A Memorial to the Cross

Read Luke 22:14-20.

If you were to survey all of human history—every nation, every culture, every era—you would discover that crucifixion is about as painful a way to die as any form of torture ever devised in the hearts of sinful man. And yet, Jesus endured it for us. He suffered a greater form of agony and shame than most of us will ever know.

Even so, on the night before He died, with the cross just hours away, He said He was eager to enjoy one last Passover meal with His disciples (see Luke 22:15). Why? Because He wanted to prepare His friends for the horror and confusion they were about to experience. He wanted to establish a memorial to the cross.

The Passover was always meant to serve as a picture of the sacrifice of the Son of God. The lambs who died that night were but a shadow of the true Lamb of God. The salvation the Israelites experienced as they escaped Egypt was but a preview of the greater salvation secured by Christ. And Jesus wanted His friends to be able to look back on that meal and know its true significance. He told them to remember Him each time they broke the bread and drank the wine.

That is why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. We partake of the bread and the cup to remember the gravity of our sin and the enormity of God’s amazing grace—to know that the cross was never an afterthought in the mind of God. May we always remember just how much it cost for us to be saved.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for fulfilling the Passover—for sacrificing Yourself as the Lamb of God to take away my sins. As I partake of the Lord’s Supper, may I savor Your gift of eternal life and be moved to share Your Gospel with those around me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.