“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19
This verses give us a beautiful picture of the way in which Jesus lived out His life. HE TOOK, HE BREAK, AND HE GAVE.
HE TOOK FROM GOD
It’s amazing how the Son of God who spoke the world into being; still put Himself in a place where He was dependent upon His Father and even men while here on the earth. He wasn’t self-sufficient even though He was all of God in a human body.
He said “I can do nothing in myself.” He wasn’t doing His own thing at all; He took instructions from His Father.
You’ll find a lot of famous and powerful people aren’t like that. They may have been humble in their beginnings but as they rose in power they became unteachable. Look at King Saul for example. He started off very humble but as he rose to power he even became an enemy of God and eventually lost the Kingdom. Men like him don’t take advice from anyone else. I have seen some pop stars who started off with Christian values rise to fame, but that all fell away as the glory went to their heads.
The trouble is when you become rich and famous you have a tendency to isolate yourself from others. You now have enough to be self-sufficient and independent. As Christians we are meant to be part of a body of people and not to be islands on our own. There is safely in numbers however. The scriptures say;
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14
Its recorded in the word that even Jesus sort the help of Angels on two occasions in the scripture. He was the Captain of the Angel Armies, yet He received help after His temptation in the wilderness and also in the Garden before His crucifixion.
“Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” Matthew 4:11
“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.“ Luke 22:43-44
HE TOOK FROM MEN
Jesus accepted the ministry of Mary and Joseph, being brought up under their care, love and teaching. He didn’t say “I can do better than that, that’s not how you should do it.”
For God to send His Son down here to earth is like us sending our child to darkest Africa to be brought up in a mud hut and live off the land, instead of having the luxuries and education of the western world. Jesus took His education in a Nazarene School as well, which wasn’t the best School around. Nazarene's were looked down on by the Jews of Jerusalem.
“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46
He chose 12 undignified men to be His Disciples. He used a smelly fisherman’s hut to be his consulting room and used a boat as His pulpit. He took loaves and fishes from a boy for a miracle and in the end He took the cross.
He took the GOOD the BAD and the UGLY, in that He took the Miracles, the Mount of Transfiguration, the Glory but He also the Crown of Thorns, the Whip, the abuse and finally the ultimate punishment of the Cross at the hands of men.
We also need to be those who receive from others and learn to take advice. Look at Moses and his Father-in-law, Jethro (who wasn’t of the tribe of Israel.) Moses was burning himself out and couldn’t see it, yet he took the advice of Jethro to appoint elders to help share the load.
We too need to be dependent on God and not be a self-sufficient people. We need not only to receive from others in the body of Christ but also from the world. Often when someone becomes rich they cut themselves off from others as they have everything they want now. It’s like the picture of the Church found in the city of Laodicean.
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17
There are those who love giving, but never like receiving from others. To be a giver you also need to be a receiver.
HE BREAK
Another great aspect of Jesus’ ministry is the breaking of His life. Everything He did cost Him. He spent His life in obedience to His Father and to the service of men. He said to His disciples. “This is my body broken for you.”
Every life that would reach for God and accomplish its goal needs to be broken.
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24
Breaking produces growth. A cell dies if it doesn’t break up. The sea stagnates if it doesn’t have breakers. A butterfly in a cocoon needs to break free on its own without any help, or it dies. A horse is useless unless it’s broken. You can always tell people who aren’t broken. They are self willed, proud, obnoxious and often moody and they don’t care about the feelings of others.
HE GAVE
Jesus’ whole life was one of giving to others. John 1:12 says,
“He gave us the right (power) to be called the Sons of God.”
He gave us an example. He gave us a new Commandment that we should love one another. He said “My peace I give unto you.”
“He loved me and gave Himself for me”.
The question is. “Are you giving today?” Are you giving of your Praise, Worship, Love, Fruit, Time and Finances? When you pass on from here may it be said of you too?
“He TOOK, He BREAK, He GAVE.”