Accept, for the Sake of Sacrifice

In the name of Jesus Christ I continue in sharing the words of God with you. First of all, I apologize for my inability to lecture in Taiwanese, thus some of you may not be getting as much out of these talks as you should and wasting your valuable time sitting here. I will use more familiar terms and words to convey my testimony.

This afternoon’s topic of discussion is “To Speak with Blood”. Please read Luke 22:19-20. During the time of the Passover feast, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Normally, we seldom touch upon the teachings of the Holy Communion during regular services, and only hear them during Spiritual Convocations when we partake the Communion. In fact, this particular passage is quite relevant and highly significant to the whole of salvation. Because if this night had not taken place, I believe the plan of salvation we have today could not have been completed. Thus, I often wonder about the moment when Jesus took the bread and blessed it, what exactly was his frame of mind? He took up the bread, gave thanks and said, “This is my body given for you.” Today as we partake the bread, we understand that after giving thanks, this unleavened bread is the body of Christ. Our common understanding of this teaching is as such. But if we were to return to the first time, the very first time when Jesus took the bread and blessed it, saying, “this is my body”, what exactly was he referring to?

Today we place great emphasis upon the unleavened aspect of this bread, thus only flour and water are used in the process of making the bread. However, over 50% of the True Jesus Churches in the world actually make the bread with additional ingredients such as frankincense and salt. We are of the other 50% that do not do this. If we are to suppose that there are 1.2 million TJC members in the world, about 700,000 of them partake communion bread that is made with the addition of frankincense and salt. This is something best left for God to judge.

No matter what, we are emphatic on the point that this bread must be without yeast, thus we must also receive this bread without yeast in our heart. The true partaking of this bread should not hinge upon the unleavened nature of this bread as the most important; rather, as according to Paul, we who receive this bread, must do so with an unleavened heart. If we partake the unleavened bread with a heart of malice and deceit, I think this will not exert a great effect. The church, our True Jesus Church, have taught us to firmly believe – as we discussed this morning – that salvation is based upon the observance of five points. Once you have accomplished and checked off the five points, you are saved! I personally do not believe this is so. Our faith is not based on a cumulative point system, such as ones found in a supermarket with which you collect sufficient points to redeem for a prize. Faith is a kind of life force: if you are unable to display the vigor of this life force, no matter how many points you may have accumulated, all will equate to zero.

Although we understand that the body of Jesus is quite different from that of our own bodies, there are some who claim that Jesus is just like us, a human being who was also subject to temptations. But if we consider this concept with more care, can Jesus really be the same as us? We often hear in sermons as to why we need Jesus Christ. Why? Since a sinner cannot save another sinner, a sinless person must come to save us. This is the gospel that we have continued to propagate; and yet, we also keep on claiming that Christ Jesus is a man just like us! How can this be? If he is the same as us, then he could not have saved us, since he would be a sinner just like us! His body would be the same as ours, susceptible to corruption and decay. This is impossible, because the body of Christ is incorruptible; thus, he is distinctly different from us. He is not the same as us.

Here is another question: if Christ Jesus had not died for us, if he did not – relying on the authority given to him – sacrificed his life for us, would he be able to live until today? Surely he can be alive today! Death was unable to reign over his body; therefore, he is one who has not died. Jesus Christ is a man who lived on this earth without undergoing death, thus his body must surely not be the same as ours. He could not have taken up the bread, gave thanks and broke it, saying, “take, eat, this is my body.” Even if you eat of it, what would happen? Nothing. When Jesus said, “this is my body given for you” – as according to the gospel of John – he did so with the authority that was in him, gave up his life and then, with the same authority, reclaimed it.

So how did this body come about? How did the body of Christ come to being? The gospel of John described him as “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” He was the Word that became flesh. Hence, his physical body is not merely the unleavened bread; rather, he is the Word incarnate. When Jesus said, “take, eat, this is my body”, this body is not referring to the unleavened bread, it is the flesh of the incarnate Word, a piece of the bread of life. So when we eat of the unleavened bread during Holy Communion, we are not just eating a piece of unleavened bread, we are partaking the body of Christ! So what exactly is the body of Christ? It is the Word, because he is the incarnate Word. But if we eat the communion bread without absorbing the Word of God at the same time, it is as if we did not receive the bread at all, we have gained nothing! The unleavened bread that you ate is actually the Word of God, who came down to earth in the form of a man in order to save us.

