Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
The purpose of my podcast is to help individuals, groups and churches observe the Lord's Supper. The podcast includes a relevant portion of Scripture, brief commentary, prayer, and participation in partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
Man's Inhumanity to Man
The meditation today comes from the Old Testament, Isaiah 52: 13-15 (ESV).
If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview.
Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of the meditation today is "Man's Inhumanity to Man." I read from Isaiah 52: 13-15 (ESV). All quotations are from the English Standard Version and are used with permission.
13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.”
Once again on the world stage, we witness heinous acts of cruelty of one human being against another. At times like these, we recall the poem, Man's Inhumanity to Man, penned by Robert Burns in 1784,
Many and sharp the numerous ills
Inwoven with our frame;
More pointed still, we make ourselves
Regret, remorse and shame;
And man, whose heaven-erected face
The smiles of love adorn,
Man's inhumanity to man,
Makes countless thousands mourn.
We are distressed by "mankind's ability to see and treat other people as less than human." The prophet Isaiah tells a similar story about God's servant. We now know that the prophet was speaking about Jesus. He describes how Jesus was treated as less than human by the Roman soldiers who tortured Him near to the point of death as a prelude to crucifixion. Isaiah tells us clearly that "his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind." I believe it is fair to say that artists do not depict Jesus in this way as He hung from the cross. Perhaps the artists believe we could not bear to see it or grasp the true penalty of the sin of humankind. Nevertheless, Jesus, the Son of God, permitted His torture and death in order that He might save us. From the cross, He even forgave all those who had a part in His death. For this reason, Jesus, God's servant, "shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted." Should we do no less than to lift Him up and exalt Him by partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup? He died for us all. Let us pray.
Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for the words Your Spirit spoke to the prophet Isaiah that remind us of the terrible price that Jesus paid for our redemption. We cannot imagine the pain and suffering He endured for us or even the depth of love He had for us that He would give up His life. Help us Abba, Father, to exalt Him and lift Him up in our lives with the honor He deserves. As we partake of the bread and drink from cup, we remember Him. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Today, Jesus invites you to partake of the Lord's Supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28.
"26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Let us partake of the bread.
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Let us partake of the cup of blessing.
And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!”
Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."
Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories. The benefit of downloading and creating an account in one of the directory apps, like Apple Podcasts, Spotify or iHeart, is that you can add this podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. I do not receive compensation of any kind when you download and listen to my podcast. Please note there is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper.