CH 13 Do This In Remembrance of Me
The Table of the Lord, the Sacrament of Communion, is one of the commonalities across Christendom. Believers will disagree on doctrinal issues, worship styles & preaching methods, but they are unified across the denominations in their elevation of Jesus’ instruction to celebrate & commemorate his death & resurrection by remembering him at his table of bread & wine.
Let’s look at the Savior’s instructions to us;
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: This do in remembrance of me. Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:14-20
He took the bread and broke it saying this is my body given for you. And of course, his body was broken for us. Certainly, the words of Isaiah were on Jesus’ mind at that moment. In one of the most profound prophesies predicting his mission we read;
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Indeed, his body, the very body represented by the sacrament’s divided bread was broken beyond recognition so we could be healed and made whole. “His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men, (Isaiah 52:14).
In like manner, the Lord allegorically called the cup of wine, the cup of the New Covenant. A blood covenant shed for the sins of the world. Of course, the disciples, and those of us who have followed, see the connection clearly to the words of Jeremiah concerning a future covenant with him which was now being accomplished in Jesus’ work.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; (The covenant of the Law, which was a conditional covenant based upon their obedience.) Which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inwards parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: For they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:31-34 (italics added)
That covenant with the house of Israel & Judah has, for the most part, not yet been realized as they continue to dismiss Jesus of Nazareth as a false messiah. On a day in the future though, the Jews they will realize their mistake, and as Zechariah predicts “they will look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son,” (Zechariah 12:10). But we learn from the writer of Hebrews that the Church, made up of believing Jews & Gentiles, are living the new covenant of his blood now, ever since the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was given, (Hebrews 8:1-13).
So, we have his broken body & his shed blood bringing us healing and forgiveness. Freeing us from the power of sin (his body) & the penalty of iniquity (his blood). Putting his law in our inward parts and causing the Father to remember our sins no more! But along with these most profound truths we have an instruction embedded. We are to do this often in remembrance of his great sacrifice and love. We are to essentially celebrate this whenever we eat. That is, every day! We are to live a lifestyle of communion. A lifestyle with the awareness of his presence as much as possible! When I think of the word “communion,” to me it is synonymous with the concept of fellowship with our Lord. And the loveliness of this life is that when I do this, peace of mind and vibrancy of heart are the result. I am whimsical as I live life beautifully in the light of his presence!
And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men: Knowing of the Lord shall receive the reward of the inheritance: For you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23
This verse is the communion lifestyle! As I live with the awareness of his thereness, all that I do, all that I accomplish, all that I think about, can be with him in mind. No doubt, this way of life leads to victory & peace, no matter what the circumstances!
So, we see that this type of worship and intimacy with our Savior sprouts from his sacrifice made for us. For the Table of the Lord stems from his redemptive death for us. His body was broken, just as he broke the bread, showing that not only is this an outward celebration, but it is also an inward examination. Something about which to be very sober & somber.
For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, take eat, this is my body, which is broken for you: This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: This do you, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death until he come…But (And) let a man examine himself, and so let him eat that bread, and drink of that cup. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 & 28 (italics added)
To examine myself means to give this meal worth. To be introspective. To be thinking about the many implication of this sacrifice to blot out my sins. And to be looking…Looking back to what he did, looking forward to his return, looking within myself in confession & looking around, aware of other people and his great love for them also! Truly the Lord’s Table is both a party & a funeral reception. But even in his death, the wake can be a celebration, for after Good Friday came Easter Sunday!
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The Bible pictures the Sacrament of Communion in many places. It is seen in the exodus when manna fell from heaven satisfying the children’s hunger in the wilderness, (Exodus 16). It is typified at the grandeur of Solomon’s table (2 Chronicles 9) when the Queen of Sheba travelled from afar to see for herself whether the report she had heard of Solomon’s majesty were indeed true. In the Acts of the Apostles we can notice how it is associated with hope & protection as Paul offered it to the stormed tossed sailors on the night prior to their deliverance, (Acts 27). Of course, Jesus equated bread to himself, as told in the Gospel of John, saying that he is the true bread from heaven, that he is the Bread of Life, (John 6).
But, the first mention of bread and wine is found in Genesis 14. As an aside, when a topic is first mentioned in the Bible, often keys to its deeper meaning are embedded. Scholarly books discussing first mentions are available discussing everything from the first mentions of integrity & love to government & faith, and so on.
