Saturday, March 4, 2017
Mark 14:22-23 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
THE LORD'S SUPPER
It took three years to complete. To this day it is the most popular piece of Christian art in the world. It was originally done in oils on the dining hall wall of a monastery by Leonardo da Vinci, but from the time it was completed in 1498 "The Last Supper" began to fall apart, its paint fading and flaking off the wall. The last major restoration effort, a 20 year project, was completed in 1999. Da Vinci's "Last Supper" wasn't so lasting.
But that is not the case with the Lord's Supper. To this day that Supper remains unchanged. To this day our Lord Christ calls us to His Table and comes to us through His Sacrament. You may well have an invitation to join Him tomorrow morning. The same Jesus who eagerly looked forward to celebrating this sacred meal with His first disciples eagerly anticipates your receiving bread and wine from His own hand. This is a miraculous reality beyond all human comprehension.
But there is more. Much more. Because His body was given up for us on the cross, because His blood was shed on that cross, we-- along with those first disciples and all who have followed them-- hear Jesus say: "This is my body" and "This is my blood shed for you for the remission of sins" and receive from the hand of Christ the ultimate proofs that He laid down His life to atone for our sin-guilt. Namely, His very body and blood.
Jesus, as testified by His own words and promise, is miraculously present both at and in this meal. And as we receive His body and His blood at His Table, He gives believing hearts the forgiveness of sins.
Truly, this Supper of our Savior is a meal to be savored until we see our Redeemer face-to-face and join Him in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19).
