“For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:16
Dear Ones:
Jesus Christ is the most amazing man ever to have existed, and this for many reasons. But primary among them all is the fact of the love of God revealed through Him. It was love for His Father which dominated everything. And then, there was His love for His disciples, and for us all individually.
It was the eve of His crucifixion, and He had instructed His disciples where they were to prepare the Passover. There would come a moment, when all the twelve apostles were assembled with Him, that He would say: “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) It is in saying this, knowing that shortly His body would be broken for them (and all men…), and His blood would be shed to establish an eternal covenant so that they (and all men…) could be saved, that, instead of recoiling before the horror of that event, He would embrace it because of the love He had for them. Here is the highest expression of love, not only in that He would give His life, but that He would do so by taking upon Himself the sentence and judgement for that which His sinless nature was repulsed by…our sin.
“Death, and the curse were in our cup, O Christ, ’twas full for Thee…! But Thou hast drained the last dark drop, ‘Tis empty now for me. That bitter cup, LOVE drank it up; Now blessings’ draught for me.”
At this Last Supper, Christ would take the bread and the cup of wine. He would tell His disciples to take this and divide it among themselves. Specifically, with regard to the bread, He will tell them: “This is My body which is given for you…this do in remembrance of Me.” In a very short time, though His disciples could not grasp the extent of what He was saying, He would be “…wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities…the chastisement (punishment) for our sins would fall upon Him…and by His stripes we would be healed.” (Is. 53:5) The Lamb of God would soon be slain, and this to save us all. His word to His disciples? “Remember Me.” This is what he would have them do!!! He would then take the cup to declare to them that which, again, they would not understand fully: “…This cup is the New Testament (New Covenant) in My blood, which is shed for you.” The salvation of the entire world is being declared here as being dependent upon ONE thing, the shed blood of Christ. What does Christ then say to them concerning this perfect, extensive, eternal work? He says, “…which is shed FOR YOU.” This perfect sacrifice to save us all is FOR US. This is love…and there is NO greater expression of it.
Dear Father, open our eyes to see what love You have demonstrated in Your Son in sending Him to be born, and then to die for us…for me. Work in our calloused hearts to know and feel the power of this love which calls us to remember, and to know that all was done for us. Cause to melt away any resistance to You in our hearts, for there is no greater motive to live, or to die, than to know this love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad