Sermon for Holy Thursday

Luke 22:19 & 20

 ¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Twice that night when He was betrayed, Jesus said this little prepositional phrase, “for you.” “This is my body, which is given for you.” And This cup (my blood) is poured out for you”.

These words, “for you” require all hearts to believe. These words are an invitation to believe. They are a challenge to believe. They are a call to prepare your hearts for what Jesus has to give “for you”, by repenting of sins, all wrong doing, wrong saying, wrong thinking, wrong believing, repent of those and then call on Jesus, asking Him to give what He has promised, His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Tomorrow we observe and remember Good Friday, our Lord’s death on the cross. Tonight we observe and remember His sacrament where the fruits of the cross are given for you for the forgiveness sins. The cross is where Jesus died for the whole world of sinners. The Good of Good Friday, what Jesus did on the cross, took care of all the sins of all those who have ever lived or who will ever live, until the end of time. More about that tomorrow. But there’s something incomprehensible about that, isn’t it? It’s for billions. If something is for everybody, free for all, then it’s easy to take for granted, like the air we breathe. Most days, it’s no big deal. So the death of Jesus on the cross can become not so interesting, not so applicable to you, most days. On the cross is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, given and shed for the for the world. Tonight in the Holy Supper for you to eat and to drink, is the body and blood of Jesus Christ given and shed for you. You need not feel like just another face in the innumerable crowd. The Lord says, “This is for you.”

And He can say such things honestly. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has the powers and attributes of God, like forgiveness of sins and omniscience. He knows all, and everyone. He knows the hairs on your head and the cares of your heart. And He wants you to hear Him and believe Him when He says, “This is for you.” My cross is for you. My resurrection is for you. My life is for you.

Would that no one would disagree with Jesus Christ. But alas, some do. They will say, “nope, it’s not for me.” Some might not say such things with these exact words, but by their actions, they will may it clear that what Christ gives, is not for them. Even more will by their inaction say this, “no, it’s not for me.” Some say it out of arrogance. “For me? For the forgiveness of my sins? What are you talking about? There’s nothing wrong with me? I do it my way and no regrets.”

Others say “nope, it’s not for me” not out of arrogance but out of hopelessness and regret. Saying, maybe it’s for them, it’s not for me. Let not a guilty conscience say, “nope, it’s not for me, because of what I’ve said, what I’ve thought, what I’ve done.” In fact it is exactly for you the sinner that Jesus says, this is for you, for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ has gone to great lengths so you would hear that and believe it.

Those great lengths started back there in Old Jerusalem in the upper room. When we hear this reading again this year of that Thursday evening when Jesus had His last supper, Most of us have some picture in our mind of what it must have been like, Da Vinci’s, or maybe a scene we have in mind from one of the movies made about Jesus’ last days. It is that nicely furnished upper room, with Jesus and 11 or 12 disciples in their various positions. It was behind closed doors. It was a closed communion. When we picture that scene we can figure that when Jesus said, “For you”, He meant at least those 12 guys.

But Jesus wanted it to go on from there. So He said “Do this, often, in remembrance of me.” Saying that, He was getting His apostles ready for the time when He would no longer be with them, but would be at the right hand of His Father in heaven. These Apostles would remember that and after His resurrection and ascension they would gather believers to hear what Jesus said and to eat and drink what Jesus promised to give. And when Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit, He said to them, “He who hears you, hears me.” Jesus wanted them and the church built up around them to “Do this, often, in remembrance of Me”.  So, by the way, this is why I asked you at the start, “Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my forgiveness, but God’s?” Our Lord instituted such things so that future generations would have the forgiveness of their sins accompanied by this assurance, “This is for you.” And so it has gone, with the constant care of the Holy Spirit that His words remain, and come true over and over again. Eternal Salvation and the forgiveness of sins Jesus won on the cross back there long ago, far away. But given here and now for you. Amen.