Matthew 26:26-29 (ESV) Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it 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 will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Old Testament Background
There seems to be instances eating and drinking in the presence of God in the old covenant. When the people of Israel were camped near Mt. Sinai (this is just after the giving of the Ten Commandments) God called the leaders of the nation 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” (Ex 24:9-11).
Also, every year the people of Israel were to tithe all of their crops. The Law of Moses proscribed the following:
“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” (Duet. 14:23, 26).
In the Garden, God had placed Adam and Eve and given them all of its abundance to eat; they were created for fellowship with God (and they had it). Every meal that Adam and Eve would have had would have been eating in the presence of God. Not to mention that if Christ ate and drank after his resurrection from the dead then it is likely that God, in the Garden, would have shared a meal or two with Adam and Eve.
While man’s fellowship with God was broken due to Adam’s sin, God still allowed some meals that people would eat in his presence. These meals were a partial restoration of the fellowship with God that man enjoyed prior to the Fall. The difference, however, between eating in God’s presence in the old covenant and eating in God’s presence in the new covenant is this – the OT sacrificial meals continually pointed to the fact that sins were not yet paid for. These sacrifices, and the meals that accompanied them, were repeated year after year. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Jesus’ payment for our sin has been accomplished, so we can now eat in the Lord’s presence with great rejoicing. The OT sacrifices look ahead to what was needed and what was to come; the Lord’s Supper looks back at what was done for us.
The Lord’s Supper also looks ahead to a much more wonderful fellowship meal in God’s presence – when the fellowship one shared in the Garden is restored – there will be great rejoicing at that meal, because all who take part are forgiving sinners now righteous, never able to sin again. This future blessing is hinted at by Jesus when he said, “I tell you that 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” (Matt. 26:29).
From Genesis to the Book of Revelation, God’s aim has been to bring his people into fellowship with him, 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 good for us if we could recapture a more vivid sense of God’s presence at the table – when you enjoy your family meals, and when you ask for God’s blessing, do you ask for his presence at the table?
The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper
There are several things that are affirmed and symbolized during the Lord’s Supper. Symbolized in the Supper are four things:
1. Christ’s Death – When the bread is broken it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body; 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 a type of a proclamation, “For as long as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).
2. Our Participation in the Benefits of Christ’s Death – Jesus commanded his disciples, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matt 26:26). As we 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 Christ.
3. Spiritual Nourishment – Just as food nourishes our bodies, so the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper give nourishment to our souls. This very ceremony instituted by Jesus was designed to teach us this. Jesus said,
“Unless you eath 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 on the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blod 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).
Obviously, he is not speaking, literately, of devouring his actual flesh. But if this is not the case, he must have in mind a spiritual participation in the benefits of the redemption that he earned for us. This spiritual nourishment, which is necessary for our souls, is symbolized and experienced in the Lord’s Supper.
4. The Unity of Believers – When Christians participate in the Lord’s Supper together they also give a clear sign of their unity together. Paul says,
“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17).
These four things should show us the deep meaning of the Lord’s Supper. In its participation we participate in the following: the presence of Christ, the death of Christ, the benefits of his death, the reception of spiritual nourishment, and in the unity of other believers – such rich reasons for thanksgiving to the Lord.
However, the fact that Christ instituted this Supper for us means that he is affirming, at least, two things to us, while we are affirming one thing, as well:
1. Christ Affirms His Love for Me – The fact that I am able to participate in the Lords’ Supper is a vivid reminder and a visual reassurance that Jesus loves me, individually and personally. In the reception of the Lord’s Supper we can find assurance, again and again, of Christ’s love.
2. Christ Affirms That All the Blessings of Salvation are Reserved for Me – When I come at Christ’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper, I am assured that he has abundant blessings in store for me. In the Supper I am eating and drinking a foretaste of the great banquet table of the King. In the Lord’s Supper I am reassured of my place at the great marriage supper of the Lamb.
3. I Affirm my Faith in Christ – As I take the bread and cup for myself, by my actions I am proclaiming, “I need you and I 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.” As I partake of the bread and cup, I proclaim that my sins were part of the cause for Jesus’ suffering and death.
How is Christ Present in the Lord’s Supper?
This section will briefly detail three differing views (Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and mainline Protestantism) on the presentation and meaning of the elements of the Lord’s Supper.
Roman Catholic (RCC) View: Transubstantiation
According to the RCC, the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. This is supposed to occur when the priest says, “This is my body,” during the celebration of mass. This is the reason that the priest lifts up the cup and the Eucharistic bread during this ceremony. It’s also the reason that they want to see you eat the bread if you take some during mass.
Lutheran View: Consubstantiation
If you think that the RCC’s view is odd then get set for a view that is exceedingly confusing. Martin Luther wrote and defended that notion that Christ is present in, with, and under the bread of the Lord’s Supper. The following analogy is often used to help explain this concept – Christ’s body is present in the bread as water is present in a sponge; the water is not the sponge, but is present in, with, and under the sponge.
Mainline Protestant View: Symbolic and Spiritual Presence of Christ
I hold that the bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Christ, and that they give a visible sign of the fact that Christ himself was truly present. I also affirm the notion that Christ is present spiritually, in a special way, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus promised his believers to be present whenever we worship,
“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).
If he is present when we 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 where he comes to give himself to us. As we receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper in the presence of Christ, so we partake of him and all of his benefits. However, we cannot and must not say that Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper apart from personal faith in the saving work of Jesus – he will only meet and bless us during the Lord’s Supper in accordance with our faith.
Who Should Participate in the Lord’s Supper?
Most would argue, I included, that only those who believe in the Lord Jesus should participate, 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 Cor 11:29-30).
Many would argue that only those who have been baptized should participate in the Lord’s Supper. This is because baptism is clearly a symbol of the beginning of the Christian life, while the Lord’s Supper is clearly a symbol of continuing the Christian life. However, many others object to this restriction; as 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 this case a person’s nonparticipation might symbolize that he is not a member of the body of Christ. Therefore, many churches think it best to allow non-baptized believers to partake of the elements alongside those who have been baptized. However, the problems that arise from both of these scenarios can be avoided if new Christians are baptized shortly after coming to faith.
Finally, self-examination should be required for participation.
“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 Cor 11:27-29).
What does it mean to eat or drink in an unworthy manner? At first glance we might think that these words apply narrowly to the way in which we conduct ourselves when we actually eat and drink the elements. 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. Some questions to ask yourself:
1. Are we acting in ways that portray not unity of the one break and one body, but disunity?
2. Are we conducting ourselves in ways that proclaim not the self-giving sacrifice of our Lord, instead, do we foster hostility and selfishness?
In a sense, examining ourselves means that we ought to ask whether our relationships in the body of Christ are reflective of the character of the Lord whom we meet there and whom we are supposed to be representing in this world.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:23-24 should be mentioned here,
“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.”
I think that it is quite profound that what is especially important in our worship, according to Jesus, is our unity, how we treat each other, are we seeking forgiveness, and do we seek to offer it. Therefore, before we come here we need to be sure that our relationships are in good standing; if they are not, we need to take quick and immediate steps to rectify them.
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this break and drink the cup, you proclaim th Lord’s death until he comes.”