When History Was Forgotten!

If you go to a church which regularly holds a “breaking of bread” or a “communion” service, you will be used to hearing these words:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take eat; this is My body.” Matthew 26:26

“And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19

We become so used to the words being read in a matter of fact tone. But for the disciples, it was a shocking thing. At that time, the last thing to be eaten during the Passover Supper was the roast lamb. When the Lord stood up in front of the remaining eleven disciples (see John 13:30) and took a piece of unleavened bread prepared for the seder – the order of service – and began breaking it up into smaller pieces, their jaws must have dropped. They must have thought, “What is He doing? We’re not to eat anything after the lamb!”

So the Lord must have smiled at them and spoken to them in a tone of voice that said, “It’s all right! Take... eat ... this bread which I’m giving to each of you represents My Body which I am giving for you. In the days to come, do this same thing in remembrance of Me. The old Passover is not to be remembered by you anymore! You will remember My Giving of Myself for you!”

When they were all new creatures in Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost, serving God in the Church, they indeed continued, “breaking bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46).

No more did they think of their forefathers’ slavery in Egypt; they were free from the slavery of their sinful flesh.

No more did they think of the hardship and cruelty their forefather’s suffered; they shifted their remembrance to the terrible sufferings of their Saviour who had saved them from sin.

Their sons no longer asked the question, “What does this night mean?”; they concentrated on Christ their Passover and remembered that they were one with Him in His Death and in His Resurrection.

The great exodus and the chase that Pharaoh’s chariots gave and the miraculous crossing of the Red sea faded into insignificance as they contemplated the Power of the Victory over Satan and the Power of the Resurrection Life within them.

The wilderness experience of their forefathers meant nothing in contrast to the New Abundant Life they were enjoying in Christ. The manna from Heaven was long gone; they had the True Bread, the Bread of Life as their Friend. The water from the rock refreshed their forefathers and their cattle; they had constant access to the Fountain of the water of life by the Holy Spirit. They were hearing daily the water of the Word to restore and strengthen their souls!

How is it with you today? Is this your experience, too? You don't have to be Jewish to experience this change of thought! Is the Lord Jesus at the forefront of your vision? Or does your past life cloud and hamper your understanding of how to follow Him into Eternity?

May you grasp the importance of His words, “Do this in remembrance of Me” and be single-minded in these last days.