The Lord Jesus instituted two ordinances (or sacraments) to be observed by the church. Last week we discussed baptism, an ordinance that is only observed once by each person, as a sign of the beginning of his or her Christian life. This week we discuss the Lord’s Supper, an ordinance that is to be observed repeatedly throughout our Christian lives, as a sign of continuing in fellowship with Christ.
Background in the History of Redemption
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in the following way:
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. (Matthew 26:26 – 29)
Paul adds the following sentences from the tradition he received (1 Corinthians 11:23):
This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)
Is there a background to this ceremony in the Old Testament? It seems that there is, for there were instances of eating and drinking in the presence of God in the old covenant as well. For example, when the people of Israel were camped before Mount Sinai, just after God had given the Ten Commandments, God called the leaders of Israel up to the mountain to meet with him:
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel . . . they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9-11)
Every year the people of Israel were to tithe (give one-tenth of) all their crops. Then the law of Moses specified,
Before the LORD your God, in the place which he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. . . You shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. (Deuteronomy 14:23, 26)
But even earlier than that, God had put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and given them all of its abundance to eat (except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Since there was no sin in that situation, and since God had created them for fellowship with himself and to glorify himself, then every meal that Adam and Eve ate would have been a meal of feasting in the presence of the Lord.
When this fellowship in God’s presence was later broken by sin, God still allowed some meals (such as the tithe of fruits mentioned above) that the people would eat in his presence. These meals were a partial restoration of the fellowship with God that Adam and Eve enjoyed before the Fall, even though it was marred by sin. But the fellowship of eating in the presence of the Lord that we find in the Lord’s Supper is far better. The Old Testament sacrificial meals continually pointed to the fact that sins were not yet paid for, because the sacrifices in them were repeated year after year, and because they looked forward to the Messiah who was to come and take away sin (see Hebrews 10:1 – 4). The Lord’s Supper, however, reminds us that Jesus’ payment for our sins has already been accomplished, so we now eat in the Lord’s presence with great rejoicing.
Yet even the Lord’s Supper looks forward to a more wonderful fellowship meal in God’s presence in the future, when the fellowship of Eden will be restored and there will be even greater joy, because those who eat in God’s presence will be forgiven sinners now confirmed in righteousness, never able to sin again. That future time of great rejoicing and eating in the presence of God is hinted at by Jesus when he says, “I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). We are told more explicitly in Revelation about the marriage supper of the Lamb: “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’ ” (Revelation 19:9). This will be a time of great rejoicing in the presence of the Lord, as well as a time of reverence and awe before him.
From Genesis to Revelation, then, God’s aim has been to bring his people into fellowship with himself, and one of the great joys of experiencing that fellowship is the fact that we can eat and drink in the presence of the Lord. It would be healthy for the church today to recapture a more vivid sense of God’s presence at the table of the Lord.
The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper
The meaning of the Lord’s Supper is complex, rich, and full. There are several things symbolized and affirmed in the Lord’s Supper.
- Christ’s Death. When we participate in the Lord’s supper we symbolize the death of Christ because our actions give a picture of his death for us. When the bread is broken it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body, and when the cup is poured out it symbolizes the pouring out of Christ’s blood for us. This is why participating in the Lord’s Supper is also a kind of proclamation: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
- Our Participation in the Benefits of Christ’s Death. Jesus commanded his disciples, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). As we individually reach out and take the cup for ourselves, each one of us is by that action proclaiming, “I am taking the benefits of Christ’s death to myself.” When we do this, we give a symbol of the fact that we participate in or share in the benefits earned for us by the death of Jesus.
- Spiritual Nourishment. Just as ordinary food nourishes our physical bodies, so the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper give nourishment to us. But they also picture the fact that there is spiritual nourishment and refreshment that Christ is giving to our souls; the ceremony that Jesus instituted is in its very nature designed to teach us this. Jesus said,
Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. (John 6:53-57)
Jesus is not speaking of a literal eating of his flesh and blood. But if he is not speaking of a literal eating and drinking, then he must have in mind a spiritual participation in the benefits of the redemption he earns. This spiritual nourishment, so necessary for our souls, is both symbolized and experienced in our participation in the Lord’s Supper.