During the supper that night, when Christ took up the bread and gave thanks, he said, “this is my body given for you.” I wonder what the disciples thought of when they heard these words from Christ. I would hazard to guess that they had little reaction to these spoken words, because the time has not come, and the disciples’ understanding of Jesus’ words was quite limited. But since Jesus gave them the bread, they merely took it and ate. After which, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” From this we can see that our salvation is only achievable through the body of Christ. Only by the Word made flesh can we come to the presence of God.

The book of Hebrews also said that Jesus, “by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” At the moment when Jesus breathed his last, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. “This is my body given for you.” His body was broken up, and given to them to eat. Therefore, if salvation was not atoned by the sacrifice of life, it cannot exist. No matter how much he taught and how great of miracles he may have performed while on earth, if at the end he did not speak with his blood, rather than mere words, spoken or written; if he did not give his body and blood for us, the whole plan of salvation cannot have been completed. No way could this have been possible.

Jesus gave his life for us, and told us to eat of it; what exactly is he asking us to do once we have done so? Let us read John 6:32, “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’” One of the hallmarks of the true bread from heaven is its ability to impart life to this world.

Many of our brothers and sisters today are well aware of the five points of doctrine, the third of which is the receiving of Holy Communion. The first point is water baptism, which is quickly done once only. The second point is the washing of feet, which is also performed once only; and once done, is a guarantee that can never be taken away. The third point is participating in Holy Communion, which must recur time and time again. The fourth point is receiving the Holy Spirit, also a one-time occurrence. The fifth point is keeping the Sabbath day, which must also be continuously repeated.

The reason why we partake the Holy Communion again and again is for the purpose of regaining life time and time again; so that on the last day, we can be resurrected. This teaching is common and familiar to all of us. Therefore, some believers who normally do not attend regular services nor participate in church work will unfailingly show up during Spiritual Convocations, especially on the last day, in order to partake the Holy Communion. Facing such brothers and sisters, I often wonder: would the Communion received by these members, as compared to the members sitting next to them whose love and devotion to men and God are self-evident, be able to exert the same effect? It is true that both types of believer demonstrate faith. In fact, you can say that the first member shows a greater faith; even if he does not come to services regularly, he will surely show up for Communion when it is being performed, because he firmly believes that once Communion is taken, he will have gained life. With such fixed and pragmatic belief, this person will never forgo this day. Comparatively, the believer who attends services daily may happen to miss the day of Communion due to unforeseen circumstances; would he then miss out on receiving the Communion and the life it contains?

Jesus said that the bread from heaven is for the purpose of giving life. Let’s keep that firmly in mind. Partaking the Holy Communion is for the purpose of receiving such life. One of the most significant purposes of Jesus’ ministry on earth is to give us an even more abundant life. Perhaps we have gradually forgotten this truth in our life of faith, because our focus has shifted to the pursuit of speaking in tongues. We seek after the fullness of the Holy Spirit, a rather abstract concept. Very few of us pursue after a fullness of life. How to quantify a fullness of life? When compared to actual wealth, when can we say that we have ample savings? I think it is without limits. A child thinks a hundred dollars is a lot of money, a young person thinks a thousand dollars is a sizeable sum. But as we grow older, our perception of accumulated wealth is that there is no end to it. There will always be more to add to the pile if you work for it. Life is the same way. Relying on the precious blood and life of our Lord Jesus, have we ever seek to gain the promised plentiful and abundant life force? Or do we only want to eat and gain life?

Thus, Jesus said that the bread from heaven is for the purpose of giving life to the world. In v.51, Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Therefore, he is the Word made flesh that came to this world. Do not mistake him as just another ordinary man in our midst, nor as a mere human like you and I. I remember when I was young and attended a fellowship with other Christians, the pastor said something that really shocked me; and because of that, piqued my interest in more in-depth research of the concept of Jesus as a “man”. The pastor said that the Bible was very clear in describing Jesus as a man just like us, subjected to temptations. He possessed a physical body, same as you and I, therefore Jesus also experienced romantic desires and love, just like us! The only difference is that he did not sin. I was stunned by his words: Jesus had romantic interludes?! This is mind-boggling! Exactly who was this lucky creature that caught his eyes and became his beloved? I could not accept this declaration at that time; from the very moment I heard these word, I could not agree that Jesus is just like us. I could not consent to the notion of Jesus experiencing romantic love, as we humans do. I found this concept preposterous.

