The Lord’s Supper
Story Overview:
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus celebrated one last Passover meal
with his disciples. Jews ate this meal annually to celebrate God’s deliverance
from Egyptian bondage. On this night, Jesus used elements of the meal to
institute a new remembrance, bread to remember his body and wine to
remember his blood. From this time forward, the followers of Jesus would
celebrate God’s deliverance from sin through Jesus.
Background Study:
This would not be the first Passover meal for Jesus and his disciples. It was an
extremely important event; these men would have celebrated it yearly since they
were children. This time was different, however. Jesus knew this was the last
time he and the disciples would be together to celebrate before he was crucified
and then returned to heaven after the resurrection.
The setting of the meal is bittersweet. On one hand, Jesus is excited to eat
this last meal with the men who were close to him. On the other, one of the
men, Judas, has already secretly met with the Pharisees and made the decision
to betray Jesus. Jesus knew this, but the other disciples did not.
There was a strict schedule for the Passover feast. The Passover lamb was
sacrificed at a specific time on the fourteenth day of the first month on the
Jewish calendar. (Leviticus 23:4-8). In this case, it was on Thursday of Passion
Week. We will later learn that Jesus was crucified on Friday.
It seems Jesus had planned ahead and had already made some arrangements
for where the celebration would take place. He sent Peter and John ahead to
meet a man who would show them to a large upstairs room where they would
eat together. Preparations would involve gathering the key traditional food
items that were familiar to all Jews.
Unleavened bread: Flat bread made without yeast. Originally this was
eaten during the Passover because the Jews left Egypt so quickly that the
bread did not have time to rise. The unleavened bread was to be eaten at
specific times during the meal.
Lamb: Killed at sundown and roasted. The blood of the lamb was to be
given to the priest to pour on the altar. They were to eat the whole lamb
during the meal.
Bitter herbs: These were eaten to remind the Jews of the bitter times in
Egypt.
Wine: This was to be drunk at four specific times in the Passover meal.
The first Passover had been celebrated hundreds and hundreds of years earlier
on the last night that the Jews were captive in Egypt (Exodus 12). The Jews that
followed God’s instructions and placed lamb’s blood on their doorposts were
able to celebrate the meal safely inside their homes while the Angel of Death
passed over them. Jews continued to celebrate the Passover as a reminder of
God’s salvation (rescue from Egyptian slavery). Jews continue to celebrate it
today.
Various Names of the Lords Supper [N]
( 1 Corinthians 11:20 ), called also "the Lord's table" ( 10:21 ), "communion,"
"cup of blessing" ( 10:16 ), and "breaking of bread" ( Acts 2:42 ).
The account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matthew 26:26-
29 , Mark 14:22-25 , Luke 22:19 Luke 22:20 , and 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 . It is
not mentioned by John.
It was designed,
To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me."
To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. In this
ordinance Christ ratifies his promises to his people, and they on their part solemnly
consecrate themselves to him and to his entire service.
To be a badge of the Christian profession.
To indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ.
To represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.
The elements used to represent Christ's body and blood are bread and wine. The kind
of bread, whether leavened or unleavened, is not specified. Christ used unleavened
bread simply because it was at that moment on the paschal table. Wine, and no other
liquid, is to be used ( Matthew 26:26-29 ). Believers "feed" on Christ's body and
blood, (1) not with the mouth in any manner, but (2) by the soul alone, and (3) by faith,
which is the mouth or hand of the soul. This they do (4) by the power of the Holy
Ghost. This "feeding" on Christ, however, takes place not in the Lord's Supper alone,
but whenever faith in him is exercised.
The Importance of the Lord’s Supper
For remembrance of Jesus death – Luke 22:19, I Cor. 11:25-26
For remembrance of Jesus suffering – I Cor. 11:24, Matt. 26:26
For remembrance of Jesus cleansing blood
Provided eternal redemption –Heb. 9:12
The Elements of the Lord’s Supper
The two elements are unleavened bread and fruit of the vine.
Spiritual not literal or physical – John 6:48-63
Unleavened because leaven is a type of sin in the Bible – I Cor.5:6-8, Exodus
12:18:20
The bread pictures his body – John 6:35, 51
The fruit if the vine pictures his blood – Deu. 32:14
Who can participate?
In I Cor. 11:20-34, Paul’s instructions were to born again Christians.
As a Christian how should I approach the Lord’s Supper?
With Fear and Trembling – I Cor. 11:17-22,33-34
With Desire – Luke 22:15
With a Clean Heart – I Cor. 11:28-32
To participate meaningfully, think of “looking” in five directions as we come to the
Lord’s Supper:
We look backward: we remember Christ’s body and blood given for us at the
cross; we remember that his death has brought us forgiveness of sins and eternal
life
We look outward: we celebrate the family bond we share with brothers and sisters
in Christ in the local church
We look upward: we realize that we’re lifted up to be seated with our heavenly
host, Jesus, to whom we bring our hungry hearts for nourishment with the grace of
the new covenant
We look inward: we examine our hearts to ensure that we’re walking in faith and
repentance, and living with love for our brothers and sisters in Christ
We look forward: we wait in hope for the glorious day when we will celebrate the
fulfillment of all God’s promises at his heavenly banquet1
The Results
1. Remembrance of Jesus Christ Death and Suffering.
2. Remembrance of the Cleansing of Jesus Christ Blood.
3. Self-Examination and Self-Judgment and Repentance.
4. Proclaiming and testifying of the death of Jesus
