The Communion Cup!
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? Is the bread which we break not the communion of the body of Christ” (I Corinthians 10:16)?
Over 20 years ago, I visited a precious sister in the Lord in the hospital. She had gone through several physical problems and even had an amputation of her leg. She was declining and in the last moments of her life. Her speech went out and she could only nod to approve or disapprove of what we (her daughter and I) were asking. In her last moments, with her severely shaking hands, she boldly took a pen and wrote on the piece of paper we gave her. She had the strength to write one letter on the paper “C.” Immediately, the Holy Spirit gave me the answer, “Communion.” In her dying moments, that precious soul longed for the Sacred Communion Elements Jesus shared with His disciples before He went to the cross. I honored her request, ran to my office, and brought our shared elements. It was a special moment after which she was gone to be with Jesus!
The Communion Cup Jesus shared with His disciples is not:
· A cup of religion!
· A cup of conversation!
· A cup of ritual!
It is holy, sacred, and consecrated, and it has a special divine significance in the extraordinary relationship between Jesus and us, His disciples!
It is the Fellowship Cup!
“Then (Jesus) said to them, ‘With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).
Jesus’ spiritual family was His disciples. He came to save the whole world. He ministered with signs and wonders to communicate the good news of the gospel across Galilee. And yet, He did not want to see anyone in His last moments before the cross except to have a special time of significance with His disciples with His last Passover. The cup He shared with His disciples signifies a special and intimate fellowship reserved just for Jesus with His family. We the believers are the family of Jesus. When we come to the table of the last supper, let it be ingrained in our spirit and soul that we belong to the very special family of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
It is the Cup of Exclusivity!
“I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:16).
The cup is so special that it is exclusively for Jesus and His disciples. Jesus shows His passion with exclusivity to wait to sit with His disciples in His Father’s Kingdom! In a sense, Jesus is waiting for the fulfillment of His Father to bring His kingdom on the earth. That sacred thought must purify us as believers, letting us know that we belong exclusively to Jesus and that Jesus is ours. It is not a relationship to be taken lightly but guarded with utmost care and passion just as Jesus Himself shows His love in the above statement!
It is the Cup of Humility!
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel, and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:3-5).
Jesus had said earlier, “The Son of Man came not to be ministered to but to minister.” He demonstrated His servant’s nature by washing the feet of the disciples to set Himself as an example: “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, ‘Do you know (understand) what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you’” (John 13:13-15).
The Creator shared the cup with the creation which speaks of His humility!
The Creator washed the feet of His sinful creation which exemplifies humility!
Jesus set the standard for humility that we must follow to love God and serve Him as we love one another and dedicate ourselves to the service to each other!
It is the Cup of Divine Love!
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).
Divine love transcends all other types of love that we know. It is unchanging, unadulterated, and unconditional love. Jesus loved His disciples to the very end, not just when they pleased Him and obeyed His commands, not just when they served Him to communicate His message to the multitudes but always, and to the very end! The cup of communion we share with Jesus should make us pledge that we must love Jesus the same way He loves us and love one another the same way, to the very end.
It is the Cup of Transparency!
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Jesus washed the disciples’ feet but called them His friends. A friend is privileged to full disclosure with transparency of truth (and no lies) and Jesus offered Just that to the disciples. He revealed ALL things He had received from His Father without keeping them to Himself. When we approach the communion table, God expects the same transparency from us. We do approach with transparency and with the earnest expectation of receiving from my Jesus all that the Father has from us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is the Cup of Sacrifice!
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:12-14).
Divine love leads to the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus offered His life for us, “His friends,” and we must never forget it. The cup of communion is the cup of sacrifice, not just of our life, but our desires, self-will, ambitions, and all other earthly enticements for the sake of Jesus whom we love in return for His divine love. We become a “living sacrifice” just as Jesus offered Himself for us. Apostle Paul’s declaration of our love for Jesus who offered His life for us: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (II Corinthians 5:14-15). Here is Apostle John’s admonition: “By this, we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (I John 3:16).
It is the Cup of Oneness!
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? Is the bread which we break not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (I Corinthians 10:16-17).
Jesus broke His body for us to become His body!
Jesus shed His blood for us to be sealed by His blood for the remission of sin, cleansing, and justification!
We are Joined by Jesus!
We are ONE with Jesus!
Jesus is the Head, and we are the Body of Christ!
We function as ONE!
I can understand the statement of Jesus, “I and My Father are ONE” (John 10:30). I am ONE with Jesus as Jesus prayed in His last prayer for His disciples: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).
The Communion Cup is the Cup of Intimate Fellowship with Jesus!
The Communion Cup is Exclusively for the Family of Jesus!
The Communion Cup is the Cup of Humility!
The Communion Cup is the Cup of Divine Love!
The Communion Cup is the Cup of Transparency!
The Communion Cup is the Cup of Ultimate Sacrifice!
The Communion Cup is the Cup of ONENESS with the Father Through Jesus!
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You. I thank You for saving me by Your grace and love. Your divine love was revealed through Your Son who yielded His life on the cross for me. The cup of the Holy Communion takes a greater meaning by the revelation of the life of Your Son, Jesus, on the earth. I dedicate my life as Your servant to Your eternal love for me. I offer to serve You with Jesus as my example and finish my race to come and stand before You to behold Your face for all eternity. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!”
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John Jeyaseelan
Global Prayer Center | prayer | 701 Bill France Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
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