Kingdom Communion
CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER
THE LORD'S SUPPER
The Lord's Supper is a very precious thing. And it is so because it's Christ's New Covenant Passover. He was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1'29). So, for those who are saved, the word "passover" says a lot as to why it is.
One of the things that people who profess to believe in Jesus do from time to time, when they congregate, they often call "Communion". But there are variations among them, such as Breaking Bread, Holy Communion, Eucharist, Mass, etc. And at such times it is likely to be mentioned that what they are doing is also known as the Lord's Supper.
Jesus inaugurated His New Covenant Supper during His last Old Testament Passover meal with His Disciples. He commanded them (and all who subsequently follow Him) to "Do this in remembrance of Me" as they shared in the partaking of bread and wine.
But what He was referring to was radically different. It was His New Covenant Passover; a feast, a special spiritual occasion.
When it comes to communion it could be said that that it doesn't lie in the act of partaking, but in the spiritual shared remembering of the many aspects of what Jesus did for us.
His Disciples were like-minded and united in following Him. That has always been important, because those taking part are to be like them, truly born again Believers who have repented and received Jesus, and possess the understandings of having received Him.
Such Believers want to be learning about Him and of Him, and doing the will of their heavenly Father, as He did. For them there is one thing that precedes the Lord's Supper, and that is immersion in water. It came first for Jesus, it came first for His Disciples and it is to come first for His present-day Followers.
Jesus understood what He was doing. His Followers should also know the understandings that being immersed in water conveys (see article Immersion in Water on the Menu). Jesus did it as an intentional act of righteousness before the Father and he left that example to all who would follow Him.
So, having been immersed in water, the Lord's Supper comes next. He told us to remember Him.
HIS NEW COVENANT PASSOVER
"Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb must be killed". This was the last day of the last Passover Jesus ever took part in and throughout Israel they were commemorating the time when the Lord delivered them from being enslaved in Egypt.
Exodus 12 onward tells about the slaying of a lamb and its blood being the key to their deliverance. God told them to commemorate it every year: “... you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households’,” 12'27.
At this last Passover Jesus ...
"... said to them, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God'.
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves;
for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes '.
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you'," Luke 22'7,15-20.
And:
“... I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom,” Matthew 26'29, Mark 14'25.
As He explained that the bread represented His body that was given for them and the cup represented His blood which He would be shedding for them, would they have realised that He was describing Himself as the New Covenant Passover Lamb?
With these words He transformed the Feast of Passover. However, it's fulfillment was yet to come, when the Old Covenant replaced the New. But at this point the horrific, holy process was about to begin. So "when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives," Mark 14'26.
Finally, at the completion and fulfillment of all that His Father had sent Him to achieve, Jesus declared from the cross, "It is finished". Later, in the heavens, "He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption," Hebrews 9'12.
Now that He was glorified, the Father and He sent the Holy Spirit. From this time on the New Covenant Passover would be fulfilled by the Saints in the Kingdom of God in the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine as Jesus had said.
Israel's mighty physical deliverance foreshadowed the Believers' mighty spiritual deliverance because our heavenly Father "... has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins," Colossians 1'13-14.
Placed in the Kingdom of the Son of the Father's love. That's where a born again Believer is placed. And the Father Himself has done it. Now remember what Jesus said, about the bread?
"I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom,” Matthew 26'29, Mark 14'25.
He said: “... where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18'20). “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28'20).
Genuine born again Believers are joint-heirs with Jesus in His Father’s kingdom. And as such, from their first gathering together with the Apostles after Pentecost until to now, He is present with us, as He said, to drink the fruit of the wine new with us.
KEEPING "OUR" PASSOVER
Believers need reminding. Peter said: "... I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth," 2 Peter 1'12.
And Paul had to do a lot of it. Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me". In response to His command Believers are to keep the New Covenant Feast of Christ, our Passover. But what should the Believers' basic disposition towards it be? Paul gives the answer in two words: it should be approached in sincerity and truth.
He said this when he had to deal with a case of immorality among the Believers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 5'1-2,6-8).