- The Unity of Believers. When Christians participate in the Lord’s Supper together they also give a clear sign of their unity with one another. In fact, Paul says, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17).
When we put these four things together, we begin to realize some of the rich meaning of the Lord’s Supper: when I participate I come into the presence of Christ; I remember that he died for me; I participate in the benefits of his death; I receive spiritual nourishment; and I am united with all other believers who participate in this Supper. What great cause for thanksgiving and joy is to be found in this Supper of the Lord!
But in addition to these truths visibly portrayed by the Lord’s Supper, the fact that Christ has instituted this ceremony for us means that by it he is also promising or affirming certain things to us as well. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we should be reminded again and again of the following affirmations that Christ is making to us:
- Christ Affirms His Love for Me. The fact that I am able to participate in the Lord’s Supper, that Jesus invites me to come, is a vivid reminder and visual reassurance that Jesus Christ loves me, individually and personally. When I come to take of the Lord’s Supper I thereby find reassurance again and again of Christ’s personal love for me.
- Christ Affirms That All the Blessings of Salvation Are Reserved for Me. When I come at Christ’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper, the fact that he has invited me into his presence assures me that he has abundant blessings for me. In this Supper, I am actually eating and drinking at a foretaste of the great banquet table of the King. I come to his table as a member of his eternal family. When the Lord welcomes me to this table, he assures me that he will welcome me to all the other blessings of earth and heaven as well, and especially to the great marriage supper of the Lamb, at which a place has been reserved for me.
- I Affirm My Faith in Christ. Finally, as I take the bread and cup for myself, by my actions I am proclaiming, “I need you and trust you, Lord Jesus, to forgive my sins and give life and health to my soul, for only by your broken body and shed blood can I be saved.” In fact, as I partake in the breaking of the bread when I eat it and the pouring out of the cup when I drink from it, I proclaim again and again that my sins were part of the cause of Jesus’ suffering and death. In this way sorrow, joy, thanksgiving, and deep love for Christ are richly intermingled in the beauty of the Lord’s Supper.
How Is Christ Present in the Lord’s Supper
The Roman Catholic View: Transubstantiation. According to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ. This happens at the moment the priest says, “This is my body” during the celebration of the mass. At the same time as the priest says this, the bread is raised up (elevated) and adored. This action, of elevating the bread and pronouncing it to be Christ’s body can only be performed by a priest.
When this happens, according to Roman Catholic teaching, grace is imparted to those present ex opere operato, that is, “by the work performed,” but the amount of grace dispensed is in proportion to the subjective disposition of the recipient of grace. Every time the mass is celebrated, the sacrifice of Christ is repeated (in some sense), and the Catholic church is careful to affirm that this is a real sacrifice, even though it is not the same as the sacrifice that Christ paid on the cross.
In response to the Roman Catholic teaching on the Lord’s Supper, it must be said that it first fails to recognize the symbolic character of Jesus’ statements when he declared, “This is my body,” or, “This is my blood.” Jesus spoke in symbolic ways many times when speaking of himself. He said, for example, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1), or “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved” (John 10:9), or “I am the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41). In a similar way, when Jesus says, “This is my body,” he means it in a symbolic way, not in an actual, literal, physical way. In fact, as he was sitting with his disciples holding the bread, the bread was in his hand but it was distinct from his body, and that was, of course, evident to the disciples. None of the disciples present would have thought that the loaf of bread that Jesus held in his hand was actually his physical body, for they could see his body before their eyes. They would have naturally understood Jesus’ statement in a symbolic way. Similarly, when Jesus said, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20), he certainly did not mean that the cup was actually the new covenant, but that the cup represented the new covenant.
The Roman Catholic view fails to recognize the clear New Testament teaching on the finality and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice once for all time for our sins: the book of Hebrews emphasizes this many times, as when it says, “Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself . . . Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:25 – 28). To say that Christ’s sacrifice continues or is repeated in the mass has been, since the Reformation, one of the most objectionable Roman Catholic doctrines from the standpoint of Protestants. When we realize that Christ’s sacrifice for our sins is finished and completed (“It is finished,” John 19:30), it gives great assurance to us that our sins are all paid for, and there remains no sacrifice yet to be paid. But the idea of a continuation of Christ’s sacrifice destroys our assurance that the payment has been made by Christ and accepted by God the Father, and that there is “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) now remaining for us.