So is Jesus just the same as you and I? According to the Book of James, “…each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Hence when we sin, the desires initially came from within. Could Jesus have had such inner desires? Was this possible? It should not be so. It is true that Jesus was tempted, but his inner heart did not respond; unlike us when we are tempted, our inner self reacts. Jesus did not have such reaction; rather, he relied on the words of God to overcome and remain unmoved. And only because of this, can the Word provide us with life. That is why Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” If anyone eats of this bread, life will be given to him. He continued to say in v.53-56, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” I believe this is one of the most important goals why we partake the Communion; that is, through this unleavened bread and this grape juice, we should gain eternal life, so that we may resurrect on the last day. If you ask a child to give an answer as to why we partake the Holy Communion and what effects will the Holy Communion have on us? Answers: 1) to gain eternal life; 2) to be in the Lord, and he in me. These are proper answers, yes; but perhaps because of these answers, many of us come to church for the expressed purpose of taking part in the Communion.

If we think back to the supper in which Jesus performed the very first communion, as recorded in the gospel of Luke, there were twelve disciples present to receive it. By then, Jesus had already made his statements, as read in the gospel of John. Just as we understood today whenever we receive the Communion, once we partake of it, we have life in us, he remains in us and we in him, and we shall resurrect on the last day. But when Jesus took up the bread, blessed it and said, “Take, eat, this is my body given for you”, Judas took and ate it, along with the other disciples. What happened then? Did what the Lord promised come true? Did all who ate receive eternal life? No. Did all who ate have Christ in them? No. As soon as Judas ate, he went out and betrayed his Lord. Judas ate the communion and immediately after, went out and sold his Lord. The other eleven disciples also ate the communion; but when Jesus was taken captive, ten of them ran away and were not seen again. Only Peter stayed behind reluctantly, dragging his feet, and eventually denied knowing Christ.

This posed a weighty question for me: was the communion they received that time effective? This is a communion performed personally by Jesus himself, he blessed the bread, broke it and gave it to them. And yet, life was not evident from that occasion. There was no life gained. If that particular communion did not impart life, can the communions we observe today be assured of the granting of life? If it was I, I will admit to lack sufficient faith. The communion personally performed by Christ himself, in which he took, bless and gave the bread for them to eat, was unable to bring life to his disciples; not only that, it drove the disciples away from him! How could this have happened?  

Therefore, whenever I am preparing to serve the Communion, I often estimate in my heart: how many of those here receiving the Communion are preparing to do so, then go and betray the Lord? They come to partake the Communion because they heard that after eating it, they would receive life; they have heard that after eating it, the Lord will resurrect them on the last day. Thus they overcome any and all obstacles in order to be there to receive the Communion. Yet at the same time, they are prepared to eat it, then go where there is no Jesus. They will return again in six months’ time. Just like the ten disciples who abandoned him and disappeared.

This gave us an opportunity to re-examine our faith on an even deeper level. You believe it firmly, and Jesus spoke of it with great conviction, then why did it not exert the intended effect? If that particular communion were not effective, why would the communions we hold today be any more valid? Technically, it should not be effective; but logically we know that it is effective because God cannot lie. So we must reflect on why the word of God did not render effect in this instance, that is, the word was not evident in the twelve disciples.

From this incident we can study further what it means to ‘receive life’. Is life gained through acceptance, or by giving it up? The life you received is achieved by accepting life or by giving up life? I think the answer is clear to us all, and Jesus was also crystal clear with his statement: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Therefore, to gain this life has its own process, that is, we must first forsake our own life. A person who refuses to give up his life can never gain life, even though he partakes in the flesh and blood of the Lord. If he is unwilling to give up his own life, he will never receive life in return.

