The Lord’s Supper #2277

23 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; 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 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, NKJV).

The Lord’s Supper is not a rite or ritual, although many churches have turned it into one. The Scriptures do not call it the “Eucharist” or a sacrament; those descriptions are of Catholic origin. The Scriptures do not teach the substance of the bread and fruit of the vine changes into the actual body and blood of Jesus in the Mass. That is also a Catholic invention. The Scriptures do not elevate the Supper to a place superior to other acts of worship; therefore, neither should we. But they explain its value and meaning so that we will partake of it worthily instead of condemning ourselves when we eat and drink it (1 Cor. 11:27-29). The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Jesus (of His body and blood) that Christians eat on the first day of the week (v. 24, 25; Acts 20:7). The bread is emblematic of the body of Jesus sacrificed for the sins of the world (Heb. 10:5, 10). The cup (the fruit of the vine, Mark 14:23-25) is emblematic of Christ’s blood that dedicated the new covenant that provides remission of sins (Heb. 9:13-15, 18-22). The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the Lord’s death that Christians will eat until Jesus returns (v. 26). Always eat the Supper to remember and proclaim Christ’s death.

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood” #1709

25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:25–26, NKJV)

After the Passover meal, Jesus continued inaugurating His supper by telling His apostles to drink “this cup” which “is the new covenant in My blood.” He explained that the “fruit of the vine” (“the cup”) signifies His blood “which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). The bread, symbolizing His body, and the juice of the grape, symbolizing His blood, constitute the elements of the Lord’s supper. His supper was not an extension of the Passover meal (a feast of the old covenant). Neither did Jesus institute His supper as part of a larger “fellowship meal” or “table fellowship” as some has contrived. It is a memorial meal during which unleavened bread and the juice of the grape are eaten in memory of the Lord’s death that dedicated His new covenant (by which the remission of sins is offered to all, Heb. 9:16-22). Until Christ returns, Christians proclaim His death each time they eat His supper. This simple and solemn memorial meal calls us back to Golgotha and the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world. We must reverently and always partake of it as the Lord intended – as a memorial and a proclamation of His death.