Communion
Intro
Also known as the Eucharist, this is a practice that Jesus asks us to partake of as an act of remembering him.
Luke 22:14-23
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this PASSOVER with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the NEW COVENANT in my blood.
Setting the tone
An understanding of the importance and past of the Passover unlocks some understanding of the partaking of communion.
Passover (exodus 12) - If you’ve seen the prince of Egypt you know exactly what this is.
The biblical roots of the Passover were through the choosing and sacrificing of one’s best and flawless male lamb.
2. Then there would be a spreading of the blood across their wooden doorposts
Blood stains wood
The blood of the lamb would be a permanent outward sign of the completed sacrifice within their lives
3. Then there would be a consuming of the flesh of the lamb
At the moment that we just read, Jesus had decided to have his last supper on the evening of the consuming of the lamb
The Passover sacrifice was not completed by the death of the lamb
But by the consuming of its flesh
What does this tell us about communion?
Christ’s sacrifice alone is not enough to give you life
It’s in the partaking of his body that you receive his life
A deeper look
v19 - “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
“This is my body”
doesn’t refer to in memory of me
it refers to having an actualized awareness of me
Past, Present, and Future are eliding together in this moment of communion
At the table (communion) we we are looking backward to his -
life
kingdom work
teachings
miracles
death
resurrection
ascension
we look in our spirits and through our bodies for Jesus in the here and now
we look forward in hope over the horizon to Jesus’ return
Professor N.T Wright puts it best in his writings “the meal Jesus gave us”:
“The hardest thing about the sacraments is they invite us to look at time in a different way, the term memorial does not mean merely bringing something to mind, or remembering. It refers in some way to bringing that past story and the divine action of the past into the present such that the present audience becomes part of the story and receives the benefit from such actualization”
Actualize the future and past into the present
don’t just call to mind a past event during communion
bring and drag the past and future here and now
do life around the table and let the past and the further break into the present so that we can join in the story
“The lord’s table is about presence, surely about eating. But ultimately it’s a discipline that shapes a group of people to be present to God’s presence in Christ around a table” - David Finch
Enjoy Jesus’ company and be present to the person around the table from you
The breaking of bread is a double entendre and is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, years before the bread knife ever existed the bread had to be broken before you could eat it
Jesus was broken and torn apart at the cross and thus handed to you and I at the table …
Why is communion applicable today?
We see in Luke chapter 24, The day of resurrection and the walk to Emmaus. The events following Jesus’ death on the cross. two disciples of Jesus (not the original 11) walking with Jesus:
13 “That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus … 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.”
They then had a conversation telling Jesus about everything that he had just done, saying that he was JUST a prophet, still not knowing who they were speaking with
It goes on
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ... 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. … 34 they then said “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
They saw Jesus as the failed messiah for he wasn’t supposed to die on a Roman cross, because they had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel through overtaking Rome and being their ideal messiah.
How interesting is it that the ones that didn’t believe Jesus to be who he said he was, couldn’t even recognize him?
They couldn’t recognize him until he repeated his actions at the last supper
Only with the breaking and the partaking of the bread will the risen Jesus be made known to us
Through this passage, he is pointing us to the way he will be present with us through the partaking of his body, partaking of communion.
