May 26 -- "Broken for Us"

Today's Reading: Luke 22:1-23

Jesus came in a real human body. Fragile. Vulnerable. Touchable. From the moment of His birth in Bethlehem, He embraced what it meant to be fully human. He grew tired, hungry, sorrowful, and felt pain. And though He healed the sick, fed the crowds, and walked on water—He did it all in a body like ours. But what He did with that body at the end is staggering.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it. Then He said something mysterious and sacred: “This is my body, which is given for you.” The symbolism was unmistakable. He was telling them—and us—that His body would be broken, like that bread, as a gift of love.

The body God had given Him—the one knit together in Mary’s womb—He would allow to be torn. Beaten. Pierced. He was not a helpless victim; He was a willing sacrifice. He gave His body. He chose to be broken.

Why? Because sin had broken us—shattering all of humanity. And the only way to make us whole was for Him to be broken in our place.

Isaiah had prophesied this: “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

So when we take the bread in communion, we’re not performing a ritual—we’re remembering a rescue. The broken body of Jesus speaks of divine love poured out to make us whole. Bread, once broken and shared, would become a communal meal. Breaking bread was a sign of unity. Jesus' broken body brings together all who believe—Jew and Gentile, slave and free—as one in Him. “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” – 1 Corinthians 10:17

Jesus could have preserved His body, but instead He presented it. He could have called angels to stop the cross, but He stayed. His body was broken. Why? For you. For me. The broken bread is a simple image—but through it, Jesus communicates a profound message: He was broken, so we could be made whole… and we are now called to be broken and poured out for others.

Today, may the One who gave His body for you fill your heart with gratitude and your life with purpose. May you offer yourself daily in loving surrender, walking in the strength of His sacrifice and the healing of His wounds. In His wholeness, live boldly and love deeply.