SURVEY
OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
by Andrew Corbett
Chapter 30
COMMUNION.
The second sacrament we're examining is communion. Depending on what part of the Body of Christ you come from will determine what you call this. Some of the more common names given to this sacrament are- Lord's Table, Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, Eucharist, and the Breaking of Bread. This will also determine what view a person might hold about this. For some, it means that God's salvation is imparted through it. For others it is a pointless outdated ritual which has no place in the modern church.
THE PASSOVER FEAST
"Now the first day of the Feast of the Unleaven Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?'"
Matthew 26:17
The Communion ceremony had its beginnings back in the Jewish Passover. The Passover had three parts to it: 1) the feast of Passover; 2) the feast of Unleaven Bread and 3) the feast day of Firstfruits (Ex. 12:1-14, 21-29; Lev. 23:4-5; Num. 33:3; Dt. 16:1-8).
1. What was the focal point of the Passover? (Ex. 12:1-5)
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Everything about the Passover foreshadows Jesus. John the Baptist described Him as "the Lamb of God" (Jn. 1:29). In heaven He is referred to as "the Lamb of God" (Rev. 5:6,8). An understanding of the events surrounding the Passover will enrich the believer's appreciation of the Communion celebration.
* It was for a people in bondage about to be freed.
* It was at a time when God's judgment was pending.
* It was at a time when no-one had an excuse not to obey the LORD.
* The lamb to be used was to be spotless and without blemish.
* The lamb was to be shared with next door neighbors if they couldn't afford, or didn't have one.
* The blood of the lamb was to be put on the doorposts of the house.
* It was to be eaten with a readiness to move out immediately.
* It was to be eaten with unleavened bread.
* It was to mark the beginning of months.
Each of these aspects carries with it great significance for the believer. It is a picture of what took place at our conversion when we accepted Jesus into our lives. We were bound to sin, worldliness and evil desires from which we trod a hell-bound destiny. We knew that God would have been right to judge us then and there as guilty sinners deserving death and punishment. Circumstances, witnesses, and our consciences left us with no excuse for disobeying God any longer. We received a revelation of Christ Jesus. We ate of the Lamb of God. We are now His witnesses. Our households are now different from those of the world. When we committed our lives to Christ we pledged obedience to Him always. Our lifestyles are now characterised by holiness and a lack of worldliness. Our conversion to Christ marked the beginning of the rest of our lives- it was at this point that we became born-again.
2. What does Paul describe as leaven in 1 Cor. 5:6-8?
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The bulk of the Passover celebrations came directly after the Passover Feast. This was where for one week, the Israelites had to eat unleavened bread. This began at the Passover Feast. We note that-
* The lamb had to be roasted and then entirely eaten.
* It had to be eaten with unleaven bread.
* These were to be eaten with bitter herbs.
All of these pointed to Christ. No one can follow the Lord unless they eat of His flesh (Jn. 6:53). Our approach to the Lord must be holy (Heb. 12:14) and therefore without leaven. As we celebrate Communion we remember that it was a time of anguish for our Master, hence the bitter herbs point to the pain and suffering endured by Christ from Gesthemane to the Cross.
There is some debate as to whether the last supper Christ had with His disciples was actually the Passover meal or not. It would seem to make sense if it was, but this raises a few questions (such as the timing of the meal and the death of Christ). At this meal there is no mention of any lamb being eaten. However, it was the very Lamb of God who was present bringing the fulfilment of all that the Passover truly meant.
For many years the Passover wasn't celebrated in Israel. Only during times of national repentance did they seek to comply with the law of Moses and celebrate the Passover. This was especially so during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah and the restoration of the Jews back to Judah. In fact, the Passover became so popular after Ezra and Nehemiah, the priests who were solely responsible for the approval of the lambs to be slaughtered, soon realised that there was a dollar to be made. By the time of Christ it had become quite commercialised. Priests owned herds of sheep and lambs which were managed for them by shepherds. One night as several shepherds were watching their flock, they were suddenly gripped by a celestial choir announcing the birth of the Lamb of God. Years later, this Lamb went into the temple and interrupted business.
CHRIST'S USE OF COMMUNION
3. In how many of the Gospels is the last supper described? (Examine, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) From the gospel accounts we know that Christ often had meals with people. These were times of great fellowship. In the last meal He had before His crucifixion, He gave special significance to what followed. After eating the Passover Lamb with them, He took the supper and applied some an analogies to the bread and wine.
