jesus died as we are told by the prophet Joel: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved”, and is repeated by the apostles in Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." that Jesus didn’t just die for me and my sins but for the whole world. What I have come to realize is that it was for me individually that Jesus died. If everyone else in the world were sinless, and I were the only sinner, Jesus would have died exactly the same. You see, it was I who sent Jesus to the cross, and it was my sins that caused him to have to die and shed His blood. That’s why it breaks my heart every time I read about the Last Supper.

Now, just like I don’t want to be reminded that it was my sins that caused Jesus to suffer and die, I never want to forget just what it cost the creator of the universe to secure my salvation from hell so that I can live eternally with the Father.  When Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”, He was reminding the disciples and every believer who has lived after them that the Old Covenant with its 613 laws never secured forgiveness for the Jews. At best, it only covered their sins, and they had to repeat their sacrifices year after year.

The prophet Jeremiah states, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,” and in Ezekiel 36:26-27 we are told, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules,” and finally in Hebrews 9:15 we read, “Therefore he (Jesus) is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance…”

Israel had been told about God’s plan for complete forgiveness once and for all time and for all people who would call upon His name; that was the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was conditional on the Jews obeying the covenant or contract that God had established with them, and they failed miserably. The New Covenant is unconditional; the promise of complete forgiveness of all sins does not depend on me but entirely on what Jesus has done on the cross. He shed His blood to establish this New Covenant for eternity. When Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” He was talking about God’s plan of salvation for all people, a plan that God had established before the beginning of time. A plan that did not rely on people’s faithfulness but on God’s faithfulness.

You see, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) was meant for unforgiven sinners like you and me. The New Covenant that God established with all of mankind when Jesus shed His blood for payment for our sins, so that none should perish, but all have eternal life. Accepting by faith that God is a promise keeper, that He is trustworthy, and that Jesus paid the complete penalty for all of our sins, past, present, and future, they have all been paid for by Jesus.

So, you can see my dilemma now, can’t you? I hate being reminded that it was my sins that caused Jesus to suffer and die on the cross, so that He could give me eternal life with the Father. But I rejoice being reminded that my sins, no matter how heinous, have been forgiven; they were nailed to the cross with Jesus, they have been forgiven and shall be remembered no more. I am now free to live a life that will bring honor and glory to my Savior because of what my Jesus has done. My eternal forgiveness doesn’t depend on my faithfulness, but on the complete faithfulness of Jesus.

So, the next time you hear a message about the Last Supper or participate in a communion service, remember what it cost Jesus and what He has done for you.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"