“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.’” Luke 22:19-20
The miracle of salvation required the breaking of Jesus’s body, the pouring of his blood. The sufferings of Christ were not confined to agony of soul or distress of heart. His hands were nailed. His side was pierced. The act of the cross, and our call to remember it through the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, crushes the myth that our bodies are spiritually unimportant, mere second-class compared to hearts and spirits. Jesus accomplished something with the cross and resurrection that can only be properly categorized as complete triumph. Not only did he cut off the consequences of sin from any who choose to believe in him, but his physical body rose from the dead and became new.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” I Peter 2:24
So how can we act like what we do with our bodies doesn’t matter? How can we manipulate, morph, or mistreat our bodies? Or allow others to do so to themselves?
Next time we sit at the Lord’s Supper, let us marvel at the sacredness of Christ’s body. Let us confess not only the sins of our hearts, but also the sins of our bodies. And let us commit ourselves to him afresh. All of who we are: heart, mind, spirit, and body.