1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26 A LOVING MEMORIAL

A LOVING MEMORIAL

For I have received of the Lord

that which also I delivered unto you,

that the Lord Jesus the same night

in which he was betrayed took bread:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you:

this do in remembrance of me.

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.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,

ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Something we had not really noticed before in this passage was that the Lord Jesus personally gave Paul instructions regarding observing communion, or as we call it, “The Lord’s Supper.” Therefore, even though Paul was not present on the night Judas betrayed Jesus, he knew exactly what had transpired around that table. Many scholars believe Paul wrote this description of Jesus’s last Passover meal with the twelve even before any of the gospel accounts were written. Why do we call this memorial meal “communion?” Susan breaks down the word as “come into union.” By reminding ourselves of the fact that Jesus our High Priest offered Himself as the final sacrificial, Passover Lamb, we are coming into union with Him. We are symbolically re-enacting the death of the Lord on our behalf. By sharing this meal with other believers, we are coming into union with each other as we corporately testify to the truth of God’s grace in providing Jesus to die in our place. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is a solemn but joyful memorial. We solemnly reflect on the agony of our Lord as His body was nailed to the cross, and His blood flowed down from His nail-pierced hands and feet and His side pierced by the soldier’s spear. Then our sorrow turns to joy as we recall what happened on the third day—our Savior rose triumphantly from the grave having conquered sin and death!

Father, let us never forget all Jesus has done for us. Let us feel the pain we experienced when the realization of the cross and the agony of Jesus’s temporary separation from You was first made real to us. Let us eat the bread and drink the cup as a memorial to Your love and grace!