When Did This Happen?

It is amazing to remember that the institution of the Lord’s Supper occurred in this week of Jesus’ life.  The days of His passion.  In fact, it occurred on the very night of His betrayal and just prior to His crucifixion.

With love towards His disciples and with the cross before Him because of His disciples and the rest of us sinners, He gathered them together and sat down and had the Passover meal.  The Passover itself proclaimed the mercy of God – that a lamb would be sacrificed to pay for the sins of those who then would partake of that sacrifice.  It was all pointing to this week – it was all pointing to Jesus and the perfect sacrifice He was about to make.

And yet, as Luke records, Jesus said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

As we partake of Christ at this memorial, we are being united to the One Who fervently desired to die for us that we would die in our sin with Him – and that, united in that death, would be raised with Him to the new life that we now enjoy and will grow up into – from now until the day of Jesus Christ.