https://odb.org/2026/07/01/full-grown-pleasure
Luke 22:14–23 (NIV): 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 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.” 20 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. 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.
A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered.” These words, uttered by a character in C. S. Lewis’ book Out of the Silent Planet, depict the joy one has in reminiscing over cherished experiences in life. Though we rightly delight in the breathtaking scenery along the path of a hike or in sharing an important milestone with a loved one, what we feel might be merely the initial pleasure. Often, later reflection on such moments (and those like them) compound the joy of having experienced them.
Perhaps this is another reason Jesus instructs His disciples to regularly share in the Lord’s Supper. As He shared the Passover meal with them the night before His death, He infused it with a new layer of meaning. When partaking of the unleavened bread and “fruit of the vine,” Jesus described them as representing His body and His blood (Luke 22:19-20). His disciples were to share this meal regularly, doing so “in remembrance of [Him]” (v. 19). (Kirsten Holmberg, Our Daily Bread 1st July 2026)
God commanded the Jews to observe the Passover to remind them how the blood of the lamb saved them from death. The Passover, a family meal, commemorated their new beginning as God’s redeemed people (Exodus 12). Jesus gave the bread and wine new meaning when He celebrated the Passover with His disciples before going to the cross (Luke 22:15-20). He instituted the Lord’s Supper or Communion as a reminder that He’s “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), who was sacrificed to take away our sins. (K.T. Sim, Insight, Our Daily Bread 1st July 2026)
One of the many talents naturally bestowed us as humans is the ability to remember and bring into rememberance things of the past. I’m sure we are not unique as a species when it comes to memories as we know elephants have excellent memory. I have seen a documentary on the matriarch of a large elephant herd, usually the oldest, being able to bring the family back to places of habitation and water over many miles time and time again over years. It was like a pilgrimage etched deep in her memory that ensured the survival of the herd over changing seasons year in year out. Crucial as elephants have very large appetite and require lush vegetation to survive, especially in savanna lands.
Our memories serve as gateways into our past, into things we enjoy and love and cherish. The times we were so happy, our childhood days, when we had few cares except perhaps finishing our homework! For me who have lost both parents, memories bring back moments we spent together as a family – traveling from the East Coast back to Ipoh or those times we spent at home in cool weather looking at the flood waters in front of our Malay style raised wooden house in Pasir Puteh. Basically, just living life. Or those times we spent worshipping God and hearing sermons preached at our home as a church outreach and house fellowship.
There were many happy moments and as we remember them by replaying them in our mind, we reinforce and etch those happy moments permanently into the recess of our minds. We could recall those moments to cheer us up when we are sad and every now and then, those memories are even replayed in our dreams when we sleep albeit in different forms. In our dreams, we have little control but for me, I get to relive those moments very much as though my parents were still alive and living with me.
Similarly, Jesus turned the Passover meal which the Jews celebrated year after year to remember the time their ancestors were delivered from slavery in Egypt. The Passover meal that Jesus had just before His death has now become the Holy Communion although the early church practised it as part of a larger meal taken together by everyone in the community. It is now a ritual that we practice as part of our worship service whether once or twice a month or every time we meet. In my previous church, we prepare and serve Communion at every service and we spend time praying with and for one another in small groups.
The Holy Communion is a good practice as it brings into rememberance Jesus’s atoning death on Calvary, which secured us a place in the new heaven and new earth at the end of this age. We remember and reinforce the memory of what Jesus did for us so that we are always reminded of our salvation and what led to it. In the process, we are strengthened and encouraged to persevere on in the faith as we face life with its trials and tribulations. Maybe the next time we partake of the elements, we should recall and remember those times we first accepted Christ, the pure joy of knowing our Saviour, of being introduced into this wonderful family of God! Those memories should serve us well to encourage and strengthen our faith for the present and the days to come.
Have a good day ahead, everyone! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Ronnie's Thoughts 