Reading: Mark 14:12-26
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. Mark 14:22-24
The disciples had eaten their Passover lamb. The meal was over, but the Passover liturgy (the Haggadah) went on. Following the meal, Jewish tradition called for everyone to drink a cup of wine symbolizing the redemption of the people through the sacrifice of the lamb. It was a reminder to them that their lives were spared when the Spirit of God passed over the houses which had lamb’s blood on the doorframe. It was this cup that Jesus gave to His disciples to establish the sacrament of Holy Communion.
The promise that God makes to us in Communion isn’t just that He will take on our sin and die for us. It is the promise that He will redeem us. He will not just take away our sin, but He will also restore us to righteousness. He will reclaim us as His children and give us a place in His holy family. In the cup of redemption God chooses us as His sons and daughters and promises to forever be our God.
Jesus loves us enough that He didn’t just create a new ritual for us, He gave us a new covenant. He made a new promise of salvation through His death and resurrection. In the cup of Communion we remember and celebrate our redemption through Jesus Christ.
Challenge: What in your life needs to be redeemed by God? Turn it over to Christ in Communion.
Prayer Request: Pray for our Maundy Thursday service, “Christ in the Passover,” this evening at 7:30 and for our speaker, Susan Perlmann from Jews for Jesus.
