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Day 71 Matthew 26:17 Matthew 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master said, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. Passover is a celebration denoting the time when Moses led Israel out of Egypt the day after God struck the first born of Egypt. It was and still is a joyful occasion for all Jews. However, the deeper meaning for Passover, is death of the first born. God sent his Son, Jesus, to earth for only one purpose, to die for the remission of sin. In other words, take away the sin of the world. As Christians, this celebration is the beginning of what Jesus came to do, and we celebrate it every time we take communion, proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. Jesus told his disciples to prepare the Passover, so he could celebrate it with them before he died. You also are to prepare yourselves every time you take communion. 1 Corinthians 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (KJV) If you take communion, just to be part of the celebration, you miss the entire meaning behind the celebration. That’s why it is important that you know the reason behind the celebration. It is to remember what Jesus did, and why he did it – to save you from sin and bring you into a right relationship with God your Father. 1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. When you examine yourself before you take communion, confessing your sin, taking the darkness from you, then you walk in the light as he is in the light, and you have fellowship with Jesus and God your Father. The act of communion is two-fold. It includes the bread and the wine, indicative of the body and blood of Jesus, broken and poured out for you for your salvation. Do you examine yourself when you take communion? Do you think about the reason why you take communion? Do you realize there is a celebration behind communion, bringing joy to all those who participate? When you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, God passed over your life, so that you are no longer dead in trespasses and sin, but you are renewed to eternal life with him forever. That is worth celebrating. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for Passover. Thank you for sending Jesus as the Passover Lamb, taking my place and giving me hope, when he died for me. Help me examine myself every time I take communion, remembering the reason why he died for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 29 June 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay