The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, June 13

I have seen it often over the years. An announcement is made that the evening worship will be a Lord’s Supper service. All are invited to attend. The time of the service comes, and the crowd is noticeably less than usual.

It has happened again. When the Lord’s Supper is announced, some decide to stay away. It has always bothered me that people choose to avoid what should be one of the most meaningful events in the life of the church. Those who do attend seem unusually blessed by it. But the question that still remains is: Why do so many not seek the blessing?

If I ponder the question, I begin to feel a little guilty because it occurs to me that somewhere along the way, as a pastor, I have failed to communicate just how significant the Lord’s Supper is. Somehow, I have allowed my congregation to assume that this wonderful ordinance is irrelevant to their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This study is the second of two dealing with the ordinances of the faith. Though other Christian groups include other events as ordinal, in Baptist life we limit them to two: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As was stated in the last study, both of these have been the subjects of much controversy. This is especially true of the Lord’s Supper. In some ways it has been more divisive than baptism.

Our focal passages are Matthew 26:26-29 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-32. Matthew 26 is the account of the first Lord’s Supper. It occurs on the night of the Passover feast immediately before Christ’s arrest and crucifixion. Jesus had sent his disciples into Jerusalem to secure a place to partake of the Passover meal. It would be unlike any Passover they had ever experienced.

At that Passover meal, Jesus effectively declared Himself to be the true Passover lamb. When He had taken the bread, He declared that it was His body. When He took the cup, He declared it was His blood. From that point forward, whenever they gathered, they were to remember Him when they ate and drank.

Controversy has arisen over the interpretation of the statements, “This is my body … ” and “This is my blood … ” There are different approaches to the interpretation of these words. Each approach has been labeled with rather sophisticated theological names. Each view represents differing beliefs concerning what happens to the elements of the Lord’s Supper. Without going into too much detail, let me give a few simple explanations.

Transubstantiation. Catholics hold the belief that in some mystical way the bread and the wine become the body and the blood of Christ. Transubstantiation means to change an element from one thing into another. According to this belief, during the blessing of the elements, they change and become in essence the flesh and blood of our Lord. This is why being barred from the communion is considered to be such a significant thing. Jesus said, “Unless you eat of My flesh and drink of My blood, you cannot enter the kingdom.” Those who hold to this view see the Lord’s Supper as a means to obtaining grace by consuming the elements.

Consubstantiation. Some Christians believe that the elements of the Lord’s Supper do not change in essence into the body and blood, but the essence of the Lord’s body and blood are added to the elements. Or to put it another way, Christ is added to the bread and wine. The elements are spiritually the same as the body and blood. In this view, the partaking of these elements is seen as a means to forgiveness.

Memorial. The view of most evangelicals is that the elements are symbolic of the body and blood. This is the view of Baptists in general. The bread and the cup signify to us the sacrifice of our Lord. Jesus clearly said this is to be done in remembrance of Him. Christ was speaking figuratively when He said, “This is My body; this is My blood.”

It is because these do signify the sacrifice of Christ that the event of the Lord’s Supper is so important. It is not a means to obtain grace. It is rather a celebration of the grace already received. When we eat the bread, we are not partaking of the life of Christ; we are announcing to the world and reminding ourselves that we have already partaken of the life of Christ by grace through faith.

The Lord’s Supper is not for those who are seeking the saving grace of God. It is for those who have already attained this grace. Like baptism, it is for believers only. This begs the question, is it for all believers? Paul would say no. Paul would say that it is only for those who come to the table with hearts prepared.

Our second focal passage addresses the problem of believers whose hearts are not right before partaking. Paul’s main concern seems to be that some Christians come to the Lord’s Supper not having weighed the seriousness of the moment. The key text within this passage is 1 Corinthians 11:27, which states “Therefore whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”

I am convinced that every person who heard Paul utter this statement knew exactly what he was talking about, as well as Whom he was talking about. However, 2,000 years removed from the event, many today misunderstand. The difficult question is: What does Paul mean when he speaks of an unworthy manner? Is he saying that all who partake must be worthy of this sacrifice? Do we need to live perfect lives to qualify?

No, not at all. Keep in mind that Paul is not discussing the character of the worshiper as much as he is discussing the conduct of the worship itself. The problem was that some had come to the table unaware of the sacredness of the event and insensitive to the Lord’s presence in it. These people had lives corrupted by sin but were unconcerned with the condition of their soul and neglectful of the measure of Christ’s sacrifice for these sins. The bottom line is that none of us can ever be worthy of the body and the blood, but we can partake of the bread and the cup in a worthy manner.