For Protestants the idea that the mass is in any sense a repetition of the death of Christ seems to mark a return to the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant, which were “a reminder of sin year after year” (Hebrews 10:3). Instead of the assurance of complete forgiveness of sins through the once for all sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:12), the idea that the mass is a repeated sacrifice gives a constant reminder of sins and remaining guilt to be atoned for week after week.
With regard to the teaching that only priests can officiate at the Lord’s Supper, the New Testament gives no instructions at all that place restrictions on the people who can preside at Communion. And since Scripture places no such restrictions on us, it would not seem to be justified to say that only priests can dispense the elements of the Lord’s Supper. Since the New Testament teaches that all believers are priests and members of a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), we should not specify a certain class of people who have the rights of priests, as in the old covenant, but we should emphasize that all believers share the great spiritual privilege of coming near to God.
Finally, any continuation of the restriction that will not allow laypersons to drink of the cup of the Lord’s Supper would be arguing from caution and tradition to justify disobedience to Jesus’ direct commands, not only the command to his disciples where he said, “Drink of it, all of you” (Matthew 26:27), but also the direction Paul recorded, in which Jesus said, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).
A Symbolic and Spiritual Presence of Christ.
The bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper did not change into the body and blood of Christ, nor did they somehow contain the body and blood of Christ. Rather, the bread and wine symbolized the body and blood of Christ, and they gave a visible sign of the fact that Christ himself was truly present.
Today most Protestants would say, in addition to the fact that the bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Christ, that Christ is also spiritually present in a special way as we partake of the bread and wine. Indeed, Jesus promised to be present whenever believers worship: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).” And if he is especially present when Christians gather to worship, then we would expect that he will be present in a special way in the Lord’s Supper: We meet him at his table, to which he comes to give himself to us. As we receive the elements of bread and wine in the presence of Christ, so we partake of him and all his benefits. We “feed upon him in our hearts” with thanksgiving. Even a child who knows Christ will understand this without being told and will expect to receive a special blessing from the Lord during this ceremony, because the meaning of it is so inherent in the very actions of eating and drinking. Yet we must not say that Christ is present apart from our personal faith, but only meets and blesses us there in accordance with our faith in him.
In what way is Christ present then? There is a symbolic presence of Christ, but it is also a genuine spiritual presence and there is genuine spiritual blessing in this ceremony.
Who Should Participate in the Lord’s Supper
Despite differences over some aspects of the Lord’s Supper, most Protestants would agree, first, that only those who believe in Christ should participate in it, because it is a sign of being a Christian and continuing in the Christian life. Paul warns that those who eat and drink unworthily face serious consequences: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Corinthians 11:29 – 30).
Second, many Protestants would argue from the meaning of baptism and the meaning of the Lord’s Supper that, ordinarily, only those who have been baptized should participate in the Lord’s Supper. This is because baptism is so clearly a symbol of beginning the Christian life, while the Lord’s Supper is clearly a symbol of continuing the Christian life. Therefore, if someone is taking the Lord’s Supper and thereby giving public proclamation that he or she is continuing in the Christian life, then that person should be asked, “Wouldn’t it be good to be baptized now and thereby give a symbol that you are beginning the Christian life?”
But others, including myself, would object to such a restriction as follows: A different problem arises if someone who is a genuine believer, but not yet baptized, is not allowed to participate in the Lord’s Supper when Christians get together. In that case the person’s nonparticipation symbolizes that he or she is not a member of the body of Christ which is coming together to observe the Lord’s Supper in a unified fellowship (see 1 Corinthians 10:17: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread”). Therefore, churches may think it best to allow non-baptized believers to participate in the Lord’s Supper but to urge them to be baptized as soon as possible. For if they are willing to participate in one outward symbol of being a Christian, there seems no reason why they should not be willing to participate in the other, a symbol that appropriately comes first.
