On the night of His betrayal, Jesus instituted a supper to be observed in His kingdom to commemorate His sacrificial death for mankind. This is one of the responsibilities that we have as Christians as we come together to worship God. Consider Jesus’ words on that occasion:
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29).
As we consider this act of worship it is needful to establish the pattern required by the Lord to please Him, and also to consider the importance and solemnity of this feast.
Several points can be established in the verses above. For example, we see the emblems that were used. The bread (unleavened, taken from the Passover feast), is to be taken as a representation of Christ’s body. The fruit of the vine (grape juice) is to be taken in representation of His shed blood. It is easy to see that any other emblems will not serve, as these are the ones chosen by the Lord. It is also seen that our communion with the Lord in this way is to be found in “My Father’s kingdom.” It was only 50 days later, after Christ’s ascension into heaven, where we are told the kingdom of God was established with Power (cf. Acts 1 & 2). The first century Christians began their observance of this feast as the kingdom of God came into being. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Note: “the breaking of bread” as Christian worship had reference to the observance of the Lord’s supper in worship. We shall see the legitimacy of this truth in the next text we reference.
We are told during the travels of Paul he met with the saints in Troas to worship God. Consider Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” It is this passage to which we refer to establish the time of observance. It was on Sunday, the first day of the week, that Christian’s gathered in the Kingdom to observe this Supper. Sunday is referred to as the Lord’s day. This is one of the reasons we meet together to worship Jesus and His Father on that day. One point to observe here. The first day of the week comes every week (just as the Sabbath day). It is understood that when Christians come together to worship God on that day, the Lord’s supper is to be included in that worship.
We might also note that unlike other aspects of Christian worship (preaching, singing, praying), the observance of the Lord’s Supper is seen to be solely observed in the corporate sense. As Christians, we come together on that specific day to break bread.
We next travel to 1 Corinthians 11, and note their some abuses of this act of worship. Corinthian Christians were not observing it in acceptable ways. Paul said a Christian, in parking unworthily, “eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29).
By looking the mistakes of the Corinthians, we can note what God expects of us. First, their was division in Corinth, causing a lack of brotherly consideration in the observation of the supper. Paul’s conclusion, “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk” (20-21). They were not waiting on one another, considering all. They were turning the Lord’s Supper into a common meal rather than observing the Lord’s death.
Paul wrote in verse 26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” This points out the second purpose of the Supper. First, we remember Jesus’ sacrificial death. Second, we proclaim it to one another. This practice is to continue until His second coming.
This is such an important act of worship that we must carefully examine out hearts as we partake. As Paul wrote, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (28).
We do not eat the supper to get full. We eat it with solemnity as we remember His death. Remember, Christ came to earth for this purpose! “…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many…” (Hebrews 9:26-28). We rejoice that God loved us enough to send Him (cf. John 3:16), and Jesus willingly submitted to His Father’s will (cf. Philippians 2:8). It is through His death that redemption becomes available to all men. Without Him we would still be without hope in the world.
Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). It is important that we worship Him each Lord’s day by observing this memorial feast. We should be at peace with those of like precious faith, and as a family of God gather around His table to partake of His feast.
Consider again from Acts 20:7 that this was a central purpose of the disciples gathering for corporate (congregational) worship. If God places such an emphasis on this act, how can we justify absenting ourselves from it?
