The Holy Grail
Bible in a Year: Job 36-37; Acts 15:22-41
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28
Today's Scripture: Matthew 26:20-30
Insight
Jesus commanded His believers to remember His death through which forgiveness has been secured (Matthew 26:26-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). In the observance of Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, believers take the bread and the cup as visible symbols of His death.
In 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, Paul instructs believers on how to observe Communion. The Corinthians’ conduct was out of character with what Jesus had done. There were reports of “divisions among” them (v. 18). They were inconsiderate and self-indulgent (vv. 19-22). The apostle highlighted the gravity of how they observed this remembrance (vv. 23-34). Today, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we can thank Him for His sacrifice for us.
For centuries, people have been fascinated by the Holy Grail—the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The legends surrounding King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table detail their obsession over the search for the cup. They believed it had magical powers. In film, Indiana Jones and his father, Henry, fulfilled Henry’s lifelong pursuit of the Grail.
While this makes for fascinating storytelling, the truth is much more straightforward. The cup itself has no special powers. The real power is found in what it represents. Matthew describes the scene in the upper room the night before Jesus went to the cross: “Then [Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ ” (26:27-28). The cup is a picture of the blood that Jesus would shed on our behalf.
John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” And Paul wrote that Christ himself is “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. How thankful we are for the shed blood of our Savior, the Lamb!
Reflect & Pray
What does it mean for you to celebrate Communion? How do you express your thanks for the sacrifice Jesus made for you?
Loving Father, left to myself I would be forever lost. Thank You for the provision of Your Son and His willingness to go to the cross in my place.