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The Lord’s Supper ‑ Fellowship with the Risen Christ
by Pastor Jeff Gregory,
Faith Community Church Dallas, Texas
The Lord Jesus Christ, in his great love for his church, and in his supreme wisdom regarding what is beneficial to us spiritually, has established a holy ceremony by which his people may be strengthened, and renewed in their faith. This ceremony is known as the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion or the Eucharist (meaning “thanksgiving”).
It is called the “Lord’s Supper” because the Lord Jesus instituted the ceremony when he was gathered with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. At the conclusion of the traditional Passover Meal, “while they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:26‑29). Luke adds this commandment from our Lord in his account, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Lu. 22‑19).
In his recounting of the institution of the Holy Meal, the apostle Paul adds this inspired comment, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Cor. 11:26).
What was the purpose of this holy ceremony and why did the Lord give it to us, his people? What benefit do we derive from participating in it?
Certainly it is clear that a basic purpose for our participation in the Lord’s Supper is that we might “remember Him.” God is gracious to us in understanding that our remembrance of his death can slip from our focused awareness because of the distractions of our human existence. To enable us to recall Christ’s suffering in our behalf God ordained that in his church his people’s attention would be directed to the Savior by the use of two common elements of our daily life, bread and wine (or grape juice).
Conjoined with the use of these elements are the sacred words of institution recalled from the Scriptures, along with the actions that accompany the distribution of the elements, i.e., the breaking and passing of the bread along with the passing of the cup.
The bread, which should be unleavened and crisp, is broken to give to our ears and eyes the recollection of our Lord’s body which was broken on the cross. The wine, with its red color and pungent fragrance, recalls to our sense of smell and sight the pouring out of Christ’s blood on the cross.
When we eat and drink of these elements we take internally and physically into our own bodies that which represents Christ. We recall the words of Jesus, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (Jo. 6:56).
In what sense was Christ speaking when he spoke these words? Certainly he was using metaphoric language, that is, he was using one thing (as bread) to represent or symbolize another reality; i.e., the spiritual and eternal life that is imparted to those that believe in Christ. What Christ meant when he spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood is seen in his words which follow: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (Jo. 6:63). Jesus was not talking about the literal eating of his flesh or drinking his blood, but about having faith in him, trusting in him for salvation and eternal life: “He who believes in me will live” (Jo. 11:25).
When we come to the Table of the Lord we eat bread and drink the fruit of the vine. Christ intends for these physical elements to remind us and point to Christ, his cross, and his sacrifice for us. In a dramatic and graphic way the event of Christ’s crucifixion is enacted before us. In addition, we take into our own mouths, chew with our teeth, and swallow with our throat those elements which are intended to remind us in a physical way of the reality of how we have taken Christ, by His Spirit, into the depths of our being.
But there is more than just a mental‑physical exercise taking place. Often the “free churches” in the evangelical tradition have overlooked one of the most vital elements in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Chapter 10, verse l6, of I Corinthians states, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” This word “participation” is translated in other versions as “communion” or “fellowship.” What I believe the Scriptures are focusing on here is the fact that through the act of taking the Lord’s Supper we are participating in a special time of fellowship or communion with the risen Christ.
We are not only remembering him, but we are fellowshipping with him, we are worshipping him. The living Christ and the benefits of his suffering for us are communicated to us by the Holy Spirit.
Through participation in this dramatic portrayal of Christ’s death and through our eating and drinking of the elements the Holy Spirit ministers to us in a unique and clear way what Christ has done in our behalf, and with thanksgiving we glorify him for his mercy.
Surely God teaches us and reminds us of Christ’s work on the cross through the preaching of the Word, in prayer, and in song. These are all particular and unique “means of grace” or avenues by which God communicates to us the reality of his salvation in Christ. They are some of the ways in which God enables us to grow in sanctification, that is, in our likeness to Christ. The Lord’s Supper is another of his sovereignly ordained “means of grace.” It is not the same sanctifying experience as hearing the Word preached or reading the Word of God. It is a unique means of grace whereby in particular Christ Jesus’ death is made freshly real to us. In no other way can God minister to us as He does through the Lord’s Supper service.
We come to the Table because he commanded us to, we come to remember him with thanksgiving, we come to fellowship with our risen Lord, and by doing all this we “proclaim his death until he comes” (I Cor. 11 ‑26).
We are forgetful; the Lord’s Supper helps us remember. We are dry spiritually; through the Supper we are refreshed with Christ’s presence. We do not always clearly testify to our allegiance to the crucified‑risen Lord but in the Supper we declare formally and forthrightly that Jesus is the Lamb of God slain for us.
God has not left us without the means to strengthen and refresh us spiritually. “Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the festival...” (I Cor. 5:7‑8). The Table is ready, let us go to eat and drink the Holy Meal. As we have spiritual eyes to see, surely “he will be make known to us in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:3 5).
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