St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, wrote: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (Cf. Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23)

For centuries, churches and theologians have argued about the Lord’s Supper and how and when Christians partake of Jesus’ body and blood. Does the substance of the bread and wine change into the body and blood of Jesus? Are the body and blood of Jesus present together with the bread and the wine or in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine? At what point in the Lord’s Supper do Christ’s body and blood become present so that Christians may eat and drink of them? Do the bread and wine merely represent or symbolize the body and blood of Christ in a similar way as the Passover lambs offered under the Old Covenant (Exodus 12) symbolized and pointed ahead to Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)? What about using unfermented grape juice or bread made with yeast? Can one partake of Christ’s body and blood by dipping the bread into the wine? Are individual wafers and cups OK or must there be one loaf and one cup? Yes, the list of questions could go on, and the disputes will likely continue, too.

We could take sides and join in the arguments, which are based in large part on man-made attempts to explain what occurs in the Lord’s Supper, or we could look at the focus of the Supper in the words of our Lord Jesus.

Notice first that Jesus does not explain how participants in the Lord’s Supper partake of His body and blood. He did not say that the bread and wine are changed into His body and blood. He did not say His body and blood are in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine or somehow included together with the bread and the wine. He did not say His body and blood become present when the words of institution are read, the elements are blessed by the pastor or priest, or when those partaking of the Supper receive them with their mouth or consume them. He said nothing about what should be done with leftover elements following the Supper. He did not require announcing one’s intention to partake or using private confession before the Supper. Again, the list of things not mentioned or taught by Jesus could go on.

What does He say? He says of the bread: “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” He says of the cup (which contained wine in the Passover meal): “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Yes, Jesus used the words “this is” of the bread and wine given as His body and His blood, but He used the same words in John 6:33-35 (before the Lord’s Supper was even instituted) when He spoke of Himself as the bread of life, and He used the same words, with the added emphasis of the word “truly,” in John 6:53-58 when He referred to His flesh and His blood as true food and drink that one must partake of to be saved. Jesus’ words in John 6 make clear that He there refers not to the Lord’s Supper but to partaking of Him and His body and blood in faith — to partaking of Him by trusting in Him and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.

It should be noted that Matthew 26:28 says of the cup: “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Likewise, Mark 14:25 says: “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.” Luke 22:20 says: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” The word order is slightly different in the four Lord’s Supper accounts. Yet, in every one of them, Jesus indicates that partaking of the Lord’s Supper is partaking of the new covenant promise of the forgiveness of sins, put in force by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross for the sins of the world (cf. Heb. 8 and 9).

Coming back to the words Jesus spoke when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, words which the Apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 11, what is the emphasis? What does Jesus clearly command us to do? Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me”; “This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” The Apostle further explains Jesus’ words when he says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” We often argue and fight over questions we can’t answer and forget the purpose of this special Supper, which Christ instituted to strengthen and keep us in the faith. It is to remind us and direct our faith to what Jesus did for us when He suffered and died on the cross!

What, then, are we doing in the Lord’s Supper? We remember that Jesus gave His body into death for our sins when He suffered and died on the cross. We remember that He took the full punishment for our sins. He was offered up as our perfect and holy sacrifice for sin. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6).

We remember that Jesus, by shedding His blood on the cross, put into force a new covenant, a covenant in which God forgives our iniquities and remembers our sins no more (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7ff.). We remember that Jesus, the Bread of Life, gave Himself for us that we might partake of His sacrifice in faith and receive the benefits He won for us, the benefits assured to us by His blood, shed to put in place the new covenant of which we become beneficiaries when we place our faith in Christ Jesus and are baptized into His name.

Do St. Paul’s words recorded in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 about communing or sharing in the body and blood of Christ when we partake of the Lord’s Supper teach transubstantiation or some form of “real presence”? No, they speak of partaking of the Lord’s Supper as a way in which believers partake of Christ’s sacrifice in faith (remembering and trusting in His sacrifice for our sins), and they warn against partaking of sacrifices offered to idols.

