Remember Me

(Luke 22:19) Also, he took a loaf, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: “This means my body, which is to be given in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”

When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians he reported that Jesus asked to be remembered both when he passed the bread and when he passed the wine. (1Co 11:23-25)

Of the four gospels, only Luke tells of Jesus asking us to remember him, and then only when the bread was passed.

So even just a few years later, when the Greek scriptures were being penned, though what Christ did for us is well documented, the man, Jesus, is already starting to be forgotten.

We are told a lot about what he did after his baptism, but very little about his personality or life before that, which shows that what the Bible writers valued and remembered most was what Christ gave us. The man, Jesus, wasn't remembered well.

Jesus did not say: 'Remember what I do for you.' No, but he asked that we remember him.

(Luke 22:19) Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”

That was out of the ordinary for Jesus. He almost always deferred all attention to his Father.

(Mark 10:17, 18) As he was going on his way, a man ran up and fell on his knees before him and put the question to him: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?” ¹⁸ Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God." (Lu 18:18-19)

(John 5:19) Therefore, in response Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, the Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son does also in like manner.

Jesus used that term, "the Father", 82 times in the book of John. But there at the end, when his life was about to end, he thought of himself, as any human would.

Do you picture Jesus as someone who was not normal? As someone who was not even human? Well he was human. When you imagine yourself after Armageddon in paradise, you are perfect, healthy, and of course human. Well that is what Jesus was. No more, no less. Yes, he was God's human son, but that only meant that he didn't inherit Adamic sin from an imperfect human father. We are all children of God, we are just imperfect. (Ac 17:29)

No, Jesus was just like you will be when you are made perfect in paradise: A perfect human.

Being perfect didn't mean that Jesus never made any mistakes or could do everything correctly the first time. (Mr 8:23-25) It just meant that he was without Adamic sin and therefore not susceptible to sickness, disease, and premature death.

He grew up much like every other child, playing and enjoying himself. And as a young adult, although he was smarter than most, he still had friends and family. He had chores and worked at a job (Mr 6:3) like everyone else, and no doubt also had activities he enjoyed doing like everyone else. He had a favorite color, a favorite food, and favorite music. He was a human with all of our likes and emotions.

When growing up he knew that his true father was Jehovah and he would naturally speak to Him in prayer, as we do today, but there is no scriptural evidence that Jehovah ever spoke back to him. (Mt 6:4, 6, 18) To learn about Jehovah he asked the priests questions and read the scrolls that were available to him. (Lu 4:16)

Then one day, when he reached a certain age, it was time to fulfill the role that he was born for. So Jesus went to John to be baptized, knowing full well how that course would end.

Being perfect and sin-free, he had the prospect of eternal life on earth. Coming from an imperfect mother by a perfect Father, he knew that just like himself, any children he had would not inherit the imperfection of their mother. So Jesus could have began a race of perfect sin-free humans on the earth. He could have started over where Adam had failed.

No, but instead Jesus chose to give up his life so that imperfect and sinful mankind could be redeemed. (See my article "Time of Arrival")

That is the man who asked us to remember him.

That perfect human who gave up so much potential for you and me.

Dave
da.getmyip@gmail.com

To learn a bit more about the man Jesus, see the article "Lessons We Can Learn From Jesus’ Tears" in the January 2022 Study Watchtower.

Last edited 01-27-2022            (Date created 03-27-2021)