The passover supper was eaten once each year, and the children knew it was different from other meals, and they asked, “What mean ye by this service?” Ex. 12:2626And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? (Exodus 12:26).
Boys and girls now who see the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup, called the Lord’s supper, may rightly ask the same question.
The Lord Jesus Himself said to do this, and showed its meaning, the night before His death, after He and the disciples had eaten the passover supper in the upper room:
“He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, sang, ‘This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.’”
It is very plain that this is to be done to remind those who love the Lord Jesus, of His death for them, in which He bore the judgment of God against sin, He was bruised of God for sin. The drink in the cup, called “fruit of the vine”, (Ver. 18), was made from the juice of grapes, and is used by the Lord to remind us of His blood poured out, or shed, when the soldier pierced His side.
It was God’s way that sins could not be put away except by blood, since all have sinned. No one could fit himself to live with God, or erase even one sin from his knowledge. Only One Who had no sin could save others. Because Jesus was without sin, the Holy Son of God, His shed blood was of value to save everyone in all the world who should put his trust in Him. Think of the wonder of these words, “God,... hath spoken... by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds: Who being the brightness of His glory,... upholding all things by the word of His power,... by Himself purged (put away) our sins.” Hebrews 1:1-31God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:1‑3).
There could be no work greater than that of the Son of God in His death on the cross, which He knew on the night before, to be as certain as though already done.
Costly statues are made to remember the great deeds of men; Jesus asked only for those who love Him to remember His death, greatest of all deeds, by eating the simple supper together, giving thanks to God.
In eating together they show they shared the sins which caused Him to die, but also share the blessings brought by His “body given” and His “blood shed.” They did not go to a great fixed place like the temple, but to an upper room loaned for the time.
That night Jesus told them that after He was gone the Holy Spirit would come to guide them with His words (John 16:1313Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. (John 16:13)), and later, they did His wishes as the Spirit led, they met in plain places to give Him praise and think of His death for them.
ML 02/10/1946