14Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,15and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.16For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.17Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.18For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Jesus endured suffering and death so that we could come into a relationship with Him. We were incapable of saving ourselves and becoming right with God, we needed someone to be a substitute for us. Only a sinless man could do that and a person could only be sinless if He had the divine nature within Him. So, Jesus met the criteria - now we embrace His sacrifice so that we can experience the divine deliverance that is only possible through a relationship with God through Jesus our Savior - He transforms our lives by His mighty power!
In 1st Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul highlights the snapshot from the Last Supper, when Jesus likened the cup and the bread to His blood and His body:
23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."25In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
There was some news making the rounds on the Internet last week featuring two gentlemen who have claimed they know the location of one of those coveted artifacts in Christendom - the chalice from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, also known as the Holy Grail.
According to a piece from ABC's Good Morning America, published on the Yahoo.com website, the two researchers, Margarita Torres and Jose Manuel Ortega del Rio, authors of the book, "Kings of the Grail," believe they found conclusive evidence from ancient Egyptian scrolls documenting that Muslims stole the cup from Jerusalem and took it to Egypt. They say it was then disguised with jewels and eventually given to Spanish King Ferdinand I as a gift.
They say that the jewel-encrusted goblet has been inside the San Isidoro Basilica, in Leon, Spain, for the last 1,000 years.
Dr. Robert Cargill, an assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa, told ABC News that, "This has been an incredibly popular endeavor to try to find something that Jesus touched."
But he says, "I don't think we'll ever find the Holy Grail...Even if we had it, there would be no way to confirm it was the grail."
The article points out that the latest discovery is stirring new intrigue close to the Easter season as thousands of believers are now flocking to see the golden chalice, which, despite being inside the Spanish museum for a thousand years, has only been on display since the 1950's.
There has been a fascination with the search for what has been termed the Holy Grail, and I think that professor Cargill is right - people want to find something that Jesus touched. Whether or not this is the actual grail in the Spanish museum may always be a source of debate, but the real story is the significance of what that cup means for you and me.
It was not the cup itself that had magical powers, nor the contents themselves that had some elixir of life, in an Indiana Jones sort of way, but the meaning of what Jesus wanted to signify by drinking of the cup. The Passover was an observance of the deliverance of God's chosen people from the bondage of Egypt, and Jesus was communicating to us that by shedding His blood and dying a cruel death, that He would be giving His life as a perfect sacrifice to release each of us who would accept Him from the bondage of sin and its consequences. So there is enormous spiritual meaning here, and as we participate in Communion, the Lord's Supper, we can reflect afresh and anew on what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Back to the fascination with what Jesus has touched. I know that Jesus has touched my life - and His touch should be seen in the way we respond to God and allow Christ to live through us. Hopefully, our expression of the risen Lord can be so tangible that people will have a fascination with our walk with God, so drawn by the love of God and the character of Christ that they will want to come to know Him. As Christ has touched us, so we can be motivated to allow Him to touch others through us.
The meaning of Communion is far greater than merely partaking of the elements - we can reflect on the power of the transformed life! That's why the apostle Paul warned the Corinthians not to take it lightly. Consider the body and blood today and give God the glory for what Jesus has done for you!
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