23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
I’ve literally heard this verse hundreds of time. Every communion every Sunday and I’m glad for it. But how did I miss this? Am I the only one?
What did I miss?
Jesus “gave thanks.”
Yes, he gave thanks. But what was the context? He was announcing to them his horrific death, a body broken and blood poured out and crushing betrayal by Judas and even the disciples who fled.
And then he gave thanks.
Wow.
When we go through suffering, the last thing we think of is giving thanks. And to know you are going to enter into the most terrible time, so awful Jesus asked 3x for it to be taken away, and yet the Father said no.
This very night that God said no and that he was betrayed by a close friend and knew he was going to suffer a torture so horrific he sweat great drops of blood, he gave thanks.
It makes me think of something I read earlier:
So there’s the challenge, folks.
You look and see your nation falling apart. What do the people of God do? They still thank God.
You look at your bank account balance and you wonder how much longer you’ll make. What do the people of God do? They still give thanks to him.
Your life has fallen apart, your friends have left you, you feel alone. What do the people of God do? They, even in this, give thanks.
So happy thanksgiving folks! This is the basic Christian life. Time for me to get back to the fundamentals.