What does “a full life” mean? Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” What can we do so that our life may be even fuller? In our everyday life, richness is measured by the constant receiving we do. Others keep on giving to us, so our barns will gradually fill up. This is our concept of a rich life. But at the same time we ask: who has a fuller life, the one who gives or the one who takes? Let’s say I give you a thousand dollars out of my love for you, and you accept it. The third person watching the exchange from the side, who would he think has gained more in life? The one who gave the money, or the one who took the money? Of course I would say the giver has a fuller life, even though materially he may suffer a temporary loss because he gave the thousand dollars to the other person. The person who accepted the money seems to have a momentary material advantage over the giver, because he now has the thousand dollars that the other no longer have. However, looking at it from life’s point of view, the one who gave have a fuller and richer life in comparison.

When Jesus came into this world, he came bearing his life for us; but he did not merely bring us his eternal life. You cannot say to yourself, I will have eternal life as long as I take the Communion, namely, the Lord’s flesh and blood. There is no such thing. You will never receive life this way, because this life force will have no effect on your body. If you wish to gain this life, you must first sacrifice your own life. Please read Hebrews 12:22-24, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” This is a very beautiful passage. In our midst, in the heavenly Jerusalem, there are two bloods speaking within. Of course, there are many bloods that speak; these are the blood of the ancient saints and apostles that continue to speak. But here it mentions two people’s blood: Abel’s and Jesus Christ’s. The author says the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. From this we can see that in the process of serving the Lord, the most important thing and the most memorable to God, is to speak with our blood. Our every action should be accompanied with a sense of sacrifice, just as Jesus gave thanks for the bread, saying, “this is my body given for you.” Jesus speaks with his blood. In his whole life, this is the moment he uses his blood to create a new covenant with his disciples. And because of his blood, grace was able to become a reality. If not, it is just empty talk.

Today, like Abel, are we able to speak with our blood? Does the assignment roster dictate our service to God, so that we work only when we have been assigned a task? Is our relationship with God and man controlled by the schedule, so that we feel no connection to anyone unless we have been given a job to do? If this is so, then it is no longer called life. Something that possesses life will not pause at will. For example, you may be aware that my health is not the greatest, and perhaps you see me as someone on the verge of expiring! As a result, you see my life force as weak. Life, on the other hand, is without limits in its abundance, if this life is progressing normally. If not, this life will gradually wither and fade. Life cannot permit a temporary cessation or pause. A person cannot live two days, stop for a day, then continue living the day after. This is impossible. This person must go on living every single day, and growing stronger as the days pass. If a child falls gravely ill every three months, I think the parents would be very worried, because this is not normal.

Thus I believe one very important aspect of our service to God is to serve him with our blood, and to speak with our blood. Please read 1 John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” Here Elder John tells us that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, so that we can understand what love is. In another word, if Jesus Christ did not speak with his blood, we will never understand how much he loved us! Elder John continues to say that we too, must lay down our lives for our brethren. Of course, the sacrificing of life mentioned here is entirely different from Christ giving up his life for us; but the commonality is the demonstration of love, expressed with the shedding of blood. This blood was sacrificed for our sake, and can be seen as an expression of devotion. When someone is passionate about their care and love for you, you will feel a distinct sense of adoration and richness. But if someone treats you rather coolly, you will not appreciate any warmth from him even though he may be performing an act of charity towards you. Every gesture of love may be the same, but the feelings evoked in the recipient are entirely different.

Therefore, Elder John tells us that we too, must lay down our lives for our brethren and friends, just as Christ did for us. The difference is that Christ sacrificed his own life in order to bring us life; but what can we bring to our brethren if we sacrifice our life for them? It is impossible for us to give life to our brethren; so what exactly can we do for them and what do we gain in the process of our sacrifice? I think perhaps it is for the purpose of actualizing the promise of the Lord in our midst in realistic ways.

As you receive the Holy Communion, remember what Jesus said, “Take, eat. This is my body given for you.” He gave his life for us. So how can we appreciate this life that he has given us into reality? We too, after we eat, must give up our life for our fellow men. When we willingly give up ourselves for the sake of our brethren, the life that Christ gave us would be fully established and effectuated. If you eat the body of Christ, but are still unable to forsake your own life for others, then it is as if you have not eaten his body at all! So I think receiving the Holy Communion is not merely for the purpose of acquiring life; rather, it is intended for accepting the power to make willing sacrifices. When compelled by the love of Christ to freely give our life and ourselves for our brethren, we would fully realize this promise and grace of our Lord from the sacrifices we made.

