brief meditations

The following are brief meditations that we have brought at the Lord's Supper as it is celebrated in New-Testament assemblies. They will give the reader a sampling of what such meditations are like. Any brother is free at that meeting to bring a meditation centered on Christ (particularly His Person and work, auffering and death), give out a hymn, or lead in a prayer of worship, without prior human arrangement. When the Holy Spirit indicates His time (usually between the middle and end of the meeting), the emblems are partaken of in remembrance of Christ.

GRACE SHOWNFOR
CHRIST'S SAKE

Mephibosheth, a son of Saul, to whom David showed grace, is a picture of us as redeemed sinners (II Samuel 9:1-11). He was of the household of Saul; and Saul can be seen as representing Satan, since he rebelled against God. As Mephibosheth was his descendent, we are by nature children of Satan.
Yet the name "Mephibosheth" means "destruction of shame." David's grace to Mephibosheth got rid of his shame associated with Saul's household, just as Christ's grace toward us gets rid of the shame of our sin.
David's name means "Beloved," and Christ was born to his house and lineage. He is a type of Christ, God's beloved Son. It was he who showed grace to Mephibosheth, as Christ shows grace to us sinners. But why exactly did he want to show grace? He told Mephibosheth that it was for Jonathan's sake (verse 7); and "Jonathan" means "whom Jehovah gave." And whom did Jehovah give? He gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus! He is God's "unspeakable Gift." It is for Christ's sake alone that grace is shown to us, because He wanted to receive us.
Mephibosheth referred to himself as a "dead dog" (verse 8). That is how we would naturally feel as sinners, unworthy to be in Christ's presence. Yet just as David received Mephibosheth at his table, Christ now receives us at His table. We remember Him at His Supper, while we wait for the day when we will sit at His table in Glory. To Him be all the honour for the grace He has shown us for His Own sake!

AT THE HOUR OF
EVENING SACRIFICE

Ceremonial law required that a burnt offering be offered to God daily, morning and evening. At first, the evening sacrifice was offered at sunset; but then it got to be earlier and earlier until it was late in the afternoon. It appears, therefore, that Christ, dying after the "ninth hour" (three o'clock in the afternoon, Luke 23:44-46), died at the same time that the evening sacrifice was being offered.
Two Old-Testament events are recorded as having taken place at the time of the evening sacrifice. One of them was the angel Gabriel's visit to Daniel to tell him that his prayer for the restoration of Israel to their own land, after the Babylonian Captivity, had been heard and granted (Daniel 9:20, 21). That answer was a display of GRACE, since the Jews didn't deserve to be restored to their land, but God was granting it to them by grace.
The other Old-Testament event said to have taken place at the time of the evening sacrifice was Elijah's prayer for God to send fire from heaven to burn his sacrifice on Mount Carmel, which request God promptly granted (I Kings 18:36-38). That sending of the fire was a display of TRUTH, since it showed the truth that the LORD was God, and not Baal.
Thus, of the two Old-Testament events that took place at the time of the evening sacrifice, one was a display of grace, while the other was a display of truth-- to show that grace and truth were permitted to co-exist through the sacrifice of Christ, also offered at the time of the evening sacrifice (see John 1:17). Without Christ's sacrifice, to tell the truth about sinners would require that they be condemned, and would therefore exclude grace. So show grace to sinners would be to deny the truth about them, that they deserved condemnation. But Christ's sacrifice made it possible for grace and truth to co-exist. Though God tells the truth about sinners' deserving condemnation, He shows them grace because Christ's sacrifice paid the condemnation that they deserved. That is how "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

CHRIST'S GREAT CONQUEST

22 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many deeds, killed two lion-like men of Moab; also he went down and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.
23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.
24 These things did Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and son a name among the three mighty men (I Chronicles 11:22-24).

Christ is the theme of all the Scriptures; and even in this text, which may appear at first sight to be an improbable place for it, we have a beautiful image of His victory which He won at the Cross.
The name "Benaiah" means "Jehovah builds;" and Christ came to earth to build His Church, a spiritual building that would serve as His true dwelling-place.
Benaiah was the son of "Jehoiada," which means "Jehovah knows;" and Christ knows all those who are His. He knows them, they follow Him, and none snatch them out of His hand.
This Benaiah was from "Kabzeel," which means "God gathers;" and Christ came to gather us together in His Name.
This man is said to have "done many deeds;" yet only this one incedent in his life is recounted here. This reminds us of Christ, of whom the apostle John said that if all His deeds were recorded, the world itself couldn't contain all the books that should be written. Yet John only wrote of Him what was necessary so that we would recognize in Him our Lord and Saviour.
The lion this man killed reminds us of Satan, the roaring lion who goes about seeking whom he may devour. The "lion-like men" remind us of Satan's hosts of demons. Christ conquered them all.
But for Christ to accomplish this conquest, it was necessary that He come down, as Benaiah went down into a pit. This world was like a pit to Him, for He was despised and rejected of men, and even of His own nation. Furthermore, Benaiah performed this feat on "a snowy day." The winter season is mentioned only once in the biblical account of the life of Christ-- when Christ was walking in the temple courtyard, and it was winter. That was on an occasion when the Jews' rejection of Him was particularly keen, and the coldness of the winter seemed to go together with the cold reception He was being given in what was supposed to be His Father's house.
Through this rejection that led to the Cross, Christ conquered not only Satan and his hosts, but also the world, which is represented by the Egyptian-- for Egypt is a type of the world. And, just as Benaiah won a name by this conquest, Christ's conquest was followed by His being highly exalted and given a Name that is above every name. It is that Name that gathers us together to remember His valiant victory by which He brought us to Himself.

LED TO REMEMBER

We see Joseph as being a type of Christ, because of the many well-known similarities between his life and that of Christ. One such parallel is his undeserved punishment in prison, which parallels Christ's suffering on the Cross as the spotless Lamb of God.
While Joseph was suffering in prison, having interpreted the butler's dream, he said to him:
But think about me when it shall be well with you (Genesis 40:14).
Christ has also asked us to remember Him and His suffering for our sakes.
Sad to say, the butler forgot Joseph for two years, just as we are so prone to forget about Christ. That is one reason why He has given us emblems by which to remember Him. But, what finally did remind the butler of Joseph? He remembered him when he was made conscious of the failure of the world's wisdom, as seen in the failure of the Egyptian magicians to interpret Pharaoh's dreams.
[Pharaoh] called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt; and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them for Pharaoh. Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying, I remember my faults this day (Geneses 41:9).
Likewise we are reminded to remember Christ when we are made conscious of the failure of the world's wisdom. Christ is Wisdom personified (Proverbs 8:22-36), while the world considers His cross to be foolishness (I Corinthians 1:18).
Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, and his interpretations proved true. Pharaoh recognized that he had the Spirit of God in him (verses 38, 39). So has Christ demonstrated the wisdom of God, which can save souls out of the world.
Just as Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all the government of Egypt (v. 40-42), so the Father committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). The ring that Pharaoh gave to Joseph speaks of Christ's authority, the garment of fine linen speaks of His perfect righteousness, and the golden chain speaks of His deity.
Finally, Pharaoh had servants precede Joseph's chariot and order everybody to kneel before him. This reminds us that:
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10, 11).
We rejoice to remember Him who is made to us "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).