In this section the first mention of war is seen and we meet the mystical high priest Melchizedek. Five kings warred against four, including the kings of Sodom & Gomorrah. Abraham’s nephew Lot was caught up in the conflict as he was a citizen of Sodom. That city with their king was on the losing side and Lot was taken captive one hundred miles to the north to the area of the tribe of Dan. This enraged Abraham leading him to gather the three hundred and eighteen men of his household in an effort to free Lot. He led a guerilla nighttime attack, and with the Lord’s help, was successful against greater forces. It was on his way back to his home on the plain of Mamre (meaning abundance) that he met Melchizedek, who brought forth bread & wine (first mention of these). We are told in the New Testament (Hebrews 7:1-3) that Melchizedek was the King of Jerusalem and that he had no beginning or end. In Hebrew his name means King of Righteousness. So, track with me here. We have the King of Jerusalem, whose name means the King of Righteousness and he has no beginning or end. Who can this be? Why he is Jesus Christ of course. This is an Old Testament appearance of Christ before he came as the babe of Bethlehem. Bible scholars call this a Christophany when we see Jesus appearing in the Old Testament. There are many other examples of this which I will let you seek out on your own, (three of many; Joshua 5:13-15, Judges 13:2-22, Genesis 18).
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem) brought forth bread and wine: And he was the priest of the most high God. And he (Melchizedek) blessed him, and said, blessed be the most high God which has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he (Abraham) gave tithes of all (He gave 10% of the spoil to Melchizedek). And the king of Sodom said to Abram (name of Abraham before God changed it) give me the persons and keep the goods to yourself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, I will not take anything that is yours lest you should say, I have made Abram rich…After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 14:17-23 & 15:1 (italics added)
What a story! And what a lesson for us. You see, along with Melchizedek being a type of Christ, we have the King of Sodom who of course is a picture of Satan. The Enemy doesn’t care about the goods, he wants the men, he wants their souls! Melchizedek, on the other hand, blesses Abram with bread & wine (picturing the broken body and shed blood that Jesus explained to us). Melchizedek then received tithes of Abram’s spoils which enabled Abram to defeat the temptation of the King of Sodom to keep all of the spoil but give away the souls of his men. Subsequently, the word of the Lord came to Abram, likely in response from some fear which may have been bubbling up in his heart at not keeping the spoils, saying that he, God, not the stuff, was Abram’s exceeding great reward!
So, it is for us. In remembering the Lord at his table, in celebrating communion, we are saying yes to God and no to Satan! Blessing & protection are the result of the sacrament, just like they were to Abraham. Subsequently, communion directs us toward obedience and worship which opens the door to revelation from God, just as it did for Abraham.
Lastly, before leaving this wonderful sacrament given to us, let us consider the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, for in this we will gain insight into the work of Jesus down through the centuries unto our present day.
And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: For we are in a desert place. But he said unto them, give you them to eat. And they said, we have no more but five loaves and two fish; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: And there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. Luke 9:12-17
There are so many types in this story! First, as a disciple of the King, I too can feed people when I have meager supplies. For example, at work I may run into a problem that is not “quote” in my specialty, no matter, with the Lord’s help, I want to do what I can over passing on an opportunity to comfort. Same thing in ministry. I may be gifted in the areas of mercy & giving. Doesn’t mean when asked to serve on a work detail or teach kids on Sunday that I should decline. Communion, the multiplication of the loaves shows me that with the Lord, food will miraculously be produced as I distribute it out.
We see also that the Lord does the miracle but the disciples partnered with him. They supplied the paltry provisions, they instructed the company to sit down in order to receive from Jesus and they passed out the bread. Again, this confirms to me that I need to take seriously the opportunity to partner with the Lord, for this is his will. He could do everything himself, but he chooses to have us join along in his work. In this we see a blessing, do we not? Each of the disciples gleaned an entire basket of bread after all were fed. Of course, these fragments of bread allegorically reveal how the Word given to us by Jesus has been multiplied over the past two thousand years from the pulpits of preachers and teachers, from the desks of authors and speakers, from the easels of artists and painters.
So, we see in the Table of the Lord, that remembering his great sacrifice brings blessing & protection. Hope in God is linked to it, as well as the understanding that everything belongs to him, making us want to give back to him in the tithe and our offerings. It is associated with the healing of the body and the salvation of the soul. And wonderfully, it directs us towards confession, obedience & worship, all of which opens the door to intimacy with the Lord & revelation from the Lord.
In conclusion, if there is one verse that sums up our response to our Lord’s Supper, it is this;
Be still and know that I am God: Psalm 46:10a
Summary:
The Church of Christ has been living the New Covenant of his blood since the Day of Pentecost. For he has written his Law in our inwards parts.
The broken bread represents the body of Christ broken for us. It brings healing (Isaiah 53:5) & frees us from the power of sin (Romans 6:6).
The cup represents the shed blood of Christ bringing forgiveness & freeing us from the penalty of sin (Romans 5:9).
The communion lifestyle is to be aware of his presence often.
Communion says “yes” to God & “no” to Satan. It is associated with blessing & protection, hope & deliverance and directs us towards obedience & worship which in turn opens the door to insight & revelation from God.
For Further Study:
Do you think the Lord’s words about remembering his sacrifice at his Table are a command or a promise? Or both?
What does to examine yourself prior to partaking of the bread & the cup mean to you? If you have sinned today, does that disqualify you from partaking of his meal?