Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

This is certainly a familiar passage, read or recited (or alternatively, Paul’s version of the scene, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 11) at every Communion/Lord’s Supper. We seldom think deeply about anything that is so familiar! However, every part of Scripture is worthy of meditation; riches await us on every page. The idea of Jesus giving His body for us has different levels of meaning. In the first place, for something to be given it must be received, or else it is simply discarded. Here, Jesus explicitly tells His disciples to take the bread He was offering them. God’s salvation is freely offered to all but it must be received, taken, for it to be effective. I often tell people that salvation is like a fortune deposited in a bank for you. You have to believe it is there and then act to claim it for it to do you any good. The second thing that struck me is that giving one’s body is sometimes applied to sex, where each person gives themselves to the other – with the glaring exception of rape. In sex, each party receives pleasure on several levels. However, in the case of this passage, the only pleasure Jesus received was in knowing the good He was doing for mankind. This was sacrificial giving in the truest sense of the word. As in the marital relationship, life is given from Jesus to those who will receive it, and thus we become the Body of Christ. Nothing in God’s plan of salvation is coincidental; everything has meaning. The more we meditate on it and let it work into our awareness, the more we will love Him for all He has done for us, and the more we will fulfill every good purpose for which He created us.

This is an area I certainly didn’t understand as a young believer. I was baptized at seven, and so have been receiving the bread and the cup ever since. My understanding and appreciation for all that God has done for me in Christ has continued to deepen and strengthen. That said, I now know enough to realize that I don’t know very much! As I mentioned a few days ago, the Japanese term for physical commitment is kenshin, giving your body as an offering. Jesus certainly did that for me, and I should do no less for Him. How He will use me is His business, but I should have no hesitation or reservations in my obedience to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s interesting to need it, with such a familiar passage. Help me give myself to You through serving those around me as You desire, so that the Body of Christ may be built up indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!