The Lord's Supper
The Lord’s Supper
Supper, the last meal of the day. The sun is setting and the day’s labour is past, the table is spread and friends or family members are all assembled together. An air of peace and tranquillity pervades.
The Lord’s Supper shares some of these lovely characteristics but goes far beyond a simple partaking of a shared meal. The Lord’s Supper (also known as the Last Supper) was the final meal that the Lord Jesus would eat on earth. He desired to share this solemn occasion with those who had followed him and been his close companions for the last three and a half years. He had shared many meals with them before but none would be as special or significant as this last meal.
It was the evening when the annual Passover meal was to be eaten. The Jewish Passover was kept each year on the 14th day of the first month and commemorated a very special evening long ago, when the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt over 2000 years earlier.
Fresh thoughts and memories filled their minds once again as they remembered that wonderful night when their forefathers were released and the nation of Israel was born. Now to be God’s chosen people on earth.
It was during this special evening and probably after the formalities of the Passover meal were over that the Lord Jesus did something new and unexpected. He first of all took bread (just an ordinary piece of flat unleavened bread) gave thanks for it (that it came from God and was given directly from Him) and then he gave it to the disciples along with the words:
“Take, eat: this is my body, which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”1
When they had done this and without any further explanation Jesus takes a cup filled with wine and gives it to the disciples with the words:
”This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do ye as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 2
Finally He revealed the close connection between the two things he had asked them to do, when he said:
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death until He come.” 3
The disciples did what Jesus had asked them without questioning him but did they fully understand the words, “My body for you”, “New covenant in my blood”, “Remembrance of me”? It would all become very clear within a short space of time what he meant as things would unfold.
Unlike an evening meal where all is peaceful we discover that the Lord’s Supper was taking place during an act of supreme treachery and betrayal, it was: “The night in which He was being betrayed.” 4
Within 24 hours the Lord Jesus Christ would suffer the awful death by crucifixion and His dead body would be placed in the grave. The events of that night hadn’t taken Him by surprise however nor had he tried to avoid the plot against Him. He had come into the world to accomplish something very important. As Paul the apostle would write sometime later:
“Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 5 He was willingly giving His Life as our substitute (“my body for you”) so that we could have eternal life. His blood would deal with the matter of our sin (“This is my blood, … which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins”.) 6
Jesus Christ is the Son of God who gave His life on the cross to save us from the judgement of God upon our sin. He died to set us free and make all who believe in him God’s people.
The Lord’s Supper has been kept in the same simple way by companies of believers ever since the time that Jesus instituted it around 2000 years ago. It still goes far beyond the ordinary experience of a shared meal as by taking the bread and drinking the wine we “show” or proclaim to all around the Lord’s death. It will continue to be done however only until He comes.
“I will come again.” 7 “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” 8
1. 1 Corinthians 11:24 (KJV)
2. 1 Corinthians 11:25 (KJV)
3. 1 Corinthians 11:26 (KJV)
4. 1 Corinthians 11:23 (KJV)
5. 1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
6. Matthew 26:28 (RSV)
7. John 14:3 (KJV)
8. Revelation 22:20 (KJV)