The Lord's Supper
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Matthew 26:26-30. Also reference Luke 22:7-23.
Here we see Jesus and his disciples taking the Passover meal. This wasn’t something new. The bread and the wine were first introduced by Malchizedek to Abraham in Genesis 14:18. Even at the incarnation, When God became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, bread speaks of the life of Christ; at Beth-Lehem, or the House of Bread, and of course the wine speaks of his blood poured out. These concepts have deep roots all the way back to the beginning of the Bible, and therefore, the last supper was not just some random thing that Jesus did, there was and is a purpose for it.
The old covenant was performed in Exodus 24:6-8; and Jesus sealed the new covenant with his own blood. In the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, they were taught that without the shedding of blood, there would be no remission of sin. Jesus was well aware of what was about to happen to him; That He would take on the sins of the world and be given as a sacrifice so that whosever believes in Him can have eternal life. Without the shedding of the innocent blood of Jesus, we would all be doomed.
Therefore, let us all take a good hard look at ourselves when we partake of communion, which is a remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He gave his own life so that we can be saved. It is not to be taken lightly. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 11:28 “Let a person examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” Let it not be a thoughtless and meaningless church ritual. The bread and fruit of the vine are sober reminders that, although salvation is given freely to those who would put their faith in Jesus and repent of their sins, there was a very high cost for God’s forgiveness (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The Lord’s supper is not only a reminder of his brutal death, but also a celebration of the generous gift and incredible grace that Jesus Christ gave to us on the cross. So let’s look at this passage and remember to take communion in remembrance of what He did with a grateful heart . “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Ted Morton, Chaplain, Calvary Chapel San Clemente
