“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24–25, KJV)
In 2014, Barbara Streisand and Lionel Ritchie released a song titled, “The Way We Were.” The Opening lyrics go, “Memories, Light the corners of my mind, Misty watercolor memories, Of the way we were.” The song pictures a person reminiscing about a relationship in the past. It has a somber tone, thinking back to both laughter and sorrow, beauty and pain.
If you have noticed, in these devotions, I have included a lot of personal experiences. These are memories from my past. Some of these were pleasant memories, some were unpleasant. Some were happy and victorious others, the opposite. We all have memories and if we could write them all down, we would fill books. Yet, in all these memories, some are so vital that we never will or should forget them.
Paul here, related the words of our Lord regarding the meal of remembrance. He began this practice of the church when He celebrated the Passover with His twelve disciples. In this He presented a vital picture of the work He would do as the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the cross to provide eternal redemption for all who would believe He referred to the bread as His body broken and the wine as His shed blood. These were significant elements in the Passover meal. The third cup in the Jewish Seder is the cup of redemption. Jesus’ shed blood redeems us from the penalty of sin.
The communion meal is a meal of remembrance. It is a beautiful picture of what the Lord has done for us. It is something that we are never to forget. Jesus stated that as often as we partake of it we are to do so in remembrance of Him. We are never to forget.
When I was in school, I had a difficult time memorizing. I did not like memorization. I would rather think through things logically. However, I finally came to a place where I decided to work on memorization. I found that the only way it worked was through repetition. The more I recited something or the more that I wrote something, the more I remembered. Jesus did not tell us how often to partake of this meal of remembrance. However, He did indicate that we were to partake repeatedly. In this repetition, this vital truth is planted in our minds.
In verse 26, we read, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26, KJV). As often as we partake, we reinforce our understanding of the beauty of what the Lord has done for us. Moreover, we do so until He returns. It is interesting that the fourth and last cup in the Jewish Seder speaks of the time when the Lord will return and take up His followers (1 Thess 4:16-17). Many believe that in the Seder, Jesus did not partake of this particular cup since this part of God’s redemptive plan, the rapture of the church. was not yet complete (Luke 22:18).
Let us never forget how blessed we are to have such a Savior as Jesus.
Renewing the Heart 