Monday, February 28, 2011

The Lord’s Supper

Luke 22:7-20

The Passover was to be killed and eaten on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar. Exodus 12:26-27 describes the purpose. “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses…” While the day was not a Sabbath, it was to be an Holy Convocation or time of gathering to remember what God had done, starting the feast of unleavened bread. During this period there was to be no leavening agents used, or even found in the homes.

Exodus 12:43-48 gives specific guidelines as to who could participate and how the Passover was to be partaken. “And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.”

It is under the guidelines God gave in Exodus 12 that Jesus had his disciples prepare to celebrate the Passover. It is a time when they were to be reminded God had done for Israel, reserved solely for those who were beneficiaries of those promises and actions.

“Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?

And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.” (Luke 22:7-14)


This was the last meal Jesus would eat with his disciples before his crucifixion. While it was a reminder of the past, it represented what he was to do. He would not partake of it again until he had fulfilled what it pictured for the future.

“And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Lu 22:15-16”

Every aspect of the Passover portrayed what Christ would do when he came. The Passover lamb had to be a perfect lamb without any blemishes, and the bread had to be unleavened, portraying the moral purity of Christ, who “… was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” according to Hebrews 4:15. The care not to break a bone of the sacrifice pictured the prophecy about Christ that not a bone would be broken. The painting of the blood on the door jam pictured the individual application of Christ’s blood for forgiveness and salvation. That it was limited to those who had accepted circumcision as evidence of their faith again stresses the need for individual commitment. The study of the various aspects is fascinating. It was during this feast that Jesus established the communion service or “Lords Supper.”

“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” (Luke 22:17-18)

There is a great deal of discussion whether we should use fermented wine for the communion. Notice that none of the gospels or the passage in I Corinthians 11 speak of wine at all at the Lord‘s supper, but of the cup, or of the fruit of the vine. It is significant that both Matthew and Mark stress the new fruit in their reference to this statement of Christ. Mark 14:25 quotes him, “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God,” speaking of fresh juice, rather than old or fermented wine.

“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. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)

Some believe that the unleavened bread and the ‘wine’ become literally the body of Christ, and that partaking the communion is essential for salvation. I Corinthians 11:26 tells us it just portrays his death. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.” It is a physical representation of what has happened spiritually, that we have partaken of his sacrifice. The statement that “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you,” reinforces this.

The Lord’s Supper is the Christian version of Passover, a celebration of what the Lord has done for us. There are certain guidelines that need to be followed to make it pleasing to God. I Corinthians 5:7 commands, “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.” Just as there were certain guidelines as to who could partake the Passover there are guidelines as to who may partake of the Communion. I Corinthians 11:27-30 warns, “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. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

It is the individual’s responsibility to determine whether he meets the qualifications. Failure to do so makes a mockery of Christ’s sacrifice, and may result in sickness or even death. It is not to be taken lightly.

1 comment:

  1. I love this teaching, dfish.

    I come from a Catholic backround with the belief that the wafers, are being supernaturally transformed into the literal body of Christ.
    I don't understand how many can say that they are born again and stay entrenched in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately my Mom is one of them.
    I love how you have said that the last supper is the Christian's version of the Jewish Passover. You always have a way of teaching things, that makes everything hard, easy for us to understand. Thanks for that, dfish.
    I understand much more today,because of your teachings.
    Your Sister In Christ,
    Gerie

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