He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."
Luke 22:19
The Lord's Supper is when we set aside a special time to remember Jesus' death on the cross by eating bread and drinking grape juice or wine. Different churches do this in different ways, but the meaning is the same.
Jesus had the first Lord's Supper or Communion, with his twelve disciples the night before Judas handed Jesus over to the people who wanted to kill him. That first Communion was part of a Passover meal. So let's go back to the book of Exodus in the Old Testament and learn what Passover is.
[Exodus 12] When the Israelites were being held as slaves in Egypt, God used Moses to set them free. In order to get Pharaoh to let the people go, God sent different plagues on the Egyptian people. It showed that God's power was greater than Pharaoh's and that God meant business. The final plague was that every firstborn son in Egypt would die on one particular night. If the Israelites spread the blood of a lamb or goat on their doorposts, their firstborn sons wouldn't be hurt. God's angel went through the land of Egypt that night and when He saw blood on the doorpost, the angel "passed over" that house and didn't kill the firstborn son. So that's where we get the name Passover!
Every year after that, the Jewish people celebrated the Passover with a feast, which is what Jesus and the disciples were celebrating the night Jesus gave them the bread and wine and told them to eat those things "in remembrance of Me."
When Jesus was crucified, he lost a lot of blood. The Bible says that sins can't be forgiven without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus wants us to remember his blood when we drink the juice at Communion. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, his body was pieced with the crown of thorns, the nails in his hands and feet, and the spear of a solider. Eating the bread during Communion is meant to be a reminder that Jesus' body was broken for us.
Action point: Talk about the Lord's Supper as a family. How does your church serve and share communion? Have you stopped to really think what the bread and the juice (wine) symbolize? Consider taking Communion together as a family this week. Thank God that Jesus' blood sets you free!
If you’ve enjoyed this devo, consider having a family date! This date will teach you and your family the significance of Passover!
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