Sunday Sermons

Do This In Remembrance of Me

Mark Dunagan
11/12/00 - Sunday Morning

“Do this in remembrance of Me”

Passages dealing with the institution and actual observance of the Lord’s Supper are found in Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16-22;11:20-34. The unleavened bread represents the body of Jesus, which endured the punishment which we actually deserved to suffer in view of our sins, as is seen in the phrases, “which is given for you” (Luke 22:19); “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities… But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him…He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due” (Isaiah 53:5-6,7); “the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18).

The Scourging

Prior to the crucifixion, Jesus had endured a scourging or flogging (John 19:1). This was also what our sins merited and deserved (Isaiah 53:5). The usual instrument used in scourging was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. The victim was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. His backside and legs were flogged either by two soldiers or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the beating depended upon the disposition of the soldiers and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. As the victim’s back was repeatedly struck with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and bones would cut into the skin and underlying tissues. “As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh…The Roman soldiers amused that this weakened man who had claimed to be a king, began to mock him by placing a robe on his shoulders, a crown of thorns on his head…Next, they spat on Jesus and struck him on the head…Moreover, when the soldiers tore the robe from Jesus’ back, they probably reopened the scourging wounds” (JAMA, March 21, 1986, pp. 1457-1458).

This is the punishment that our sins merited. Our sins deserved every bit of this punishment, and Jesus believed that the well being of our souls was worth the price paid in His own humiliation and personal suffering.

The Crucifixion

Upon his lacerated back, Jesus carried the instrument on which He would be nailed through the streets of Jerusalem (John 19:17). The cross bar alone would have weighed between 75 and 125 pounds. This cross bar was typically placed across the nape of the victim’s neck and balanced along both shoulders. Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar. At the site of the crucifixion, the victim was thrown to the ground on his back (reopening the scouring wounds once again), with his arms outstretched along the crossbar. The hands would be nailed to the crossbar, with iron spikes approximately 5 to 7 inches in length with a square shaft 3/8 inch across. These nails would be driven through the wrists, “the driven nail would crush or sever the rather large sensorimotor median nerve. The stimulated nerve would produce excruciating bolts of fiery pain in both arms” (JAMA p. 1460). The feet were then usually nailed one on top of the other. Beyond the excruciating pain, the major physical effect caused by crucifixion, would be extreme difficulty in breathing. “The weight of the body, pulling down on the outstretched arms and shoulders, would tend to fix the intercostal muscles in an inhalation state and thereby hinder passive exhalation….Adequate exhalation required lifting the body by pushing up on the feet and by flexing the elbows and adducting the shoulders. However, this maneuver would place the entire weight of the body on the feet and would produce searing pain. Furthermore, flexion of the elbows would cause rotation of the wrists about the iron nails and cause fiery pain along the damaged median nerves. Lifting of the body would also painfully scrape the scourged back against the rough wooden cross…As a result, each respiratory effort would become agonizing and tiring” (JAMA p. 1461).

Once again, our sins deserved every bit of the agony that Jesus endured. In view of such a selfless sacrifice, how can any of us continue to find any sin to be pleasurable? Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The Message Of The Cross

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover Celebration (Matthew 26:19). And I am reminded that the events surrounding the institution of the Passover Feast were a Divine judgment upon all the false gods of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:12). Jesus’ death upon the cross, and the Lord’s Supper which remembers that death, makes very definite statement, and by doing so automatically condemning a host of human attitudes and practices: The death of Jesus was a judgment against: 1. The myth of human self-sufficiency (1 Corinthians 1:21). 2. Human arrogance, over-confidence, the myth that man is his own savior, can solve all his problems, and is the measure of all things (Romans 3:23). 3. The myth of racial or cultural superiority. 4. The contention that sin isn’t that bad, it’s purely environmental, or genetic, or is non-existent. No human being would deliberately and of his or her own choice engage in outright moral and eternal evil. 5. Every attempt to approach God on purely human terms. The cross condemns every man-made religion or philosophy. 6. Human selfishness and self-absorption. 7. Every instance of grumbling and complaining on the part of man, especially statements like, “Why me”, “I deserve better”, “I deserve to be happy”, “I have rights” (Philippians 2:5-9; Isaiah 53:7-9,10). 6. The arrogant feeling that “My life is the most important consideration and story in the entire universe” (Luke 22:24-27; 2 Corinthians 5:14). 7. Every apathetic and half-hearted attempt to serve God. Every life that attempts to give God the bare minimum (?) of dedication, sacrifice, love, and devotion. Every song not sung from the heart, every prayer in which our minds wonder, every time the Bible is read and we are preoccupied with something else, every week that we find the time for everything else but the things of God. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

