Intimacy in Communion: The Broken Body of Christ
/While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Matthew 26:26 NIV
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The Lord showed up in an intimate and powerful way at last month’s Restored Hope Network annual conference. It was a beautiful time of worship, equipping, and celebrating testimonies from men and women who have overcome same-sex attraction and gender confusion. God is still in the business of redemption and transformation!
I was honored to lead the communion service towards the end of the conference. Most of us have heard the communion story in 1 Corinthians 11 countless times throughout our lives as we celebrate communion at church. Usually we focus on how Jesus offered the bread and wine, representing His body and blood. We celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection and so much more. We may even talk about examining our hearts and the importance of forgiveness and repentance. These things are truly important; however, the Holy Spirit gripped my heart with the depth of intimacy that Jesus shared with the disciples during the Last Supper. It brought an even deeper understanding of Jesus’ offering.
We can see more of the depth of intimacy in the Last Supper as we read through the account in John, Chapters 13 through 17. Jesus knows the hour of his death has come and he, the faithful rabbi, begins to share the most important thoughts on his heart with his beloved disciples. He begins by washing their feet (13:4-12). He then shares many of the concepts that we hold dear to this day. He tells them that the hour has come for him to be glorified and prepares them for his betrayal. The intimacy between the group was so strong that Peter knew that John was the one who could ask Jesus who the betrayer was and receive an answer (13:22-26). Jesus gives them a new commandment to love one another and he has loved them (13:34). He tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them (14:3), and is sending them the Holy Spirit (14:16-17). He tells them that he is the vine and they are the branches (15:5). He reiterates his love for them as he says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (15:13) He warns them of the persecution to come and says a time is coming when “anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God,” (16:2b) and lets them know that he is preparing them to withstand the persecution (16:4). He assures them that even though they will be suffering sorrow like a woman in labor, their sorrow will be turned to joy (16:21-22). Jesus tells them to ask the Father for anything they need in his name and the Father will grant it (16:23). Jesus finishes up his last teaching session with his High Priestly Prayer in John 17. This is my favorite prayer in the Bible. Jesus shares his heart even more intently as he prays to be glorified, prays for his disciples, and prays for all who will ever believe in him. As soon as he finished this prayer, he and the disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and entered the Garden of Gethsemane where he would be betrayed (18:1).
The Lord gripped my heart with the most beautiful thoughts of intimacy as Jesus offered his body in Matthew 26:26. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’” The Lord showed me a contrast that was pretty blunt, but at a conference for men and women overcoming LGBTQ struggles, it fit. Jesus offers us his body in a holy, pure way. The Lord reminded me of the men who had offered me their bodies in a sinful way. Their offering did nothing but fuel my insatiable desire for sin. Their offering plunged me deeper into bondage and despair. Jesus’ offering of his body brings life. He offers redemption and transformation. Cleansing and freedom. He offers eternal life. There’s no comparison.
Freedom March Minnesota 2019