Why do we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper every Sunday and what do we expect from it?
People have made various memorials and have observed various special actions for a very long time. The Lord’s Supper has been observed since Jesus instituted it. It has been the subject of significant art work including well-known masterpieces (such as by Leonardo da Vinci).
For people in the United States, fireworks, cookouts and gathering with family and friends is associated with the founding of the country (July 4). Other things and actions have been associated with other memorials such as turkey for Thanksgiving. Bread (Genesis 3:19) and wine (Genesis 14:18) are two of the oldest foods mentioned in the Bible. As such, they are available almost anywhere people live.
When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, part of the requirements made of the people to be freed was to have a special dinner using bread made with no yeast and lamb. The blood of the lamb was used in a special way so that the messenger of death sent by God to punish the Egyptian slave masters would not harm them, but would pass over their house (Exodus 12).
After the Israelites were free, they were instructed to observe an annual feast day later called the Passover, to serve as a memorial for God’s actions taken to free them when the messenger of death passed over them and thus give birth to a nation. This feast day served as a memorial both for God’s action against the Egyptian slave masters and the beginning of Israel as a nation. (Exodus 23:14-15)
The Passover feast has been observed throughout Israel and Jewish history, even today (Numbers 9:2, Deuteronomy 16:1, Joshua 5:10, II Kings 23:21, Ezra 6:19, Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:8, John 13:1).
The original last supper of Jesus before his execution was a Passover celebration, but Jesus used the occasion to add new meaning to the bread and wine used during the feast (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). Jesus knew he was about to become the sacrificial “lamb” (I Peter 1:17-19) with his body to be killed and his blood shed. He associated his body with the bread made without yeast, and he associated his blood with the wine. He instructed those with him, and those who would follow later, to eat this bread and drink this cup (wine) to proclaim his death and to do it in remembrance of him.
This became known as the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-26) or communion since Jesus is present in a spiritual way with those who meet in his name (Matthew 18:20). Communion means the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation (dictionary.com). Sometimes it is referred to as a participation or sharing in the body of Christ (I Corinthians 10:16).
The early church met together frequently to break bread and eat (Acts 2:42). At least some of these meetings were for observing the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 10:16-17). We also know that the Lord’s Supper was observed on the first day of the week (Sunday) in some places (Acts 20:7). Using that example, we also observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of each week.
The Lord’s Supper is intended to be observed in a way that all Christians present participate in together, at the same time (I Corinthians 11:33) and those participating are to be aware of its meaning (I Corinthians 11:27-32) and do not take it lightly.
Today we break and eat a token amount of bread without yeast and drink unfermented wine (grape juice) using separate cups for better sanitation. We do it for the same reason the early church did it – to bring the life and sacrifice of Jesus to mind so we continue to remember what God did for us, and remember how we in turn should respond.
Written by Cliff Copass