It was one final night of teaching and he taught them all the way to the end, even when they had him in custody…

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The Last Supper – Part 2

This is the second part of a series.  The meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples the night he was arrested, has been called, “The Last Supper.”  He shared many things with them that last night together, including, healing, forgiveness, love, service, the hope, manifesting the spirit, their personal relationship with the Father, and the necessity of prayer.

Last time I shared on the significance of Jesus washing their feet.  Today I wanted to share on the memorial that he instituted during that meal. The following are some excerpts from my book, “Healing From God is Available,” Chapter 4,  By His Stripes You Were Healed.

(As you know, the book, in both Ebook form and audio, is available to all members of Enriching Your Life Now.)

I Peter 2:24:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

By reading the Gospel records carefully one can see the horrendous physical torture that Jesus Christ endured for our healing:  the beatings by the chief priests and Sanhedrin, the cruelty from Herod’s men, the beatings from Pilate’s soldiers; the thorns in his head, the mocking, the humiliation, and finally being nailed to the tree and hanging there for six hours!  Pictures we have seen of Jesus do not begin to tell the story of the physical punishment and sufferings that he went through.

A Fantastic Verse!

There is a verse in Isaiah that foretold of his sufferings.

Isaiah 52:14:
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

The Revised Standard Version has the latter part of this verse as follows: “…his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men.”

The New English Bible reads as follows:  “…his form, disfigured, lost all the likeness of a man, his beauty changed beyond human semblance.”

This Is What He Did

Shortly before Jesus Christ was arrested, during what is referred to as the “Last Supper”, he instituted a memorial, or, a remembrance.

Jesus Christ took bread, broke it, and blessed it, and said, “This is my body which is broken for you.” He then told them to do this “in remembrance of me”.  Through the centuries all over the world there have been and still are many memorials.  There are memorials that call to remembrance people and events.  But the sum total of all the memorials there have ever been, or ever will be, cannot even come close to the memorial that Jesus Christ instituted.

When he said, “This is my body”, that did not mean that the bread was, or, that it became his physical body.  Taking something that was common to every meal, in this case, bread, he broke it, or tore it, and said, “This is my body”, meaning, “This represents my body which is broken for you” – do this in remembrance of me!  Do what?  What were they doing?  They were eating a meal.  Jesus Christ asked them that as often as they ate bread and drank wine, two very common items at meals at that time, as often as they did that, to do it in remembrance of him.

Jesus Christ never instituted a formal ceremony.  He instituted this memorial in a common, every day situation – a meal!  So, every time they ate, if they wanted to, they could remember what he accomplished.  And since most of us eat at least once a day, we can remember the completed work of Jesus Christ every day!

There Were Two Elements

There were two very distinct elements to this memorial: the bread and the wine.  The wine represented Christ’s blood.  The word “blood” is used numerous times in the Bible as a figure of speech meaning to die, or to give your life.  When it says in I Peter 1:19 that we were redeemed with the “precious blood of Christ”, it does not mean his literal blood. It is speaking figuratively; it means that we were redeemed by Christ giving his life for us.

I John 1:7:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

So when Jesus Christ said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood”, he was referring to what his death would accomplish: the payment for all sins.  Whether or not we drink wine with our meal, we usually drink something.  And every time we do, we can remember that Jesus Christ died for our sins.  He paid the price for us.  The reason we can get forgiveness is because Jesus Christ paid the price for us!  Jesus Christ said, “…this do ye as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me”.

We Can Take Part In This Memorial

Every time we have a meal and have something to drink, we can stop and reflect on what our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us.  And how beneficial is it for us to do that?  Since we are not perfect, and we fall short from time to time, what a blessing to remember that he paid the price for our sins.

And when we think and reflect upon that great accomplishment, we can avoid sin consciousness and condemnation for our shortcomings.  We can avoid living with guilt and feelings of unworthiness.  How thankful we can be at every meal as we drink our beverage, remembering what a wonderful savior we have and how he gave his life for us.

This memorial that Jesus Christ instituted was not intended to be a big public ceremony to be held at a specifically scheduled time. It was a memorial instituted at a meal, making it common for all, as well as very personal.

While the wine represented his giving of his life for the sins of the world, the bread represented his physical body and all the punishment that he endured.

Isaiah 52:14:
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

I Peter 2:24:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Just like with the wine, whenever we eat, we can remember that it was his stripes, his broken, bruised, beaten body that paid for our healing.  As we eat, if we want to, and he said that we ought to, we can think about, consider, remember, and remind ourselves of the truth that our healing has been paid for.  Our sins have been paid for, and, our healing has been paid for!

We need to think clearly regarding these very important matters.  If all that was required for mankind’s redemption and salvation was for Jesus to die, then why did God allow him to go through all of that unspeakable torture and punishment? His death paid the price for all sins, and his physical punishment bought and paid for all healing.

If Jesus Christ is the propitiation, full payment, for all sins, what price is there left to pay for sins?  None.  They have been paid for.

If Jesus Christ paid the price for our healing, then what price is there left to pay for your healing?  None.  It has been paid.  Then do you have to be good enough to receive it?  No. The price has already been paid.

This Is So Vital For Us Today

This memorial that Jesus Christ instituted is so vital for us, especially so in our modern world with so much electronic communication.

When was the last time you spent a whole day without hearing anything about sickness and ill health?  There are many commercials on radio and TV that are health related, and they are usually fear motivated.  Newspapers, magazines, people you talk to – we are just bombarded daily with information about sickness!  It’s no wonder it can be a challenge to believe God’s Word at times.

Can you imagine just one day of being bombarded with information about God’s healing instead?  A newspaper headline about someone who got healed of an incurable disease!  A radio broadcast about a blind person who can now see!  A highway billboard that says, “Remember, if God could heal Naaman of leprosy, He can surely heal you.  Have a great day!”  Someone at work tells you about a friend who was in a wheel chair for five years and is now walking!  What a positive impact that kind of a day would have on our lives!

Instead, we are reminded of sickness and disease every day.  But, we can, if we choose to, remind ourselves daily of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us.  God’s healing is still available!

Colossians 1:13:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

A big key in receiving healing from God is to put into our minds that which is true. We have been delivered from the power of darkness by our lord and savior Jesus Christ. What a powerful statement to put into our minds!  Put the Word of God concerning healing into your mind.

Stop dwelling on the negatives concerning health – yours and the rest of the world.  Romans 10 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  The negatives will never get us to the place of believing God, but will only build fear and unbelief.

Depending on the situation, we may need to flood our minds with the truth of God’s Word regarding healing.  And, whenever we eat, we can stop and remind ourselves that through his death, Jesus Christ paid for our sins, and by his stripes we were healed!

More on the “Last Supper” next time.

Mike

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