But a meal in the New Testament times was a high point of establishing and cultivating a relationship. Eating together was true fellowship. It involved time, conversation, honesty, and friendship. When someone was welcomed at the table, that person was considered a friend and equal, someone honored and cared for. So, on the night before His crucifixion, when Jesus provided a meal, it was an amazing and meaningful gift. It brought the blessing of lasting fellowship. It was the ultimate expression of being truly present. This was not the old Passover meal. This was a new covenant as Jesus promised to be truly present in the bread and wine - present for the purpose of our salvation (my emphasis). After all, when you look closely at God's track record, when you realize the way He has worked throughout time, when you see that He wants to continue working in our lives as He has throughout history, then the Lord's Supper makes much more sense. God is gracious enough to be tangible in our world. He refuses to be merely an idea. Beyond our cognitive apprehension of God, He gives us His tangible presence for the purpose of our salvation.
"The Life You Crave," page 170