And at the conclusion of his advice, Paul said:
"Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth," 1 Corinthians 5'1-2,6-8.
With these words he shows that Lord's New Covenant Feast of Christ, our Passover, is well established. And that, for all born again Believers, God will pass over us on the day of judgment because we believe in Jesus and His salvation for us.
"Therefore," Paul goes on to say, "... let us keep the feast ... with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth". That echoes what the Lord said to the woman at the well in John 4'23: “... the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth".
And Paul's own words reflected the disposition for keeping the feast:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me," Paul said, Galatians 2'20.
The apostle Peter has the same understanding: Jesus "... Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness," 1 Peter 2'24.
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Believers need reminding that, if the enemy and the self are not firmly put in their places, unacceptable situations are likely to arise. Further on in his letter to the Corinthian Believers Paul has to speak firmly to them about things like this.
Corinth was a place where idolatry and demonic activity were part of people's lives, as Paul knew and he has to remind them of the dangers. Apparently, some of the Believers were associating with demonic activities, especially partaking of their table and thinking that they can also partake of the Lord's Table.
He told them they couldn't do that. He knew that demons are liars who aim to take over human lives.
In relation to involvement with demons he begins with a stark reminder by referring back to the time when the Israelites were tempted to worship the golden calf in the wilderness. He says that ...
"... with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now these things became our examples ... and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry," 1 Corinthians 10'5-6, 11-14.
"Do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play',” verse 7. But there were those who didn't.
So, Paul's beloved Corinthian Believers are likely to be being strongly influenced by their idolatrous environment. Nevertheless, he still refers to them as wise men and urges them to judge for themselves what he says. How could he do that?
He could do that because he had taught them where they stood in Christ. He had laid it out earlier:
... to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And ... of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God (and righteousness and sanctification and redemption) that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 1 Corinthians 1'24,30-31. And "... we have the mind of Christ," 1 Corinthians 2'16.
That's why he could say, "I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?
Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to associate with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot have fellowship with the Lord’s table and of the table of demons," 1 Corinthians 10'15-21.
So he makes it very clear that communion is not the name of a ceremony it's a uniting with others in a spiritual involvement. "Fellowship" and "communion" are both from the same Greek word, koinonia.
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A little further in his letter Paul has to speak strongly to them yet again. This time it's their attitude and misbehaviour around the Lord's Supper. He says ...
"... first of all, when you come together as Christ's People, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise Christ's People and shame those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you," 1 Corinthians 11'18-22.
It seems that they were not too much bothered about the way they were keeping the Lord's New Covenant Passover. Paul was about to enlighten them:
"I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come," 1 Corinthians 11'23-34.
These are powerful and beneficial words. But in the process of delivering them Paul refers to things like unworthy manner, judgment, not discerning, weak, sickly, sleep (dying), chastened, condemned, judgment .
Nevertheless, he also says they can be corrected. Our heavenly Father graciously allows us to examine and judge ourselves. So "let a man examine himself", Paul says, "if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged". Thus we avoid being judged by Him and being chastened by Him and avoid being condemned with the world.
From what he says there's restoration in judging ourselves, there's worthiness, discernment, strength, alertness, discipline and spiritual freedom, even healthiness, etc.
He finishes by saying: "And the rest I will set in order when I come". Apparently Paul wasn't able to go back. But, having laid out all the things that Jesus instructed him to, he is satisfied that what he has delivered is fully sufficient. The rest could wait, obviously it was not essential.
However, in his second letter he does say this:
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified," 2 Corinthians 13'2,5.
Although these words are referring to being in the faith, and not to keeping the Lord's Supper, nevertheless what Paul is saying has relevance to keeping it correctly before the Father and the Son. Those who are not in the faith must be unbelieving and therefore disqualified (from partaking).
So Paul delivered all that he had received from Jesus in regard to His followers keeping His New Covenant Supper acceptably in the understanding that Jesus Christ "... loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood," Revelation 1'5.
The Lord said:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven - not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever,” John 6'47-51,53-58.
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Let us keep the Feast of Christ, our Passover, with sincerity and truth.
Α-Ω