- Apr 17
- 6 min read
[1 Corinthians 11:24-26] “…and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
[John 13:34-35] “…A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
“Do This in Remembrance of Me”
“Do this in remembrance of Me.” Jesus instituted Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, on a Thursday night – the night He and His disciples celebrated and ate the Jewish Passover meal together.
Passover was a meal of roasted lamb eaten in remembrance of God’s work of saving the Israelites, the Hebrews, from slavery in Egypt and from the death of their firstborn – many centuries before, as recorded in the book of Exodus.
And Passover, as God intended it, was a teaching moment from parents to their children. Moses gave the people God’s instructions regarding the Passover, then told them, “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” [Exodus 12:26-27]
In other words, as the dads prepared that meal year-after-year, eventually, as the children got older, they would start to pay attention, and wonder, and ask, “Why do dad and mom do this?”
Why? To remember. To remember God’s work of salvation. “In remembrance of that day when death passed over our houses because the blood of the lamb was on or doorposts. And then God did more! He brought us through the parted Red Sea and delivered us from our slavery.” They remembered, gave thanks, and believed when they ate that meal.
On the night when Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples, He taught them about the greater salvation which He was about to accomplish by giving His own Body and Blood on the cross – to die, to offer Himself up, as the true Passover Lamb – to die for the sins of His people – to become “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” [John 1:29] – to save us from eternal death.
Jesus, therefore, instituted that night this new and true Supper to replace the old Passover. This new Supper in which we receive the true Lamb, Jesus Himself, as our food and drink – for our soul and faith – to sustain us on the way – Him making Himself the true and present remembrance of what He has done for us.
“Do this in remembrance of Me.” If your sons and daughters, young or old, ask you, “Dad, Mom, why do you do this?” What would your answer be? What are you remembering in this meal?
This Supper is not just an occasion for past memories – nor are the bread and wine mere symbols of what Jesus did for us – but Jesus is truly present, living, His body and blood, in and with this bread and wine. As we truly receive Him, we remember Him.
We remember that the Son of God has become our Bread of Life [John 6:35]. We remember that we are sinners who need the Lamb who is slain for our offenses – that we were enslaved by sin and darkness, until our Savior Jesus set us free – that we were held captive by death, but our Savior Jesus has conquered death.
We remember – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
And, brothers and sisters, Jesus made it clear on that night in which He instituted this Supper, in His long conversation with His disciples that night [John 13-17], that, in this meal, you have one more thing to remember: To love one another as He has loved you. With this Supper of His New Covenant comes also the life of His New Commandment.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
Remember how He has loved – in His agony and bloody sweat – in giving His back to the whips – in giving His beard to be pulled out – in giving His face to be spit upon – in the beatings, the mocking, and in the piercing of the nails through His hands and feet – in the crown of thorns on His head —
— in His prayer for the forgiveness of those who did these things to Him – in suffering this for His disciple who denied Him – and in giving His life for all, for you and I, who have truly sinned against Him, by sinful thoughts, sinful words, and sinful deeds.
Remember how He gave everything for you – and forgive each other from the heart. Forgive – not just friends, but people who have really wronged you. Take up that cross and forgive as He has forgiven. Love each other from the heart.
This love, lived, teaches: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Remember that this night in which Jesus instituted this Supper is the same night in which He took up a towel and a basin like a servant and washed His disciples’ feet: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example.” [John 13:13-15]. Remember His example.
Feet are gross. So is sin, and that’s what Jesus was talking about. “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…” [John 13:10]
You are all clean because you are bathed in baptism – But we all still come here with dirt, with sin, clinging on our feet. Remember Jesus who stayed, who stooped down, plunged His hands in that water, and washed His disciples’ dirty, unpleasant feet.
Remember, and therefore bear with one another. Wash their dirt from your vision – because this same body and blood was given into death for their sins.
