The Last Supper – The New Covenant
It's Holy Thursday. Let us turn to Matthew's Gospel and remember the moment that Jesus spent at the Passover table with His disciples. We read: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body." Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28 NIV11)
The Mysterious Presence
How many times have you as a Christian heard those words? We often recite them or a variation of them when we share in the sacrament of Holy Communion or the Eucharist.
Perhaps we have heard them so often that we have forgotten what a confusing and shocking thing this must have been for the disciples around the table with Him. The bread is your body? The wine is your blood? Perhaps they thought back to when Jesus taught about this earlier in His ministry, which we read in John 6. But I'm sure they only realised the real significance of what He said after He had died and then risen again.
Tokens of Divine Love
One of Charles Wesley's great hymns is "Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast", which contains these words:
"The tokens of thy dying love
O let us all receive,
And feel the quickening Spirit move,
And sensibly believe."
Note how Wesley talks of the "tokens" of His love which we can receive. This is what we do when we come to the Lord's table and share this sacrament. We receive the tokens of His love – tokens of bread and wine which represent His body and blood, and which bring forth His real presence in a mysterious way.
Wesley says that when we receive these tokens we feel the Spirit move and 'quicken' us. This word 'quicken' in those days meant to bring something to life. Wesley was saying that this sacrament of Holy Communion brings us new spiritual life and energy; and it helps us to "sensibly" believe, meaning it's not just a mental or spiritual thing, but our senses receive Him as we see and feel and taste and smell the bread and wine.
Some churches will celebrate Holy Communion today, in preparation for the next few days. Our church has a Tenebrae service tonight at 19:00 – feel free to join us if you're in the area. But whenever you partake of this sacrament again, do it with the mindset that these tokens of His dying love will awaken you and enable your senses to experience Jesus.
What a privilege to meet the dying Jesus in this way.
