Be the Eucharist, Heal the World

I’m reading a Rob Bell book, “Jesus wants to save Christians.” It is a great book. It gives a very good portrait of The Bible as a whole. Bell’s book brings to light the overall message of The Bible in its context and explores well the reasons behind a lot of what is written in The Bible, especially its stories on empire and oppression (very applicable to someone living in the United States today...).

It had been about a week since I had picked it up. I left off in the middle of chapter 5 and read into chapter 6, “Blood on the Doorposts of the Universe,” a good bit. I was extremely delighted as to what it talked about, especially since it was Good Friday. It’s no coincidence. God just wants me to share with you what I read on this very day. His sacrifice is huge and is for everyone. So hear this message and give thanks for the sacrifice that was given on this day.

Many of you know the story of Moses and his encounter with Egypt’s Pharaoh. Pharaoh was seen as a god. He was believed to be sent by the other gods to govern and rule. After the Pharaoh died, his firstborn would become Pharaoh. Therefore, the firstborn was seen as the same rank as Pharaoh himself. The future of the Pharaoh’s reign depended on his successor’s survival. If the Pharaoh died, his firstborn would take his place. But if His firstborn died...?

So here’s these slaves of the Pharaoh, the Israelites, God’s child, His firstborn (Exodus 4:22). Here they were waking up, building Pharaoh’s brick, going to bed, waking up, building Pharaoh’s brick, going to bed... wake, brick, bed, wake, brick, bed, wake... No end in site, all hope seemed loss. But God heard their cry, the cry of his firstborn, and He answered. Moses was God’s voice and Pharaoh paid no attention, he didn’t let God’s firstborn go.

So then it was the night to change history. The Israelites, the slaves, were warned to sacrifice a lamb, an innocent animal, mark their doorposts with its blood and share in a feast, the Passover Feast. The Spirit of God rushed through Egypt, taking the life of the firstborn of each household that didn’t have the lamb’s blood on the door.

The next day Pharaoh’s firstborn was dead. He had no choice but to let God’s people go. This God was obviously more powerful than him, a god, and his gods. He couldn’t dare mess with Him anymore.

Years later as the time of Christ’s arrival approached, prophets far and wide came to realize that all of creation is in a sort of exile and, therefore, in order to redeem all of creation, there’s going to be a much bigger sacrifice offered than the blood of an innocent lamb. They began to prophecy of a coming suffering servant who will be a firstborn child among God’s firstborn nation, Israel. He will not only be the atonement of the sins of Israel but of all humanity.

In this Israel nation, Mary gave birth a firstborn, Jesus. About 33 years later, Jesus gets taken away to be that sacrifice. But before that happens, Jesus has a meal, a Passover meal with his disciples. He takes the bread and says, “This is my body,” and he takes the cup and says, “This is my blood.” Jesus is setting the stage as he is making Passover about himself. In the face of corruption and empire, Jesus chooses to take the path of the lamb. And this time his blood is not just on the doorposts of the Israelites.

In Colossians 1:15, Paul describes Jesus as “the firstborn over all creation.” Everything and everyone every where is being redeemed through the sacrifice of this innocent firstborn, the Lamb of God.

I like this part:

What do we do with such a huge sacrifice? The Scriptures continually say over and over again to remember and be thankful. The Greek word for thankful is from the verb eucharizomai - the Greek word eu, which means “well” or “good,” and the word charizomai, which means “to grant or give (now I’m not pretending to be smart here; this is taken directly from the book... cuz I’m not smart...) And this is where we get the word Eucharist in English, which means the “good gift.” Jesus is God’s good gift to the world. “Eucharist” is also the word we use to describe this ritual at Passover, a.k.a communion or The Lord’s Supper or Mass or whatever. We continue to perform this ritual, this meal, as a way to remember what God has done through Christ and give thanks.

But it’s far more significant than that. Paul continues to write how he is persecuted and struck down, but not abandoned or destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Though stuff is getting tough for Paul, he’s not losing hope. He says, “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:10). Just as Jesus allowed his body to be broken and blood poured out in order for us to receive His good gift, Paul is doing the same thing. He’s doing all that he can to spread the news of Jesus and it isn’t easy; it’s costing him something. He continues, “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 4:11). In preaching of the good news of Jesus, there is something “being given over.” When we commit to healing the world with the message of Jesus, we must identify with the suffering of our neighbor, which is costing something. Paul continues still, “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12).

This is how the Eucharist works: if one thing is received, one thing has to be given. For someone to be fed, someone has to provide food. If someone benefits, someone has paid something. God gives the world life through the breaking and the pouring of Christ, and he continues to do it through the body of Christ. And Paul tells the city of Corinth that they are the body of Christ.

Those who follow Christ are living Eucharists. A Christian is a living Eucharist. The Church is a living Eucharist. You must allow your body to be broken and your blood to be poured out if you desire the healing of the world.

How do we do this? Paul meets them where they are. He says, “to the Jews I became like a Jew, to those under the law, I became like one under the law, to those not having the law, I became like one not having the law, and to the weak, I am weak” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) Paul does not say the opposite like he did the previous; he doesn’t say ‘to the strong, I am strong.’ This is because Paul knows the power of identifying with the suffering of your neighbor. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (Bell’s example), everyone is open with their struggles. No more are they hiding, no more are they putting on a front, no more are they pretending there is nothing wrong. I’ve experienced this with my church’s Celebrate Recovery meetings. Everyone shares, and everyone, in some way, identifies. Bell quotes Anne Lamott when she says that the most powerful sermon in the world is two words: “Me too.”

What are you doing to identify in the suffering of those around you. It seems to be the trend in most “Christians” to be the “pastor” and offer advice and a cure, as they look down their nose at this poor, struggling soul. What would happen if you listened and identified? If you met at the same level? If you put your pride aside? If you became a Eucharist? If you acted as Jesus? ...World: healed.