Daily Bible Verses for 3/24/2016

Bible Verse
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Reading Notes
The Thursday before Good Friday is the day before Jesus willingly laid down His life to pay the penalty for our sins. It was Thursday evening when Jesus had Passover supper with His disciples. They may not have realized it at the time, however, Jesus was establishing a memorial celebration by which we could remember His sacrifice for us. Today in Christian churches all over the world, followers of Christ celebrate this event with a special Communion service. Jesus told us the bread broken amongst His disciples was to be a remembrance of His body broken for us upon the Cross. The wine which He shared was to be in remembrance of His blood shed for us upon the Cross. Together they serve to remind us of the most important day in all of human history! This is the day the eternal God of Heaven, the one who stepped out of eternity and took on humanity in the incarnation, died for us! This is the single moment in all of human history, where Satan, sin and death were forever defeated by God Himself, for all those who place their faith in Christ alone for salvation.

This celebration takes on a special meaning on the Thursday during Passover week. It’s called “Maundy Thursday,” also known as “Holy Thursday.” And it is the day when many followers of Christ hold a special Communion service to commemorate the Last Supper which occurred on the Thursday before Jesus was crucified. The word “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus told His disciples they should love and serve one another and the same applies to followers of Christ today. This Passover meal which Jesus celebrated with His disciples was special because it looked forward to His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. A sacrifice which not only forever changed the meaning of the Seder meal, but marked God’s victory over sin and death. With His sacrifice for us on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus gave God’s full meaning to the Passover Lamb and the meal itself. From this point forward it would not only remind us of the events of the Exodus, but would bring to remembrance the fuller meaning of the atoning acts of God, as Jesus paid the price once and for all times, for our sins. Thereby removing from us the penalty of death which was upon us.