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What Did Jesus Mean by “Do This in Remembrance of Me”?

Q: Curious if you could share some context on what Jesus meant when he said, “do this in remembrance of me”?  It seems there are many ways to remember, like how he died, how he lived, what changed with the covenant, or even reflecting on what happened through the week and how Jesus showed up.  Just curious if there’s some missing context here. 

Summary

The Lord’s Supper is familiar to most Christians, but what exactly did Jesus mean when He said, “Do this in remembrance of me”?

In this episode of Ask Dr. E, Michael Easley explores the biblical meaning of remembrance and how the Lord’s Supper connects to the Passover. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during Passover, pointing His disciples back to God’s redemption of Israel from slavery. The Passover was meant to be a perpetual memorial, reminding God’s people of what He had done for them and teaching future generations to remember His faithfulness.

Dr. E explains that the Lord’s Supper carries that same emphasis. The bread and cup point to Christ’s broken body and shed blood and remind believers of His life, death, burial, resurrection, and the new covenant established through His blood.

He also highlights Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11: whenever believers eat the bread and drink the cup, they proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Remembering Christ is more than recalling facts. It is intentionally reflecting on the cost of our redemption and the Savior who gave Himself for us. The Lord’s Supper calls believers to stop, remember, proclaim, and worship.

Takeaways:

• Jesus’ command to “remember” connects the Lord’s Supper to the biblical pattern of remembering God’s redemption.
• The Passover provides important context for understanding why Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
• The bread and cup point believers to Christ’s broken body, shed blood, death, and the new covenant.
• The Lord’s Supper is not merely a ritual but a memorial that intentionally directs our hearts toward Christ.
• When believers take Communion, they proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.
• Remembering Christ should move us beyond recalling facts to worshiping Him for the cost of our redemption.

Find more episodes of Ask Dr. E here.

If you’ve got a question for Dr. Easley, call or text us your question at 615-281-9694 or email at question@michaelincontext.com.