He Gave Himself For Us

AN EASTER MESSAGEHe Gave Himself For UsThe cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?1 Corinthians 10:16NKJVHe 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.Luke 22:19-20His Rite Of Remembrance
On Easter Sunday, the rite described in the verses above will be celebrated all over the world. It will begin in the middle of the Pacific and continue hour after hour in all the time zones around the world as the earth rotates. The participants will differ in color – as the children’s song says, “red and yellow, black and white” – and in just about every other way. But there is one thing they all have in common: each can sing with the hymn writer, J. J. Hopkins, “Jesus gave Himself for me.”* His Blood Shed
When we take the cup, we collectively, not individually, express two things: that we share in common (that’s what “communion” means) our “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7); and that we are sinners needing the forgiveness and redemption paid for by the blood of Jesus which was “shed” (or “poured out”) for us (Lk. 22:20). In heaven we will all sing to our Savior, “You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). Here on earth, by faith’s eye, we see Him, in Hopkins’ words, “... Tasting deep that bitter cup,
Yet He takes it, willing rather
For our sakes to drink it up.
Oh, what love! He loved me!
Gave Himself, my soul, for me.”*His Body Given
The bread reminds us that the Son of God “became flesh and dwelt among us,” and said, “A body You have prepared for Me ... O God” (Jn. 1:14; Heb. 10:5). “He had to be made like His brethren ... to make propitiation (atonement) for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17). He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). We remember that He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we ... might live for righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). With the bread we remember His body hanging on the cross, and sing, “Then that closing scene of anguish;
All God’s waves and billows roll
Over Him, there left to languish
On the cross, to save my soul.
Matchless love! How vast, how free,
Jesus gave Himself for me.”*His Coming Again
While it is true that “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death” (1 Cor. 11:26), the communion rite is not a funeral service! It is a rite of joy, because “He is not here” (in the tomb), but is risen” (Lk. 24:6). We are told to “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26), because of what He has promised: “In My Father’s house are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you. And ... I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3). And so we can sing again from Hopkins’ hymn, “Lord, we worship and adore Thee
For Thy rich, Thy matchless grace;
Perfect soon in joy before Thee,
We shall see Thee face to face.
Yet e’en now our song shall be,
Jesus gave Himself for me.”** Hopkins, J. J., “Lord, Thy Love Has Sought And Found Us,” number 370, Spiritual Songs, 1981, Believers Bookshelf, Sunbury, PA, 17801, USA.By Alan Crosby