The Lord’s Supper is rich both in symbolism and meaning. It is meant to remind Christ followers of the new covenant for the world, and the sacrificial death and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessings abound for those who gain a biblical understanding of the Lord’s Supper.
As we read in Matthew 26: 17-30, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the evening of Passover. The Passover was a time of remembering what God had done through Moses because of the covenant he made with Abraham. During the Israelites time of slavery in Egypt, God struck down the first born of every home not protected by the blood of a lamb. God had instructed Moses to tell all the people to take a spotless lamb, sacrifice it; eat its meat along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. They were then to take the lambs blood, and with a hyssop branch, spread some blood across the top and both sides of the door of the house. That evening, when death came, all the first born who were not protected by the blood on the door were killed. Those inside a house with blood spread on the door frames were spared. This is also symbolic of what Christ is preparing to do in the account of Matthew.
As Christ prepares to finish his work on earth through His death on the cross as the ultimate sacrificial lamb, He institutes a new covenant with the world, not just a specific people group as in Abraham’s case. Jesus uses two items as symbols of this new covenant, the bread and the wine.
First he takes the bread, gives thanks for it, thereby setting it apart for this specific purpose, and then breaks it and gives it to the disciples. The symbolism of Christ breaking the bread is that of what His own body will go through. Although not one of his bones was broken, however; Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” The bread is a consistent reminder of Christ’s’ body and the suffering He endured on our behalf.
The other item Christ used was the cup of wine, otherwise known as the Grace cup that was usually shared following a meal. Christ blesses this cup as well, thereby setting it apart, and tells the disciples in Matthew 26:27-28 “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (NIV). Hebrews 9:19-22 states that blood must be shed in order for the forgiveness of sins to occur. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats were used to cover for sin, but when Christ shed His blood, it covered and removed the sin for all who believe in Him.
In Luke 22:19, Christ makes this statement prior to giving the disciples the cup, “…do this in remembrance of me.” So this is a clear directive from Christ for us to repeat the act of breaking bread and sharing in the wine as a remembrance of what he is about to do. In the New Testament, the frequency of the Lord’s Supper is not specified. However, in Acts 2: 46-47, we read, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” There is a frequency that is apparent here.
The Bible is also clear on who should participate in the Lords Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 says that the act of taking communion is for the purpose of “proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.” (NIV) Eating and drinking without this acknowledgement of Christ’s body, will bring judgment upon whoever consumes without remembering. Let us be mindful as to how we approach communion in the future. Remembering Christ, His sacrifice and the new covenant for all who believe, first for the Jew and also for the Gentile.
Reference
Aquaro, G. R. A. (2001). Leavened versus unleavened bread: what’s the difference?.
Abstract retrieved February 22, 2009, from http://www.prosphora.org/page27.html
Darby, J. (2009). Crosswalk.com. John darby’s synopsis of the new testament, matthew
chapter 26. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from http://www.biblestudytools.net/commentaries/darbysSynopsisofnewtestament/dby.cgi?book=mt&chapter=26
Easton. (2009). Easton’s bible dictionary. Retrieved February 22, 2009, From
http://biblestudytools.net/dictionaries/eastonsbibledictionary/ebd.cgi?number=t2864
Naves. (2009). Naves topical bible. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
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