Unlocking The Meaning Of The Lord’s Supper
WORSHIP ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas
The Lord’s Supper is an esteemed part of our worship on the first day of the week. It is communion with the body of Christ and time we use for solemn reflection on the importance of the Messiah and His death. The Lord’s Supper is something that should be observed each and every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). However, there is a danger in routine, that we could turn our minds off and be aimless in our observation. Perhaps the Lord’s Supper is especially challenging in this respect since the time is quiet and solemn, which seems to invite our minds to wander. We need to combat this and train our minds for proper observance of the Lord’s Supper. In this article, we want to delve into a study of the Lord’s Supper so we are better equipped to offer worship to God as we partake of this weekly memorial meal.
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) with two emblems: the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. The Jews were commanded to purge their homes of any leaven. The only bread that could be in the house was unleavened bread. Therefore, the bread we are authorized to use is unleavened bread. The unleavened bread is the body of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 26:26). The second emblem is the fruit of the vine. Our Lord told His disciples that the fruit of the vine is the blood of the covenant that would be for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28).
Jesus and Metaphor
Jesus identified the bread and fruit of the vine as His body and blood. He said, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26) and “this is my blood…” (Matthew 26:28). This has aroused much debate among many people. First, there is no indication that upon receiving the bread or the fruit of the vine that they literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Secondly, I have heard people argue it is wrong to say, “the bread/fruit of the vine represents the body/blood.” Their argument rests on the fact Jesus said the “bread is the body” or the “fruit of the vine is the blood.” Therefore, they conclude it is wrong to use the word “represents.” What both positions fail to understand is the nature of language and the figures of speech Jesus was using. Jesus’ language must not be taken literally, but as a figure. Jesus spoke of one item (the bread) and compared it to another item (His body)—which we would call a metaphor. Jesus frequently spoke in metaphor. He said, “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). Jesus did not mean He was literally an opening which sheep walk through. The idea behind the metaphor is that Jesus is the way to God. The door becomes a symbol, representation, or figure for who Jesus is and what He came to do. The same type of language is being used when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. The bread represents Jesus’ body; the fruit of the vine is symbolic of the blood of Jesus. Our Savior was not teaching that the emblems literally become His body or blood. Neither is it wrong to refer to the bread and fruit of the vine as symbols, representations, or emblems.
The Bread and Body of Jesus
When taking the Lord’s Supper, what does it mean to remember Jesus’ body? It is critical to understand that Jesus had a body. Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. God became incarnate, that is, He became flesh (John 1:14). The fact that Jesus was God in the flesh and became incarnate is integral to our faith. The incarnation of Jesus began with His birth. That is why we are called to believe and know the story of His birth. Both Matthew and Luke take time to give account of Jesus’ birth, along with the genealogies of Christ. These prove that Jesus was fully man and took part in a common experience that all human beings share—birth. While birth is something that is common to the human experience, so is death. When Jesus humbled Himself and became a man, He was willing to experience death (Philippians 2:8).
Through Jesus’ humanity and incarnation, He also experienced temptation. Yet, He remained perfect and was found to be without sin (Hebrews 4:15). His humanity, perfect obedience, and overcoming temptation uniquely qualified Him to serve as our mediator and high priest (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus became the perfect embodiment of what humanity ought to be! This is one reason why we ought to remember the body of Jesus. Partaking of His body should remind us of what we are striving to become in the sight of God.
The Hebrew writer, who spends a great deal of time defending the high priesthood of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for sins, offers a defense of the body of Jesus. In Hebrews 10, the author quotes from Old Testament passages as if they were the words of Jesus Himself, and the message is clear: animal sacrifices were not sufficient. In God’s desire for sacrifice, He also desires a commitment to obey (Hebrews 10:5-7). Therefore, in order for Jesus to offer Himself as a sacrifice before God, it would be essential for Him to have a body that would demonstrate perfect obedience (Hebrews 10:10). In order to fully characterize Jesus’ act of dying on the cross as a ‘sacrifice,’ it would be essential that Jesus have a body.
Therefore, remember and “take eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26).
