The earliest written account of The Last Supper is found not in the gospels, but in the Apostle Paul's letter to the church of Corinth. Corinth was a port city in what is now Greece. By definition, a port city has a continual influx of sailors. This is true today. We live in a port city. Corinth had all of the vices associated with sailors. It was also a city where world religions flourished. It was in this atmosphere that Paul planted his church. It didn't take long though, for the church to become dysfunctional. They had so much diversity that they lost their unity. The division that affected the celebration of the Lord's Supper (communion), was the division between the haves and the have nots. The congregation gathered to celebrate the Lord's Supper and participated in an actual dinner. This was fine, but the only ones with food and the ability to get there early were the haves. The have nots were probably slaves. They had little freedom and no extra food. They went without. Paul wrote the following passage to address this problem -- and give us an insight into the true meaning of communion:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions. (1 Corinthians 11:23-34 NIV)
It is sad that a celebration that was given so that we might have unity, has been a source of real division in the church. Of course, the supper that was celebrated by Jesus and his disciples was a passover meal. In Luke's gospel, the description of this scene starts with the words, "I have earnestly desired to eat this meal with you." I believe that Jesus still utters these words to each of us as we come to supper. This is his meal. He is the host. We are entering into a time of communion or fellowship with Him. Communion is not a solitary event -- it is a communal event. It is for the church, not for individuals. Of course there are exceptions -- the sick, the isolated -- but these are exceptions, not the rule.
In the gospel of John, before the meal starts, Jesus puts on the garments of slavery and washes the disciples' feet. This is the lesson that the meal has something to do with serving one another. Jesus in actuality was about to lay down his life for his friends -- and ultimately the whole world. Communion is never about what "I" can get out of it. Yes, "I" receive, but Jesus gives. "I" receive so that I can give. The Lord's supper is about giving. It also should be observed that, for Jesus, this was the Last Supper. One of the great things about the institution of the Lord's Supper is that it is not our Last Supper. It is new and fresh for us whenever we partake.
Let's look at the supper itself. What we call the Lord's Supper actually takes place at the end of the passover meal. Jesus took bread (probably similar to today's matzoh) gave thanks, broke and and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." It is representative of Jesus' body. That physical human body that would be broken on the cross in just a few short hours. Jesus makes it plain that his body is broken for them. Certainly this is reminiscent of Isaiah 53. They (we) are to eat it in remembrance or, or as a memorial to, Jesus. After supper, he took the cup, perhaps the cup of blessing of the passover Seder, and blessed it. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." It is representative of his blood. The new covenant is sealed by the blood of the passover lamb. Again, we drink in remembrance of Him. This section closes with, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
What about the self-examination? The people hadn't been discerning (or recognizing) the body of Christ. This meal wasn't about food. It was about remembering and proclaiming. It wasn't about the people eating it, it was about Jesus. They didn't recognize that the bread wasn't just bread, it was representative of the broken body of Jesus. Perhaps more importantly they didn't recognize that as we gather together, we are the body of Christ. When we are not in unity -- the body is broken indeed.
Communion is one of the identifying marks of being a Christian. It proclaims Jesus death. It proclaims that His body, the church, is still in the earth. When we eat and drink in any other (unworthy) manner we make a mockery of Jesus. We break the body of Christ all over again.
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