What Is the Lord’s Supper?
Question 9006
Alongside baptism, the Lord’s Supper is the other ordinance that Jesus gave to His Church. It has been called by various names: the Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Eucharist, the Breaking of Bread, the Lord’s Table. But what exactly is it? What does it mean? And why do we observe it? These are important questions for every believer to understand.
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus on the night before His crucifixion, during what we call the Last Supper. This meal took place during the Passover season, and Jesus deliberately connected His coming death with the great redemption event of the Old Testament.
The Gospel accounts tell us what happened. “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'” (Matthew 26:26-28).
Luke adds the command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). This was not a one-time event but an ordinance to be repeated by His followers.
Paul received further revelation about the Supper and passed it on to the churches. “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, 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.’ 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.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
What the Lord’s Supper Is Not
Before explaining what the Lord’s Supper is, it may help to clarify what it is not, because there have been serious errors taught about this ordinance throughout church history.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine are literally transformed into the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation). According to this view, the Mass is a re-presentation or re-offering of Christ’s sacrifice. The elements may still look and taste like bread and wine, but their substance has changed.
This teaching is not supported by Scripture. When Jesus said, “This is my body,” He was physically present with the disciples. He was holding the bread in His hands. Clearly, He was speaking figuratively, not literally. Jesus often used figurative language: “I am the door” (John 10:9), “I am the vine” (John 15:5). He did not mean He was literally a door or a vine.
Furthermore, the book of Hebrews is emphatic that Christ’s sacrifice was offered “once for all” (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:10). It is finished. It does not need to be re-offered. To suggest otherwise undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross.
The Lutheran view (consubstantiation) holds that Christ is present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine, though the elements do not change. While this avoids some of the problems of transubstantiation, it still goes beyond what Scripture teaches about the Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice. It is not a means of grace that imparts salvation. It is not a mysterious ritual that conveys spiritual power through physical elements. It is a memorial, a proclamation, and a communion.
A Memorial
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). The Greek word for remembrance is ἀνάμνησις (anamnēsis), which means a recalling or bringing to mind. The Lord’s Supper is first and foremost a memorial service. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.
We remember His body, broken for us. The bread symbolises His physical body that was pierced, beaten, and crucified. We remember His blood, shed for us. The cup symbolises His blood that was poured out for the forgiveness of sins. We remember the price that was paid for our redemption.
This is why the Supper is solemn. We are not commemorating something trivial. We are remembering the most significant event in human history: the death of God’s Son for sinners. Every time we participate, we are transported back to Calvary, to the darkness, the suffering, the cry of dereliction, and the triumphant declaration, “It is finished.”
A Proclamation
Paul says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Lord’s Supper is a sermon without words. It is a visible gospel presentation. When we partake together, we are declaring to one another and to the watching world that Christ died for sinners and that we trust in His finished work.
This proclamation has a forward look as well as a backward look. We proclaim His death “until he comes.” The Lord’s Supper points us to the future return of Christ. One day, He will come again, and we will sit at table with Him in His kingdom. Jesus said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). Every time we partake, we are reminded that this present age is temporary. Our Lord is coming back.
A Communion
Paul also speaks of the Supper as a communion or sharing. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
The word “participation” is κοινωνία (koinōnia), meaning fellowship, sharing, or communion. When we partake of the Supper together, we are sharing in the benefits of Christ’s death. We are also sharing fellowship with one another. The one bread reminds us that we are one body. The Supper is not a private, individualistic act. It is a corporate act of the church. We come to the table together, as one body, united by our common faith in Christ.
This is why Paul is so disturbed by the divisions at Corinth. When they came together for the Lord’s Supper, some were excluding others, some were getting drunk, and some were going hungry. “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat,” Paul says bluntly (1 Corinthians 11:20). Their behaviour contradicted the very meaning of the Supper. How can you celebrate unity while practising division? How can you remember Christ’s self-giving love while acting selfishly?
The Elements
The elements used in the Supper are simple: bread and the fruit of the vine. Jesus used unleavened bread, as this was the Passover meal. The cup contained wine, likely mixed with water as was the custom. Some churches use leavened bread, others unleavened. Some use wine, others grape juice. The Scriptures do not give specific commands about these details. What matters is that we use bread and the fruit of the vine, as Jesus did, and that we partake in remembrance of Him.
The bread, as Jesus broke it, symbolises His body broken for us. The cup symbolises His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. These are symbols, not the actual body and blood. They point us to the reality of Christ’s sacrifice without becoming that sacrifice.
Conclusion
The Lord’s Supper is a precious gift to the Church. It is a memorial, reminding us of what Christ did on the cross. It is a proclamation, declaring the gospel in visible form until He comes. It is a communion, sharing together in the benefits of Christ’s death and expressing our unity as His body. Let us never take it for granted or treat it casually. When we come to the table, we come to remember the greatest act of love the world has ever seen.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26
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