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Thankfulness
(3rd in the series of expositions on Communion delivered on Aug 6, 1978)
In 1 Cor 11:23,24 we read:
...the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when
He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for
you. Do this in remembrance of me."
Notice the circumstances on which He gave thanks: it was on the night when He was betrayed. He already knew that His enemy was sitting at the table and still He gave thanks. The true Communion is under the pressure of our enemies, when we are being surrounded by the enemies, the world, Satan, sin and the flesh, and every moment is being attacked and suppressed by them. In the Last Supper, Jesus gave thanks in the midst of the enemy. Communion is the Lord's grace and triumphs in the midst of trials.
The Lord Jesus did not partake the bread nor the cup after He blessed it as He said, "I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:18). And He gave thanks not just for the bread but also for His broken body, not just for the cup but the new covenant through His blood. So Christ gave thanks for His own death. (Think of our own attitude!)
In Jn 4:34, "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work." Therefore Jesus gave thanks for doing God the Father's will, which is His (Christ's) food. What is the Father's will at that stage? It is that Christ should lay down His life for His sheep (us). In Gethsemane Jesus prayed "Thy will be done" (Mt 26:36ff). His will is to do the Father's will. Therefore Communion is doing God's will which is our food, only the disciples do His will and follow His footsteps through the narrow gate. Then the Father's will shall become our will and this is the beginning to understand the depth and the spirit of Communion. In 1 Thess 5:18 it reads: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Why did the Lord give thanks in doing the Father's will by laying down His life? It is because of love - it gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus. The Communion expresses that the Lord Jesus loves to do the will of the Father and loves us also. Will we be able to give thanks for all circumstances in this spirit of Communion?
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Communion Series:
- Worship
- A Sharing in the Body of Christ
- God's Expression of Love to Us
- Pressing toward the Mark of the High Calling
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