And what about Paul’s warning against partaking of the Lord’s Supper unworthily, without self-examination, recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32? Do these words demand the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Supper? To say nothing of the respect demanded regarding all the Old Testament sacrifices that merely pointed ahead to Christ, consider the words of Hebrews 10:26-31. If a believer impenitently turning back into willful sin is said to be trampling “the Son of God underfoot” and counting “the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,” certainly observing the Lord’s Supper without self-examination and remembering the sacrifice Christ made to redeem us makes us guilty of trampling “the Son of God underfoot” and counting “the blood of the covenant by which [we are] sanctified a common thing.” To partake of the Lord’s Supper without a penitent heart and faith in Christ’s sacrifice for mercy is to sin against Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for the remission of our sins.

What’s my point in all this? It’s not to further the arguments but, rather, to redirect our thoughts to what the Lord’s Supper is and should be for believers. Instead of arguing over what is not revealed, let’s focus on what has been revealed (cf. Deut. 29:29): Whenever we partake of the bread and the cup, we are called upon to remember Christ and His perfect sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and we partake of His sacrifice through faith in the promise of God in the new covenant established by Christ’s shed blood: “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34).

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Thus, the Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the fact that Christ’s body was put to death in our stead and His blood was shed to atone for our sins; and, indeed, “it is finished” (John 19:30). Our sins were punished in full on the cross of Jesus — His resurrection is proof (cf. Rom. 4:23-25). Therefore, when we partake of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins by faith, our sins are covered by His blood. We have God’s pardon and forgiveness!

The focus of the Lord’s Supper is to remind us and direct our faith and hope to Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world until He comes again. And, through faith in Him and what He accomplished for us, we are given to partake of the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice — forgiveness for all our sins and eternal salvation!

“Though He had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in Him. This fulfilled the word spoken by Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore, they could not believe. For Isaiah said again: ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Yet many of the rulers also believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him, lest they be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:37-43

As Isaiah prophesied when he wrote: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” (Isa. 53:1), most of Jesus’ Jewish hearers did not believe He was and is the Son of God in human flesh and their Messiah and Savior from sin. Even though Jesus had done so many mighty miracles and signs in front of them, they did not believe His words and look to Him in faith for salvation.

In fact, because of their rejection of the truth, God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts as prophesied when Isaiah saw the glory of the LORD and was told, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn and be healed’” (Isa. 6:9-10).

Though there were a good number of Jewish rulers who came to believe Jesus’ words, they would not openly confess Him because the Pharisees had threatened to excommunicate anyone who confessed faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Israel’s Messiah and Savior. They were more concerned with being accepted by men than being accepted by God.

And what about us today? We have Bibles to read in our languages, with many modern and easy-to-read translations available. There are churches around us, with many still proclaiming the truths of Holy Scripture and pointing people to Jesus as the eternal Son of God and the Savior of fallen mankind. We can read and hear of Jesus’ mighty miracles and often witness them in our lives or the lives of others. We have access to Jesus’ words in print and digital formats — we can download the Bible on our phones and take it with us everywhere.

But do we believe Jesus’ words? Do we accept His witness? Do we believe what He and the Scriptures say: He is the Son of God in human flesh, born a true man of the Virgin Mary, to fulfill all righteousness for us and bear the just punishment for our sins and the sins of all mankind? Do we believe He paid the price for our sins when He died on the cross and that He rose again in victory so that we might look to Him in faith and be pardoned, justified, and made acceptable in God’s sight?

If we reject the truth proclaimed in the Bible, if we reject the words and witness of Jesus concerning our sinfulness and the salvation He provided for us sinners by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross in our stead, if we turn away from Jesus and His Word or neglect to hear Him, God will give us over to our unbelief. He will harden us in our unbelief and sin so that we cannot hear and see the truth, leaving us to die in our sins and face an eternity under God’s wrath and judgment.

And how many of us are like those Jewish rulers who did come to believe but would not openly confess Jesus for fear of being rejected by men and their religious institutions? Do we love the praise of men more than the praise of God?

Jesus said, “Whoever therefore is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). Do these words of Jesus apply to us?

