The Lord’s Supper

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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 He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup 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 bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

During the last meal with His disciples, Jesus did something quite different. He took the bread that was placed on the table, gave thanks for its provision, and tore it apart. While passing it to those He loved, He said: “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

In passing the cup of wine, Christ said, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). There was a different feel to the dinner that evening. The disciples did not fully understand what was about to take place. Once again, Jesus spoke of His death. Only this time it seemed to be an impending death.

Jesus wanted His followers to remember Him long after He was gone. The remembrance He called them into was not one of fondness or fearfulness. It was a remembrance of His life and death and what He had done for each of them personally.

The broken bread and cup of wine remind us that Christ gave all of Himself for us. This is the heart of the gospel message. Christ died for our sins. He was our substitute by paying a debt we could not pay. Not only do we observe the Lord’s Supper to recall His death; but in our remembrance, we celebrate the hope of His return.

“...do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19