The Holy Communion
~ Pastor Thuamminlian
Bible Portions: Main Portion - Luke 22:14-20.
I - a) Exodus 11; Exodus 12:3-10 (The Passover); b) Exodus 11:4-6 (Tenth Plague), Additional references; e) John 3: 16; f) Mark 16:16; g) Ephesians 2:8-9; h) Isaiah 53:4-5; i) Hebrews 9:12
II - a) I Corinthians 11:26; b) Luke 22:19; c) Exodus 20:3; d) Luke 10:27
III - a) John 13:34-35; b) John 17:11; c) I Corinthians 13:1-3
IV - a) I Corinthians 11:27- 29
Main Bible Portion: Luke 22: 14-20
In this Bible verse, Jesus had told His disciples that the wine and the bread that he had chosen are symbols that signify his blood and flesh. Therefore, the Holy Communion is a mandatory practice that Jesus had commanded for His disciples and believers to follow, as a remembrance of His perfect sacrifice on the Cross.
While we prepare to partake of this Holy Communion, the truth underlying it can be explained through four (4) points:
I. The Holy Communion Signifies Salvation
The Holy Communion is in tune with another significant feast of the Israelites which is the Passover Feast. Details of the same is seen in, a) Exodus 11 and Exodus 12:3-10 from the Bible portion given.
a) Exodus 12: 3-10
It is about the bondage of the Israelites under the Egyptians and their subsequent deliverance by God through his servant named Moses. While Moses persistently pleaded for the deliverance of the Israelites, Pharaoh’s heart was constantly hardened by God in order that everyone knows He is the Sovereign God, and eventually Praise His name alone. In this process, the Lord plagued the Egyptians with 10 types of plagues, one after another.
b) Exodus 11:4-6
The last and the Tenth plague was the killing of the firstborn. The Lord commanded that each household kill an unblemished one year old lamb and smear its blood on the two doorposts and on the lintel of their doors. The meat of the lamb was to be roasted and eaten the same night any leftover of which should be burnt to ashes the next morning. This feast is known as the Passover feast as the households that follow the command will be Passed over by the Angel of Death by sparing the first born and the adverse for those who did not obey the command. The next day of the Passover feast is the liberation of the Israelites from the grip of the Egyptians. Therefore, the whole concept here signifies Salvation of the Israelites, which would undoubtedly be crystal clear for the disciples, as well as it is so for us, believers today.
The fact that any household; including Israelite and Egyptians, that follows the Lord’s command will be saved, regardless of their identity, is already a shadow of God’s Grace through the power of the blood of the Lamb for all who believe.
Additional references-
e) John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
f) Mark 16:16 – He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
g) Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Besides all these, Jesus also wanted to make us understand that he was the Passover Lamb who, through His death on the Cross, carried our transgressions and Passed over the wrath of God upon the sinful world and achieved Eternal Redemption for us. Therefore, the Holy Communion signifies our Salvation.
h) Isaiah 53:4-5 – 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
i) Hebrews 9:12 – Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
II. It is a feast of Remembrance
The Holy Communion is a proclamation and remembrance of Jesus’ death for us. It is the Lord’s will to remember his death, suffering and love for us through the Holy Communion.
a) I Corinthians 11:26 – For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
b) Luke22:19 – 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.”
The first of the Ten Commandments given by God in the Old Testament was to have no other God’s before Him.
c) Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before Me”. The Lord should be our first priority and only love in this world of sin and temptation. The moment we forget God’s love for us, sin is ready to tempt us and drift us away from our loving Father. Therefore, we should remember to whom we belong and that we had been bought with a price. As we partake of this, let us be consciously reminded of the sole Sovereign in our life; with all our soul, strength and mind bestowed for Him.
d) Luke 10:27 – So, he answered and said ‘‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.”
III. The Epitome of a Parallel Body
a) John 13: 34-35 – 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus gave his disciples a new Commandment which was to love one another so that the world would know that they are his disciples and that they belong to the same body of Christ, which also applies to the believers of this present world who partake of the Holy Communion. A notable practice at a certain South Indian Church was that a large bread was baked for the whole congregation which was served by the Pastor, from which each member took their own pieces of share. The fact that they share from the same bread is rather a metaphor of a unified body in Christ.
b) John 17:11 – 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as we are.
This truth can also be deciphered from John Chapter 17 where Jesus prayed for his disciples in love so that they could be unified just as he was unified with his Father. While we look to love, a dangerous situation could be the absence of love and mere zeal or patriotism which could lead to brutality.
c) I Corinthians 13:1-3 – 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
It had been rightly said by Paul the Apostle in I Chapter 13: 1-3, that every good deed he could ever accomplish would be of no profit or meaning without love, even to the extent of laying down his life for his concern of the poor. Therefore, love is essential for those who partake of the Holy Communion, so that the world knows the truth behind the epitome of a parallel body in Christ.
IV. A Holy Feast
I Corinthians 11:27-29 – 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. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Paul had said in the above Bible Verse that anyone who partakes of the Holy Communion should examine oneself beforehand and do so with utmost respect of the Holy Ceremony. The Passover during Paul’s time had been often misconducted and misused by certain believers who used it to satisfy their hunger to the extent that they skip their meals. The Lord’s judgment was upon these people and it resulted in diseases and death. As this Holy Communion signifies the holy blood and flesh of Jesus Christ, one should not defile it and thus take it with due respect. As such, one should examine oneself based on his relationship with God. A truly born-again Christian who had been Baptized in the spirit and flesh and who had fulfilled the law outlined by the church is eligible to partake of it. So, whoever fails in this outlined criteria should discern by his pure conscience whether to partake of it.
