Jesus doesn't give many orders, so when He does, pay attention!
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Read Luke 22:7-20
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Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 75
Q. How does the Lord’s Supper
remind you and assure you
that you share in Christ’s
one sacrifice
on the cross
and in all his gifts?
A. In this way:
Christ has commanded me
and all believers
to eat this broken bread
and to drink this cup.
With this command he gave this promise:
First,
as surely as I see with my eyes
the bread of the Lord broken for me
and the cup given to me,
so surely his body was offered
and broken for me
and his blood poured out for me
on the cross.
Second,
as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves,
and taste with my mouth
the bread and cup of the Lord,
given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood,
so surely
he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life
with his crucified body and poured-out blood.
Summary
It's easy to look at Jesus as a victim as He goes to the cross, but as we read of His final days we see that He remained fully in control throughout His life. In preparing to celebrate the final Passover - not just for Him, but for all since He would Himself become the final Passover Lamb - Jesus gives the disciples specific instructions, even anticipating exactly what the owner of the house would be doing when the disciples arrived.
Once gathered, Jesus tells His disciples that He's eagerly desired to eat this meal with them (v15). Does that describe your attitude in coming to the Lord's Table? If not, why not?
It's at this point the story pivots from being the Last Supper - that is, the last Passover celebration - to the Lord's Supper, in which those who partake the physical elements of bread and wine participate in the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus makes this abundantly clear by declaring the cup to be representative of a new covenant in His blood.
Participation in this sacred meal is not optional for Christ's followers. His command is simple and straightforward: Do this. It would have been enough for Christ to simply command, but He also explains the reason for the command. This meal serves as a reminder, not just of all that Christ did, but all that He said and continues to say as His Word is proclaimed.
Dig Deeper
There are very few hard and fast commands Christians must adhere to. Certainly there are gobs of ethical imperatives that flow out of God's Word that guide what we do, and more particularly what we are not to do. There are very few must do's obligating Christians to perform certain religious tasks.
So it should catch your attention when Jesus orders you to do this.
Often the sanctuaries in Reformed churches, though beautiful, are by design rather plain. This is because our primary focus is on reading and listening to God's Word, since this is the primary way He communicates Himself to us. Even the most beautiful art is a mere distraction from the glory that bursts forth from the proclamation of the Word.
But your Creator knows you. He's very aware that you have five senses, and so He's given you this meal in which all of your senses are reminded of who Jesus is and what He did for you. You see the bread broken and the wine poured out. You touch the bread and taste the wine, and you feel the presence of Christian brothers and sisters gathered around you.
Participating in communion is not an optional 'extra' that you can take or leave. Your Savior has commanded you to do this. Like Him, eagerly anticipate this meal.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is coming with His Kingdom;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will eagerly desire the next time your church gathers around the Lord's table, and that you will heed Christ's command to do this in remembrance of Him.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 9
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