Read Luke 21 -- 22
In Today’s Reading:
The widow's offering; signs of the end; plot against Jesus; last Passover; the Lord's Supper; Jesus' arrest; Peter's denial.
The Israelites' annual Passover meal was a reminder that the blood of an innocent lamb had made it possible for them to be redeemed from death and set free from Pharaoh and Egyptian slavery.
On the night of the Passover, preceding His crucifixion, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, and [broke] it, and gave [to] them, saying, This is My Body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament (covenant) in My blood, which is shed for you (Luke 22:19-20).
At this Passover, our Lord identified Himself with the Passover Lamb. The Lord's Supper instituted that night is a reminder that Jesus' death on the cross delivered us from Satan, our pharaoh, and set us free from our sins to imparted eternal life.
The Lord's Supper is so sacred that our Lord further reveals its importance through Paul who wrote: The Lord Jesus, [on] the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He [broke] it, and said, Take, eat: this is My Body. . . . this do . . . as [often] as [you] drink it, in remembrance of Me (I Corinthians 11:23-25).
The Lord wanted us to be reminded that His death on the cross made the difference between eternal hell and eternity in Heaven.
It is of utmost importance that we consider carefully that our Lord said: This do. He did not make a suggestion or an option, but a command. Jesus reminded all would-be followers: Why call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? . . . If a man love Me, he will keep My [Commandments] (Luke 6:46; John 14:23).
The Lord's Supper is a continuing reminder that there is forgiveness for all of us. It is also a reminder that our self-centered preoccupation with material things tends to direct our attention to things that have no eternal value. That is why Paul was led to write: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup (I Corinthians 11:28). It is at the Lord's Table that the Holy Spirit can speak to our hearts as we "examine ourselves" and, in the process, lose our desire to put self forward by manipulating people. Attitudes of ill will, revenge, and even depression suppress the resurrection life of Christ within each of us. The Lord's Table is a reminder that ye are bought with a price (His sacred blood): Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (I Corinthians 6:20).
Thought for Today: Have you been to Jesus for His cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Word Studies:
21:4 penury = poverty; 21:13 shall turn to you for a testimony = will turn out to be an opportunity to tell the Good News; 21:15 to gainsay = to speak against; 21:34 surfeiting = overindulgence; 22:39 wont = in the habit of.
Cross References:
For Luke 21:27: See Dan. 7:13. Luke 22:37: See Isa. 53:12. Luke 22:69: See Psa. 110:1.
Prayer Needs:
Government Officials: Rep. John Doolittle (CA), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (MI), Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ), and Rep. Tim Roemer (IN) · Pray for your church · Country: Brunei (400,000) on the northeastern coast of Borneo · Major languages: Malay and English · Limited religious freedom · 66% Muslim; 19% Chinese religions; 6% animist; 4% Protestant; 4% Roman Catholic · Prayer Suggestion: Ask the Lord to fill you with love for the unlovely (I John 4:7-8).
Memory Verse for the Week: Philippians 2:16