Matthew 26:26–27 tells us that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it. Then He took the cup and gave thanks before giving it to His disciples.
Jesus gave thanks.
Now, that probably doesn't sound unusual to us. We give thanks when we eat. We bow our heads and thank God for His blessings. It is something Christians have done for generations. But think about the circumstances surrounding that meal.
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew Judas was going to betray Him. He knew Peter would deny knowing Him. He knew His other disciples would scatter. He knew that within hours He would be arrested, mocked, beaten, and led away to die on a cross. And knowing all of that . . . Jesus gave thanks.
I wonder how many of us would find it easy to give thanks if we knew what the next twenty-four hours would bring. If we knew that tomorrow would bring betrayal, humiliation, suffering, and death, would thanksgiving come naturally to us?
Probably not . . . Most of us find it easier to give thanks when things are going well. We are thankful when our families are healthy, our bills are paid, our problems are manageable, and life seems to be moving in the right direction. But when trouble comes, our prayers can quickly change from thanksgiving to questions.
Why is this happening? How am I going to get through this? Where is God in all of this?
Those are honest questions, and Scripture does not tell us to pretend that suffering doesn't hurt.
Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, prayed that the cup might pass from Him.
But Jesus also trusted His Father. He was willing to submit to the Father's will, even when that meant enduring the cross.
And perhaps that is the first thing we can learn from His thanksgiving that night.
Jesus did not have to see pleasant circumstances to trust in the goodness of His Father. His gratitude was not based on the absence of suffering. It was rooted in His relationship with God and His confidence in the Father's purpose.
There is a difference between thanking God because everything is going the way we want and thanking God because we know He is faithful, even when we don't understand everything that is happening.
That brings us to the table before us.
When we look at this bread and this cup, we are reminded of the suffering Jesus was about to endure. The bread reminds us of His body, given for us. The cup reminds us of His blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
But we should also remember that Jesus knew His sacrifice had a purpose.
He was not walking toward the cross without knowing why He was going there. He had come to do the Father's will. Through His death, God would provide the way for sinners to be reconciled to Him.
Jesus knew the suffering was real, but He also knew that suffering would not have the final word.
The cross would be followed by the resurrection.
And because Jesus lives, we have hope that reaches beyond our present circumstances and even beyond the grave.
That is why we can give thanks as we come to this table. We are not thankful because suffering is pleasant or because every question in life has an answer we can understand. We are thankful because God has acted through Jesus Christ to accomplish what we could never accomplish for ourselves.
We have forgiveness through Him. We have the opportunity to be reconciled to God. We have the promise of resurrection and the hope of eternal life.
Those blessings do not disappear when life becomes difficult.
So perhaps, as we prepare to partake of these emblems, we should each ask ourselves a question: Can I give thanks to God even when I cannot see what He is doing in my life?
It is easy to thank God for blessings we can hold in our hands. It takes a deeper faith to trust Him when all we can hold on to is His promise.
Jesus gave thanks on the night before the cross. He did not yet stand outside the empty tomb, but He trusted the Father whose purpose would be accomplished through His death and resurrection.
As we gather around this table, we have the advantage of knowing how the story unfolded. We know that the tomb was empty. We know that death did not defeat Jesus. And we know that through Him, God has opened the way for us to have life.
So let us remember the suffering, but let us not stop there. Let us remember the sacrifice, but let us also remember the hope that sacrifice provides.
And as we take the bread and the cup, may our hearts be filled with the same kind of trust that makes thanksgiving possible even in the darkest hour.
We may not understand everything God allows in our lives, but we know what He has done for us through Jesus Christ.
And for that, regardless of what else is happening in our lives, we have every reason to give thanks.
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