Take, eat.

In the church I grew up in, we took communion (aka the Lord’s Supper) once a quarter. I always did think that was peculiar, as I didn’t understand why that interval of time was chosen. The church I now attend practices communion every service, as they believe that historically it was performed every time that believers gathered together.

During the Lord’s Supper, I once would reflect on the body and blood of Jesus as He was crucified. However, recently, I began to consider that Jesus taking on a human form was more of a sacrifice than just the physical pain that was experienced on the cross.

Certainly the cross was the most painful, most dramatic, and most sacrificial part of having taken on a human form. However, step back for just a moment and consider an even bigger picture:

Jesus always was. In the beginning He was the Word. The Creator. He was, is and will always be. He left the glory of His throne to take on our form. How insane that truly is. You see, it doesn’t seem that bad on the surface to us because this body is all we’ve ever known. We begin life not really knowing how to control this vessel. As we grow and develop, it becomes our home. There are times that it hurts. We get sick, we get tired, we get sore, we get sunburned, we get calluses. It is how we travel about on this earth, but it’s not always a pleasant trip.

Now consider that Jesus once knew no bodily limitations. Before He came to earth as a baby He knew no pain, no discomfort, no fatigue, no physical irritations. However, as a man, He got hot and sweaty, He got hungry, He got tired, He was most likely uncomfortable as He slept on the ground using a rock as a pillow, His feet probably hurt with all of the walking He did, He got thirsty, He probably even was bitten by a few bugs. Before becoming human, He was able to move about as He willed, yet now He did not “beam” himself to the next town over, but He walked…a LOT. Strange, yes, but true. He was all man and lived fully as a man…which was the point.

So the next time you are considering what all He sacrificed for you, consider that not only did He sacrifice His body in one of the most brutal methods of execution possible, but He lived confined to an earthly body that grew weary and tired. The glorious freedom that we look forward to when this life is over is all He ever knew. And He gave it up. For you. Daily.

He does truly love us.