Please read Matthew 10:37-39, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” I often reflect on this: why is it so difficult for our faith to produce a forceful power? Why? Especially from those of us who proclaim ourselves to be allied to the only church that saves? We all appear to be within the ark awaiting the coming of Christ. No matter flame or flood, I will come to no harm as long as I am in the ark. Because of this, no one is willing to step out of the ark. It does not matter what happens outside the ark, as long as I am inside, I am safe. Therefore, I will stay within the ark along with all the other saved souls awaiting the coming of Christ. Perhaps it is due to such mindset, which ultimately prevents the true power from being displayed.

This is also the present reality of our church within the past two decades. A common knowledge we share. Our life force has gradually weakened. In the past, we had the truth and the power; but now, the truth remains but our vitality is gone. I have such a doubt: God is love; but where there is no love, can truth exist? We often say the truth is the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and this is undisputed. Just as the body of Christ is the flesh of Jesus, no one dares to contradict this belief. The question is, after you eat of it, do you automatically acquire life? Judas also ate the bread, does that mean his life force was invigorated because of it? Does it indicate that Christ is in him, and he is in Christ and can claim a connection or a kinship? It does not appear to be so. This was the true happenstance, the power was cut off.

We tend to put too much emphasis on empty truths based on semantics, devoid of true life. Paul was very clear: today, the word of God is no longer inscribed on stone tablets; rather, it is written on hearts of flesh. What is the difference between the two? Let us imagine this scenario: can we live and display the image of Christ if we try and give up on reading the Scriptures? Honestly, the period of time within which the Bible is commonly available is actually very short. After the revision of 1517, only then did the Bible became more accessible. When I went to Africa, I found that only the pastor has possession of an old and decrepit Bible, one that is probably not to the standard of acceptable translation in our world, because their Bible was translated into the local dialect or patois of that particular region. Can we say that their Bible is not based on the original text? Today we claim that the Chinese translation of the Bible is not sufficiently true to the original text, which is why we cannot understand the truth in its entirety. Therefore, we must study the original Bible texts instead. The question is, what happens after you study the original scripts? What follows after you complete the study? What can you express as a result? These are merely truths derived from the study of words.

When I meet these co-workers, who possess a Bible that is barely 70% in its accuracy in translation, since not many people are gifted in translating the local dialects, let alone the fact that the translation they achieved came about after several previous attempts at translation. Their Bible was translated from French, then a few more times into various local dialects as different people from many regions try to do their best. They just didn’t have the manpower or the knowledge to translate the Bible into their local dialect directly from the original Biblical texts. The majority, or approximately 90% of the ordinary members do not own a Bible because it is too expensive. But when you come into their assembly, you will discover something that you do not have. You may be able to find Bible verses much faster and better than them; but in terms of actual work done, you will see yourself as inert and dim in comparison. Every action they do, every song, every time they open their mouth to sing, I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, something wonderful happens. Every time I return to their place, every time I first hear their prayers and their praises, this feeling that I am lagging so far behind from where they are overwhelms me, and I keenly feel this lack of vitality which they seem to possess in abundance and ease. Whenever they open their mouth in songs of praise, you can sense the loving closeness they feel for their God. These are feelings that I cannot even pretend to have.

Therefore, just as Paul said, the word of God is no longer inscribed on tablets of stone today, but on tablets of our heart. This printed Bible that we have as translated from assorted scholars and sources, what fundamental purpose does it serve? Can truth exist where there is no life? Can truth remain where there is no love? I doubt it, I really doubt it. God is love, and if you say the truth is the word of God, then surely the love and life of God permeate his word, rather than judgment and rejection. This is not possible. Thus I have come to the realization that we are gradually losing something key, and the reasons for such loss. When I was a child growing up in church, I could feel the vigor of this life force; but now, I have come to sense a distinct weakening of such power, as if it is ebbing away to nothing. The life force of the entire church is diminishing; and yet at the same time, we continue to partake the Holy Communion, we keep on insisting we are 100% compliant with the Bible, and we are the most truthful. Why is this life force dwindling? We must ask ourselves why.

