This post is part of a devotional series based on our 2019 Bible Reading Calendar.
When the hour came, Jesus reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:14-18)
From the beginning, the Lord’s Supper or Communion has been a part of the Christian tradition. We gather together and share the bread and the cup, just as Jesus did with the Twelve at the Passover before his crucifixion.
The Supper is a rich moment in which we transition from hearing the Gospel to seeing the Gospel. We partake of the bread and the drink, acting “in remembrance of” Jesus (22:19)–the bread representing his body, broken for us; the cup representing his blood, shed for us.
Seeing the bread and the cup remind us that Jesus was broken on the cross for our sins. Eating the bread and drinking from the cup remind us of our union with Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus dwells not simply with each Christian but in each Christian. From the inside out, he shapes us with new hearts and new lives. Knowing Jesus’ words that he would not partake again until he did so in the Kingdom reminds us of our future hope. As Revelation 19 tells us, eternity kicks off with a feast, likely what Jesus had in mind.
As we see the Gospel in the Lord’s Supper, we see it’s past, present, and future implications. In the past, when Jesus shed his blood and broke his body, our sins were paid for and covered through his cross. In the present, Christ dwells in us, changing us, sanctifying us, making us more like him. In the future, we will be raised to glory and spend an eternity of joy with our Savior-King, celebrating everything he did to assure our place at his table.
Scripture quotes taken from the Christian Standard Bible.
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