As you gather around one body and one blood, remember that you are all called the body of Christ. “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
That means recognizing this bread as the body of Jesus and treating it as such, with all the respect owed to His body. And it means recognizing these imperfect people as the body of Jesus and treating each other as such, with the respect owed to Jesus’ body – not because of each other’s works or merit, but because of Jesus.
“Let us recall” – let us remember – “that in our midst Dwells Christ, His only Son; As members of His body joined We are in Him made one.”
“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” [1 Corinthians 11:28]. There is a lot that goes into teaching and training the young people to prepare them for this very serious Supper.
There’s the doctrine of this Supper, that it is Christ’s body and blood, which must be believed. There’s instruction in the faith to come together in unity of belief. Instruction in the Ten Commandments, to examine ourselves to come in purposeful repentance. Instruction in the knowledge of the Gospel, to come for forgiveness.
There’s the development and maturing of the heart and mind to be able to “discern”, and to “do this”, thoughtfully and purposefully.
And there’s the instilling of this new commandment in them, to love and forgive as they are loved and forgiven by Jesus. What we teach others, let us remember to do ourselves.
Finally, let’s remember that the Lord alone is perfect. He forgives the imperfect, me and you. So, let’s set the example of coming to Him for our forgiveness in this Supper. Amen.
- Apr 13
- 5 min read
[John 12:13] So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
[Luke 23:20-23] Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” … But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.
The Palms and Passion of Our Lord
First waving palms, praising Him as their King. Then demanding nails, to crucify Him among thieves. First crying, “Hosanna!”, “Save Us!”, trusting their Savior with joy. Then accepting a murderer in His place; and yelling, “Crucify Him! Crucify Jesus!”, “Away with Him and crucify Him!”
Palm Sunday is a Sunday of contradiction. It even has two names. Today is called “Palm Sunday” and “Passion Sunday”, or “Sunday of the Passion”. (“Passion” meaning His “Suffering”; different than how we use that word today.)
Today begins with the Palm Procession, the “Triumphal Entry” gospel reading, a joyful “Hosanna” hymn – All glory, laud, and honor To You Redeemer, King, To whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring…
Then the service transitions. The “Passion of Our Lord” gospel reading. And then singing, “…‘Crucify!’ Is all their breath, And for His death They thirst and cry.” [Lutheran Service Book, #430, My Song Is Love Unknown, stanza 3]
We see on Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday, the transition and contradiction that our Lord experienced in His people in that week when these events happened.
On that first day of the week, the Sunday before the Passover that year, Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the King of Peace. On a humble colt, the foal of a donkey – not on a chariot or a war horse – with disciples as followers, not an army – Jesus rode into the city for His kind of victory.
The crowd knew this humble servant-king as their true King. They made a carpet of their cloaks laid out on the road. They waved the palm branches, as they did in previous victories. They knew Him as their Savior, crying “Hosanna!” – “Save Us!”
And they knew, it seems, on that Sunday, what their humble servant-king came to save them from. They knew which enemy He was defeating. “The crowd that had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet Him was that they heard He had done this sign.” [John 12:17-18]
He came to save them from the true enemy – not men, not rulers, not nations – but from death. This was the one who raised Lazarus from the dead a few days earlier [John 11]. This was the one who could save us from our lifelong slavery to death and the fear of death [Hebrews 2:15].
And from sin, and original sin, the root causes of death. And from hell which would follow; and from the devil who brought this all upon us. This Jesus is the one who could conquer the grave.
The Pharisees said, “Look, the whole world has gone after Him!” Yet, so soon after, on the Friday after that Sunday, they choose the strong of this world in place of their servant-King. They choose Barabbas, a rebel and fighter against Rome, to be released instead of Jesus – while calling upon the Roman governor to do away with their servant-king and Savior, Jesus.
How quickly did they no longer need the Savior from sin, death, and hell. How quickly did Pilate and Herod, and Barabbas the rebel, all become more important than the King who came to save them.
As they began shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Jesus!”, they were also found yelling, “We have no king but Caesar!” [John 19:15]. How quickly did their needs and allegiances become about this world first.
