When we come together to partake in the Lord’s Supper, we aren’t just engaging in a tradition or performing a religious duty. We’re doing something much deeper, something profoundly spiritual. At the heart of this practice is a command from Jesus Himself, rooted in Scripture and packed with layers of meaning that go beyond what our eyes can see or our minds can fully grasp.
The passage that often comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 11:23-26:
“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.” (KJV)
Here, we find the essence of Communion. When Jesus took the bread and the cup, He wasn’t just offering symbols. He was giving us a way to remember, to experience, and to proclaim His death—and all that His death means for us.
Read About Baptism Next: The Significance of Baptism
Remembering Jesus’ Sacrifice
In the words, “this do in remembrance of me,” Jesus calls us to remember. The bread and wine are more than just elements; they are reminders of His body broken for us and His blood shed for our salvation. As we take the bread, we remember the physical suffering Jesus endured—the flogging, the nails, the crown of thorns. We remember the pain, but more importantly, we remember that this suffering was for us.
Isaiah 53:5 reminds us, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” His suffering was the price of our peace and healing. Every time we take the bread, we are declaring that we live under the grace won by His wounds.
Likewise, when we take the cup, we remember His blood shed for the remission of our sins. Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” The blood Jesus shed was the fulfillment of the sacrificial system—a perfect, once-and-for-all atonement for sin. Without His blood, there is no forgiveness, no reconciliation, no hope. But through His blood, we are made new.
Proclaiming the Lord’s Death
Paul also says, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” Every time we gather at the Lord’s Table, we are not just remembering; we are proclaiming. The act of Communion is a visible sermon. When we break the bread and drink from the cup, we announce to the world—and to ourselves—that Jesus died for sinners.
And it’s not just any kind of death we’re proclaiming. We are proclaiming a victorious death. It might seem strange to some, that we celebrate death. But in Jesus’ case, His death was not the end—it was the beginning of victory. Colossians 2:15 says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” His death defeated the powers of darkness, sin, and death itself.
So when we partake of the bread and the cup, we are not proclaiming defeat. We are proclaiming victory. Victory over sin and death. Victory that is ours because of Him.
Participating in the New Covenant
Another key phrase from this passage is “this cup is the new testament in my blood.” The word “testament” can also be translated “covenant.” Through His death, Jesus instituted a new covenant between God and humanity. This new covenant is not based on our performance or ability to keep the law, but on His finished work on the cross.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 prophesied this new covenant:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers… I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts… for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
This is the promise we enter into when we drink the cup. We are no longer bound by the old covenant of the law, which we could never keep perfectly. Instead, we are participants in the new covenant, where God forgives our sins and remembers them no more.
It’s a covenant of grace, not of works. And every time we take Communion, we remind ourselves that our relationship with God is not based on how well we perform, but on the perfect performance of Jesus on our behalf.
Anticipating His Return
Finally, Paul ends with these words: “till he come.” Communion is not just about looking back at what Jesus did for us; it’s also about looking forward to His return. We live in the “already but not yet” of God’s kingdom. Jesus has already won the victory, but we have not yet seen the full realization of that victory.
As we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim His death, yes—but we also declare our hope in His return. One day, Jesus will come again, and when He does, we will sit with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9 speaks of this great feast: “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
In Communion, we get a foretaste of that coming feast. The bread and wine point us not just to the past, but to the future. They remind us that our hope is not in this world, but in the One who is coming to make all things new.
Communion Is a Call to Unity
Let’s not miss one final important element: Communion calls us to unity. Paul, just a few verses earlier, chastises the Corinthian church for divisions among them as they come to the Lord’s Table. 1 Corinthians 11:18-19 says, “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.”
When we come to the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded that we are one body in Christ. There is no room for division or strife. The bread we eat represents His body, and we—collectively—are His body on earth. 1 Corinthians 10:17 reminds us, “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
If there is division in our hearts toward a brother or sister in Christ, Communion calls us to reconcile. We cannot truly celebrate the Lord’s Supper while harboring bitterness or division. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
A Sacred, Yet Personal Moment
Although Communion is deeply communal, it’s also intensely personal. When we take the bread and cup, we are each personally interacting with Jesus. This isn’t just a church ritual we go through out of habit. It’s a sacred encounter between us and the living God.
Jesus is inviting us to His table. He invites us to receive grace, to remember His love, to proclaim His victory, and to anticipate His return. And in this sacred moment, we come face-to-face with the reality of the gospel—the good news that Jesus died for our sins, rose again for our justification, and is coming again to take us to Himself.
As we gather around the table, may we do so with hearts full of gratitude, eyes fixed on Jesus, and spirits filled with hope for the future He has promised.
