One of the greatest privileges of being a Christian, is being invited to the Lord’s Supper. And not just invited to attend but invited to partake in the meal.
When you eat the bread and drink the wine it means that you are included in God’s family. It means that you acknowledge that Jesus died for you and that therefore your sins are forgiven. And it means that you have the gift of eternal life.
But I didn’t always know that I had this indescribable privilege.
When I was a Jehovah’s Witness many years ago, I belonged to the group who would pass the plate full of bread without ever taking a bite. I was not “one of the anointed” and so I was not invited to participate in the meal. (More on this in a future post).
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only denomination to place guidelines around who can drink the wine and who can eat the bread. This has been a topic of debate throughout history.
This is why it is so important to know exactly what the Bible says. And if God so chooses to leave out any details, then it is ok to just let it be. “Never scream where the Bible whispers, and never whisper where the Bible screams,” has become one of my favorite sayings.
The Lord’s Supper is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Since knowing what the Bible says is the ultimate goal, I have quoted the following Scriptures instead of just referencing them.
Mark 14:22-25 (NIV)
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
“Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 26:26-29 (NIV)
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 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 from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Luke 22:14-20 (NIV)
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
To recap, according to these 3 Gospel records of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus did the following:
- He was sharing a meal with his apostles.
- He gave thanks.
- He broke the bread and said, “This is my body given for you.”
- He took the cup of wine and said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
- He instructed them to, “do this in memory of me.”
When Jesus said, “this is my body” and “this is my blood,” we know that he meant it symbolically. After all, Jesus was sitting with his apostles, and they did not literally eat him. Instead, it was a symbol of his body “broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
John’s Gospel does not describe the moment that Jesus offered his followers the bread and the wine, but it does shed more light on what Jesus meant by his words, and who was invited to participate.
John 6:35, 47-58 (NIV)
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
These Scriptures tell us that Jesus is “the bread of life,” and this all-satisfying bread is offered to “whoever believes,” as a reminder that Jesus’ body was given for them and his blood was poured out for them, for the forgiveness of their sins. And that whoever eats this meal, remains in Jesus and he in them.
What a beautiful Joy.
In the book Systemic Theology by Wayne Gruden (an excellent resource for Biblical questions), the author describes the meaning of the Lord’s Supper based on these Scriptures. He says:
“…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.”
He goes on to say that “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…Christ affirms that all the blessings of salvation are reserved for me…I affirm my faith in Christ.”
And so, hear the good news:
If Jesus is your Lord and if his body was broken for you for the forgiveness of your sins, then you are invited to share in his meal.
Eat and be satisfied.
Praise God!