The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated as an entire meal for the first three hundred years or so by the Church. It was not until the Roman emperor, Constantine, when Christianity became the national religion of Rome, that the Lord’s Supper was reduced down to the “elements” of the bread and the cup that are observed today in a ritualistic ceremony known in some circles as “Holy Communion” or the “Eucharist.” The term “Lord’s Supper” is still often attached to this observance, but the term is in no way a proper description of how it is observed today. Imagine for a minute you are an unbeliever and you heard talk about The Lord’s Supper, and when you arrived to see this “celebration” you noticed a small wafer and a tiny cup of juice. What would your impression of the Lord be? Certainly, you would not be impressed that there is any celebration occurring. The observance is held with somber reflection and even tears. This is a far cry from its original intent. So what is the Lord’s Supper supposed to be?

A Covenant Dinner

A covenant is an agreement between a lesser party and a greater party. Each party has certain terms that they are expected to fulfill. There are rewards for fulfilling and consequences for not fulfilling these requirements. A good example of a covenant is the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. The Law was a covenant between God and the nation of Israel. In Exodus 24:7-11, Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people, who agreed to follow it, then Moses splattered the blood over the people, confirming the covenant. Then it says, “Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the Mountain. There they saw the God of Israel . . . In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in His presence.”

Similarly, the original Lord’s Supper was part of the Passover meal that the Lord commanded the Israelites to eat the night the angel of death passed through the land of Egypt and passed over the Israelites. The lamb was slain, the blood was put on the door posts, and the lamb meat was eaten. Unleavened bread was to be eaten because there would be no time for the bread to rise and it would have to be eaten quickly. This observance was to be held yearly to remember the act of deliverance that the Lord had done so that all generations would know the mighty deed of the Lord.

The Passover is a foreshadowing of the day when the Lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah, would shed his blood, and that blood would stop the angel of death from taking the souls of those who applied that blood to their own lives by faith. Jesus applied this truth during the Last Supper with his disciples when he described the bread as his broken body, and the wine as the blood of the new covenant. This new covenant would extend beyond Israel to the whole world, for Jesus was the Messiah of all mankind, for all need a deliverer from sin.

Furthermore, the meal in ancient times was a sacred act intended to bring unity to those who shared it, resulting in sacred ties. No wonder it was used to seal covenants between men and God and between men. No wonder Paul says we are not even to eat with so called believers who “indulge in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.” I’m sure this is not referring only to a casual one-on-one dinner at the local market place, but was intended to eliminate such from the fellowship meal that occurred when the church came together.

Symbols

The two main symbols in the dinner were the bread and the wine, or “cup” as some refer to it as. Both the bread and the wine are created as a result of crushing. The wheat and the grapes both have to be crushed in order to produce the bread and the wine. This symbolizes the “crushing” and “bruising” that our Messiah endured for the sake of our sins (Isaiah 53:5). Out of the crushing comes a bread and a wine that is able to be consumed. So, also, Jesus was crushed in order that He can become the “bread of life” and the “blood of the new covenant.” The bread further signified common food that was available to everyone. Both rich and poor had access to bread, and so it is with Jesus. He is accessible to all regardless of social status, race, or positions in society.

Furthermore, the wheat represents the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit. The wheat seed dies in the ground yielding growth to a new plant that yields many more seeds. This is a symbol of Jesus’ resurrection, in that His death, burial, and consequent resurrection resulted in the salvation of many, in essence, the fruits of eternal life passed on to all who, by faith, adhere to and embrace it.

The Wedding Feast

On several occasions, the Lord made references to a wedding when talking of His imminent return (Matt. 22, 24, Luke 12). Accompanying weddings in the Jewish community was a large festive feast. This is seen in John 4, where Jesus turned the water into wine. The wedding feast is alluded to in some of Jesus parables mentioned above, as well as in Revelation (Rev. 19:9). Jesus mentioned during the Last Supper, “Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my father’s Kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). This seems to be an allusion to the wedding supper in Revelation 19:9.

