BY Argie Simonis
During the last supper the Lord said that every time we receive His body and blood we should do it in His own memory. So what is it that we bring to our memory? Before referring to some characteristic examples, I will explain how our memory works.
Did you know that our memory works with pictures?
If I ask you, for example, what you did yesterday, you will tell me by seeing yourself in pictures doing what I asked you. This applies to everything we do.
The Bible as a whole is a prophetic book that reveals to us God, His will and His character. As we meditate on His word, all these descriptions written in ink, turn into images in our minds and so we begin to actually see what we read. Let's have a look at some examples:
Jesus is the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), the Lord and Almighty God (Rev. 1:8). John, being exiled on the island of Patmos, one Sunday has a visitation from the the Lord. See the picture from John's description in the book of Revelation:
"And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
And in the middle of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Revelation 1:18
So, Emmanuel, God who became a man and dwelt among us (John 1:14), bled and became the sacrificial Lamb, so that we can enjoy eternal life with Him.
"The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29
The first time the Lord bled was in the garden of Gethsemane:
"And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then said He to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death: tarry you here, and watch with Me." Μatthew 26:37-38
"And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
Luke 22:44
Three times He asked the Father to let this cup pass from Him:
"And He left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words."
Matthew 26:44
But He submitted to His will:
"And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.
Matthew 26:39
All this agony He felt, was not from the fear of the torture He was about to suffer.
Jesus,
" for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:2
He suffered death on the cross with joy, because He saw before Him the fruit of His sacrifice which is you and me!
It was the agony of His seperation from the Father that before the foundation of the world was in perfect union with Him that turned His sweat into blood. The time had come for Him who never knew sin (1 Peter 2:22) to become sin and be separated from the Father, so that through His sacrifice we could be freed from sin.
Imagine the scene on the night of His arrest, when Judas along with the Pharisees and a battalion of soldiers find Him and something terrible happens:
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come on him, went forth, and said to them, Whom seek you?
They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
As soon then as he had said to them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Then asked he them again, Whom seek you? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth." John 18:4-7
The whole battalion, (that's 600-1000 men) including Judah, fell down as soon as the Lord introduced Himself in the same way he did to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
Peter in an attempt to defend the Lord, drew a knife and cut off the ear of Malchus who went to arrest Him (John 18:10).
But he did not know that the Lord of glory, if He willed, could have had much better help. He explained it to him:
"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"
Matthew 26:53
Doing the math, more than 72,000 angels (1 Roman legion = 6000 men) were ready to rush in on a Lord's command. Only one angel was enough to do the job:
"And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." 2Kings 19:35
The King James translation uses old English. That was a total of 185.000 Assyrian men killed in an instance!
Even after that, their hatred had blinded them so much that they did not realize they were about to arrest the King of kings and drag Him before an unjust court that had already decided His death sentence. The fools! How foolish they were!
Sin could only be paid with blood, and Jesus knew He had to go to the cross, so He submitted to the Father's will.
He even healed the soldier's ear.
I can imagine the question mark written on each angel's face. I can see them looking at Him and wondering, "Lord, you really love them that much?"
And it doesn't end here. After His body was broken, with hands and feet nailed and His blood running on the cross, we see the magnificence of His love, just before He gave up His Spirit:
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Luke 23:34
What an awesome love! Impossible to conceive with the human mind! is there a heart that can remain unmoved before something so majestic? This is also why Paul writes to us:
"Or despise you the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" Romans 2:4
So with such thoughts we bring to our remembrance the Lord and with gratitude we thank Him for the grace and mercy He extends to us every day in our lives.
Amen 🙏
Watch the video with English subs on our YouTube channel:
No comments:
Post a Comment