How quickly? It happened between Sundays. On Sunday they praised Him. By Friday they had no use for their servant-king and Savior and cursed Him with their lips.
You and I, like this crowd, live with contradictions. On Sunday, we kneel before our servant-King as Lord alone. During the week, our minds – and our fears and faith – become set on the strong of this world, whether friend or foe, ruler or rebel.
And our lips which praise His name on Sunday find less use for His name during the week – or even use His name in vain. And those same lips speak ill of brothers and sisters who bear His name. “With our tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God…” [James 3:9-10]
If we confess to need Jesus on Sunday, but don’t find as much use for Him during the week, misuse His name as a casual curse or exclamation, or have a mind focused only on this life during the week, not giving thought about the next, then we are walking too much like this crowd, which praised Him on a Sunday and had no use for Him by Good Friday but denied Him and abandoned Him.
“Hosanna! Blessed is He!” became “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Yet the Lord used this contradiction in the hearts of His people for His ultimate good purpose of being their Savior. Jesus laid down His life – gave Himself on the cross – for the kind of sinners who would deny Him, leave Him, and crucify Him. He redeemed them.
By the end of that day, the very soldiers who crucified Him were praising God and saying, “Truly, this man was innocent”, and, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” [Luke 23:47; Matthew 27:54]. He redeemed them.
In those few hours, two thieves crucified next to Him were at first mocking Him [Matthew 27:38,44], then one of them began praising Him [Luke 23:42], then that one entered into Paradise with Him [Luke 23:43]. Jesus was redeeming people, buying them back, by His death.
On the cross, Jesus used some of His very last cries to pray for those crucifying Him – “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing” [Luke 23:34].
Jesus went up on that cross to die for sinners who are guilty. To save them. To forgive them – to make them spotless and without blemish in God’s sight by His blood. And to make them new men and women.
We are contradictory. Jesus is very consistent. Jesus remains steadily “God-Who-Saves”. He is not only able to forgive sinners like us – not only able to give us eternal life in Paradise – but is also able, in this life, to make us less contradictory.
Jesus is able to make you more consistent every day with what you confess on Sunday, not by human might but by the divine might of being your humble servant-King. He redeems you from sin and death all at once. He transforms you over a lifetime.
So, trust in Him, and spend a lifetime with Him, to be transformed by Him, that - week-by-week – our life may become more consistent with our Hosanna cries. Amen.
- Apr 13
- 5 min read
[Genesis 50:15-21]
“…but God Meant It for Good
“Where charity and love prevail There God is ever found; Brought here together by Christ’s love By love are we thus bound” – we must love as He has first loved us – “Forgive we now each other’s faults As we our faults confess, And let us love each other well In Christian holiness” – let’s forgive as He has forgiven us. [“Where Charity and Love Prevail”, Lutheran Service Book , #845; 1 John 4:19; Colossians 3:13]
The story of Joseph begins when he is just seventeen years old. Joseph is the second youngest of twelve sons. And Joseph is dearer to their father, Jacob, than the older brothers are – as shown, for example, when their father gives Joseph the “coat of many colors”.
Jospeh is also the recipient of dreams from the Lord. Dreams which signified a certain ‘favoritism’ that God would bestow on Joseph. First, Joseph receives a dream in which he and his brothers are gathering sheaves of grain. Their eleven sheaves all bow down to his sheave.
Next Joseph receives a dream from the Lord in which eleven stars, and also the sun and the moon – father, mother, and all the brothers – bow down to Joseph’s star. By God’s design, they will all one day be giving homage to Joseph.
Joseph did nothing for this. It was God’s will. But the brother’s act according to their own murderous nature. They are envious, jealous, and angry.
Jospeh is captured by his brothers – sold into slavery for twenty silver coins – carried off into Egypt - made a servant in a man’s household – falsely accused for a wrong he did not commit – and falsely imprisoned.
His course runs lower and lower. Yet God is with him and prospers him at each point. And, finally, through a series of events, God delivers Joseph from prison and then exalts Joseph to those high heights that God had originally revealed in those dreams.
