Follow Me: The Journey of Jesus – Conclusion & Communion

Introduction

Communion is more than a ritual. It is the table where heaven and earth meet, where memory and mission are joined, and where disciples are renewed in their calling to follow Jesus. As we come to the Lord’s Table, we are not stepping into a mere tradition; we are stepping into the heartbeat of the Gospel. Communion invites us to look back at what Christ has done, look around at the body of Christ gathered, and look forward to the mission He has given us until He returns.

Throughout this series, we have walked with Jesus: into the wilderness, onto the mountain, into the villages, along the dusty roads, and finally toward the cross. His invitation has always been the same: Follow Me. But the journey does not end at the cross. Nor does it end at the empty tomb. The journey continues through us as His followers who carry His name and His mission into the world. Communion reminds us of that truth.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His disciples to celebrate the Passover meal. For centuries, Israel had remembered God’s mighty deliverance from Egypt with bread and wine, lamb and bitter herbs. But on this night, Jesus redefined the table. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, given for you.” Then He took the cup and declared, “This is My blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

In that moment, the disciples heard familiar words reshaped into a radical new promise. No longer would they look back only to Egypt; they would look to the cross. No longer would they remember only the lamb’s blood painted on doorframes; they would remember the blood of the Lamb on the cross, shed for the sins of the world. The Last Supper became the first communion: a table of remembrance, covenant, and hope.

But it was also a table of mission. When Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” He was not simply commanding repetition. He was commissioning His followers to embody His sacrifice, to carry His love into the world, and to live as witnesses of His kingdom. Every piece of broken bread and every sip of the cup proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes again. The meal points to a cross behind us and a kingdom ahead of us.

Communion and the Great Commission

After the resurrection, Jesus met His disciples on a mountain in Galilee and spoke the words we know as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16–20 ESV

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

At first glance, the Last Supper and the Great Commission seem like two different moments: one at a table in an upper room, the other on a mountain after the resurrection. Yet they are deeply connected.

Both are commands to remember and obey. At the table, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” On the mountain, He said, “Teach them to observe all I have commanded you.” The meal is one of those commands.

Both point to His presence. At the table, Jesus gave Himself symbolically in bread and wine. On the mountain, He promised, “I am with you always.” Communion is a tangible reminder that Christ is with us as we follow His mission.

Both look beyond the disciples to the nations. At the table, Jesus said His blood was poured out “for many.” On the mountain, He said, “Make disciples of all nations.” This meal is not private but public, not just personal nourishment but fuel for a global mission.

Both flow from sacrifice. The Great Commission is possible because of the cross. The cross is remembered and proclaimed at the table. Without the bread broken and the blood poured out, there is no message to preach, no forgiveness to proclaim, no church to send.

Thus, communion is not only an act of worship but also an act of mission. Every time we come to the table, we remember not only what Jesus has done for us but also what He has called us to do for Him. The bread and cup do not only comfort; they commission. They remind us that we are sent people, nourished by grace, called to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Communion as Theological Center

Theologically, communion sits at the center of Christian faith. It is both backward-looking and forward-looking, both individual and communal, both spiritual and missional.

It is a sacrament of remembrance. The bread and cup bring us back to the sacrifice of Christ. At the table, the Gospel is not just told but experienced.

It is a covenant of unity. Paul reminded the Corinthians that though we are many, we are one body because we share one bread. Communion tears down walls of division and builds the family of God.

It is a proclamation of hope. Paul also declared that when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. The table stretches our vision to the day of Christ’s return.

It is fuel for the mission. Communion is not an end in itself but a means of sending. We rise from the table not just satisfied but sent, carrying Christ’s presence into workplaces, neighborhoods, and nations.

The meal is, in essence, the Gospel enacted. Bread broken reminds us of a body given. The cup poured out reminds us of blood spilled. Together they point us to salvation, unite us as disciples, and empower us for mission.

Living Between Table and Commission

So what does this mean for us as we come to the table today?

First, it means we must come with gratitude. Communion is a meal of grace. We do not bring our achievements or our worthiness. We come with empty hands, ready to receive what Christ has given.

Second, it means we must come with unity. The table is not for one type of person but for all who believe. Old or young, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile. The body and blood of Christ bind us together. As Paul reminded us, we cannot eat this meal rightly while harboring division or resentment.

Third, it means we must come with mission. Communion is never the finish line. It is the fueling station. When we rise from the table, we do so as people sent into the world with Good News. The Great Commission flows naturally from the Last Supper. We are nourished by Christ so that we can go out and make Him known.

Finally, it means we must come with hope. Every piece of bread is a foretaste of the feast to come. Every sip of the cup whispers of the day when the kingdom will come in fullness and we will sit at the banquet table of the Lamb. Until then, we eat and drink as people of hope.

Conclusion

Communion is the continuation of Jesus' call to “Follow Me.” It bridges the cross and the kingdom, the table and the mission, the Last Supper and the Great Commission. As we share this bread and cup, we declare that we are followers of Jesus. We are people who remember His sacrifice, rejoice in His presence, and recommit to His mission.

Today, as we conclude Follow Me: The Journey of Jesus, we realize the journey is not over. It continues with us. We come to the table not to rest but to be renewed. Not to retreat but to be sent. Not to close a series but to return to the mission.

So let us come with gratitude. Let us come in unity. Let us come with hope. And let us rise from the table ready to go, ready to live, and ready to proclaim Christ until He comes again.

COMMUNION