Remembrance

As the moment of his suffering grew ever closer, Jesus gathered his disciples together in an upper room to eat Passover. I imagine the thoughts that must have been going through his mind as he knew that his arrest was just moments away. The shortness of time made this Passover ever more important than any other and it was something Jesus had been looking forward to.

“Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;” Luke 22:15

It was his fervent desire to spend the last moments with them, to share something with them that would not fully be realized until he was gone. He knew that the next few days would be extremely difficult for his disciples as they would watch his public execution. They would witness the scourging and the beating he would take on behalf of humanity.

I can imagine the compassion in his eyes as he sat looking at each of his disciples when he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And then taking the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

This had no significant meaning to the disciples at the time, yet in just a few short hours all would become very real. The soldiers would come and arrest Jesus and take him away, leaving each disciple to wrestle with what just happened. This wasn’t how it was suppose to be! Jesus wasn’t really going to suffer, he wasn’t really going to be put to death! That was just Jesus talking in riddles again.

The hours turned into days as the events played over and over in their minds. Doubts and fears began to take hold as they tried to make sense of it all. They had heard that Jesus was missing from the tomb but how could that be?

Then two of the disciples met a man traveling on the road and begin to share their grief with him, telling him sadly what had happened to their Jesus. As the day grew long they invited this man to stay and have dinner with them. Then something happened that took them by complete surprise. This man took the bread, blessed and broke it, and then gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened! It was Jesus and he was alive!

It was the familiar act of how Jesus broke the bread that gave them the realization that it was him. It was the intimate time they had shared that gave them the revelation of the now risen savior.

It’s the intimate times with Jesus that brings revelation and clarity to our lives, and he is fervently desiring to spend that time with you and I.