Day 221 “His blood, His body, our sin quite amazing!”

Day 221 Matthew 26:26-30 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. In Exodus, Chapter 12 (if I may paraphrase), the Passover is instituted by God as the final blow to the enemies of Israel and the act that causes them to be given their freedom. The Jewish people were given specific instructions to prepare a lamb for slaughter; they were to place the blood of the lamb over the doorposts and on the sides of the door (the lintels) and then remain inside while feasting on the sacrifice. As they were inside feasting on the lamb and unleavened bread, the spirit of the Lord would pass through the land, and any doorway that did not bear the blood of the lamb He would enter, and the firstborn of that household would be killed. And so it was, and the people of Israel were spared, while their enemies' firstborn children and livestock were destroyed; hence, their enemies released them from captivity. Here in Matthew 26, we see Jesus now performing the first communion or new act of Passover with His disciples and, while they were unable at the time to completely comprehend it, 3 days later it would all become clear. You see, Jesus was now showing them and all who have consequently read this passage that He is now the sacrificial lamb, that His body would be the one broken, and His would be the blood shed to cover our sins for eternity. He is now forever freeing all who believe from the captivity of sin. We must remember that His death and resurrection had not yet happened at this time; therefore, the degree to which this sacrifice was to be has yet to be seen. The suffering of Christ and the shedding of His blood has, unfortunately, been so watered down by many religions that it has lost much of its true intent. You see, God did not institute the blood sacrifice of an innocent animal to satisfy His thirst for blood; He did it to cause pain to the one who offended in order that they might no longer offend. My dad spanked me when I knowingly did wrong; the pain of that spanking and the thought of disappointing him again, that’s what kept me from repeat offenses. The hurt from taking an innocent life and shedding its blood for my mistakes, that is what should keep me from disappointing God as well. By instituting the new covenant, Jesus bore that pain for us as well, yet all too often we now forget His pain for us–that is the purpose of communion–maybe now we can all remember and help others to remember as well. Yes, to receive redemption is easy, but the payment that was made was anything but easy or painless; there was great sacrifice and pain. Daily Prayer: Father, thank You for the redemption of my life by Your son Jesus. May we never forget His suffering for our sake. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “His blood, His body, our sin quite amazing!” Gene Burroughs, Pastor