Passion Week: The Resurrection and the LifeSample

The Last Supper

Before Jesus, there were rules and ceremonies to follow repeatedly to gain a right standing with God. When Jesus offers the bread and wine here, He is likening Himself to the sacrifices required in these ceremonies. Jesus is telling His followers He is the final and complete sacrifice. No longer will rules and ceremonies be required to gain access to God, but Jesus Himself is the way.

When He tells His followers, and now us, to partake in communion this way, He is offering a way for us to remember our right standing with God and all we have access to in this life because of Jesus. Jesus knows the pain and grief the disciples will experience later in the week. He knows what they’ll be up against after He goes back to Heaven. He knows they need a way to remember and remind themselves of their security and confidence. He knows we need to remember, too.

We need to remember all that the cross represents - forgiveness, right standing with God, healing, wholeness, and new life. We need to pause our everyday life, our feelings, thoughts, and emotions, and remind ourselves of His goodness in the midst of it all.