The Lord’s supper or communion as it is also called represents our Lord Jesus just as the Jewish feasts did and other things in scripture. Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper at the Last Supper while observing the passover meal with his disciples the night before he died on the cross for all of mankind’s sins. This was Jesus’ farewell gift and last major commandment for Christians. Passover is connected to the Lord’s supper and they go hand in hand. Communion is also referred to as the Lord’s table in I Corinthians 10:21 and the cup as the cup of blessing in I Corinthians 10:16. (I Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.) I Corinthians 10:16 is also where we get the name communion from and verse 17 shows how we are united with Jesus and how all believers should partake of communion. Communion is a good name as it shows that as believers we become one with Christ as represented in the Lord’s supper. The word union is even found in the word communion. Some say Acts 2:42 refers to the Lord’s supper by the name “breaking of bread”. This is possible; though I believe it is referring to fellowship meals with Christians rather than actually celebrating the Lord’s supper. (Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.) Even today when people get together for a meal we often say we are “breaking bread” and it just means eating and not having communion. Both the name Lord’s supper and communion are correct and both are found in scripture. Baptists usually use the name the Lord’s supper and other denominations either communion or the Lord’s supper. Communion should never be referred to as the Eucharist as the Roman Catholics refer to it as. They are not the same as Roman Catholics believe Jesus is literally in the consecrated wafer after the priest calls Jesus down from heaven which they call a Host. Roman Catholics say Jesus is in the Host in body, blood, and soul and this is why they worship the Host. This is completely unscriptural and is blasphemous. No priest can call Jesus down from heaven and Jesus never said to worship anything except him in spirit.
It is possible that Melchizedek the king of Salem, who was the preincarnated Christ, observed an early version or type of communion with Abram (Abraham) after his recovery of Lot. (Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.)
Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper on the night before he went to the cross for our sins while observing the Last Supper or passover meal with his apostles. I have preached on Jesus in the passover previously and we will see the overlap in these two observances. (Matthew 26:26-30 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.) (Luke 22:15-20 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 ¶ And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.) This bread that Jesus took was the unleavened bread of the passover. The bread had to be unleavened to represent Jesus as the sinless sacrifice as the passover lamb. Leaven represents sin in scripture. Bread used for communion must also be unleavened. (II Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.) (Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.) (I Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:) In the passover meal, the bread in the beginning is in three pieces. After drinking the first cup, then the head man will take the middle piece of bread out and break it in half and take and wrap one of the halves of bread in a cloth. This piece is known as the afikomen and is then hid until later in the passover feast. At the appropriate time then the children go and search for this hidden piece of bread. After it is found then the head of the house takes this broken piece of bread and breaks off a piece and gives it to everyone present who then eat it. This afikomen is the bread that Jesus took and broke a piece off for each of his disciples to eat. The bread that is hidden represents Jesus as the second person of the Godhead and it is broken signifying his body which was broken and beaten as it was placed on the cross and crucified for all of us. Jesus had to be broken for us so that he could bear the sins of the world. Luke 22:15 says Jesus had to suffer for us. (Matthew 27:26 ¶ Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.) (Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.) Scourging was a severe beating done with whips which contained sharp ends that tore into the flesh and pulled chunks out. The cloth that the piece of bread was wrapped in is representative of the cloth that Jesus was buried in and the piece being hidden represents the time Jesus’ body was in the tomb for three days and three nights and the piece being found represents the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on that glorious Sunday morning. (Matthew 27:59-60 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.) (Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.) The disciples were told to eat the bread as it represented his body as Jesus is the bread of life. The Lord’s supper reminds us that we only survive by being nourished on Jesus. (John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.) (John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.) A person can only have everlasting life by eating the bread of Jesus. This is not referring to literally eating Jesus as the Roman Catholics teach. This would be cannibalism which God condemns. The disciples understood that Jesus was speaking spiritually as he was still sitting in front of them and they were eating physical bread. Roman Catholics are taught that John 6 refers to the Eucharist, but this chapter has nothing to do with the Lord’s supper as this chapter occurred long before that time in a discussion with the Jewish leaders who were saying that Moses had manna from heaven and Jesus was saying I was that manna, but the Jews never understood this. (John 6:48 I am that bread of life.) The Jews were looking for physical bread and temporary satisfaction just as they got when Jesus fed the five thousand earlier in the chapter and Jesus was telling them they needed spiritual bread which was him for true life. This chapter in John has nothing to do with the institution of the Lord’s supper. The hymn sung by Jesus and the disciples at the end of the Last Supper was Psalms 113-118 known as the Hallel where the word hallelujah comes from which means “Praise ye Jehovah”. The disciples were singing praise to Jesus for what he was about to do for them on the cross not realizing that Jesus is Jehovah.
When churches have communion the bread must be broken before partaking of it since it represents the broken body of Jesus on the cross that was broken for us. Too many churches use a round piece of flat bread that looks just like a Roman Catholic Host and it also does not show the broken body of Jesus.