What’s the point of these words of Scripture? Indeed, they warn us against rejecting the witness of the Bible and hardening our hearts against the truth. If we reject the gracious working of God’s Spirit through the Scriptures and refuse to place our faith in Jesus and confess Him as our Savior and Lord, there is no hope for us. We will become hardened in sin and unbelief.

But if, by the grace of God, He opens our eyes to the truth of His Word and we come to know and believe in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior from sin and eternal death, we have God’s grace and mercy in Christ. We are richly blessed with forgiveness for our sins and a place in God’s eternal kingdom.

O Holy Spirit, let me see Jesus for who He is and what He has done for me and my salvation. Grant that I not turn away from Him or harden my heart in unbelief but repent of my sinful ways and look to Him and His cross for pardon, forgiveness, and the eternal joys of heaven. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.’” John 12:23-26

If a kernel of wheat is safely preserved and stored, it remains just a single kernel of wheat. If, however, it is planted in the ground and dies, so to speak, it will produce much more wheat.

With the time of His sufferings and death at hand, Jesus used this farming illustration to point out that if He preserved His life and were unwilling to suffer and die for the world’s sins, He would remain alone and save no one but Himself. But by laying down His life and dying on the cross for the sins of all mankind and being buried in the tomb, He would produce much fruit. He would provide salvation for all, and those who place their faith in Him would be pardoned and spared from the coming wrath of God upon sin.

Jesus did not try to preserve his earthly life and avoid suffering the just punishment for our sins. He obeyed God’s Law perfectly in our stead and then willingly laid down His life for us sinners. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures …”

Like the grain of wheat that must sacrifice itself to produce more wheat, Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to save mankind from sin and its eternal punishment. He died so that sinful men might receive forgiveness of sins and become children of God through faith in Him. His resurrection on the third day proves that His holy sacrifice was acceptable to God as full payment for all sins (cf. Rom. 4:23-25).

This little illustration of the kernel of wheat can also be applied to our lives. We cannot save ourselves or anyone else from sin and hell by our death, but since Christ has redeemed us by His innocent sufferings and death, we are to live our lives for Him. The Bible tells us of Christ Jesus: “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).

If we live for ourselves in this life and seek to preserve our lives, goals, and ambitions in this world and are unwilling to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and walk with Him in accord with His Word – if we are not willing to deny ourselves, take up the cross of suffering which we must bear as faithful Christians, and follow Jesus Christ – we will end up losing our lives forever!

But if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and set our hope upon eternal life with Him in heaven, we will then lay down the worldly goals and the pleasures of this life and live our lives for Him who has redeemed us from sin and eternal damnation and has given us a place in His eternal kingdom.

And the result of trusting in Jesus and His cross, sacrificing ourselves, and living our lives for Jesus in accord with His Word? Life. Life now in communion with God, and life eternal in His kingdom. We, too, will bear fruit for Christ Jesus and bring glory to our God and Savior (cf. Matt. 5:16; John 15:1-8).

“Grant that I only Thee may love and seek those things which are above till I behold Thee face to face, O Light eternal, through Thy grace. Amen.” (“Renew Me, O Eternal Light,” Translator: August Crull; Author: Johann Friedrich Ruopp,1714)

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.]

“On the next day a great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took branches of palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!’
“Then Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.’
“His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
“Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The crowd went and met Him for this reason: They heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said among themselves, ‘See, you are gaining nothing! Look, the world has followed Him!’” John 12:12-19

Do you know what the triumphal entry and the events of that day are all about? Yes, you may know what happened that day — how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and was hailed King of the Jews, but why? What does it all mean?

If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Jesus’ own disciples didn’t understand these things until after Jesus had risen from the dead and was glorified. It was as John writes, “Then Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.’”

What was written about Jesus? From the Book of Zechariah, we see the ancient prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! And cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). We see these very words fulfilled; the people shouted words of praise to Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of Israel. They hailed Him as their King. Jesus was riding upon a donkey’s colt, just as the prophecy said and similar to the way King Solomon was made known as the king of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 1:32ff.).

