by Dan Ruth“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

At the Last Supper that we remember this week, Jesus could have simply said, “Your sins are forgiven. Remember me.” But instead he broke bread and passed it to his disciples. “This is my body,” he said. “Given for you.”

We could worship a God who stands apart from the world, looking down from on high. An omnipotent being who sees all, but feels nothing. Instead we worship a God who came to earth in the physical body of Jesus (incarnate,“in flesh”). We worship a God who walked among us, died on a cross, and three days later was resurrected.

Jesus’ body, broken. His blood, shed.

Jesus’ physical death and resurrection show us that physical bodies matter. Jesus’ body and blood are given for us. This is not just a metaphysical metaphor, it is “the true body and blood of the Lord Christ, in and under the bread and wine” (Luther’s Large Catechism).