Untitled Sermon (3)

Introduction

THE HOLY COMMUNION

The Holy Communion is the central focal point of the worship from which all other parts of the worship should flow. I heard a quote once, but from whom I cannot remember, but the quote went something along the lines of: “The Church’s biggest failure was shifting the emphasis away from the Holy Communion and shifting the emphasis towards an eloquent speaker in a suit.” The point being that where once the Communion played the central role in our worship to God and our communing with him, for many, the central role has now become the eloquent speaker at the front of the room. We have become more concerned with our paid preacher giving us a solid 25-30 minute sermon so that it doesn’t go too long, lest we get bored in our worship and understanding and that it doesn’t go too short lest we feel cheated out of our time and money.

This failure has led to all manner of problems. Partly to blame are the theologians of the what would become the Roman West and the Protestant Reformation’s clear pendulum swing in opposition to their teachings which would come later. An early change began happening in the Western half of the church long before Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy ever split and over 1,000 years before Roman Catholicism came into existence. This change was an attempt to explain the “How” the Communion became the body and blood of Jesus. The Eastern half of the church took a view of it being a mystery. From the Eastern perspective, it was not explained explicitly, therefore no explanation is necessary. All that was necessary was to confirm that it is the body and blood of Jesus. While this view is certainly acceptable, the Western half of the church began to take another view. They viewed the statement of faith by the East as a mystery insufficient. So, the theologians of the west, seeking to give an answer, decided that Communion became the physical body and blood of Jesus after the blessing is prayed over it. This belief is known as transubstantiation. As this belief progressed, it led to more serious theological problems.

The Protestant reformation coming solely out of the west rebelled against the Transubstantiation belief. The pendulum swung from believing the elements become the physical body and blood all the way to the extreme of claiming that Communion ISN’T the body and blood of Jesus at all. They claimed that the elements were only a symbol; only a representation, and in so doing removed all power and truth from the Communion. It became as common bread, it became as common drink. It became nothing more than an empty act of memorial with no life in it which is partly why during that time Communion moved from every first day of the week to quarterly and sometimes even only once or twice a year. It had to be made special again, since all that was special in it was hollowed out into a show, much the way baptism was treated in Protestantism.

With the background given let’s look at the scriptures and the early writers and let’s see what we can find by going to the original institution of The Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-22)

The Lord’s Supper is referred to as the Communion and the Lord’s Supper in scripture. It is called The Eucharist by early Christians. The word Eucharist is not “Catholic.” It is very much Christian terminology and goes back as early as the apostles themselves. Jesus took bread and gave (Eucharistēo) thanks. So, the early Christians often referred to it as the Feast of Thanks. The Eucharist was named such as they separated it from the Agape Feast, or Love Feast which was usually taken very close to the Eucharist or Communion for Jesus himself instituted the Communion during a meal.

The Didache(c. 60 A.D.)

But concerning the Eucharist, after this fashion give ye thanks. First, concerning the cup. We thank thee, our Father, for the holy vine, David thy Son, which thou hast made known unto us through Jesus Christ thy Son; to thee be the glory for ever. And concerning the broken bread. We thank thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which thou hast made known unto us through Jesus thy Son; to thee be the glory for ever. As this broken bread was once scattered on the mountains, and after it had been brought together became one, so may thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth unto thy kingdom; for thine is the glory, and the power, through Jesus Christ, forever. And let none eat or drink of your Eucharist but such as have been baptized into the name of the Lord, for of a truth the Lord hath said concerning this, Give not that which is holy unto dogs. ( 9:1-5) On the Lord's Day of the Lord gather together, break bread and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure. Let no one who has a quarrel with his neighbor join you until he is reconciled by the Lord: "In every place and time let there be offered to me a clean sacrifice. For I am Great King," says the Lord, "and My name is wonderful among the Gentiles." (14:1-2)

Justin the Martyr (c. 100 - 165 A.D.)

We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [Baptism], and is thereby living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus (First Apology, 66). Moreover, as I said before, concerning the sacrifices which you at that time offered, God speaks through Malachi [1:10-12]…It is of the sacrifices offered to him in every place by us, the Gentiles, that is, of the bread of the Eucharist and likewise of the Cup of the Eucharist, that He speaks at that time; and He says that we glorify His name, while you profane it. (Dialogue with Trypho, 41)

Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 140 - 202 A.D.)

