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Introduction

The Christian practice of sharing communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist), is one packed with meaning and symbolism. There are specific descriptions and instructions found in the New Testament around what it was that Jesus intended for his followers to do when they gather to remember him in this way. One can look at the gospel accounts for insight, as all four gospel writers record the events of the last supper[1]. As well, 1 Corinthians 11 provides a great amount of instruction regarding the Lord’s Supper.

In addition to these texts and in order to learn more about the meaning behind the Lord’s Supper, we’ll begin by looking at three Jewish traditions that were blended together at the institution of the Lord’s Supper: the Passover meal, the covenant ratification ceremony, and the sin offering.[2] We will also look at further insights that can be obtained through the other biblical text regarding communion.

The Passover Meal

The night before Jesus’ death, during the celebration of Passover, Jesus gathered his 12 disciples together to share the Passover meal. This meal included unleavened bread, roasted lamb, herbs, and wine and was a celebration of the Jews’ deliverance from 400 years of harsh bondage in Egypt. (Exodus 12) Christians today celebrate this meal as a remembrance and celebration of deliverance from spiritual bondage to sin and death. We celebrate Jesus as the “Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7) who offered himself as a substitution for sinful humanity, that he was sacrificed for the sins of the entire world.

Covenant Ratification Ceremony

When Jesus was giving his disciples the cup of wine he said to them, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the [new] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:27,28 These words are reminiscent of the words Moses spoke to the people of Israel as they ratified the previous covenant at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 24) After they had been delivered from Egypt, God led them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. Here God revealed through the prophet Moses the laws of the covenant relationship he desired to have with them. The words spoken at the Sinai covenant ceremony sound similar to Christ’s words at the Last Supper:

“Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” (New International Version, Exodus 24:8)

This symbolic act of sprinkling blood bound the people of Israel to God, and God to them. So it is with Christ’s blood shed for the world. Daniel Block gives further insight:

“By using the expression ‘my blood of the covenant,’ Jesus declared that through his own sacrificial blood God binds himself to his new covenant people, and by drinking of it his people bind themselves to him. Thus, as a covenant ritual, participating in the Lord’s Supper means not only claiming the privilege of covenant relationship but also committing oneself to fidelity to God’s will.”[3]

When we share in the communion meal, it is a time of committing ourselves to God and of being assured of God’s commitment to us.

Sin Offering

Finally, there is a link between the Lord’s Supper and the Old Testament sin offerings. In Israelite temple worship there were five different offerings[4] which were made in order to express devotion and thanks to God, and to atone for sin. Matthew records Jesus as making a clear connection to the sin offering tradition: “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matt. 26:28) By sharing in the communion cup, believers remember and celebrate that Christ’s death was the final sacrifice required in order to forgive the sins of the entire world. (Hebrews 10)

Further Insights

1.) Communion Is To Be a Regular and Continuing Practice

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26

This comment by Paul indicates that the communion meal is to be shared regularly until Christ returns. There is no instruction given regarding how often it should be taken. Our practice at CLCC is to share communion on the first Sunday of every month.

2.) Communion Is Reserved For Believers

The invitation to participate in the table of communion is not open to all. Paul gives a warning to the church in Corinth that they should be careful of partaking of the Lord’s Supper “in an unworthy manner.” (1 Cor. 11:27) Doing so would lead to judgment. Among other possible ways one could take communion in an unworthy way, to take the symbolic elements of the table without understanding their meaning or believing in what they represent, is to take them unworthily. We ask that only those who are followers of Jesus would participate in communion at CLCC. Non-Christians are encouraged to observe the family of God sharing in this family meal together and invited to believe in and receive Jesus for themselves. Parents and guardians should take time to teach children about the meaning of the bread and cup and encourage them to welcome Christ into their lives.

3.) Communion is Meant to Have a Community Focus

It can be tempting to make communion a time to isolate oneself and focus on our personal relationship with God. For example, we are encouraged to take time to examine ourselves before we partake (1 Cor. 11:28). However, in reading Paul’s words to the Corinthians we can see a community who needed to remember the communal emphasis of sharing the Lord’s Supper.

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good … I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it … When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!” (1 Cor. 11:17-22)

The church as a whole, and specifically the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, is to be marked by unity and loving regard for one another, especially the poor. We should be careful to “recognize the body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:29), that is, the people of God. Our communion is not with God only as isolated individuals, but as a new people who share union with Christ and with one another. At CLCC we invite folks to pray with families, Life Groups, or friends while taking communion. Of course there are appropriate times to prayerfully reflect alone, and that is encouraged as well.

4.) Communion is Taken in Anticipation of Christ’s Return – The “Marriage Supper of the Lamb”

This meal of remembrance is a foreshadowing of the time when Christ returns and all his followers join him what is described as a wedding feast. Revelation 19 describes the return of Jesus:

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready … ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’

At this time there will be no need to take the communion meal in remembrance, for the Church of Christ will be united with Jesus and will be in his actual presence. There will be no need to proclaim the death of Christ as Paul gave instructed in 1 Corinthians 11, for the nail scars on his resurrected body will be in plain view for all to see. There will be joy and feasting in place of suffering and remembrance, and we will enjoy his presence forever.

[1] Matthew 26:20-35, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:14-38, John 13:21-17:26

[2] Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.) pgs.157-159. Print.

[3] Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.) pg. 153. Print.

[4] The burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. (Leviticus 1-5)