If slavery is not having control over your own life, then freedom is having control over your own life. Ultimate freedom would therefore be to have control over what you ultimately give your life to. Living freely is living in the knowledge that your life is and will be given to what you choose no matter when or how it ends.
“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’” (Luke 22:19). How common is bread? It was a staple of the rich and the poor. It composed the simplest meal and complemented the most bountiful feast. Those who had it lived; those that lacked it starved. As Jesus spoke these words at the Last Supper, God dared to transform the most commonplace food into a symbol of divinity in human flesh. Jesus’ parting gift was a tool for the disciples gathered around him to come together, share in a meal, and know that he is always present. God invited everyone to remember all of Jesus’ life in the simple, daily, mandatory act of consuming bread.
A few days later, two men walked away from Jerusalem to a small village called Emmaus. They were discussing all the events of the past days, of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and the latest story of his resurrection, when Jesus himself came up and walked beside them. The two did not recognize the man and proceeded to tell him all about his own life. Jesus walked along listening and teaching them the deeper meaning of the prophets’ words as they recalled all he had done and all he had said. When they reached their destination the two men invited Jesus to share in a meal with them. “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them” (Luke 24:30). At this, the two men recognized him and he disappeared.
It was as if the memory was enough. The men knew plenty about Jesus—his life, teachings, death—but when walking with him at their side for miles they could not remember him. It was as if they forgot that Jesus was one to walk and talk with his disciples. It was as if they forgot he grew tired and hungry, weary and worn. It was as if they forgot he was indeed fully human! He accepted their invitation to eat bread with them that they may accept his invitation to remember him. And once their eyes were opened and they realized what kind of God they served, he was needed no more. They knew their God dealt with people, not positions. They knew their God cared for relationships, not regulations. In walking and talking among friends, in sharing in a meal—He would always be with them.
When you sit down for a meal, when you share time with friends, stop. Stop and look around at those with you. Look at them and see who they are—not random people, but friends. They are brothers; they are sisters. They are loved by God. Remember that. Remember them. Then eat and share in the memory of the meal; partake of the fellowship that our God demonstrated for us and encouraged us to have. Remember our God that, as a human, partook in this same action with those He knew. Accept His invitation to remember.
