Why celebrate the Lord's Supper ? (1)

"When the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. He said to them : I have longed to eat this passover with you before I suffer ... Then, having taken a loaf, having given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying : This is my body, which is given for you ; do this in memory of me. "Luke 22. 14, 15, 19

"Do this in remembrance of me ... Whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." 1 Corinthians 11. 24, 26

In Jewish custom, on the occasion of a mourning, the family of the deceased offered a simple meal, consisting of bread and wine, to the friends who had come to console her (Jer 16. 7). At the last Passover supper he shares with his disciples, the Lord takes a loaf and a cup. By this symbolic gesture he announces his imminent death. By the voice of the Apostle Paul (second verse of the day), he also invites those who love him, to share this meal in memory of him.

- "In memory of me". Let us respond to his ardent desire, expressed a few hours before the cross. But only those who are part of his family are invited to this meal. To take the Lord's Supper is then a simple way to show our love to our Lord.

- "You announce the death of the Lord". By this gesture, believers also make a public witness. They recall the work of Jesus:

• children and unbelievers who have to wonder about the meaning of such an act;

• angels, who wish to look into the history of salvation (1 Pet. 1: 12) and admire Christ's victory over Satan, sin, and the world.

- "Until he comes." Jesus is alive and glorified. In celebrating the Lord's Supper, we recall his incarnation and his death, but we also proclaim his resurrection and his coming soon.

For God too, it is important for Christians to remember the work of Jesus in Golgotha. In the story of eternity, there were three terrible hours when God had to abandon his Son. But he showed his full satisfaction in the work accomplished : he raised him up and made him sit on his right. The remembrance of the perfection of the sacrifice of his Son is agreeable to him. He does not want his children to forget this moment.

See you next Sunday

Source (Pleasing the Lord)