The Lord's Supper / La Cena del Señor
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Introductions
Introductions
Meals are an important part of any society.
Meals strengthen families as they gather around the table to have conversation and see how everyone is doing.
Meals are part of many milestones in life (e.g., weddings, graduations, birthdays, house purchases, …even funerals).
Meals were also important in the ancient world customs and traditions as it related to peace treaties. The two opposing parties would come together, establish a covenant/truce, and would share a meal.
Meals are also an important theme in the Bible.
Abraham shared a meal with the three heavenly visitors that came to tell him of Isaac’s miraculous birth ().
The Passover meal celebrated the deliverance of the people of Israel from their Egyptian bondage.
The Tabernacle, God’s dwelling place upon the earth, had table with twelve loaves of bread. The levites would have to enter the holy place and eat the bread, in the presence of the Lord, and place twelve freshly baked loaves. They would repeat this process week after week.
The Lord’s Supper is one such meal instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we will consider the Lord’s teaching about this most special meal that we as Christian people share. We will consider this teaching under the following headings:
Origin of the Lord’s Supper
The elements used in the Lord’s Supper
The controversial meaning of the Lord’s Supper
The practice of the Lord’s Supper (who, how, when)
I. Origin of the Lord’s Supper
I. Origin of the Lord’s Supper
I. El origen de la Cena del Señor
I. El origen de la Cena del Señor
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by the head of the Church - the Lord Jesus Christ.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
Yo recibí del Señor lo mismo que les transmití a ustedes: Que el Señor Jesús, la noche en que fue traicionado, tomó pan,
Paul says that he recieved this teaching from the Lord Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the head of the church and he has revealed to us how the church should be governed, how the church should worship, what the church should preach, what the church should practice.
We cannot make up practices and bind people’s consciences to them if they are not revealed in the Bible.
In verses 23-25 Paul quotes Jesus’ words from the gospels (, , ).
These gospels record Jesus words during the night of the Passover meal.
He had gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Passover meal which was a memorial meal remembering Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery.
Jesus would be transforming this meal by instituting the Lord’s Supper - a meal that would point forward to his imminent death for the sins of all those who would believe.
II. The elements used in the Lord’s Supper
II. The elements used in the Lord’s Supper
II. Los elementos que se usan en la Cena del Señor
II. Los elementos que se usan en la Cena del Señor
Because this new meal would point to his death, Jesus Christ incorporated two elements that would fulfill this purpose - bread for his body and a cup of wine for the new covenant in his blood.
The broken bread points to Jesus’ broken body.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
1
Yo recibí del Señor lo mismo que les transmití a ustedes: Que el Señor Jesús, la noche en que fue traicionado, tomó pan,
Yo recibí del Señor lo mismo que les transmití a ustedes: Que el Señor Jesús, la noche en que fue traicionado, tomó pan, y después de dar gracias, lo partió y dijo: «Este pan es mi cuerpo, que por ustedes entrego; hagan esto en memoria de mí.»
It was very likely that the bread they used that night was unleavened bread since the Passover required the use of unleavened bread.
Notice how the Lord Jesus takes the bread and breaks it before his disciples.
He was able to appeal to their senses by breaking the bread. In the same way his body would be broken so severely that he would eventually be put to death.
Why would Jesus use bread to point to his broken body?
Bread nourishes our body.
Bread is fundamental to all civilizations.
In the same way we are nourished through Jesus’ giving up of his body as a sacrifice for us.
The cup of wine points to the new covenant in his blood.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
De la misma manera, después de cenar, tomó la copa y dijo: «Esta copa es el nuevo pacto en mi sangre; hagan esto, cada vez que beban de ella, en memoria de mí.»
1 Corinthians 12.25
Remember that Jesus came to do something new in the story of humanity.
He came to establish God’s new covenant with humanity.
Humanity cannot be saved by the keeping of God’s law because we are stained with original sin. We cannot and we do not desire to obey God’s law.
Our hearts must be transformed by God’s power. We must receive a new heart. We must be cleansed altogether in order to be saved.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke of this and called it the new covenant.
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31.
»Vienen días—afirma el Señor—en que haré un nuevo pacto con el pueblo de Israel y con la tribu de Judá. No será un pacto como el que hice con sus antepasados el día en que los tomé de la mano y los saqué de Egipto, ya que ellos lo quebrantaron a pesar de que yo era su esposo—afirma el Señor—.
»Éste es el pacto que después de aquel tiempo haré con el pueblo de Israel—afirma el Señor—: Pondré mi ley en su mente, y la escribiré en su corazón. Yo seré su Dios, y ellos serán mi pueblo. Ya no tendrá nadie que enseñar a su prójimo, ni dirá nadie a su hermano: “¡Conoce al Señor!”, porque todos, desde el más pequeño hasta el más grande, me conocerán—afirma el Señor—. Yo les perdonaré su iniquidad, y nunca más me acordaré de sus pecados.»
.
In order for this to happen, the Son of God would have to shed his blood on our behalf.
