The Last Supper was Jesus and the disciples eating the last Passover meal ever intended to be eaten. We know this because the one who began the Passover just prior to the escape from Egypt (Exo 12) was the one to end it at the Last Supper (The Gospels). Passover was the start of Israel's New Year and reminded God's chosen people that when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of those who had the lambs blood on the lintels were spared Judgement. As a result of God's Judgement the Hebrew nation were allowed to leave Egypt. This spoke of the coming Messiah who would secure Salvation.
When the real Lamb of God came there was no need to remember the escape from Egypt any more. It spoke of the Salvation that Messiah would bring and at the Last Supper Jesus the Messiah stopped the Passover feast, leaving the fourth cup. Taking the third of the four cups he used it to symbolize his shed blood and took the unleavened bread as his broken body. In taking these symbols it was never to be detached from the meal they took part in.
When we just eat bread and sip wine
Churches worldwide remember Jesus with a small piece of bread and a sip of wine. To detach these from a full meal is like a man who goes to a garage with his car. The Mechanic tells the man that the spark plugs are what will make his car work. Does the man go away thinking that you only need spark plugs to run an engine? Of course not... the Mechanic was only referring to them as pertinent to a discussion to get the car going, not that them alone are needed to run his car. In the same way, if we detach the bread and wine from the meal, "because Jesus said do this in remembrance of me," we neglect the entire context of them being there as part of the meal in the first place.
Jesus told believers how to do 'church'
"This do in remembrance of me" applied to the entire context of the occasion. So when Jesus said this he was commanding his Apostles to have a meal when they meet together. He wasn't referring to the Passover because that ended when Jesus becomes the actual Sacrificial Lamb on the cross. The small group in a family home eating a meal that had a loaf and wine as composite parts was the idea.
Paul told believers how to do 'church'
As I have explained previously, this is exactly what the Apostles went on and did. Paul was not present at this occasion but he does inform us in 1 Corinthians 11:23 that he received this instruction from the Lord. Paul quotes what Jesus said to 'do this in remembrance of me.' This occasion had people eating too much food and getting drunk. This was a feast, not a small sip and tiny morsel.
"It's about the heart"
When people are born into a way to meet together it is generally difficult to introduce new ideas. Many who see the above scriptural instruction to meet around a meal say their own practice of a small sip and morsel of bread suffices because 'it is all about the heart.' This is a true statement and if your heart cannot change to line up with what Jesus Christ, the Risen Ascended King of the Universe commands you to do then it would be wise to assess your own heart. After all John 10:27 tells us that Jesus sheep hear his voice (through the word of God) and I know them and they follow me. We must be willing to recalibrate our practices in order to follow the Lord. But why is it so important to actually have a meal? What's so erroneous about taking communion with emblems instead of a full meal?
Family time!
Firstly we must be obedient to the Lord's instructions even if they seem to make no sense or we are in another form of practice. The full meal idea was pure genius because it makes families do what families do... eat a meal together! We are Brothers and Sisters under the Father and when we gather to remember the saving work as family it diminishes the intimacy and purposes if we don't gather around food. Why would we want to have sips of wine and corners of bread when we can have deep intimate fellowship with people we will spend eternity with? The Lord needs this scenario to do his work. Simple as.
Gary Ward
No comments:
Post a Comment