The Blood of the Covenant
Just as remembering the body of Jesus causes us to reflect on particular aspects of the Messiah, the fact that the fruit of the vine represents the blood of the covenant should lead us to reflect upon aspects of Jesus’ death. Particularly the concepts of blood and covenant ought to awaken our minds to the nature of Jesus’ death as a sacrifice. When Jesus died His blood established the new covenant (Hebrews 9:14-16). In Hebrews 9, the author talks about how a death is necessary for a covenant to come into effect. This is not simply an acknowledgment that death must take place but offers a qualification for the type of death necessary—a willing sacrifice (cf. Hebrews 10:5-7). Just as the old covenant was established by the blood of a sacrifice (animals), the new covenant is established through the blood of a sacrifice (Hebrews 9:13-14, 18, 28).
Under the Old Testament system of sacrifices, the blood of animals was unable to obtain eternal redemption and cleanse the conscience (Hebrews 9:12-14). The blood of animals was unable to make anyone perfect or take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-4). Yet the blood of Jesus is able to cleanse the conscience and provide a new and living way to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). Entrance into the new covenant is based on faith and being washed in pure water. By these, the promise of the new covenant is that God will remember our sins no more (Hebrews 10:17).
Jesus’ blood was the necessary component to inaugurate the new covenant, bringing it into full effect since there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).
“You Proclaim the Lord’s Death Until He Comes”
When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the Lord’s death. As we partake, we are obligated to consider the purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice and why He went to the cross. This proclamation is central to the gospel itself. Paul stated earlier in 1 Corinthians that he had only preached Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul was summarizing the core essence of the gospel. Paul was not suggesting the only sermon he preached was on the crucifixion of Jesus. Neither was he suggesting that other aspects of Jesus’ life had no importance. In fact, Paul would later say that the death, burial, and resurrection were of “first importance,” or primary to the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). As we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are proclaiming and participating in the gospel. Jesus died so we may be forgiven and redeemed, so it is fitting that we would remember His death each and every week. Every time we take of the bread and cup, we remember His death and the salvation we have received.
Christians are to keep the Lord’s Supper “until He comes.” This implies that we are not only remembering the death of Jesus. Jesus is now in heaven, from which we are eagerly waiting for Him to make His appearance once again (Philippians 3:20-21). This implies that our Savior is not a dead Savior, but a living Savior who will die no more. Jesus must be living to “come again.” Also, since we are proclaiming the gospel through the memorial of His death until He comes, this implies that we are remembering the whole scope of God’s redemptive plan and how Jesus fulfills that plan. We should remember Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, ascension into heaven, exaltation to the right hand of God, and His promised return! And until Jesus does return, we are to continue to remember Him.
A Time of Reflection and Meditation
From childhood and into my adult years, I remember thinking the Lord’s Supper was a time to concentrate upon scenes of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. I would do my best to play out the scenes of what it must have been like to be nailed to a cross. Those scenes need to be in our minds, but we should not be afraid to broaden and deepen our reflection and meditation. We should think of how the Old Testament sacrificial system was unable to take away sins and how they anticipated the coming of the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Meditate on the numerous prophecies of the Messiah and how He would bring blessing and salvation to all people, which are fulfilled by being united with Jesus and His crucifixion. Maybe we need to allow our mind to meditate on the fact that Jesus willingly laid down His life in perfect and complete obedience to God and that is something we should emulate in our life. Or consider Jesus’ own teachings about His death and resurrection as the “sign of Jonah”—which requires some familiarity with the story of Jonah. You see, broadening the thoughts we have when we partake of the Lord’s Supper can become enriching to our faith and help us realize how the Lord’s death fits within the scope of God’s plan of salvation. The memorial meal is a tribute to Jesus the Messiah and how He is the better mediator of a better covenant.
Whatever our meditations may be, they must be centered around the gospel and Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by the ball game, or lunch plans, as we partake of the Lord’s Supper. We must be careful that we partake in a worthy manner lest we condemn ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). When we reflect upon the Lord and the implications of His death, then we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
19.04.02 | GROW magazine
