Jump Start # 2976
1 Corinthians 11:24 “and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
We have a saying around here, “Sunday is the best day of the week.” Hardly a week goes by and that is not said. Most of our folks know this. What makes Sunday so special? Why is it a better day than Friday night or Saturday morning? Why Sunday?
Here’s why:
First, it’s the day that creation started. When people say “It’s wrong to work on Sunday,” they forget that God did.
Second, it’s the day that Jesus rose from the grave. That was the crowning event in the N.T. That was the crushing blow to Satan. The darkness of the tomb must have seemed like a victory to the devil, but, ‘up from the grave He arose.’ And, He didn’t just come back to life, He was raised to never die again. NEVER. We live after death, because He did.
Third, Sunday is the day that the gospel was first preached. That saving message of Jesus Christ was echoed in and around Jerusalem, not once but that message has circled the planet. Salvation is in Christ. There is no other name that saves.
Fourth, Sunday is the day that saints gathered. They came together on the first day of the week. They came to worship. They came to honor the resurrected Christ.
Fifth, Sunday is the day that Christians remember. We remember that death. We remember how He died. We remember why He died. We remember what that death did.
And, this is where our verse takes off of today. Paul is instructing the Corinthians about the Supper which is to remember Christ. Somehow things got sideways and the purpose was missed by the pride and pomp of some of the Corinthians. Instead of remembering, they were hogging it all and keeping others from participating. Something that should have brought them together, was used to pull them apart.
Jesus took some bread, gave thanks and then broke it. A question surfaced recently. Most congregations are now using the disposable cups with the bread on one side and the juice on the other side. This is healthier and in this pandemic, it makes sense. But how is the bread broken, if no one actually breaks it? A good thought. There are several things about that Corinthian statement that we just don’t know. For instance, did Jesus break the loaf in two giant pieces? Did He break it into twelve pieces, one for each of the apostles? Was it broken evenly? Was it cut in half or did the Lord just tear it with His hands? Did Jesus do this with His right hand or His left hand? Is it necessary for another person to touch the bread that I will put in my mouth? Was there just “one loaf” that Jesus started with? Lots of places and questions we could go to and in the midst, we could miss the main point, that is remembering the sinless body that was sacrificed for us.
I don’t believe Heaven shakes a finger in disgust at me because no one “broke” the bread as I took it out of my disposable container. Jesus was making it convenient for the disciples. The emphasis should not be on the tearing of the bread, but on the body that had no broken bones, but the side was pierced. Some might fuss about the posture of Jesus when He broke the bread. The text tells us that He was reclining. If we must break the bread literally, I suppose the one who does that needs to be reclining as Jesus was. Once it was broken in two, or three, or twelve, which piece was handed out first? One could get all the logistics right and miss the main point. Jesus died for us. That bread is a reminder. That bread without leaven, is like His body without sin.
If someone is so inclined to break their little piece in two, or twelve, that’s fine. Now, don’t expect, demand, or force others to do the same. Don’t be requiring what God has not. There are as many unknowns here as there are what we do know.
What makes Sunday great—It’s the Lord’s Day. I’ve known several brethren who passed through the door of death on a Sunday. My dad was one of them. If I was given a choice, I’d sure pick a Sunday, the best day of the week, to put this old world behind us and to pass into the arms of our Savior.
The best day of the week is Sunday!
Roger