Last Thoughts - Psalms 69:13-21

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Psalms 69:13-21. In Psalm 69, King David shares his story, but it is also the story of Jesus and key moments from His ministry on Earth. For our communion meditation today, verses 13-21 give us a glimpse into Jesus' final thoughts as He dies on the cross; His "humanness" is fully revealed. He died for us, and it was His love for us and love of His Father that buoyed Him during this terrible ordeal. That is why we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine—to never forget what He suffered for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save! 

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Last Thoughts." I read from Psalms 69: 13-21 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

Psalm 69

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

13 But I pray to you, LORD,

     in the time of your favor;

in your great love, O God,

     answer me with your sure salvation.

14 Rescue me from the mire,

     do not let me sink;

deliver me from those who hate me,

     from the deep waters.

15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me

     or the depths swallow me up

     or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;

     in your great mercy turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant;

     answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18 Come near and rescue me;

     deliver me because of my foes.

19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;

     all my enemies are before you.

20 Scorn has broken my heart

     and has left me helpless;

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

     for comforters, but I found none.

21 They put gall in my food

     and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

When we read Psalm 69, we ask ourselves, "Is this just about events in the life of King David, or is the Holy Spirit revealing something more to us?" The answer is something more as six portions of the psalm are quoted in the New Testament and describe events of Jesus' ministry on Earth. We know that this psalm is about Jesus. In the passage of Scripture we read today, verse 21 is found in all four gospel accounts of Jesus' crucifixion. In addition to these facts being revealed, we also feel the mental agony of the author, perhaps both of King David and Jesus. In the final hours before His death, we see Jesus' thoughts and feelings revealed. Jesus prays to His Father for rescue from the mire, the deep waters, and the pit. He wants to be saved from death. Jesus also prays for His Father to be near Him in His time of distress as He is surrounded by His enemies, none of whom offer sympathy. Even when He complained of being thirsty, they offered Him vinegar to drink. To me, vinegar as a drink seems like another slap in the face intended to add to His suffering. All of these thoughts and feelings add to the evidence that Jesus was just as human as we are. From my experience with death, the one near death calls for the pastor or the priest to provide assurances and affirmation that they can have confidence that he or she will be saved and live again, and for the family to provide comfort and support in their hour of greatest need. None of us desires to be alone in death. Jesus volunteered to die for us and accept the scorn and humiliation that came along with it. In my heart, I feel pain because I share the blame for why He had to go to the cross in the first place. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember His mental and physical agony He experienced on the cross, and His selfless love that prompted Him to give His life for us. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, thank-you for the Scriptures, Your gift of truth to us. We are not surprised that Your favorite subject in Your Scriptures is Your Son, Jesus. You talk about Him all the time as any proud father would do. Thank-you for letting us feel what He was feeling and know the requests He made of You in His last hours. These revelations endear Him to us even more. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine in the cup, we remember Jesus and His sacrifice for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!