TAKE A DRINK OF FORGIVENESS
The disciples had eaten with Jesus before. Besides the Feeding of the 5000 and the Feeding of the 4000, Jesus’ chosen apostles certainly had many private meals with Jesus throughout the three years they sat at his feet. And they probably had participated in a few annual Passover meals with him as well. And so as they sat in an upstairs room set up for this special Old Testament feast one Thursday evening, commemorating once again the deliverance from Egypt and the angel of death that had passed over the houses with bloodstained doorframes, they didn’t think much of it as they were eating the unleavened bread and enjoying a few pieces of lamb and washing it all down with a little wine in the presence of their Lord. It was a normal holiday meal, no different than any other Passover celebration they had celebrated before. But as this annual feast was winding down, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered 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.’”
I wonder what the disciples were thinking when Jesus said this to them. They probably glanced at each other across the table with some raised eyebrows and then looked back at Jesus to see if he was serious. And after figuring out that he wasn’t telling them a parable or using a figure of speech, they must have thought, “OK, Lord, if you say so…” And they all took a piece of bread from his hands and ate not just bread at that moment but his body as well. And then when the cup came around they not only took a drink of wine but of Jesus’ own blood. And for the first time ever on that Maundy Thursday evening, sinners actually ate salvation; they took a drink of forgiveness.
What a spectacular night that must have been for the disciples! Jesus’ body and blood miraculously offered to them through a couple normal items on their supper table! The forgiveness of sins not just spoken to them, but visibly given to them in a tangible form that they could taste and smell and touch! Jesus’ disciples must have been overwhelmed by this sudden display of his love. Of course, I don’t know how long they really had to dwell on this means of God’s grace because soon after this holy communion with Christ’s body and blood they traveled out to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed while they slept; Judas betrayed Christ and Peter cut off Malchus’ ear, Jesus was arrested and the disciples ran away, Jesus was put on trial, condemned to death, sent to Pilate, over to Herod, and then back to Pilate, marched out to Calvary and crucified. A lot of things happened in the few hours that followed the institution of the very first Lord’s Supper. I’m sure the events in the upper room got lost in all of the things that happened afterwards. But after it was all over, after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, after the disciples started going their own ways to spread the gospel and had time to reflect on the events of that Maundy Thursday evening, I’m sure they remembered Jesus’ words with joy. And every time they celebrated the Lord’s Supper with their own little congregations for years to come they undoubtedly held this new festival in high regard and treated it with the utmost honor and respect.
Maybe if we had been there in that upper room on Maundy Thursday evening with the disciples, hearing Jesus’ words of forgiveness from his own mouth, taking the bread from his own hands, and sharing the cup with the likes of Peter and James and John, then maybe we would treat the Lord’s Supper with a little more respect too. And maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the only one here who doesn’t always regard the Lord’s Supper as precious and as special as it really is. But I have a feeling that it’s sometimes a problem for you as well. Because it’s far too easy for us to act as if the Lord’s Supper is just another part of the worship service, something that we do on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, but nothing more than that. And although it’s nice to have, it’s hardly anything special or unique or wonderful to us anymore. In fact, we are so familiar with this practice of the Christian church and we have participated in it so many times that our minds are usually elsewhere when the Lord’s Supper is in progress, aren’t they?
When walk up to the front here, any number of things can go through our mind. “Wow, Pastor’s shoes are a little scuffed up today… Why did the usher send up so many people at once? I can barely have room it’s so crowded… I hope I don’t drop the wafer… The wine tastes a little sour today… I wonder if so-and-so is going to take communion this time… I hope I can figure out what verse of the hymn we are on when I get back to my chair…” The fact that it’s Christ’s true body with that wafer you just put on your tongue - lost in the melee of thoughts and distractions. The fact that it’s Christ’s true blood with that wine that just ran over your lips - unnoticed and unimportant. The fact that Christ is giving you a chance to eat and drink forgiveness - appreciated but nothing that you haven’t experienced before.
And believe me: my thoughts during the Lord’s Supper are just as scattered and my attitude is just as irreverent. Rarely do I fully value the complete forgiveness I receive through Christ’s body and blood. Rarely am I completely conscious of my sins beforehand and have an aching desire to see them washed away in this heavenly feast. Rarely am I blown away by the grace and mercy of my Lord as the bread and the wine enter my mouth. I don’t despise this Holy Supper, but I don’t honor that well either. I don’t consider it as a pointless tradition, but I definitely don’t revere it as I should. The Lord’s Supper is one of the greatest and most miraculous blessings the Lord will ever give us on this earth. And so it’s a shame that we treat it as something that is nothing out of the ordinary. Because it’s anything but. It certainly uses ordinary elements, but it uses them in extraordinary ways.
And it will comfort you to know that the sins we commit against the Lord’s Supper during the Lord’s Supper are forgiven in the Lord’s Supper. That’s the very reason the Lord instituted this New Testament feast: it was meant to be a spiritual meal for sinners! It was not given to the disciples because they were perfect Christians; they would all run away from Christ in just a couple hours after they left! And so this meal was not meant as a stamp of approval for a holy life; it was meant to cleanse those who were unholy! The Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are surrounded by their sins, not those who are unbothered by them. The Lord’s Supper is meant for us. And here at the Lord’s table he offers us not just bread and wine, but his death and resurrection. He offers us his flesh that was crucified and his blood that poured out of his body. He offers us to take a drink of forgiveness. And it is free. It is sweet. It is instant. There is no probationary period for the blessing of forgiveness. The Lord does not put stipulations on this gift or hold it back until you prove yourself worthy. No, the moment you eat that bread and drink that wine coupled with the words of Jesus himself, forgiveness is yours. And not just a little bit of forgiveness. Not just forgiveness up to that point or forgiveness only for the sins you can remember. But forgiveness for all of your sins of all time. This little wafer and this little cup are a feast for your soul.
Please understand what a precious, precious gift this is. Every time you step up to the altar, you are a witness to and a direct recipient of a miracle of grand proportions. In one simple moment you the sinner are connected with Christ the Savior and his ransom cross. You will never be closer to your Lord on this earth than at this Supper. His real body and his real blood are at your finger tips. The same flesh that was sacrificed for you. The same blood that fell to the ground. Take that wafer in your hand tonight and every opportunity thereafter with trembling and joyful fingers. Hold that cup in awe and admiration. And praise your Lord for what he is doing for you at that very moment. Because you are eating salvation. You are taking a drink of forgiveness.
Amen.
“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will. and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” - Heb. 13:20-21
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