Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "I Am Not a Ghost!" I read from Luke 24: 35-49 (NLT). All Scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.
35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
This is not the first time the disciples mistook Jesus for a ghost. In the first instance, they saw Jesus walking on the water in the early hours of the morning from a boat buffeted by strong winds and heavy seas! This time He appears to them on a Sunday evening inside a room with locked doors! On both occasions, they did not see a ghost; they beheld the real Jesus in the flesh! As believers remote from the scene that Sunday evening, their initial unbelief helps us. Despite the fact that they saw Him, heard Him, and touched Him, they did not believe He was truly alive and returned in the flesh until they watched Him eat a piece of broiled fish! Just like a doctor, Luke carefully documents by many proofs that Jesus was indeed alive! Like the prophecies of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, the account of the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the denouement, or climax, of Luke's gospel account. We come to fully understand that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. Because of Jesus' explanation, our minds are now open to understand the Scriptures. The disciples gathered in that room would become future witnesses that Jesus was risen from the dead. In the written accounts that followed, Luke records this event from secondhand sources; the Apostle John provides a firsthand account in his gospel. Importantly, in His name, by the authority of One who has risen from the dead, His gospel message would be preached to all the nations! We assemble today to partake of the bread and drink from the cup and to remember Jesus. He was the One who suffered and died on a cross that there would be "forgiveness of sins for all who repent." Today we see Jesus though the eyes of these witnesses. To them, he said, "I am no ghost," and we believe them. Let us pray.
Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. The story of the disciples coming to grips with the reality of Jesus' resurrection from the dead parallels our own story. All of us assembled together to remember the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross came to faith in the person of Jesus Christ and the authority in His name to save us from our sins. May we all be His witnesses in this world! In His name I pray. Amen.
Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.
And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"
Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26 (NLT), "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."
Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!