Luke 22:19
And He took bread, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.”
In normal circumstances, we would meet today to remember the Lord Jesus in His death, because He asked us to. Today, we can’t, and it looks as though this will continue for many weeks to come. But it’s still good to often ponder that scene in the upper room when the Lord Jesus gathered His disciples around Him, and the things He said to them.
I want to focus on that Phrase “in remembrance of me”.
There are two different kinds of remembering:
1. A passive memory. A conversation: “Do you remember Great Uncle Bert?” “Oh yes, I remember him, he went to Australia!
2. An active memory. A letter from Australia through the door: “Great Uncle Bert has remembered me in his will!” (More than remembered, he’s done something about it, given me something!)
More examples of remembrance would include Remembrance Sunday; two minutes’ silence pondering the sacrifice made by many in two world wars. More than a memory of those events, something active was done about it.
W. E. Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words:
Says Vine: “The Lord’s command, a remembrance, was not ‘in memory of’, but an affectionate calling of the person himself to mind”.
His character, his sayings, his work, what he means to me. Not a figure in history, not a neighbour, but the one who comes alive on the pages of the bible, and who graces our gatherings with His presence. But we aren’t gathering! All the same, “Call Him to mind” says Vine. “Remember me” says the Lord.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart
And this is how I know He lives,
He lives within my heart.
Not only when we meet to share the Lord’s Supper, should we remember Him in this intimate way, but often. Is He only in my heart for an hour on Sunday morning? Of course not. Then we need some practice. Conversational prayer would be a good start.
For example, ask godly people, such as evangelists, how they would start talking to someone they want to approach with the gospel. Such people probably live in close touch with the Lord. They would hardly need to “call the person of the Lord Himself to mind”, He would already be there! No doubt they would pray, something brief, like: “ Lord how shall I talk to that person?”
Luke 23:40-43
“Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
We are interested in this thief because he was unable (being nailed to a cross) to do anything to make up for his crimes before making this request. So, what he was asking for would have to be free.
We think of him sometimes as a lost sheep that the Good Shepherd snatched from the jaws of death. True, but he was more than that.
Let us imagine for a moment: What was it he asked the Lord to remember? …. “me”! Then, was the Lord supposed to think: “Oh yes I remember, there was a thief hanging on the next cross! He believed I really was the Messiah, the King who was going to rise from the dead and be the Ruler of Israel. He wanted me to remember him for some reason.”
Of course not, it wasn’t that kind of remembering at all, was it? He wanted to be there – In that Kingdom.
That’s exactly my basis for hoping to be there too. “My prayer, my only hope is: “Remember me”. The Lord’s response to the thief was “Today you will be with me”. His response to me is: “In my Father’s House are many mansions, I have been to prepare a place for you…that where I am there you may be also”.
The Lord’s remembrance of me is active. He’s done something. How active is my remembrance of Him? Is His Person often in the forefront of my heart and mind? Is there a reserved place prepared for Him there?
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