Title Passover Feast/Matthew 26:26-30
Contents Passover Feast
▨ Matthew 26:26-30 ▧
Today's text is about Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his disciples. This is the sacrament of the Eucharist that we are all going to celebrate at this time. The place where the supper was held at that time was in Mark's Upper Room in Jerusalem. The only food prepared on the table was bread and wine. And there were only 13 people present, including Jesus. It was a truly meaningful dinner. Apparently that night's feast was a modest feast, in which few people shared bread and cups in a small room. And that night's feast was also a feast for sinners. But something amazing happened. It is the fact that the feast of that night has been handed down by all Christians for 2,000 years of Christianity. Now we are going to celebrate that ceremony as well. What should we do while participating in the ceremony that Jesus and his disciples gave while keeping the last Passover?
1. Thank you.
Verses 26-27, “As they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from this, all of you.” I did.
Jesus is spending his last night with his beloved disciples before dying on the cross. He made the Last Supper, and gave bread and wine with his disciples. This is to commemorate the flesh of the Lord that was torn on the cross and the blood shed on the cross. The Lord's Supper is the Christian's recollection of the sinless death of Jesus on the cross.
This communion is called eucharist in English. This word means thanksgiving or a prayer of thanksgiving. It is said that the communion service of the early church was consistently performed with thanksgiving and praise. Truly, Jesus died on the cross as a sacrificial lamb for us so that sinners like us can be saved. When thinking about this, the members of the Early Church could not help but thank and cry.
The Lord of the Lord's Supper we are attending today is Jesus. Jesus has invited us to this place and has called us to the Lord's Supper. Therefore, this time should be a time of gratitude and emotion to meet Jesus, who took on all our sins, to commemorate the crucifixion, and to receive spiritually.
2. You must meet the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we become Christians through faith in Jesus. The Lord, who gave himself and shed blood for us, gave bread and a cup to the disciples at the Last Supper and said, "Take and eat; this is my body. Drink from this, which is my blood, which is shed for the remission of sins."
For Christians to drink the blood of Jesus and eat the body refers to a spiritual experience. To drink blood means to drink the blood of Jesus spiritually, realizing that Jesus shed the blood that I should have shed for my sins. To eat that body means to receive that life and have faith to share in the life of the living Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In fact, our faith means eating the blood and body of Jesus. That is why we live as one with Jesus every day. It means loving Jesus every day and becoming more like Jesus. The early church members did not offer it as a religious ceremony when they worshiped. Their religious life was a life of walking with Jesus, who is invisible but alive. They loved Jesus, were moved by Jesus, shed tears, and dedicated everything to love.
The medieval martyr Savonarola confessed: "They can kill me if they want. But they will not separate Jesus from my heart."
During the sacrament 2000 years ago, the Lord met the disciples at one table. Today's sacrament is also to meet the Lord, whose flesh was torn and shed His blood for me. The risen Lord prepared breakfast for the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and met them again. The saints go up to heaven and meet face to face at the Lord's table. Let's meet the Lord through the sacrament.
3. Spirit and body must be healthy.
Where is the church? It is the place where the sacrament service is held. What is the communion service? It is a ceremony of fellowship among God's people while commemorating the death of Jesus on the cross. The Eucharist is therefore also a rite for fellowship. There are two fellowships. One is fellowship with the Lord. Another is the fellowship between brothers. These two fellowships are precious to believers. One thing that cannot be neglected is fellowship.
We will have to be able to restore the fellowship that is broken before the sacrament table unfolding here. So you have to ask first. Why am I far from the Lord? Why did I betray the Lord? Why am I building a wall with my brother? Why do I hate my brother? Each one will have to find the answer. In front of the sacrament table here, the sacrament ceremony is a ceremony to confess my faith. When fellowship with the Lord is cut off, my soul withers and dies. When fellowship with brothers is cut off, prayer, evangelism, and service are neglected. And my soul withers. Shouldn't this fellowship be restored, then? What is the secret to restoring fellowship? only faith. Without faith, true fellowship is difficult. Also, a fellowship created by faith is a true fellowship. But what hinders and hinders our fellowship? It's my sin. Sin made me far from God and from my brother.
The communion service is a ceremony of confessing my faith and offering bread and cups. So, without faith, it would be meaningless to attend ten sacraments of the Lord's Supper. Dear saint! Forgive me for my unbelief. We must continue to make this request to the Lord in faith. Lord! Forgive me for my lack of faith. Because I know, I don't have faith. They seem to have faith, but they do not have faith. You seem to have great faith, but you don't have faith. I thought it was a belief that could part the Red Sea, but I was wrong. This means that whenever you stand before the Lord, you must say, 'Lord, forgive my unbelief.' And I will believe today, Lord. If you ask me when is the best opportunity to confess my faith like this, it means that it is time to participate in the sacrament.
We receive eternal life through the sacrament of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of the Lord. We need to make our bodies more healthy. We must serve the Lord better. In the name of the Lord, I bless you in the name of the Lord that the saints participating in this ceremony will have a blessed time to confess that they will only believe in you, Lord, with a humble attitude.
conclusion
After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with his disciples. He came to Gethsemane and prayed all night. He put the cross in front of him and prayed. He decided to follow God's will and silently walked the way of the cross. He loved us and was to bear our sins. Now, I hope that you will become one with the Lord by believing in Jesus, who gave everything for us out of love. We must become one with the Lord through the flesh and blood of Jesus. We should give thanks through the sacrament. You must meet the Lord. The spirit and body must be strong. Today, I pray in the name of the Lord that the grace of the sacrament will come to us in full.