The Memorial Supper of the Lord

“After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25, KJV)

Stretched across a two-acre plot of land in Washington D.C. is a ten feet high wall with the names of over fifty-eight thousand people that fought and died during the Vietnam War. Standing to the side of this great wall is a bronze statue of three soldiers that are positioned in a way to appear as though they are looking at the names of fallen comrades. People that served in our military during the Vietnam War visit this site and at times are moved to tears because they remember the sights, sounds, smells, and horror of this War, they are thankful for being able to have returned home safely, and they are saddened for those that did not. This is indeed a great memorial for a group of people that should be honored, as all of our military should because of the high cost they have paid for our freedoms, but there is another memorial that is observed each week that is greater than any memorial that can be visited, and at times this memorial is observed with little to no reaction to the great sacrifice that was made. Often times when we partake of the Lord’s Supper we may fall victim of “going through the motions” or partaking because that is what we do at a particular time during the worship service, but when we partake of the memorial Supper of the Lord we are to reflect upon the sacrifice that was given on our behalf and contemplate the price that was paid for our freedom for sin. Let’s notice a few observations that may help put the memorial back into the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial that is to be observed in remembrance of Christ’s death on the cross. After the Passover meal was finished, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, looking to His death on the cross and the blood that was shed for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:26-29). When the church came together on the first day of the week, they came together to break bread (observe the Lord’s Supper), and to hear the Gospel preached (Acts 20:7). Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to partake of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial service of Christ sufferings stating “ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Cor. 11:26). When we put these thoughts together, we understand the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ, observed by the apostles, and kept by the church as a memorial to Jesus.

The Lord’s Supper is also a memorial that foreshadows the Passover observed in the Old Testament. Living while the Old Testament was still in effect, Jesus and His apostles were commanded to keep the Passover meal. Of course, the Passover was a memorial that looked back to the time when the angel of the Lord “passed over” the children of Israel during the final plague that took place in Egypt, which took all the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 12). After observing this memorial, just moments before this covenant would be fulfilled by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, Jesus would institute the new memorial service. Just as with the Passover, the new memorial required the proper elements. The Passover required that all leaven be taken out of the houses, which meant that the bread and the fruit of the vine must be unleavened, and it is these elements that Jesus used when instituting the Lord’s Supper. The proper elements for partaking the Lord’s Supper are the removal of sin (which is done by the washing away of sins through the blood of Christ in baptism; Acts 22:16), and the body and blood of Jesus which was offered on the cross (the elements we partake are not the literal body and blood of Christ, but is an emblem which represents the body and blood of Christ).

As we partake of this memorial, we are to remember the cost. In order for us to be able to commune with God and offer acceptable worship to Him, we had to have some way to make us accepted by God. Man, at his best state, outside of the body of Christ, is a sinner (Rom. 3:23). The wages of the sins we commit are death and eternal punishment in hell (Rom. 6:23). Because we are unable to obtain righteousness on our own, and because the blood of bulls and goats were only able to have sins rolled forward to be remembered the following year (Heb. 10; Lev. 16), we are in need of a perfect sacrifice. Jesus Christ is this perfect sacrifice for sins. He was perfect in all points (1 Peter 2), He fulfilled the Old Law and never broke it (Matt. 5:17) and humbled Himself taking on the role of a servant in order to taste death for every man (Heb. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-11). Jesus did not deserve death but willingly gave His life in order that sinful man may be able to be made acceptable in God’s sight and commune with Him. As we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are remembering the One that stood in our place as we were deserving of death the One that did not deserve accomplished what we could not for the forgiveness of the sins we have committed though He was sinless.

As we partake in this memorial supper, we must examine ourselves (1 Cor. 11:28). Just as people will reflect upon the sacrifice given when they visit a memorial site, the Christian that is observing the Lord’s Supper must examine themselves each time they partake. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we should make sure that we are in a proper relationship with Him in order to partake acceptably (1 Cor. 11:27-29). We must make sure that we are covered by His blood (1 John 1:7-9), and if we are not then we are partaking in an unworthy manner and must make changes. The one that has never obeyed the commands of Jesus of believing in Him (John 8:24), repenting of sin (Luke 13:3), confessing Him before men (Matt. 10:32), and being immersed for the remission of sin (Mark 16:16) must do so in order to be added to the body of Jesus (Acts 2:47). If one has done these things but is not living the faithful life of a follower of Jesus, they must purge themselves from sin by repenting and seeking forgiveness from God. When we partake of the memorial supper of the Lord, we must ensure that we examine ourselves and partake in an acceptable manner.

Finally, as we look back to the sacrifice given for us, we do so being able to look forward. Jesus promised His apostles that He would take this Supper with Him in His Father’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29). Jesus has provided entrance into the Father’s kingdom (heaven) through the outpouring of His blood on the cross (Matt. 26:26-28). Jesus has prepared the Way for us to enter into the kingdom (John 14:6; John 8:32). Just as Jesus comforted His apostles while instituting the Lord’s Supper, when the Christian partakes of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner, they can have comfort of the promise of being in the kingdom of the Father someday. As we observe this great memorial each week, may we be mindful of the Sacrifice given for us, examining ourselves to ensure we are partaking worthily, remembering this memorial until He comes.