Unlocking the Meaning of the Lord's Supper

Introduction:

The Lord’s Supper is considered by most New Testament Christians one of the most important aspects of our worship service.

We remember the Lord’s death each and every first day of the week -

While regular remembrance of the Lord’s death is something that is expected of the Lord’s church, it also presents its challenges.

Observing the Supper on a regular basis might cause us to lose focus and just partake of the Lord’s Supper out of tradition.

Remaining silent and somber as we partake of the Lord’s Supper seems to compound the issue by inviting our minds to wander (ball game, lunch plans, dread of the work week, etc.)

Jesus & Metaphor

We must understand the language Jesus used while instituting the Lord’s Supper; this is especially important if we are to unlock the meaning of the memorial meal.

“Take eat; this is My body” -

“…for this is My blood of the covenant” -

Catholic doctrine believes the bread literally becomes the body of Christ and the cup becomes the blood of Jesus.

Others are critical of saying the bread/cup “represent” the body/blood of Jesus.

They say since Jesus says the “bread is the body” or the “cup is the blood” then it is not a “representation.”

They make this criticism because of a misunderstanding of the language and the figures of speech being used.

“I am the door of the sheep” -

John 10:7 NASB95

7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

This is the same use of language; Jesus is comparing Himself to a door by saying He is the door (“I am”).

Jesus is not literally a door. He does not become a door. We will never walk through Jesus. The point is: He is the access point to God.

Comparing two different items without using like/as is called a metaphor.

Metaphor is a figure of speech; it is non-literal. A metaphor states that one thing “is” another thing to compare them.

The door becomes a figure, representation, or symbol (e.g., freedom and the Statue of Liberty).

The bread and fruit of the vine become figures, representations, and symbols of Jesus’ body and His blood.

Therefore, the bread/fruit of the vine do not literally become Jesus’ body/blood; and it is right to call them “emblems,” “symbols,” or “representations” of the body/blood.

Bread & Body

What does it mean to remember the Lord’s body? -

The Incarnation: Jesus was Immanuel, God with us

Jesus became flesh -

Incarnation did not begin with His death; it began at His birth.

Matthew and Luke record the story of Jesus’ birth for us to know, remember, and believe.

His humanity meant that Jesus experienced birth and death. We are called to remember His Incarnation; “this is my body.”

Temptation: Birth, death, and temptation are all part of the human experience we all share.

Jesus was the perfect human being -

Hebrews 4:15 NASB95

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

He became the perfect embodiment of what humanity ought to be!

Partaking of the body of our Lord ought to remind us what we are striving to become.

Mediation & High Priesthood: Jesus became our great high priest. This required His humanity/incarnation, His temptation, and His sacrifice—which all required a body -

Animal sacrifices were insufficient -

True sacrifice involves the will, commitment, and a positive decision to obey God -

Hebrews 10:5–7 NASB95

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; 6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. 7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’ ”

Through the will of Christ we have been saved because He took a body and sacrificed Himself -

In order for Jesus to really and truly be a “sacrifice,” it would require Him to have a body.

Resurrection: Within Jesus’ language of the Lord’s Supper, there is an expectation that He would partake of the Supper again -

“I shall never again eat it until...” — anticipates a future time of when Jesus would eat of the bread and cup once again.

Jesus clearly knew that He was about to die—that is why He instituted the memorial.

So, if the Supper is only intended to reflect Jesus’ death then how would Jesus be able to partake of it again? -

By necessary implication, He knew He must be raised from the dead! - ;

Therefore, remember and “Take eat; this is My body” -

Blood & Covenant

When instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said that the cup was the blood of the new covenant -

Matthew 26:27–28 NASB95

27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

This covenant was going to be the inauguration of the forgiveness of sins - v. 28

The language of blood and covenant ought to awaken our minds to the nature of Jesus’ death as a sacrifice. This language of sacrifice, death, blood, and covenant is what the book of Hebrews is all about.

Jesus’ death was a sacrifice; it is a sacrificial death that enacts a covenant -

Hebrews 9:15–17 NASB95

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

Defining sacrifice: death “for” sins; “death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions” - v. 15

It was not simply ‘death’ that enacted a covenant; it is a type of death—sacrifice.

The old covenant was established by death, but not a true sacrifice - ,

The old covenant could not take away sins or cleanse the conscience but the blood of Christ is able to do that -

Sins are forgiven through Christ and God remembers our sins no more - ,

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness -

Hebrews 9:22 NASB95

22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

This is the reason Jesus went to the cross; it is the reason we partake of the memorial meal each week.

Reflection & Meditation

As a child I remember trying to concentrate on Jesus’ death and do my best to re-enact scenes of what crucifixion might have been like. That may be helpful to us, but that is not all that observing the Lord’s Supper is.

We need to broaden and deepen our reflections and meditations during the Lord’s Supper.

The Old Testament sacrificial system is helpful background to understanding the Lord’s death. Animal sacrifices were unable to take away sins, so the annual nature of sacrifices anticipated the one and only death of Jesus.

Numerous prophecies of Jesus’ death that would bless all people.

Jesus spoke of His death and resurrection as the “sign of Jonah”—we may need to be familiar with the story of Jonah and the significance of 3 days/nights.

We need to allow our minds to reflect on the obedience of Christ and how we should be obedient to God. The Lord’s Supper is a vivid reminder of what we ought to be and that we have access to God through Christ and His death.

Whatever our meditations may be, they must be Christ-centered and gospel-centered.

Or else we are condemning ourself -

1 Corinthians 11:27–29 NASB95

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.

We should not be distracted by work, lunch, sports, or the fishing spot, etc.

Conclusion:

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial meal to reflect and meditate on the purpose of Jesus’ death and the benefits we have through His sacrifice.

We are part of the new covenant for which Jesus died and gave His life.

Through Him we obtain access to God and the forgiveness of our sins.