The Cup

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). The Bible notes that the blood of bulls and goats could not remove the guilt of our sins (Hebrews 10:4). A thousand such sacrifices, still wouldn’t even remove the guilt of one of my sins (Micah 6:7). In addition, the greatest act of human bravery or sacrifice on my part, still wouldn’t result in my sins being forgiven (Micah 6:7). Only the blood of Christ can remove my sins (1 Peter 1:18-19“not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold….but with precious blood…the blood of Christ”; “released us from our sins by His blood” (Revelation 1:5). Nothing can make up for, work just as good as, or replace the necessity of the blood of Christ. The Bible makes it clear that we cannot save ourselves, even on the basis of a life filled with good deeds, integrity, and high moral standards, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness”; “not by virtue of any moral achievements of ours” (Phi); “not because we were good enough to be saved” (Tay) (Titus 3:5).

Applications

In reference to the Passover, God said, “when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). The contents of this cup should remind all Christians, that in becoming a Christian we passed from being an enemy of God, one with the wrath of God abiding on our heads (John 3:36), to being a child of God with the hope of eternal life. The future for us is bright, we have been spared from the wrath of God which will come at the last day, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him”(Romans 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). Hence, I can approach the future with confidence, I can go to sleep with assurance every night, and there is really nothing for me to worry about. I can even face death, whether it is expected or unexpected, with confidence and cheerfulness.

The contents in this cup also represent the destiny that I have escaped. I have been spared from eternal suffering, misery, heartache, frustration, despair, and hopelessness. Instead, I can look forward to a place of eternal fulfillment, satisfaction, meaning, purpose, happiness, intimacy, and love (Revelation 21:4). This cup reminds every Christian, that regardless of what we accomplish or miss out on in this life, whether in the past, present, or future, we have made the choice already that will label our life as a great success!

Like the Passover, this memorial is unchanged by time or culture (Exodus 12:14). Christians are to observe the Lord’s Supper until Jesus Himself returns (1 Corinthians 11:26).

In reference to the Passover Feast, God wanted each generation to make clear to the next, the historical reality that it memorialized (Exodus 12:25-27; 13:8-9). What should we tell our children when they ask us about this memorial? Besides all the various things mentioned above, we should also say: 1. This is the reason why you have a loving mother and father. Without Jesus, His sacrifice, the Gospel message, and my conversion, I wouldn’t be the loving father or mother, which you enjoy today. 2. This is a major reason why you live in a happy home where mom and dad really love each other. 3. Life would be hopeless and meaningless without the historical reality, which the Lord’s Supper memorializes. 4. This event should remind everyone in our family that there is no good reason why we can’t all make it to heaven together. 5. This event encourages me each day to be the best father, husband, and human being that I can be. It should tell you that you have reason to hope that you will see me in heaven. 6. It is why you should serve the God that I serve, and always remember that Jesus died for the sins of your father and mother. Jesus forgave the evil and selfish acts of your parents, Jesus gave His life, so your parents could have eternal life. Always remember, God delivered me from eternal ruin, sinful habits, and attitudes, which could have destroyed my life and a good portion of yours. If you ever balk at serving God or serving Him fully, just remember, “God saved my dad, God saved my mom”.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church Of Christ/503-644-9017