In my previous article about Baptism entitled Buried With Him, Raised with Him, I said all scripture points to and confirms our union with Christ if we have eyes to see and that the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are no exception. In baptism we are united with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, truths only spiritually discerned. In this article, we will focus on the second ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, which in addition to picturing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, also symbolizes our union with Him.
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper was not necessarily obvious in the beginning. In Corinthians, Paul finds the faithful ignorantly desecrating the ordinance and has to admonish them. He explained to them again in 1 Cor 11: 23 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, 24 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.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
There are several things going on here which is the wonderful thing about scripture. It is so rich in meaning and takes so many forms as you view it from various angles. It’s about remembrance, sacrifice, death and much more.
First, we know it symbolizes the new covenant and that blood is involved. This macabre picture keeps reappearing over and over from Genesis to Revelation. We saw it in the ordinance of baptism. Why the need for blood and death? Hebrews 9 gives us a clue. It explains that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant and that a death is needed to redeem us from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Why? It says that if a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. It cannot take effect as long as the one who made it is alive. Even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood and so must the second, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. By this shedding of His blood, Christ entered into the holy places not made with hands and into heaven itself to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. This may be foolishness to some, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
So clearly it is in remembrance of the sacrifice of the Lord’s body and the shedding of His blood for our redemption and the forgiveness of sins. But let’s not stop there. Why do we symbolically consume his body and his blood? And why do we call it communion?
In 1 Cor 10 Paul says, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
This word, communion, is a very appropriate characterization of what is going on. It means something very intimate . . . intercourse . . . fellowship . . . our union with Christ.
Even before his death on the cross, before the Last Supper, Jesus gave us clues. In John 6, He said, “54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.”
He also said in John 6, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
If you remember many of His disciples took offense and turned back. This was too far out there for them. Jesus asked the Twelve if they also wanted to turn back and Peter, in one of his more Spirit filled moments, gave the only answer that made sense — “to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” You have to love that answer.
You see, Jesus was saying that the two of us were to become one. We know we are what we eat. We may find that unfortunately true in our human condition but this is one food that is miraculously wonderful, not to be avoided. It is true food and true drink. Our eating of the blood and body of Christ is just another earthly symbol of our spiritual union. “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
It really portrays the ultimate communion given to us in 1 Cor 6:17 which says, But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. It is just one more way how God makes known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col 1:27 27)
