Took, blessed, broke, gave.
Jesus specifically tells us to remember His death. Just before He was crucified, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ That night, with instructions given to His disciples, Jesus instituted a meal of remembrance for them, and us, as He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to others (Luke22.19).
Those four steps, involving the bread, symbolise His body broken for us through His death on the Cross. In those steps, Jesus gave us the foundation to understand four important points about the meal we now call Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
- Just as He took the bread, we now know that He has taken us out from the world to live a new life in Him.
- Just as He blessed the bread, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
- Just as He broke the bread, He has broken the power of sin over our broken lives and broken world.
- Just as He gave the bread to others, He has given of Himself to all of us.
When we take communion in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11.26-28), we begin to appreciate how Jesus’ death seals us with His redemptive power. Although, ‘a worthy manner’ is not about formality or ceremony, but is referring the importance of examining our heart before God, to remember, honour and appreciate all Jesus has done for us.
Therefore, every time we repeat those words that Jesus Himself spoke, we declare four crucial truths, which were accomplished in and through His death on the cross. What are those crucial truths again?
- He took the bread, as He has taken us out from the world to new life in Him.
- He blessed the bread, as He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
- He broke the bread, as He has broken the power of sin.
- He gave the bread to others, as He has given Himself for all of us.
This is all possible because Jesus is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation13.8) and because of His sacrifice, Jesus has ‘Redeemed us to God by His blood, people out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’ (Revelation5.9).
No one can bypass the cross or go around Jesus’ death if they want to be saved, because there is no plan B for salvation. Oswald Chambers once said, ‘All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while humanity are the only beings, who more or less, ignore its meaning’.
So, as we intentionally look at the cross, asking God prayerfully to help us understand:
- The curse of sin is broken by His sacrifice.
- The cost of sin is paid for by His blood.
- The cure for sin is accomplished by His death.
In Galatians 6.14 it is said, ‘God forbid that I should glory in anything, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ That’s because of what happened there, when:
- He took the well-deserved wrath of God in our place.
- He blessed us with peace in restored relationship with God.
- He broke the bondage to sin, guilt and shame.
- He gave us victory over Satan.
Remember, there is wonder working power behind those words, ‘took, blessed, broke and gave’, because of what was accomplished through the sacrifice of His body, which is given for you.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever, amen.
