We Remember - Luke 22:14-23
Posted on May 26, 2013 by Unknown
Memorial Day has been a day that historically we have
remembered and memorialized those that have died for our country. Often with an emphasis on the
forgotten. On this Sunday we also gather to memorialize one who died two thousand years ago. A
cruel death, undeserved. Because of him
though death itself has become a memorial.
A memorial of sin, of rebellion that dragged all of creation into
destruction. That man, the one whom we
memorialize each Sunday, has not left us without a hope. That man is JESUS. In him
are fulfilled the promises of a merciful and gracious God, who has given us
eternal life, who has freed us from eternal death. In Jesus, we are freed from sin and
death. Because of the cross, because of
that day, all those that put their faith in Jesus need never die in vain again.
In this passage we see the memorial that Jesus has commanded
of us, the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus wants us to remember. “Do
this in remembrance of me…” What does
Jesus want us to remember about himself? This is the simple truth that we must
look at today. The outline here is
elementary, foundational. But this is
why we gather, why we devote ourselves to scripture, essential and fundamental
to our faith in our Lord Jesus. That we may have hope and be the people he
desires us to be.
Let us read the passage.
1. We remember the death of Jesus.
Death is something we are too
often familiar with. At a funeral, do we
remember the death itself, or do we remember their life. We generally minimize
the death. It is hard and ugly, and so we want to remember the “good”
things.
Yet this is different with Jesus.
Does Jesus say, remember all the miracles, remember the feeding of the five thousand.
No… He says I want you to remember my death. There is something significant of
the death itself. It conveys a greater meaning. Unlike ourselves, Jesus did not
deserve to die. So what does that mean?
Why did he suffer what he did not deserve? He took the punishment of evildoers, of
rebels and sinners. This is the good news, because the Father is a God of love
and compassion. He saw our suffering and
sin, and took his wrath and poured it out on his Son. And since Jesus laid out his life in extreme
sacrifice, we can be at peace with God.
The death of Jesus accomplished what we could not do. It brings us peace with God. It makes us
children of God.
And so the death of Jesus is
always before us.
2. We remember the resurrection of Jesus.
Without the resurrection there is
no good news, no gospel. Often we focus on the death and the cross of Jesus,
but it does not end there. Jesus died, and so do we, it is a memorial of our
sin, but because of him, because he lived again, he was raised, we will
celebrate again with him. This means
that he was raised, and those who place their hope in him will also be raised in
him.
3. We remember the promise of the future glory
of Jesus.
In verse 16, Jesus interpreted the
Passover meal in light of himself. I
will not drink the cup. This is the
fourth cup, the cup that proclaims the messianic kingdom. There is more to come. And we the church, which will suffer, and sit
in waiting, when many will be oppressed and tortured for faith in our Lord, we
must in that state remember. We remember that our state is temporary, for we
live in hope of the resurrection to come, to the reign of our Lord, to the
redemption of all of creation. Let this
be our cry throughout this age and for the days that remain.
Come, LORD JESUS!
Amen.
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