Broken and Shared

In my last post I shared a shortened version of my first preaching message in over 10 years. I wanted to do a series focusing on the Last Supper and in particular the 4 actions we see Jesus doing with the bread that is representative of his body. Jesus took (chose), blessed, broke, and gave (shared) the bread to his disciples. I covered these first two actions in my last post and so tonight I’ll share the shortened version of my message discussing the latter two.

Preaching about being broken and being shared had a very different vibe altogether compared to being chosen and being blessed for obvious reasons. Chosenness and blessedness are things we readily invite into our lives and the more the merrier. But suffering and brokenness enter our lives much like uninvited guests. They arrive at inopportune times (as if there is ever an opportune time for suffering), stay longer than you wish, and make a mess of everything. From our vantage point nothing broken is perfect. When a drinking glass gets a chip on it we don’t say, "Now that’s better." Instead we throw it out because not only does it not look good anymore but that chip detracts from it’s useability. So when we read in Hebrews that Christ is ‘perfected’ through suffering and in 1 Peter that we are to rejoice that we participate in the suffering of Christ we think that suffering must mean something different in Greek.

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.—Hebrews 2:10


Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him –Hebrews 5:8-9

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.—1 Peter 4:12-13

How could suffering make Christ perfect and why in the world ought we to rejoice in any way about participating in it?

A couple years ago I followed along with a very helpful conversation about incarnation and suffering. Incarnation is about much more than just the Word becoming flesh. It is about the Word experiencing everything that flesh and blood human beings experience. The visual image that was presented in this conversation was that of Mary wrapping Jesus in cloth and placing him in a manger. This image was laid along side of the image Joseph of Arimathea wrapping Jesus crucified body in cloth and placing him in the tomb. Both of these pictures bookend the story of incarnation. From birth to death Jesus experienced the depth, width and breadth of our human lives.


Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—Hebrews 2:14

Jesus freely participated in humanity and was perfected through suffering. This leads to two life changing truths:

In this whole ordeal we see that our creator is no stranger to suffering. The God who created us and loves us also understands the depth of our brokenness and suffering because he experienced it all firsthand. Anyone who has ever felt the pain of rejection, betrayal or outright physical abuse can know that God is in their midst as a fellow sufferer.

We also can know that suffering has an expiration date. Suffering and brokenness do not get the last word. The resurrected Christ and the kingdom that he ushers in offer the confident hope that all will be made new.

The fourth and final action of Jesus is the giving of the bread to his disciples. As I worked on this particular aspect of the meal I had avoid the easy temptation to discuss ‘giving’ in the ways we typically think. I could have talked about giving food, water or clothes to those in need. I could have talked about the giving of our time, energy and resources to Christian causes. While all of these things are very important and very biblical I think they miss something critical. Jesus didn’t give us ‘stuff’. He didn’t just give us his time, energy and resources. He gave us himself. He gave his very life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

What Jesus shares with the disciples is broken bread that represents his very self and he invites us to do the same. We are invited to share our lives with others in a way that is truly transformational. Even the broken parts of our lives become opportunities to connect with others. I doubt there is anything more universal than suffering. We are broken people in a broken world. If you were speaking to a large group of people and asked if anyone were fans of a particular sports team and put those people together they would have a community of sorts. They could chat about their beloved team and sense a level of closeness with each other on the basis of that commonality. But if you were to ask that large group if anyone has ever lost a loved one to cancer, not only would you have many more people but you’d have an immediate sense of community and a level of intimacy that the sports group could only dream about. Suffering unites in a unique and universal way.

But the sharing we see in this supper is not just sharing for the sake of sharing. It is the kind of sharing that gives life. Jesus shared his life in order to give life. I love what the apostle Paul does in his letter to the Corinthians. He doesn’t share his struggles for the sake of sharing or in order to gain sympathy. He shares it in order to proclaim the all sufficient grace of Christ!

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:8-10

We share our lives in order that we may share His grace with a broken world. We can stand together with others in the midst of suffering and declare the two truths I mentioned earlier. God is no stranger to suffering and suffering doesn’t have the last word. God does.

We are chosen. We are blessed. We are broken. We are given.

Next week I will share how I wrapped up this series as I did my first ever communion service!