By Chalcedony Williams and Christopher Dryden
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Luke 22:19-20 ESV
As long as they were under the thumb of such cruel slavery, they could never have the life they were created for. The death of the firstborn was crucial for their liberation. That final sign was the precursor to life. The significance of the event was marked by a meal – the meal that reflected the power of the Passover.
Thousands of years later, a group of men celebrated this Passover with the meal. On that occasion, however, the meal took on a different significance. It was still the precursor to life, but now under a new covenant. A new covenant marked by the death of the only begotten of God. Jesus instructed His disciples to maintain this meal – the new meal that spoke of something of even greater value than the liberation of the people of Israel.
At this supper, the Lord invited His disciples to take part in the new life, by partaking in His broken Body and His shed blood. He invites His disciples who are born again by the Spirit to know life through these elements. He invites the saints today to truly know Him in the crucifixion and the resurrection not on an individual basis as if the meal is designed for a one-to-one occasion. This is something we experience together in fellowship even as we share the cup.
The Apostle Paul addressed the matter with the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 11 saw Paul deal with the problem of how division in the church led to a wrong application of this precious meal. Rather than looking out for others, the splits were evident and it led to some treating others with disrespect by ignoring the hungry. Paul brought the church back to what was revealed to Him about the meal to remind the saints that it was about what the meal means for life as a fellowship. Life together. This meal celebrates the life we have in Christ together.
There is that remarkable statement that Jesus makes about what we do in the meal. What we do is proclaim His death until He comes. The significance of this meal is that there’s life because of the death that took place in the past. There’s the meal we celebrate about who we are in the present. And there’s the ongoing declaration we make of what is yet to come.
There was the meal that looked to the liberation of a people. There is now the meal that celebrates life by the death of Christ; life that defeats death; life that we partake in together; life that leaves us with the longing of the Apostle John – even so, Lord Jesus come.
Ask: What is the significance of eating and drinking in remembrance?
Seek: In what ways are you experiencing fellowship with believers when partaking in the Supper?
Knock: Reflect on what Jesus says at the Supper. Thank God for giving us His Son and leaving this communion until His return.
(Upper Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by David Weber on Unsplash)