4. How is Mark's account of this event different to that of the other Gospel writers?
LUKE 22:14-23
5. Possibly how many times did Christ and the disciples eat the Passover together?
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On this occasion Christ initiated the celebration of the New Covenant. It had become Jewish tradition when celebrating the passover to set aside a cup for the promised Messiah in case He should come during their meal. When Jesus took this cup it had been exclusively reserved for the coming messiah. The Jews apparently also put three small loaves of bread into a bag in preparation for the Passover meal. They would then take out the second piece and break it. They still aren't quite sure why they do this. Some suggest that the three loaves represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why Jacob is broken is not known. Christian's suggest that what they have is actually a representation of the Trinity in which they take out Christ, the Second member of the Godhead, and break Him. Hence when Christ did this on the night He was betrayed, He was saying this is My Body and thus identifying Himself as that middle piece of bread.
The Passover had become the central feast of the covenant relationship between God and His people. When Christ took the bread and wine, He announced that this was the beginning of the New Covenant.
6. What part of this passage suggests strongly that we were to continue this ceremony after Christ had died?
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The place of bread and wine in making a covenant was normal practice among Hebrews. It was a ritual where pledges were made by both parties to each other. The clearest example of a covenant today is the marriage ceremony. For the Jew breaking a covenant brought his death.
COMMUNION IN THE EARLY CHURCH
Twice in the second chapter of Acts it says that the first disciples and converts enjoyed fellowship and the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42,46).
7. What other things were grouped in with "the breaking of bread"?
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The early days of the church were marked by intimate fellowship, sharing and the breaking of bread. Many believe that this became an expression for the Lord's Table. This is possible yet it wouldn't have developed into the full revelation of what Christ had actually done until some time later. Christ had celebrated the Supper immediately after a meal with His disciples. So it became the habit of the early church to have a meal before breaking bread . This became known as the love feast (agapai). As the church developed and grew, some corruptions of this practice crept in and brought disgrace to some fellowships. Paul rebukes the element within the Corinthian church that were gluttonizing themselves on expensive food in the presence of the poorer members of the church, resulting in drunkenness before partaking of the Lord's Table (1Cor. 11:20-22).
COMMUNION PAST PENTECOST
8. Some teach that communion has no place in the church today because it was an exclusive Jewish ceremony. What does Acts 20:11 and Acts 27:35 tell us about the culture and time span of communion?
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The very fact that Paul had to address a Gentile church many years after Pentecost would suggest that it became a regular part of the worship service among believers then. We need to examine ourselves to see whether some of the same problems exist today in our fellowships as did then.
9. What reason does Paul give for some of the church becoming sick and even dying? (1Cor. 11:27-30)
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THROUGH HISTORY
From the records of the church Fathers we understand that the Communion Table featured in their worship services along with the pre-supper meal (referred to by some as the Love Feast). This meal continued to get out of hand to the extent that people were getting drunk and gorging themselves with food. This is despite Chrysostum (Homily 27 on 1Cor. 11:17) stating " a custom most beautiful and beneficial; for it was a supporter of love, a solace of poverty, and a discipline of humility, " but then adds with regret that this had degraded by his day with corruptions
The gradual historic corruption of Communion may be outlined as-
* 9th century: Radbertus, influenced by mysticism, taught that a miracle takes place during the words of the institution of the Supper, that is, that the elements actually become the body and blood of Christ. This is known as transubstantiation.
* 1059 A.D. : Transubstantiation is declared to be the official position of the Roman Catholic church.
* 13th century : Concomitance was introduced. This is the belief that both the blood and body of Christ are present in each element, therefore the cup was withheld from the laity (people who are not clergy).
* Consecration was introduced. This is the belief that only the priest can change the elements into the actual body and blood of Christ.
* The communion ceremony became a sacrificing of Christ. Inasmuch as Christ being in the elements, He was sacrificed each time that communion was performed for the present sins committed by priest's responsibility..
* 1545-63 A.D. Council of Trent: Since Christ was present in the elements, the elements should be regarded as elements of veneration. This meant that the church was endorsing and encouraging the worship of the communion elements.
A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME
10. What part of Luke 22:14-22 suggests that there was a future aspect to this ceremony?
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11. Is there any parallel between this and the events of Revelation 19:7?
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Communion is not a man-made cultural ritual which has no place today in the church. Although there remains great mystery about it, it is to be kept in remembrance of Christ until we are able to partake of it in His future kingdom. There is an element of mystery about it for now, as the apostle Paul said, but we are commanded to continue this ritual as a reminder to us of what Christ has done, what He can do now, and what He will do in the future.
Amen.