THE LAST SUPPER
What
goes through your mind when you hear the word Communion? Do you think about
wine, grape juice, or Matza bread? Do you sigh to yourself, Oh no! "It
will be a long service today (that's how I thought as a kid). Or do you chide
yourself for forgetting your check for the Deacon's fund offering? What is Communion,
and what is its significance in the believer's life?
In
the Bible, different names are used for what we call "Communion, First
Holy Communion, and Eucharist, as the Catholics and some other christian
denominations do. They are "breaking of bread together" (Acts 2:42),
"The Lord's Supper" (I Cor 11:17-27), The Lords table or blessing of
the Cup," (I Cor 10:14-22), and the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-29, Mark
14:12-26, Luke 22:7-20, John 13:1-2). For centuries, followers of Jesus have
met together to partake in a meal referred to as the Lord's Supper or The
Last Supper (Luke 22:7-20.
I. The
Last Supper of Jesus was the Last Passover Meal with His disciples.
Growing up in an observant Jewish home, Jesus must
have remembered the significance of the Passover Meal, which his ancestors
celebrated each year for generations. He was told it was a night like no other,
a night of redemption for Israel's 400 years of slavery. It was a night when
God distinguished between His people and the heathen nations.
It was the night when Pharoah begged
Moses, "Leave my people, you and Israelites! Go Worship the Lord to Go and
Worship the LORD as you have requested." (Exodus 12:31). Things quickly
changed! With no time to linger around, the Israelites were instead driven out
in a hurry, carrying dough without yeast, with which they later baked
Unleavened Bread.
It
was a night of freedom for nearly 600,000 Jewish people, including many other
heathen people. It was a night that set them off to a Promised Land that flowed
with Milk and Honey. God did not want them to forget that most significant
night of redemption ever, so He commanded the Israelites to celebrate Passover yearly
and pass it on to future generations.
Keeping
up with the tradition, Jesus wanted to celebrate Passover one last time with
his beloved disciples who stood with Him till the end. Listen to the desire
Jesus expressed towards the Passover Meal, Luke 22:14-16, " 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." Jesus wanted to eat his last
meal with his disciples before He was crucified. Think of that for a moment.
The last meal with your best friend, would you ever forget that?
II. The parallels between the Passover Lamb and The
Lamb of God.
God
clearly instructed what kind of Lamb should be prepared and how the Israelites
should celebrate the feast. It should be a year-old male lamb without defect
(Exodus 12:5; cf. Leviticus 22:20-21). The head of the household was to
slaughter the Lamb at twilight, taking care that none of its bones were broken.
God also gave specific instructions on how the Israelites were to eat the Lamb,
"with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your
staff in your hand" (Exodus 12:11). In other words, they had to be travel-ready.
In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of
this prototypical Passover lamb in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist pointed to
his disciples, saying, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of
the world" (John 1:29). Peter connected the Passover lamb to Christ, whose
blood, without blemish or defect, brought our redemption (1 Pet 1:19).
The Israelites applied the blood of the Passover
lamb on their doorposts, and Christians symbolically applied the blood of
Christ on their hearts so we could be spared from eternal death. (Heb 9:12,14).
Passover Lamb was offered annually, whereas the
Lamb of God was offered once and for all, for all time. "We have been made
holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all." Hebrews
10:10.
The first Passover marked the freedom of the
Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. Christ's sacrificial death marks our
freedom from slavery to sin. (Romans 8:2). The first Passover was
to be held in remembrance as an annual feast, whereas Christians are to
memorialize the Lord's death in Communion until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:26).
III. What is the
Significance of the Last Supper or Communion for Today?
Observing how Jesus celebrated his last supper
during the last Passover meal with his disciples, we can learn a few ways to
celebrate it today. First, we must prepare ourselves and eagerly desire Communion
as Jesus did (Luke 22:16). Second, Jesus
offered thanks for the bread (his body) and the Cup (his blood) before giving
them to his disciples to partake (Luke 22:19). We thank Jesus for offering his
body and shedding his blood to forgive our sins.
Thirdly, Jesus ensured that the disciples and subsequent
followers would not forget his great sacrifice on the Cross by saying, "Do
this in remembrance of me." (Vs. 19) The Apostle goes one step further,
reminding the Corinthian believers that they would proclaim his death each time
they celebrated the Last Supper until Christ returned.
Unlike the Passover, Communion is not a
once-a-year event that should be celebrated and forgotten for the rest of the
year. Instead, it is a constant reminder for a believer. Every time we partake
of Communion, whether daily, weekly, or monthly, let us remember the great
sacrifice of Christ for the redemption of our sins.
Fourthly,
Passover was a family time to learn and retell God's redemptive story. God
instructed through Moses, "When your son asks you, "What does this
mean? Say to him, "With a mighty hand of the LORD brought us out of Egypt,
of the Land of Slavery. (Ex 13:14). Similarly, when your children ask you what
Communion is, you tell them How Christ suffered and died on the Cross and rose
again for the forgiveness of all people.
IV. Cautions to be observed while partaking in Communion
The Passover was exclusively meant for a Jewish
family or with a few other families to celebrate it. Though some exceptions
were made, non-Jewish people were excluded. (Exodus 12:43-45). Even among the
Jewish people, certain acts like ceremonial uncleanness and business travels
would restrict some Jews from celebrating it. (Ex 9:9-14).
Communion, or the Lord's table, though it is a
large table open for both Jews and Gentiles, is a sign of remembrance for those
whose lives have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. It is not a public
event but an exclusive celebration of God's children who gathered in gratitude,
reflecting on Christ's sacrificial death on the Cross. So, our advice to our
non-Christian friends is that they refrain from partaking in Communion until
they accept Jesus as their savior.
What might hinder a born-again Christian from
partaking in Communion? The apostle Paul cautioned the Corinthian believers,
saying, "So, whoever eats the bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the
Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and
drink from the Cup." (I Cor 11:27-28) What might have been an unworthy
manner for Paul to talk about?
From a reading of the context, we might conclude
it might have been an unconfessed sin, divisions among the believers, and
unresolved conflicts. The principles of reconciling first with those who may
have something against us, as in Matt 5:23-24, and forgiving others when they
sin against us, as in chapter 6:14-15, apply in celebrating Communion.
Communion is all about what Christ has done for
the forgiveness of our sins. How can we come to the table harboring
unforgiveness toward our brothers and sisters in the Lord? Partaking in
Communion doesn't require perfection but recognition of our sins, confessing to
God first, and getting reconciled with our brothers and sisters in the Body of
Christ.
