For example, in the book of Genesis
we’re told that after God flooded the earth for one hundred fifty days, “then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the
animals that were with him in
the ark.” (Genesis 8:1) Does this mean that the omniscient God “forgot” Noah,
in the way we would use that term, that Noah somehow “slipped God’s mind” and
suddenly God said, “Oh yeah, Noah and the animals are floating around out
there, I’d better check on them”? When the thief says to
Jesus in Luke 23:42 “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom,” is he
asking Jesus just to think about him once in a while, or is he asking for
something else?
Doug Ward offers these
insights into the Biblical concept of remembrance in Grace and Knowledge: A Journal of Judeo-Christian History, Theology and
Culture (emphasis added):
The Hebrew word zakar is almost always
translated ``remember'' in the King James Version of the Bible. Occasionally,
though, it is rendered as ``think'', ``mention'', or ``record.'' For instance,
in Gen. 40:14 Joseph tells Pharaoh's chief butler,
``But think on me when it shall be well with
thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto
Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:''
In this verse, zakar is the Hebrew word
for both ``think'' and ``mention.'' These variations in translation give an
indication that zakar includes both thought and deed. Joseph would
like the butler to do more than just be aware of the fact that he is still
incarcerated. He is urging the butler to take positive action to help
him get out of prison.
In the Hebrew scriptures, zakar is
often used in expressions about God ``remembering'' His covenant with His
people (Gen. 9:15-16; Exod. 6:5; Lev. 26:42, 45; Ps. 105:8, 42; 106:45; Ezek.
16:60). For example, we read in Exodus 2:24 that as a result of Israel's
suffering in Egypt,
``God heard their groaning, and God remembered
his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.''
In this case, God's remembering His
covenant leads to His active intervention to rescue Israel from slavery.
The connection between remembrance and rescue is made very explicit in
Numbers 10:9:
``And if ye go to war in your land against the
enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and
ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from
your enemies.''
The word zakar also appears prominently
in the prayers recorded in the Bible. People like Moses (Exod. 32:13), Samson
(Judges 16:28 ), Hezekiah
(2 Kings 20:3), Nehemiah (Neh. 13:14 ,
22, 29, 31), Jeremiah (Jer. 15:15 ;
Lam. 5:1), and Habakkuk (Hab. 3:2) pray that God will remember them and the
rest of His people. Such prayers call upon God not just to be cognizant of
their existence, but in addition to take action on their behalf.
Other scriptures instruct the people to
remember God or His commandments (Deut. 8:18 ;
Joshua 1:13; Eccl.12:1; Mal. 4:4). For example, in Deut. 25:17-19, Moses
commands the Israelites to ``remember what Amalek did unto thee by the
way....'' Here, of course, Moses is not preparing Israel for an upcoming
history quiz. Instead, he wants them to take decisive action against the
terrorists who had ruthlessly attacked the most vulnerable Israelites during
the early stages of their journey from Egypt.
In summary, all of these ways in which the
word zakar is used involve a knowledge that is accompanied by
appropriate action.
This is the context in
which the Jews understand the Passover ritual, which God commanded in Exodus
12:14 “This day
shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations.”
The Jews celebrate
Passover with the understanding that they are not just thinking about an event
that happened a long time ago—but that God
is acting through it. The Jews believe that God makes that central saving
event from their history mystically present every time this ritual is
celebrated. It isn’t happening again, it is being presented
again, so people of future generations and places can truly participate.
Jesus celebrated the Last Supper in the
context of Passover. The Synoptic Gospels have the Last Supper as the Passover
meal itself; John places it the day before. They all make the same point: Jesus
is replacing the Passover lamb with himself. (In John’s Gospel Jesus is
crucified at the same hour the Passover lambs are being slaughtered.)
It is in this context
of a “memorial feast” that Jesus celebrated the Eucharist, and it is in this
context that he told them to do this “in rembrance” of him, and it is in this
context that the Apostles understood him and celebrated this new “memorial”
feast at his command. They understood that just as with Passover, a divine
action would accompany the ritual remembrance, that God would likewise make
this saving event mystically present again—not happening all over again, but
made present—so people of future generations and places could truly participate
and be joined to it.
The point of consuming
the flesh of the lamb was that the people would enter into covenant union with
God—not just symbolically, but really. It is in that context, and with that
same understanding, that Jesus instituted the Eucharist.
