Taking Holy Communion – The Last Supper
On the evening before He was crucified, Jesus took part in a Jewish Passover meal with His disciples. During this Passover meal, which is also referred to as the last supper (before Jesus died), Jesus instituted a new way for us to remember His sacrifice for us. This new ordinance, which we now call Holy Communion, Breaking of Bread, The Eucharist, The Lord’s Supper or Mass, is to be celebrated until He returns to us again.
Luke 22:14-20
When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of 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 which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
The two elements of Communion are the wine and the bread. Both these elements are important and both are to be partaken of by those engaging in this act of remembrance. Let’s look at the symbolism of these two elements in greater detail:
The Bread:
The bread represents Jesus’ body that was broken for us. Why is this important? Jesus’ body is spoken of as being beaten for our healing. When we partake of the bread, remembering Jesus’s body, we are acknowledging the price Jesus paid for our healing in all areas; spiritual, emotional and physical. Jesus bore our sicknesses in His body so that we don’t have to. Healing is a part of the atonement of Jesus on the cross!
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Matthew 8:16-17
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
1 Peter 2:24
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
In 1 Corinthians 11:23-34, Paul outlines the taking of Communion again for us. He also warns the Corinthian church that they should not forget what this ordinance is all about. They had turned it into a time to overeat and get drunk and were not properly remembering Jesus. Paul warns them that they would not get the benefit of the ordinance unless they discerned (understood) the elements properly. He says that many were weak, sick and dying because they did understand the significance of the healing that Jesus had purchased for us with His body!
1 Corinthians 11:28-30
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
The Wine:
The wine represents Jesus’ blood shed for us to wash away our sins. The removing of our sins is the act that frees us from slavery and makes it possible for us to be sons and daughters of God. When we walk in the revelation that Jesus has made us sin free and we are righteous before God, we can then have victory over every evil thing that entered this world through the sin of Adam (sickness, poverty and all manner of lack and destruction). To remove sin is to remove the thing that empowers and gives legitimacy to every evil thing!
Hebrews 13:11-12
For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Romans 5:9
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
As we celebrate communion, let’s make sure that we are understanding and remembering in full. Lets’s not be like the Corinthian church that had forgotten what the elements meant and had turned it into an empty ritual, an excuse to overeat and get drunk. The Bible often links forgiveness of sin and healing in the same verse, this underlines again how when you defeat sin, all the evil things that are empowered by sin, no longer have power over us!
Psalm 103:2-5
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Happy Easter!