3 things that communion/the Lord's supper signifies and reminds us of:

Jesus’ life in us

Unity with God and as Church

Jesus is coming back

Jesus’ life in us

Communion is a callback to Jesus’ message in John 6:25-59. He refers to himself as the bread of life.
John 6 not a reference to communion itself, but an explanation/foreshadowing of the truth of what
communion represents: Jesus’ offers his life to us, and we can have his life in us by believing in him.

Body = life

Important distinction between John 6 and communion descriptions in gospels and 1 Corinthians: John 6
uses Greek “sarx” for bread/body analogy, typically translated “flesh”…later used by Paul to describe the
fallen human nature/tendencies, general descriptor of overall mortal, physical experience. Communion
descriptions use the greek word “soma” which simply means “body”…could even be used to refer to a
non human body like an object or celestial “body”.

Distinction is important to understand Jesus was not saying in John 6 that taking communion itself saves.
Jesus was in John 6 talking about an exchange of his life for ours, his flesh for ours. By believing in him
we could “eat” his flesh and “drink” his blood and have his eternal life in us.

Blood = life

Leviticus 17: 10-12

Israelites were prohibited from eating/drinking blood from animals because “life is in the blood”, and
that animal blood was supposed to be used in atonement, to pay for sin.

But animal life/blood was never sufficient to fully atone, and was never a suitable substitute to replace
our lost life and provide eternal life. Having an animal’s life “in” us can’t give us eternal life.

God wants only one life “in” us, and that’s Jesus’ life. So the cup/wine/juice represents this new
“covenant” where instead of repeated animal blood sacrifices, Jesus has given his own blood, once for
all, for us to have his life.

We have this life in us, we eat Jesus body and drink his blood, by believing in Him and what he
accomplished on the cross (exchanging his life for ours), and by submitting to him as Lord.

Communion is a symbol and recognition of that spiritual truth. Communion itself does not save.

Unity with God and as a Church

Communion also symbolizes and reminds us of the unity God has in himself and desires with and for us.
John 17:20-26

Soon after the Last Supper, Jesus specifically prays for unity for the people who would believe through
the disciples’ message…that’s us! The one thing we specifically know that Jesus wants for us is to be one
with him, and one with each other, so that world would know that Jesus was sent by God.

What does it mean to be “one” with Jesus, in practical terms? Jesus said he wants us to be one with him
and each other in the same way he and his Father are one. How are Jesus and the Father “one”?

John 14: 9-12

Jesus explains to Philip that since Philip has seen and knows Jesus, he has seen and knows the Father!
Jesus specifically says that the evidence for this is in his words and works…everything that Jesus says and
does is really the Father working through him. In other words, Jesus is one with his Father by being
obedient to Him. Jesus also says that we can be one with him by being obedient to him! John
14:15,21,23. Not only that, but spiritually, Jesus explains that this will be accomplished by the Father
sending His Holy Spirit to live in us. So in other words, we are one with Jesus, and one with each other
by being on the same team, working together toward the same goals of doing the Father’s work (joined
together by the Holy Spirit).

What is the Father’s work?

1. Believe in Jesus, John:29

2. Obey Jesus, John 14:15,21,23

What are Jesus’ commands?

1. Love God 100% and love your neighbor as yourself. We have seen already that loving God
means being obedient to Him. Loving our neighbors as ourselves means doing the same things
for others that we do for ourselves, working to take care of others’ needs at the same level we
take care of our own needs. Mark 12:29-31
2. Love each other (other believers) as Jesus has loved us. Jesus ultimately died for his friends, and
although that doesn’t necessarily mean we will need to do the same, we should be willing to.
Further, Jesus loved his disciples by doing life with them, teaching them, guiding them, advising
them, and providing for their material and relational needs. He ultimately gave up any other life
he could have had to hang out with and teach/guide these people; he devoted his life to them.
We should work to do more of the same. John 15:12-15, 17
3. Ultimately Jesus’ work during his ministry was all about preparing people for his Father’s coming
kingdom and inviting people to be a part of it. When Jesus left he gave the command for his
disciples to continue that work. We are supposed to be letting people know they can have
eternal life in God’s kingdom, and be teaching them and guiding them on how to follow Jesus.
Matthew 28:19-20

When we take communion, we do it together as a church as a reminder that we are part of one team,
that Jesus gave his life for all of us to be one, as parts of one body, in him and to continue to do his work
in this world, together.

Jesus is coming back

We also look forward to the day Jesus returns when we take communion. Jesus said that he himself
would not drink wine again until he returns and that he wanted us to think about his return every time
we take communion. Luke 22: 15-18, 1 Corinthians 11:26