When we talk about the truth today, we can no longer just turn to the Bible. The word of God is now written in our hearts, not on stone tablets. You cannot just point to the stone tablets and recite the Commandments from one to ten. All of us can remember and keep them, but that is no longer effective today. Today, you must be able to tell me what is love? What does it mean to honor your parents? What constitutes as worshipping God? You can only show your answers by the actions I see on your person. I am illiterate, I can no longer understand mere words on stone tablets; but I can see from you actions the true meaning of love and the truth of God. When you observe parents teaching their child who doesn’t understand language yet, how do they teach him? By every action they make, the child will learn from it. This type of learning by example is the most solid. A child is most influenced not by words and knowledge found in books; rather, his learning is most impressed by watching and copying every word and action of his parents. Our life today should also embody the tablets of our heart rather than tablets of stone. You do not have to explain to me what is the truth, nor do you need to turn to chapter and verse to convince me. I want to see how this life is expressed in your person. If you tell me that taking the Holy Communion means receiving life and eventual resurrection, then why do you eat of the Communion and promptly go out and betray the Lord? How can I understand this? Even if you tell me a hundred times I will not be able to comprehend. I just cannot understand, no matter how many Scriptural verses you have to back you up, I can see that in you, this is not possible. This may have been based on words in the Bible, but there is no evidence of life in you.

Therefore, Jesus said that if you wish to follow me, you must pick up and carry your own cross. To carry your own cross. Today, however, we seem to have lost this concept of carrying our own cross. We no longer have this notion of speaking with our blood. Today, our greatest faith lies in ceding our heavy burdens to the Lord. To give over our burden to the Lord is scripturally based, that is true. We have read in Matthew 11:28, “‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’” So we often say, why would you keep on carrying your load if you were riding on the escalator? You would put down your burden while riding on it. However, these are two very different ideas. One is to put down, and the other is to pick up. Today, we tend to let go of both, since we believe this is what it means to have faith. Jesus said, you can come and give your burdens to me, but you must also pick up your own cross and follow me. When you come to me weary and burdened, you may put down your load; but after having done so, you then must pick up your own cross and follow me. Today, we put down this cross that we should be carrying, thinking that it is a heavy burden that we should also cede to the Lord, as the Scripture says. Therefore, we no longer weep for our church today, because we think that that particular burden is the Lord’s to carry, it belongs to Jesus. A person who no longer carries his own cross will never shed any blood. He will never understand the struggle and difficulty inherent in sacrifices, he will never experience how it feels like to bleed. His faith is rooted in carefree and untroubled belief, blithely awaiting the coming of the Lord. Others may consider him to be a person of good faith, but the Lord may view him askance.

When Jesus said in chapter 11 to cease our load to him, he is referring to our heavy burden of sin that we can give over to him. But we must also pick up our own cross and follow him. What does this mean, pick up our own cross and follow him? What is our cross? You must shoulder this cross and carry it, following the Lord. As read before, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” How hard it is to love the Lord more than your parents, how difficult it is to love Jesus more than your children! Can you truly do this? This is a huge weight, but the Lord demands that we shoulder it and carry it, following his footsteps. He is asking us to let go of things that are very hard to give up, to do something that is onerous and tough to achieve.

Jesus said, “this is my body given for you.” You must understand when Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane facing the painful reality of his imminent sacrifice – what did the Bible say? – he was afraid, deeply distressed and troubled to the point of death. You cannot say that to Jesus, this is something insignificant and light; no, it is a heavy cross that he took upon himself. And because he was willing to shoulder this burden, we gained life as a result.

