In Luke 22, we are told that Satan entered into Judas before the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh. By this, we should be reminded of what an unimpressive spiritual event the institution of the Lord’s Supper appeared to be. Judas the traitor was there, and this meant that Satan was also there. Peter was …
The Table of Graciousness
This Table, and the Word accompanying it, are means of grace. But grace is not an invisible fluid that juices you up in your devotional life, grace is the word Scripture uses for how God imparts Himself to us. When the gracious God gives Himself, this is grace. And we know that we are receiving …
Great Joy in the Opening
In the resurrection account in Luke 24, we are told several times about the joy of the disciples. In v. 41 it says that they did not believe for joy, and after Christ’s ascension, it says that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. We are also told several times in the account that the …
Mediated Glory
Jesus tells His disciples on the Emmaus road that everything in the Old Testament pointed toward the sufferings of Christ. But He said something else as well, which is also ministered to us in this meal. He said that Christ had to suffer these things, and “enter into his glory.” What does this glory entail? …
Forget It
We noted last week that the cup we drink is the cup of the new covenant. One of the fundamental terms of the new covenant is the glorious promise that God will remember our sins no more. This, therefore, is the cup of God’s forgetfulness. What of the bread? We are told that the bread …
Where Christ is Revealed
We are sometimes urged away from understanding the types of Scripture on the basis of authority. Yes, people say, there may be typological significance to many aspects of Scripture, but we are not the Lord, and we are not his apostles and prophets. What authority do we have to interpret this way? This overlooks the …
The Cup of God”s Forgetfulness
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus taught, is a kingdom of grace. And this means that when we are coming into the presence of Christ, the prince over this kingdom, we are not coming into the presence of an unforgiving scorekeeper. We too often project our lack of forgiveness onto Him. We assume that He is …
And I Will Fill It
As we seek to be brought to maturity through this Table, by the Lord who presides over this Table, we must take care to head His teaching. The Word always accompanies the sacrament, and as we sit at this table, we do not sit in silence. The Lord from His position at the head of …
A Real Mess on the Beach
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus taught, is like a dragnet. It hauls in everything that it finds in its path. And so it is that we here, seated at this Table in history, must necessarily sit down with—to mix our metaphors—good fish, bad fish, broken beer bottles, reptiles, weeds, and old bicycle tires. Jesus does …
Christ in the Face of Others
God’s saints are not made out of simple and discrete blocks of wood. We are complex beings to begin with, and our sinfulness only complicates matters. As we approach the table of the Lord this morning, take special care not to abuse it through tenaciously clutching to your own opinions about others. Too many Christians …