JESUS' THANKSGIVING

I Corinthians 11:23-26 says, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is is my body, which is for you: do this in remembrance of me."  In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

One of the most interesting references to giving thanks in the Bible happened at a most unusual time.  Stop and think about the circumstances of Jesus' offering of thanks.

This was the night He was betrayed by Judas.  Judas spent 3 years with Jesus and the 11.  He betrayed Jesus for money.  WHY GIVE THANKS?

The bread He broke and shared with His disciples represented His body which was to be brutalized in a few hours beyond what you and I can comprehend.  WHY GIVE THANKS?

The cup of wine represented His blood which, in a few hours, would be shed in great quantities as He was lashed, nails driven through His hands and feet, a crown of thorns beaten into His scalp, and a spear thrust into His side.  WHY GIVE THANKS?

In a few hours His body would be placed into a borrowed tomb after the corpse was hastily prepared for burial and the tomb was sealed.  WHY GIVE THANKS?

He knew death awaited Him in a matter of hours after a mockery of a trial and the desertion by the disciples.  Verse 26 tells us that He knew what was ahead.  WHY GIVE THANKS?

HERE IS THE ANSWER:  The Lord's Supper was not only about His crucifixion. It was followed by His resurrection and the victory over sin and death for all who believe.  It's about new life that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection would bring.  It was about the birth of the church, the body of believers that would soon be born in the same city where He died.

Jesus gave thanks that night because He saw past that day and looked at all eternity that the millions of faithful would spend together with God, the Father.   That's how He could give thanks.  He focused beyond the present to what awaits the faithful who follow Him through the door He opened for us.

This Thanksgiving, let us remember that monumental night that Jesus gave thanks as the cross awaited Him.