Jesus next took the cup and gave it to his disciples and said to drink it and said it represented his shed blood for the sins of the world as well as the new testament that he was giving them. Jesus was saying he was doing away with the old testament and instituting a new testament with his shed blood replacing the blood of the bulls and goats of the old testament which could save no one the way his blood does. (Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.) This does not mean he replaced the Jews with the church as many teach, but rather he was showing both Jews and Gentiles that they can have everlasting life only by his shed blood which washes away our sins. (Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,) The Israelites had been told that one day God would institute a new covenant or testament with them and this is what Jesus did here at the Last Supper when he instituted the Lord’s supper. (Jeremiah 31:31 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:) Jesus told his disciples to drink it as it represented his blood and only when a person drinks his blood can they be saved. Jesus was again speaking spiritually here and was not talking about drinking his literal blood as Roman Catholics teach. This is why we do not worship the Lord’s supper as it is just bread and a cup and not actually Jesus as Roman Catholicism teaches. The fact that it is spiritual can be seen in verse 29 where Jesus refers to the cup as the fruit of the vine. He does not call it blood or say that it is now literally his blood. It is still called by the same name as before he blessed it. This cup that Jesus took was the third passover cup that is known as the cup of redemption as people can only be redeemed of their sins by the shed blood of Jesus. There is no other name or way by which a person can be saved, but by calling on Jesus to save them. (Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.) The cup is referred to as wine by many denominations, but it is never referred to as wine in scripture. This does not refer to literal wine as used by most Christian denominations, but rather grape juice as used by Baptists and many non-denominated churches. Jesus would never have told his disciples to drink wine to remember his shed blood when throughout scripture God condemns wine. (Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.) (Judges 13:4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing🙂 In Matthew 26:29 the cup is referred to as the fruit of the vine which is grapes and hence grape juice. Other places in scripture such as Revelation 14:18 back it up as grapes. Wine only comes after the grapes ferment. Communion is for all believers including children that are saved and God would certainly not want them to drink wine. Many Roman Catholic priests have become alcoholics because of the use of real wine. The grape juice used must be red or purple and not white since it represents the blood of Jesus. Communion should be for all believers in the church, not just for members. This is known as open communion whereas closed communion is only for church members. Communion is to remember the Lord’s death until he comes and God wants all true Christians to be able to partake and not just special ones in the church. Let saved visitors and saved non-members be able to partake as well so they can be obedient to Jesus.
Jesus said that we as believers were to observe the Lord’s supper in remembrance of his death until he comes. Communion is done to remember the death of Jesus only and has no saving power as Roman Catholicism teaches. Communion is an ordinance (command) given to us by Jesus, not a sacrament as in some churches that is necessary for salvation. Jesus never gave the church any sacraments, only two ordinances; baptism and the Lord’s supper. If a person is truly saved and never observes communion then they will still be saved and if an unsaved person observes communion daily it will never save them. They will still be dead in their sins and remain unsaved. Communion remembers his death and is done in obedience of Jesus’ command and is nothing more. You remember someone who is gone which is another reason that Jesus cannot literally be in the Roman Catholic Eucharist. Jesus is not sacrificed over and over again in the Lord’s supper the way he is in the Eucharist. Jesus died once for all time for our sins with it never to be repeated. (Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.) Once Jesus returns to earth at his second coming then we will no longer celebrate communion as Jesus will be living among us as proof of his resurrection. (I Corinthians 11:23-26 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.) Verses 25-26 say that as often as we have communion we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross, but Jesus never said how often we were to observe the Lord’s supper. Some churches have it weekly, some monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or once a year or some other time. There is no right or wrong, but the Lord’s supper should not be observed so often that it just becomes a ritual with the meaning lost, but it should not be done so infrequently that we forget to remember the Lord’s death till he comes. Jesus warned people about the seriousness of partaking in the Lord’s supper and said it was not to be for a meal as they were to eat at home and that they needed to make sure that they had no unconfessed sin before partaking as this had caused some to sleep (die). I Corinthians 10:21 says we cannot participate in the table of the Lord and of the table of devils. If a person is not right with God, then they need to get right before partaking or wait until the next observance of the Lord’s supper. (I Corinthians 11:20-22 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.) (I Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.) (I Corinthians 11:27-30 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.) What Jesus did for us on the cross at Calvary is serious business and should be treated as such. The Lord’s supper is a reminder that God keeps his promises and has pardoned us of our sins. The Lord’s supper also looks ahead to the soon return of Jesus. Even so come Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.)
For those who are not saved, today is the day to call upon Jesus for salvation. For Jews who may be listening, realize that the Lord’s supper is the new testament promised you by God and that new testament is found in Jesus your Messiah. Call upon Jesus now and partake of the Lord’s supper.
