Lately, I have been having conversations about the Lord’s Supper, which is also known as Communion, Breaking of Bread or the Holy Supper. Whatever you may call it, it is one of the most important sacraments for Christians, who have many different ways of doing this remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. When we share the bread and wine together it is a symbol of unity of the believers as we celebrate the new covenant Jesus brought through His broken body and shed blood so that we could be redeemed from death and have eternal life in relationship with the Father.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:47-58
Even before the Last Supper, Jesus declared that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood would have eternal life. Eating blood was unclean and against the Mosaic Law, so for many of the Jews what Jesus had told them to do was unthinkable and offensive. However, He was ushering in the new covenant. He is the new manna which came from heaven, the Bread of Life. When we believe in Jesus and partake of His flesh and His blood, then these are the food and drink we need for us to live in Him and Him in us so we can have eternal life.
The Last Supper was appropriately at Passover, when the Jews commemorated their deliverance from Egyptian slavery and the passing over of the angel of death as their doors had been marked by the blood of a lamb. Jesus in the new covenant is the Perfect Sacrificial Lamb who saves us from being slaves to sin which would result in the second death in the lake of fire (see Revelations 20:14). What amazes me about the Last Supper is who Jesus offered His body and His blood to – His betrayer and His denier. And not only does He offer His body and blood to those who betray and deny Him, but He offered up His body and blood for them, and if they accept Him, they will have eternal life.
Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” … Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Matthew 26:25-29, 33-34
I can’t comprehend this. I would never want to knowingly eat at the same table with someone who would betray me and another who would deny he knew me in the worst time of my life. But Jesus went even beyond this. He broke bread and gave it them to eat as His body and after giving thanks for the cup of wine, He told them all to drink it. This was a foreshadowing of His death on the cross for these same people. Why would He do this? As I pondered this question, I remembered that Jesus is holy and because of this He could only have unconditional love for even those who were His enemies. Jesus had been given by the Father because of His love for the world so that whoever believed in Jesus, His Son, would not perish but have eternal life (see John 3:16). Jesus is a Gift being offered to all. His body was broken, and His blood was shed for all. But we choose to believe and accept the Gift of Jesus who offers us eternal life. So, on this Passover night there was a new covenant for all who believe and accept Jesus’ sacrifice. The Perfect Sacrificial Lamb has now offered us His body to eat and His blood to drink and we will do this to remember Him until when He returns, and the righteous bride, the Church, prepared in her clean bright linen will dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb (see Revelations 19:7-9).
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
We should be eager to partake in this remembrance. However, there seems to be even more to the breaking of bread as it connects us closer to Jesus. There are some Churches that believe the bread and the blood are actually Jesus’ body and blood, while other Churches believe they are symbolic. However, whatever our belief is, this is a holy act, which must be done in reverence.
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 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. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
I have enough problems in my life, so I really don’t want to take the body and the blood of the Lord in an unworthy manner and then face the dire consequences. Self-examination is important as we break the bread and drink the wine. However, as I am writing this article, I am feeling that I am not taking Jesus’ body and blood enough in remembrance of what He did for me. I believe that this is more than just a ritual, but it deepens our relationship with Christ and our knowledge of Him and what He has done for us. The men on the road to Emmaus did not realize who Jesus was until He broke bread with them.
Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight… And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Luke 24:30-31, 35
When we break bread, we look back at the cross and Jesus’ resurrection and we look forward to His return. Yet still, we know that He is with us through the Holy Spirit who He sent to be our Helper. It is profound, but every taste of the bread should make us see that the Lord is good and drinking the wine keeps us connected to the Vine and we remain in Him and He in us.
Let us like the disciples of old remain steadfast in taking the bread and drinking the wine in unity to remember that Jesus will come again, and we will dine with Him as one Church, a spotless and holy bride.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42
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