…He took from among creation that which is bread, and gave thanks, saying, This is my body.” The cup likewise, which is from among the creation to which we belong, he confessed to be his blood. He taught the new sacrifice of the New Covenant, of which Malachi, one of the twelve prophets, had signified beforehand: [quotes Mal 1:10-11]. By these words He makes it plain that the former people will cease to make offerings to God; but that in every place sacrifice will be offered to him, and indeed, a pure one; for His name is glorified among the Gentiles. (Against Heresies 4:17:5)

But what consistency is there in those who hold that the bread over which thanks have been given is the body of their Lord, and the cup His blood, if they do not acknowledge that He is the Son of the Creator… How can they say that the flesh which has been nourished by the body of the Lord and By His Blood gives way to corruption and does not partake of life? …For as the bread from the earth, receiving the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the eucharist, consisting of two elements, earthly and heavenly… (Against Heresies 4:18:4-5)

In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus makes the claim in the institution of the Communion that this IS His body and His blood. Never once does Jesus say this is like…. or this represents….or this is symbolic of……Jesus instead says this IS My body and My blood and that they are to take and eat and drink as a remembrance of Him. According to Paul in 1st Corinthians 11:23-24, when we as Christians take of the Communion we are proclaiming or announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again. What exactly does this mean? How can we be partaking of the body and blood of Jesus in Communion and it not be transubstantiation or symbolic alone? Perhaps the easiest way for us to wrap our minds around this beautiful and powerful image is the understanding of Baptism.

In baptism you are being immersed into physical water. The physical water is real and tangible and at the same time a spiritual reality is also happening. The spiritual reality is while you are being immersed in physical water and raised up you are being spiritually born again, you are being washed in the blood of the lamb, and you are being added to the body of Christ. So that while we are engaging in the physical action of baptism a Spiritual reality that is just as real is also happening in that moment. This truth is beautiful and powerful!

In Communion you are eating the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine. The physical food and drink is real and tangible and at the same time a spiritual reality is also real and happening. The spiritual reality is that while you are eating physical bread and drinking physical the fruit of the vine you are partaking spiritually of the body and blood of Jesus. So that while we are engaging in the physical action of Communion a spiritual reality that is just as real is also happening in that moment. For no part of Christian worship is made up of lifeless things. This truth is also beautiful and powerful.

For no longer do we have a lifeless stone temple, but have become a living temple not made with hands.

For no longer do we use lifeless mechanical instruments to worship our God, but the beautiful instrument being played is the heart giving its sound through our voice making us into a living Instrument.

For no longer do we offer up lifeless incense as worship, but our incense is the living prayers of the saints.

For no longer do we have a lifeless golden lampstand in the temple, but the living true light that is the light of the world shines in his living temple.

For no longer do we dip in lifeless water of the copper basin, but in the baptism, we find the life through the blood of Jesus which meets us there.

And no longer do we take lifeless shewbread, but instead we eat the living bread that came down from heaven.

John 6:48-59

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Jesus could have said, “Do you not understand I am speaking symbolically,” He instead doubled down. Jesus could have said here, “The bread of the Kingdom of heaven is like flesh…,” Instead, Jesus said once again, “If you do not eat my flesh which is true food, and drink my blood which true drink, you will have no life.” Why? Because this is the Communion with Christ. Our host sits at the head of the table and we are called to rejoice in the sacrifice that has made us clean and pure as a bride adorned for her husband.

Some have taken an odd position that this is not in reference to the Communion and the reason generally given is that they would not have understood what Jesus was saying seeing as the Communion had not been instituted yet. On the surface this argument might sound rational but as we dig deeper the argument is less convincing. Did Nicodemus understand the meaning of “You must be born again” to be a reference to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and his taking part in that through baptism? No. In fact Jesus taught many things concerning the kingdom and the death, burial, and resurrection that almost no one, to almost no one understood at most times. When Jesus said if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me and the crowd did not understand. Again in Luke 18:31 Jesus tells what will happen to him shortly and again the scriptures says the apostles did not understand. In reference to the body and blood of Jesus in John 6 there is no reason to create a context that doesn’t fit with the consistent view that has been woven throughout the scriptures.

So, let us rejoice for in Christ we have great blessings. Blessings that are greater and more precious than physical tangible things. We indeed have access to all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, as we gather around the table of the Lord this Sunday and every Sunday from now until the Lord returns, we praise the Lord, we honor the Lord, and we thank the Lord for his great Love and Grace that he has shown us. We remember that He paid a price we were unable to pay ourselves. Let us take this gift of communion seriously for Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 11:27-34

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Who is unworthy but he who is not washed in the blood of Jesus? This is why the early church never gave Communion to anyone who was not baptized into Christ. Who also is unworthy but he who having been washed in the blood of Jesus has counted it a common thing and lives a life that doesn’t reflect the fact that he was washed and has instead gone back to living an unholy life indistinguishable from the world?

As Christians we rejoice for, we have a Communion with Christ, and that communion combines both the heavenly and the earthly into one moment every first day of the week. So, every time we feast in the Communion, Heaven and Earth meet and we celebrate the death of our Lord. For in His death, He paid the price, in His death His blood flowed to wash us, in His death His body was given, and we share in His sacrifice and are the benefactors of His stripes for by them we have been healed!

-Travis Byars