Joseph is made ruler of all Egypt – second only to Pharaoh – all pay homage to him – and, through Joseph, many nations and people are kept alive during a seven-year famine. Including Joseph’s brothers and family.
Because of Joseph, Egypt has grain. Joseph’s brothers, like countless others, are forced to travel to Egypt to seek out food. They arrive. Joseph recognizes them. They do not recognize Joseph. They have no knowledge of all this that’s happened since they sold him.
But then, after a course of events, Joseph does make the grand reveal. He shows his brothers, who left him for dead and sold him for cash, who he is. After Joseph reveals to them who he is, what does he then do?
He says: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” [Genesis 50:20]. As ruler, Joseph has great power for revenge. But Joseph forgives from the heart and recognizes God’s goodness.
The book of Genesis is fifty chapters long. It starts with creation and continues, chapter by chapter, through the most important events, promises, and people that lay the foundation for the promise of the Gospel, the coming of Christ.
Out of fifty chapters, the story of Joseph gets fourteen chapters! Fourteen of the fifty! That’s more than a quarter of the whole book of Genesis devoted to what happened to Joseph and what he did. And what Joseph did was that he forgave his brothers. Not with bitterness, but from the heart.
“So do not fear”, he said, “I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. [Genesis 50:21]
Joseph wept with joy when he met them; he wept with joy at the sight of his father again; and Joseph wept with sadness when it became clear that his brothers still did not understand that he had forgiven them.
Joseph’s story is a precursor to the cross of Jesus. Jesus, our Lord, is falsely accused by His brothers – his countrymen whom He came to save – is betrayed by a friend, Judas – is falsely tried and convicted – and is put, not in prison, but upon a cross. Put to death. Though He is the ruler of all.
Risen from the dead, and ascended to God’s right hand, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess – all will pay homage to Him. In the meantime, He is taking care of us and our little ones, and has forgiven us.
On the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.” And it was our sins which pierced Him. It was for our sins that He was rejected and suffered [Isaiah 53:3-6]. Yet He comforts us. It was for our sake that He suffered, “to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.”
Jesus is in the place of God, and He says to those who pierced Him – by nails or by sins – “you meant evil against me” – but “God meant it all for good”. God used the nails, the whips, the cross, the piercing, the crown of the thorns – His suffering and His death – all for our good.
“All this is from God” who “in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” [2 Corinthians 5:18-19]. “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose” [Romans 8:28].
Joseph’s brothers never really apologized. They feared because of the wrong they had done. They concocted a made-up story about their father’s wishes to try to get Joseph’s forgiveness. But they don’t actually apologize or express sincere sorrow over what they did.
But Joseph’s heart is not determined by his brother’s wrongs. God’s faithfulness to Joseph throughout his sufferings has shaped Joseph’s heart.
It was God’s provision which kept those brothers alive in the famine, by Joseph’s grain in Egypt. Who then was Joseph to hate those whom God cared for? “Am I in the place of God?” Jesus has died for the whole world. Who are we to hate a person for whom the Savior has died?
And, it must have helped Joseph to know that God used all the wrong that had happened for good, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Why would we hold on to past insults – by our anger – instead of letting them go, since we trust and believe that God does in fact “use all things” – good and bad – “together for good.”
No one can make past wrongs work for good by holding on to them. But God can and does use all things for good that we entrust to Him.
Lastly, we are sinners. We have sinned against God by our thoughts, words, and deeds. If sinning against man is worthy of a penalty, then what’s the penalty for sinning against God? We’ve seen that penalty in the cross of Jesus, as He suffered in our place.
Since God has forgiven me my greater debts, I also must forgive those who have sinned against me. Throughout our lifetime – as He did for Joseph, through trials and by His Spirit – God does shape our hearts to be like Joseph’s, so that we can and will forgive from the heart.
It’s not within our ability, but God will use all things for that good purpose within us, to make our hearts more and more like that of His own Son, Jesus our Savior. Thanks be to God. Amen.