Of course, the problems that arise in both situations (when unbaptized believers take Communion and when they do not) can all be avoided if new Christians are regularly baptized shortly after coming to faith. And, whichever position a church takes on the question of whether unbaptized believers should take Communion, in the teaching ministry of the church, it would seem wise to teach that the ideal situation is for new believers first to be baptized and then to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
The third qualification for participation is that self-examination:
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
In the context of 1 Corinthians 11 Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their selfish and inconsiderate conduct when they come together as a church: “When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk” (1 Corinthians 11:20 – 21). This helps us understand what Paul means when he talks about those who eat and drink “without discerning the body” (1 Corinthians 11:29). The problem at Corinth was not a failure to understand that the bread and cup represented the body and blood of the Lord, they certainly knew that. The problem rather was their selfish, inconsiderate conduct toward each other while they were at the Lord’s table. They were not understanding or “discerning” the true nature of the church as one body. This interpretation of “without discerning the body” is supported by Paul’s mention of the church as the body of Christ just a bit earlier, in 1 Corinthians 10:17: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” The phrase “not discerning the body” means “not understanding the unity and interdependence of people in the church, which is the body of Christ.” It means not taking thought for our brothers and sisters when we come to the Lord’s Supper, at which we ought to reflect his character!’
What does it mean, then, to eat or drink “in an unworthy manner” (1 Corinthians 11:27)? We might at first think the words apply rather narrowly and pertain only to the way we conduct ourselves when we actually eat and drink the bread and wine. But when Paul explains that unworthy participation involves “not discerning the body,” he indicates that we are to take thought for all of our relationships within the body of Christ: are we acting in ways that vividly portray not the unity of the one bread and one body, but disunity? Are we conducting ourselves in ways that proclaim not the self-giving sacrifice of our Lord, but enmity and selfishness? In a broad sense, then, “Let a man examine himself” means that we ought to ask whether our relationships in the body of Christ are in fact reflecting the character of the Lord whom we meet there and whom we represent.
In this connection, Jesus’ teaching about coming to worship in general should also be mentioned:
So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)
Jesus here tells us that whenever we come to worship we should be sure that our relationships with others are right, and if they are not, we should act quickly to make them right and then come to worship God. This admonition ought to be especially true when we come to the Lord’s Supper.
Of course, no pastor or church leader will know whether people are examining themselves or not (except in cases where clearly offensive or sinful conduct becomes evident to others). For the most part, the church must depend on the pastors and teachers to explain clearly the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and to warn of the dangers of participating unworthily. Then people will have the responsibility to examine their own lives, in accordance with what Paul says. Indeed, Paul does not say that the pastors should examine everyone else’s lives, but encourages individual self-examination instead: “Let a man examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28)
Other Questions
Who should administer the Lord’s Supper? Scripture gives no explicit teaching on this question, so we are left simply to decide what is wise and appropriate for the benefit of the believers in the church. In order to guard against abuse of the Lord’s Supper, a responsible leader ought to be in charge of administering it, but it does not seem that Scripture requires that only ordained clergy or selected church officers could do this. In ordinary situations, of course, the pastor or other leader who ordinarily officiates at the worship services of the church would appropriately officiate at Communion as well. But beyond this, there would seem to be no reason why only officers or only leaders, or only men, should distribute the elements. Would it not speak much more clearly of our unity and spiritual equality in Christ if both men and women, for example, assisted in distributing the elements of the Lord’s Supper?
How often should the Lord’s Supper be celebrated? Scripture does not tell us. Jesus simply said, “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup. . .” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Paul’s directive here regarding worship services would also be appropriate to consider: “Let all things be done for edification” (1 Corinthians 14:26). In actuality, it has been the practice of most of the church throughout its history to celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week when believers gather. However, in many Protestant groups since the Reformation, there has been a less frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper, sometimes once a month or twice a month, or, in many Reformed churches, only four times a year. If the Lord’s Supper is planned and explained and carried out in such a way that it is a time of self-examination, confession, and thanksgiving and praise, then it does not seem that celebrating it once a week would be too often, however, and it certainly could be observed that frequently “for edification.”