And what did they cry out? John tells us the multitude cried out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” In Matthew 21:9, we read: “The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him cried out: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” Compare that to the words of Psalm 118:19ff. Hosanna, which is a call to the LORD to save now, together with the references to the Son of David, King of Israel, and He who comes in the name of the LORD, is an acclamation that Jesus is the Messiah and promised Savior who would save His people and establish an everlasting kingdom (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16).

Thus, the events of that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem were a declaration that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, the Son of David and King of Israel, who would save His people and establish an eternal kingdom. The people were calling upon Him to save them as God had promised. He was the one who would “redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8). And this acclamation and these words of praise came just days before He was crucified and died for the sins of the world to provide that promised salvation!

We, too, cry out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” We pray that He would usher in the day of our salvation — the salvation he won for us upon Calvary’s cross. We long for Him to come again and enter into the gates of the New Jerusalem and establish His everlasting kingdom and be our God and King forevermore! Cf. Phil. 2:5ff.; Rev. 7:9ff.; 19:11ff.; 21:1ff.; 21:22ff.

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We praise You, Christ Jesus, our Savior, and pray that You would come and establish Your everlasting kingdom and reign over us as our God and King. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]

“When many of the Jews learned that He was there, they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:9-11 (Read John 11:55 — 12:11)

The chief priests and the Pharisees were watching for Jesus at the Passover feast so they could arrest Him and put Him to death. In fact, they “had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him” (John 11:57).

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany (about two miles east of Jerusalem), the village where He had raised Lazarus from the dead. There, a supper was prepared for Jesus. Lazarus joined Jesus at the supper, Martha served, and Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly ointment and wiped them with her hair.

Jerusalem was crowded with people coming for the Passover feast, with some coming early to purify themselves before the feast began. When they learned that Jesus was in nearby Bethany, many of the Jews came there to see Him, not only Jesus but also Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

The Gospel of John tells us: “So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus” (John 12:10-11).

The chief priests and religious rulers of the Jews were so opposed to anyone believing in Jesus that they were excommunicating anyone who professed faith in Him (cf. John 9:22,34-35), and now they planned to put Lazarus to death, as well, because he was living and breathing proof, after being dead and in the grave four days, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and has the power to raise the dead. They planned to kill Lazarus because he was a back-from-the-dead, living witness for Jesus and caused many to believe in Jesus as the Christ.

What happens when people reject Jesus and refuse to believe in Him? They become hardened in their unbelief and refuse to accept the obvious truth. After all, how could Jesus call forth the dead from their graves if He were not the Son of God? The chief priests and religious leaders of the people heard about and saw the mighty miracles of Jesus, and they knew the Scriptures that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah — who He is and what He would do! Yet, they clung so tightly to their religious system of rites and works that they refused to believe and planned to silence the truth by killing Jesus — and Lazarus — and excommunicating all who professed faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior.

And what of Lazarus? Do you think he was shaking in his sandals at the thought of being put to death for his witness to Jesus? He had already been dead once and Jesus raised him from the dead by calling him forth from the tomb, saying, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43-44). Could death hold him and silence him? He had nothing to fear!

Jesus’ enemies were so blinded by their unbelief that they failed to consider Jesus’ power to raise the dead — to raise Lazarus again should they kill him and to rise from the dead Himself on the third day after being crucified! They failed to see that they were fighting against the truth — against God Himself — and would not prevail.

My question is: What about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came into this world as a man to atone for your sins and provide a way for you to be pardoned, forgiven, and have eternal life in communion with God? Or are you so set against the truth that Jesus is God the Son and the only way of salvation that you fight against the truth and seek to silence it and keep it out of your life?

It’s not too smart to reject and oppose the one who will one day soon call forth all the dead from their graves and be our Judge (cf. John 5:28-29; Psalm 2). Not only did He raise from the dead the daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), the young man of Nain (cf. Luke 7:11-17) and Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1-44); He Himself rose from the dead after being crucified for our sins (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21)!

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, grant that I not ignore or reject the truth of who You are and what You have done for me, but trust in You as my God and Savior and look to You and Your cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting in fellowship with You. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]