Communion, Part IV

I will go a little unorthodox here and declare that I partake of Communion everyday or at least most days. I have done it at church and I do it at home, by myself, regularly. I can not give you the biblical fact on this one as there are many scriptures related to Communion or the Eucharist and many of them do not give an exact frequency of how often it should be performed. This particular debate is intense among those who know their Bibles. It is true Jesus said to do it when we partake of that bread and that cup which is the bread and cup of passover during April. However, in another place He says to do it often in remembrance of Him. We get the idea at least that the Apostles also performed Communion every Sunday (or Lord's Day) through a few references in the book of Acts.

What I do know for a fact is that my life seemed void of God's love until I sat down and performed Communion. I do not know why it works but partaking of Communion daily has since changed my life in ways I could have never imagined. During Communion, I remember the suffering of Jesus on the cross. I remember the nails piercing His skin, the thorns placed upon His head, Him being beaten, etc.

I know that Jesus said that I do not have life within me unless I eat His flesh and drink His blood. I also notice that Jesus states in John that eating His flesh and drinking His blood (bread and wine) is another way for us to remain in Him.

If you consider that He also discussed in The Gospel of John that he was the vine and we were the branches and that we can do nothing without remaining in Him. It raises the question of "how" do we remain in Him? Communion is one of the ways we remain in Him and now that we know that, how often would you want to perform it? If the bread from Heaven is indeed life, how often would I want to experience that life? I don't know about you but I want to experience it whenever I can.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In 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." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Communion, Part III

It is interesting that God chose bread and wine to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ in communion as bread and wine are staples of almost every diet in the world. Whether rich or poor these elements are a chief part of our food supply. Just food for thought... no pun intended.

The bread and wine have two separate meanings in Passover. First, the Jews were delivered and protected by the blood from God's 10th and final punishment upon Pharaoh's kingdom. After this punishment where the firstborn children were all killed in the night, Pharoah finally let God's people go free. Set free as Christ set us free through His life, death, and resurrection.

The bread symbolizes life just as the blood represents protection of that life. After the Passover meal, the Jews would eat unleavened bread for 7 days to remind them of their time wandering in the desert. God provided them life and sustenance through manna or a bread-like substance that appeared on the ground in the morning. This is what they ate on a daily basis. Just as God provides bread to His people for their survival in a desert environment where food is scarce, so God provides us the body of Christ in a place where sin has separated us from our God. Just as the Israelites relied on God to provide them manna (bread) in the desert, so we rely on God to provide us bread from heaven which is the body of Jesus. This bread represents life and our reliance on God for our salvation and deliverance.

In performing communion, we remember God's redemption through His Son under the new covenant as the Israelites remembered their redemption under the old covenant during Passover. Remembering the suffering and cost the Lord Jesus paid upon the cross during communion has a spiritual impact on us as it strengthens our resolve and our compassion, not only for Christ but for others. The bread and wine (body and blood) are physical elements but they do indeed bring about spiritual change.

John 6:53
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

John 6:54
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:55
For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
John 6:56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

John 6:47
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
John 6:48
I am the bread of life.

John 6:49
Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
John 6:50
But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Communion, Part II

The doorpost is also symbolic. Many probably don't put much emphasis on the doorpost (and it may sound silly) but it does have meaning. During the Passover event, God told His people to slay a lamb and put the blood upon their doorposts. The doorpost is the main entrance to the dwelling just as our mouths are the entrance to our temples (our bodies). This is the reason why the blood of Jesus (the fruit of the vine) must be consumed by mouth. Seeing the blood upon the doorposts of the house meant that all that dwelt in the house and the whole structure of the house was protected. We are also protected by the blood which we consume as wine during communion. The whole of the body is protected by the physical act of ingesting the blood (wine). Of course, I am not saying that salvation comes strictly from consuming wine during communion, nullifying the blood that Christ shed on the cross. It is the blood on the cross that saves us. Communion is a ritual of remembrance and remembering His love and sacrifice; punished in our place.

Another symbol is the symbol of redemption. Just as the blood on the doorposts allowed the Israelite firstborn to live and be protected from punishment and death. So are we protected and allowed to live. A sacrifice or death of a spotless lamb brought about protection and life to the Israelites on that night of punishment. So it is for us. Death brings life just as Christ's death brings life. Shortly after the Israelites were protected by the blood, Pharoah let Moses and God's people go. Set free at last. We are also set free by the blood of Jesus Christ. Free from the law and free from sin and the punishment for our sins. Set free from the slavery of sin and the oppression of the devil.

The element of faith is also important to understand in this discussion concerning the Passover night. The Israelites had faith and did as they were instructed by placing the blood on their doorposts. Their faith in the blood and their obedience to what God instructed them to do is a symbol of their trust in God and His word. It was a promise and they were delivered by promise. Just as we are delivered by promise through faith in the saving power of the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ). We also must be obedient to Christ and perform communion as He commanded us to do. We must remember Him and His sacrifice as the Israelites (under the old covenant) remembered their deliverance in the land of Egypt.

1 Corinthians 11:23
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
1 Corinthians 11:24
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."
1 Corinthians 11:25
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."
1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Communion, Part I

Communion is one of the single most important rituals that we, as Christians, perform. It is a ritual of symbols that represent salvation. It brings Christ's redemption into focus so that we remember Him and His suffering upon the cross for the very salvation of mankind. Symbolism is very important in a Christian's life as it was in the life of a Jew. These symbols are the physical elements that affect the spiritual realm.

It is fitting that Christ choose the Passover meal with His disciples to introduce the ritual of communion. The Passover ritual was a meal that was to be eaten to remind the Israelites of the time that the Israelites dwelt in the land of Egypt. When God sent out the angel of death upon Pharoah's kingdom to kill all the first born of Egypt as punishment for Pharoah's insistence on continuing to hold the people of Israel hostage, God instructed His people to kill a lamb and place the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts. This blood protected the Israelites from the death that swept through the land of Egypt killing all the firstborn. There are many symbols in communion that connect communion with that fateful night in Egypt.

First, the blood of the lamb. This blood put upon the doorpost of the house, protected the house from death. Just as Christ's own blood (the blood of the lamb of God) protects us from death. It is fitting that Jesus chose the Passover as the time to introduce this ritual of communion because it was a time to remember the suffering of those days. The bread was unleavened during this ritual and bitter herbs were used. This was to remind the Jews of the suffering of that time (as they came out of Egypt) as the communion is a reminder of Christ's suffering on the cross.

God said He would "passover" or spare the Israelites with the lambs blood on their doorposts. This was done at night. Fitting that Jesus performed communion at night with His disciples just before He was arrested. This is symbolic of the blood being placed on the doorposts just before death came to Egypt that night. Just as God passed over the children of the Israelites who did as they were commanded by putting lamb's blood on their doorposts, so God will passover us and not allow us to see the second death for we are covered by the blood of His lamb (Jesus Christ). In the next posts, we will talk about the doorpost symbol, the redemption symbol, and the faith symbol.

John 6:54
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.