Luke 22:14-20 “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”                                          

Text I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

When writing to the church of the Thessalonians the Apostle Paul made one thing clear concerning “the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”; we are to give thanks “In every thing.” If we want to gain a clear understanding of this command being put into practice; one need simply look the Lord Jesus Christ as He gathered with His disciples in the upper room. As He gathered with His disciples, Jesus said, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” While it may have not been totally clear to them at the time what He meant by “before I suffer”; the events to follow would give total clarity! When He took the bread, broke it and declared it to be “my body which is given for you”; they knew He was the substitute for the price of sin! When He took the cup, passed it to them and declared it to be “the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you”; they knew He was the shield for the penalty of sin! He was willing to be more than a servant to bow at their feet; He was willing to become a Saviour to die for their sins! It is interesting to note what our Lord did before He broke the bread or passed the cup; “he took bread, and gave thanks” and “he took the cup, and gave thanks.” The word, “gave thanks” used here is the exact same Greek word used in I Thessalonians 5:18 when we are commanded to “give thanks.” It means to be grateful, actively to express gratitude towards and comes from two words meaning well favored by implying grateful. What was our Lord’s attitude toward being the broken bread and the wine; He was grateful because it was God’s will and He “gave thanks.”

From “Pen – Pictures in the Upper Room” by Bernard C. Clausen; “So Jesus, breaking the bread and thinking of his body to be shattered, passing the glowing red wine and thinking of his blood soon to the shed, in pain – simply, sincerely, and devoutly thanked God. He led his disciples in gratitude. He spoke his own heart in praise. For the strength he could claim in his suffering, for the power he could gain through his suffering, for the achievement he could trace by his suffering – he was thankful. How little of his clear –  visioned gratitude we possess! How easily we thank God for escapes! How we whine and complain at perils and persecutions! They are often signs of God’s favour.”