The Love Feast

The early church celebrated the love feast. It was called a “love feast” because, unlike other feasts in the Greek and Roman times, where people were treated differently according to their social status and economic capacity, and the rich and poor would not eat together, nor would servants, slaves, and masters, such was not so at a love feast. Here, as representing the Kingdom of God, all these walls were broken down. Agape, the Greek word referring to unconditional love, was shared by all, and all the saints gathered together, regardless of their status in society, to celebrate the Lord. This supper had implications for the past, present, and future as alluded to in the brief discussion above.

In regards to the past, it remembered the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and how those actions redeemed us from sin and eternal destruction, the bread representing His broken body, and the wine representing His shed blood. In regards to the present, it was an act of bonding between brothers and sisters who, together, share this same covenant relationship with one Lord and Savior. As to the future, it looked forward to the day of celebration, the wedding supper of the Lamb of God, when the Church, His bride, would be united with Him forever, and this reunion would be celebrated with a large dinner. All of this is a testimony to the world of our fellowship with one another and with our Lord and Savior.

Form and Substance

In essence, then, the Lord’s Supper, is indeed a supper of celebration. People of all races and economic status who have been chosen to follow Jesus as their new Master, gather together to eat a large meal together. Each person brings as he/she is able to, but all contribute in some way. If a person is not able to contribute food, they would help to prepare the food. All would come together, and all would sit down together and eat. During the meal, or somewhere near the beginning, a loaf of bread is broken and passed around, reminding all that we, though many, are ONE BODY. Furthermore, it is the ONE BODY of Jesus that was broken for our sins on the Cross. The meal is enjoyed by all, and toward the end, or afterward (Luke 22:20), a cup of wine or juice is shared by all, as someone reminds everyone of that shed blood of our Savior and its implications for our lives today and for eternity.

Warning

Paul warned the Corinthians of the consequences of not following the protocol of the meal: “When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11:20). He then spells out some consequences: “For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died” (1 Cor. 11:29-30). He also uses the word “unworthily” in 11:27. This has often been interpreted to mean we have some unconfessed sin in our lives. This in no way fits the context, but is read into the text due to experiences we have had in contemporary services where it has been explained this way. The situation in Paul’s day was that folks weren’t considering other people and were just eating to get full regardless of how much was left for others. It could be that they started to eat early before everyone arrived, allowing for less food for those who came late. Since the first century was not as time driven as we are today, this is a good possibility. Whatever the case, the principle here is that the supper is to be celebrated together by all, and all are to participate in its preparation and the eating thereof. To do otherwise is not to honor the body of the Lord, and is to eat “unworthily”, for it is unto Him that we share this vital meal of both remembrance and celebration.

In our own experience, we found that some were not helping to carry the burden of the meal. We knew there might be a couple who were unable to do so, and that was understood. But, there were too many who were simply relying on a couple of people to supply all the food, putting all the burden on them, creating resentment and frustration. We had to discuss the importance of “considering the body,” which was a different situation than in the Corinthian church, but just as devastating. When folks began sharing the burden together, there was an increased spirit of unity and service.

Conclusion

Now, go back to the beginning where we discussed the unbeliever who observes the Lord’s Supper. If they were to observe a ritual morsel of bread and small cup of juice as a “remembrance” and “celebration,” of our Lord, as mentioned above, it would not leave much of an impression. But consider that same unbeliever who sees people from all races, in a world of racial prejudice, rich and poor alike, in a world separated by rich and poor neighborhoods, all come together at a table with a feast of food, considering one another, celebrating, laughing, singing, and the like without regard to worldly position, all honoring the God of the universe and His act of reaching out to His lost creation in order to restore them to himself in the greatest act of love history has known. In Paul the Apostle’s day, he writes in his letter to the Galatians, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” Galatians‬ ‭3:27-28‬ ‭NLT‬‬). What does this say about our Lord? Would he be a God of exclusivity, or available to all? Would he be a God of plenty, or a God of scarcity? Would he be a God of celebration, or a God of judgmental introspection? The Lord’s Supper is as much a testimony to the world as it is a reminder and celebration to His followers. It tells us all that we sit down with the King of Kings, who is not too good to associate with even the lowliest of His creation, and that His love breaks down all barriers and division. To be one of His is to be accepted at His wedding supper, as part of His bride, where all the barriers of the curse–poverty, division, scarcity, selfishness, etc.–are done away, and the restored creation has already begun

Categories: Ekklesia Community