April 14 Devotion - Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

 

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Luke 22: 14-20

 

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

 

John 6:53-58

 

The flesh and blood of the Son of man, denote the Redeemer in the nature of man; Christ and Him crucified, and the redemption created by Him, with all the precious benefits of redemption; pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the throne of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. These are called the flesh and blood of Christ because they are purchased by the breaking of His body, and the shedding of His blood. Also, because they are food and drink to our souls.

 Eating this flesh and drinking this blood means believing in Christ. We partake of Christ and His benefits by faith. The soul that rightly knows its state and wants, finds whatever can calm the conscience, and promote true holiness, in The Redeemer, God manifest in the flesh. Meditating upon the Cross of Christ gives life to our repentance, love, and gratitude. We live by Him, as our bodies live by our food. We live by Him, as the members by the head, the branches by the root: because He lives (resurrected) we shall live also. (Adapted from Mathew Henry’s explanation of the Bible).

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

 Abba Father, thank You for the riches of Your grace upon my life which allows me to be forgiven through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf. Through Your redemption Jesus I also receive the precious benefits of redemption, pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the Throne of Grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. Thank You Jesus for suffering on my behalf, I believe in You and declare You my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for Your body which is given for us and for the new covenant of grace through Your blood which was shed for us. God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name. Thank You Father for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me, and Your abundant blessings in my life. Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Ephesians 3:20-21 (AMP) Amen.

 Jesus loves you.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein