The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 9 April 2020 – TOPIC: THE LORD’S SUPPER
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DATE: THURSDAY, APRIL 09, 2020
(Maundy Thursday)
TOPIC: THE LORD’S SUPPER
READ: MATTHEW 26:17-30 (NKJV)
17. Now on the first [day] of the [Feast of] the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18. And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ‘ “
19. So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
20. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.
21. Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
22. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”
23. He answered and said, “He who dipped [his] hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
24. “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25. Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.”
26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke [it,] and gave [it] to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
THE MESSAGE:
Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as one of the ordinances which He charged His followers to practise on regular basis in this passage (Matthew 26:26-29). Note that the preparations made in verses 17-20 are for the Passover. The disciples knew nothing about the Lord’s intentions to institute a new ordinance in His name. They thought that Christ was preparing to celebrate the Jewish Passover. This is significant because it shows that Christ tied both His death and the Lord’s Supper to the Passover. This implies that Christ was proclaiming Himself to be the Messiah whom Israel anticipated. Christ was also proclaiming the Lord’s Supper to be the new celebration (26-29), which was to replace the Passover; signifying man’s celebration of God’s deliverance from bondage (Exodus 13: 3-10).
Jesus revealed that the one who would betray Him was dining with them on the same table and Judas’ hypocrisy manifested in verse 25. Are we dining on Jesus’ table (Holy Eucharist) and betraying Him by our sinful lives? This is very dangerous. It brought eternal doom to Judas. Celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a celebration of freedom from bondage of sin. Let us not bring damnation on our lives by reason of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-30).
PRAYER: Pray that you should not partake in the Lord’s Supper and live in the bondage of sin.