III. The controversial meaning of the Lord’s Supper
III. The controversial meaning of the Lord’s Supper
III. La controversia del significado de la Cena del Señor
III. La controversia del significado de la Cena del Señor
Throughout history there has been much controversy regarding the meaning of the Lord’s supper. For our purposes we will consider two primary views and a third option.
The Roman Catholic (RC) view teaches that the bread and wine continue to taste and feel like bread and wine. However, because of the ordained priest has the power to actually transform the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In RC practice it is appropriate to worship the bread and wine as if it were Jesus Christ himself.
In RC practice it is appropriate to believe that if you spill the bread and wine you have committed a grievous act since you have dropped the God of the universe himself. For this reason, there were many centuries where the common people would not be given wine and could only partake of the bread because the risk of spilling the wine was much riskier.
The climax, the central aspect of the RC mass is the transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.
Many Christian people were put to death because they would not declare that the bread and wine were the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In RC practice you are not required to have faith to receive the benefits of communion. As long as you practice communion God’s grace infuses into your life. Your eternal salvation depends on being admitted to communion. If you are excommunicated your are at great risk of being damned forever.
The memorial view sees the bread and wine simply as symbols of the Lord’s body and blood.
There is no special grace that people receive from participating of the Lord’s Supper.
There is nothing spiritual or mystical that happens during the Lord’s Supper.
This view, I believe goes to the other extreme and reduces the Lord’s Supper to simply a symbolic action.
It is my belief that the meaning of the Lord’s Supper lies somewhere in between. I would summarize this third view in the following affirmations.
The elements of the Lord’s Supper are bread and wine (fruit of the vine).
The elements of the Lord’s Supper are not mystically transformed into any other substance; they remain bread and wine.
The elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbols of the Lord’s broken body and the new covenant in his blood.
Those who partake of the Lord’s Supper are spiritually nourished if they partake “by faith”. We must have faith in order to receive the Lord’s spiritual benefits that he offers through the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper does not save nor secure anyone’s salvation.
IV. The practice of the Lord’s Supper (who, when, why)
IV. The practice of the Lord’s Supper (who, when, why)
IV. La practica de la Cena del Señor (quién, cuando, porqué)
IV. La practica de la Cena del Señor (quién, cuando, porqué)
The question that naturally arises is “who should participate in the Lord’s Supper?”
This is a truly important question because we ask the same question regarding the ordinance of baptism.
Who should be baptized? Believers only.
Who should partake of the Lord’s Supper? The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states:
“The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.”
“La Cena del Señor es un acto simbólico de obediencia por el cual los miembros de la iglesia, al participar del pan y del fruto de la vid, conmemoran la muerte del Redentor y anuncian su segunda venida.”
“Members of the church” are eligible to participate in the Lord’s Supper.
We cannot admit to the Lord’s table those who are not believers, those who are considering following Christ, those who have fallen away.
The Bible states that it is “members of the church” that are to participate of the Lord’s Supper.
In a Southern Baptist Church, to be faithful to our doctrinal statement, this means baptized believers and in good standing with the local church are eligible to participate in the Lord’s Supper.
Believers must not partake in an unworthy manner.
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
Por lo tanto, cualquiera que coma el pan o beba de la copa del Señor de manera indigna, será culpable de pecar contra el cuerpo y la sangre del Señor. Así que cada uno debe examinarse a sí mismo antes de comer el pan y beber de la copa.
1 Corinthians
Believers must examine their lives and see if they are walking in Christ.
Believers must give an honest look at their lives and daily conduct and judge themselves whether they are walking according to what they believe.
We cannot believe in a holy God and live as unholy people.
If we are not walking in communion with God or we have fallen out of communion with our brothers and sisters it may be best to abstain, put things in order, so that the next time we may do it in a worthy manner.
Do not mistake “partaking in a worthy manner” with living a perfectly sinless life. In this case, no one would ever participate of the Lord’s Supper. However, there is a real difference between someone that is walking close to God and nevertheless they are imperfect people vs someone that’s living a double/secret life of sin.
This may seem very harsh and exclusive but it makes sense for the following reasons:
Who will be excluded from salvation? Those who do not believe. Do we honestly think that God is being overly harsh to exclude those who do not believe and continue to rebel against him?
Why participate of the Lord’s Supper if you will not receive its spiritual benefits because you do not believe? The spiritual benefits must be received by faith.
The second question is “when or how often should we participate of the Lord’s Supper?”
There is some liberty to the frequency of the Lord’s Supper because:
The Bible is not 100% clear how often the Lord’s Supper was celebrated in the early church. Although, there are some verses like and which may indicate that the Lord’s Supper was celebrated weekly.
There is no specific command from the Lord regarding the frequency of the Lord’s Supper.
However, if there is spiritual benefit in partaking of the Lord’s Supper than surely we would desire to have it as often as possible. Why would we settle for anything less?
We should do it as often to fulfill its primary purpose - proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Porque cada vez que comen este pan y beben de esta copa, proclaman la muerte del Señor hasta que él venga.
It is through the Lord’s Supper that we proclaim to each other the power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross on our behalf.
It is through the Lord’s Supper that we proclaim to older and younger Christians that we all depend on the sinless life and perfection of Jesus Christ.