The Importance of Remembering

I wonder what comes to mind when you think of or remember Jesus? What stands out for you? In today’s text, Jesus urges us to continue the practice of breaking bread as a way to remember Him. As I reflect on today’s text, I am reminded of the incredible lengths He went to save us, especially in His final hours after sharing the last supper with His disciples.

Whether it’s a memorial for our loved ones, or a significant event or achievement, acts of remembrance help to honour and highlight the value and importance of people, moments, or milestones in our lives.

When we partake in communion, we are testifying and proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth in human form, died for our sins, and was resurrected. Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He is the only way to the Father, and that is why sharing in communion is such an integral part of our faith.

It was the night before His crucifixion when He broke the bread with His disciples. At that moment, this wouldn’t have made sense to them. But Jesus knew His body was about to be offered as a sacrifice and His blood about to be shed.

He didn’t take the easy route to save us and to redeem us. Instead, He chose the horrific, painful, torturous, and humiliating death on the cross, a punishment designed by the Roman Empire to be the most brutal possible. Jesus could have chosen another path, but He followed the will of God, enduring the pain and humiliation for the joy set before Him. It’s never easy to do the will of God, but the reward is always worth the sacrifice.

When He broke the bread with the disciples, He left with the eleven to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. The most stressful and traumatic final hours of His life were quickly approaching, which is why He asked Peter, John, and James to stay awake with Him and keep watch. Jesus was in agony, deeply troubled by what lay ahead. He was human, just like us, and He felt the same emotions and feelings we experience. The Bible records that He was distressed and sorrowful to death.

Where do you draw your strength from? When the will of the Father weighed heavily on Him, in those agonising moments, when He felt like not taking the cup of suffering, He turned to the Father and was honest about how He felt.

We are called to do the same. When the road ahead seems too difficult, we must turn to God for strength. When we surrender to His will and His purpose for our lives, He will strengthen us. In God’s strength, Jesus was able to fulfil the will of the Father. And equally for us, when we turn to Him, then in His strength we can face challenges.