So I consider: what does it mean to carry our own cross? Simply put, to use our blood as a testament of our true love for the Lord and for our brothers and sisters. I do not merely use words and say to you, “go, be at peace; the Lord bless you and keep you.” I can also write soothing words to comfort you. But these are not what God want. God said that Abel spoke with his blood; more so, the words spoken by Jesus are even more beautiful and touching. When you are earnestly serving the Lord and caring for his people, do not demean the intense love you feel. When we were young, we describe our passion as a fire burning in our veins, ready for any challenges. Perhaps the education we received in our youth was more rooted in revolutionary thoughts and wars, thus the description. But I feel that passion is sorely lacking in us today. The impetus that inflames our entire being, prompting a willing ardor to sacrifice our blood if necessary for the cause, is rarely seen in the Lord today. For the past decade or two, this phenomenon is no longer occurring. From the first generation of workers to the workers of 20 or 30 years ago, you will often hear of their sacrifices and bloodshed. But looking at our own generation, it seems to be gone. Our present generation possesses many skills and much knowledge, but sadly not the passion. We no longer have the willing desire to sacrifice ourselves, because we have ceded everything over to the Lord.

That night, the Lord Jesus would have known that out of the twelve disciples, after eating the supper, one would betray him, ten would flee for their lives, and one would deny him. All this, he must have been quite clear about. But he was still willing to give up his life for them even knowing this. Thus I imagine after he gave thanks for the bread and said to the twelve, “take, eat, this is my body given for you.” It is indisputable that the disciples’ actions were less than stellar, since one of them sold the Lord. But despite that, the life he imparted was no less real. The life and words of Jesus are never empty or without effect. When did Peter allow this life force to show its true power? When the Lord turned and looked at him, and Peter wept bitterly. These bitter tears are an expression of deep sorrow, of abject self-reproach. How could I have done that? How could I have been so afraid for my life that I could not do what I know to be right? That is why when Jesus came looking for Peter – and I think Jesus is really smart about this – when he found the disciples afterwards and they were fishing, Peter jumped into the sea when he saw the Lord, and when they got to the shore, Jesus sought out Peter and asked him three times, “do you love me?” I think if I was Peter, every time Jesus asked me if I love him, I would hear my own voice saying a mere few days ago, “I do not know him.” Of course, this voice is inside Peter, and as Christ asked him the first time, “Peter, do you love me?” the words “I do not know him” were a fleeting thought. But when Christ asked him again, “do you love me?” he must have heard his own voice denying knowing Christ just a little while ago, but he replied, “yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” When Jesus asked him the third time, “do you love me?” he must have heard his own voice saying again, “what are you saying? I do not know this man!” That is why he said to Jesus, “Lord, you know that I love you.” Others may conclude from my denial of you that I do not love you, but you, you know that I love you. But I failed, even though I loved you, I failed you. Thus Jesus said to him, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” This is the moment in Peter’s life when his light was at its brightest; that is why the author said, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” The power that came when he took the bread, when Jesus gave it to him and said, “take, eat, this is my body given for you”, when did this life force show itself? It was when Peter and the remaining disciples all agreed that they shall sacrifice their very own lives for the Lord; that was the moment the word of Jesus and the promise contained within it became a reality.

So as we partake the Holy Communion today, we must not merely think, “I have eaten it, so I have it now.” Not so. You eat it, but you may behave just like Judas, or the eleven disciples, who gained nothing from it. They ate, but seemingly to no effect at all. It is as if Christ died for you in vain. We must ask ourselves: so many of us are receiving the Communion as according to the promise inherent in his flesh and blood, but how many amongst us are Judases? How many of us are the eleven disciples? And yet, every one of us believes that we have gained life! True life is not found here. It is true that the Lord gave you life freely, but you must willingly sacrifice your life in order for this life to be realized fully within you.

Finally, I think the taking of Jesus’s flesh and blood is in fact an act of accepting a wellspring of power, a life force that compels us to willingly surrender our own lives for the sake of Christ. This power inspires us to be like Christ and to speak volumes with our blood. So that after receiving the Communion, we will all be passionate advocates for the Lord, shedding our blood in our eager attempts to love God and love men. I believe such light will be a compelling force that moves many. Why are many of the Bible characters so memorable? Actually, all of us from then until now are walking upon the same way. But somehow in our generation, such forward progress have slowed and halted, and beautiful testimonies such as Abel’s are no longer seen. However, I believe the word of God will never be empty, I believe that firmly. I also believe that it is far better to give than to receive. We must not only keep on taking what is offered, because true acceptance is predicated on a willingness to freely give. Accept, for the sake of sacrifice, sacrifice, for the gain of a greater fulfillment. May the Lord help us.