Understanding the Lord’s Supper More than a symbol, this sacred meal nourishes the church with the presence and promise of Christ. September 29th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

 

Understanding the Lord’s Supper

More than a symbol, this sacred meal nourishes the church with the presence and promise of Christ.

September 29th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Lord’s Supper has never been an easy meal to digest not historically, and certainly not spiritually.

From the moment Jesus introduced the idea of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, His words provoked confusion and even offense. “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” many asked (John 6:60). For some, it marked a point of departure: “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66).

That unsettling reaction continues through church history. Across centuries, Christians have debated the nature of this meal is Christ physically present, spiritually present, or symbolically represented? At the heart of the Reformation, it was the Lord’s Supper not just justification by faith that divided Protestants and Roman Catholics. And even within Protestantism, the Table remained a point of contention.

So what exactly is the Lord’s Supper? What did Jesus mean by it, and how should we approach it today? While not every denomination agrees on the details, Scripture, especially Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11, provides four essential truths that can ground our understanding.

1. Ordained by Jesus

The Lord’s Supper is no church invention. It is a command from Christ Himself instituted on the night of His betrayal, during the Passover meal with His disciples. “Do this,” He said plainly (Luke 22:19). He gave bread and wine, identifying them with His body and blood, and told His followers to continue this practice.

Alongside baptism, the Supper stands as a foundational ordinance of the Christian faith. When we eat and drink at the Table, we aren’t merely engaging in tradition we are obeying the voice of our Savior.

2. For His Gathered Church

The Lord’s Supper is not an individual ritual or a private moment of reflection alone. Paul’s language in 1 Corinthians 11 emphasizes the phrase “when you come together” repeated five times in that chapter (verses 17, 18, 20, 33, 34). This is a family meal meant for the gathered body of Christ.

In an age of livestreamed services and digital discipleship, this is a needed reminder. The Table is not something to take alone in isolation. It is a communal act, a visible expression of our unity in Christ. When we eat and drink together, we declare that we are one body reconciled not only to God, but to each other (1 Corinthians 10:17).

3. To Remember Him

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). This is no vague sentiment it’s a call to rehearse and re-anchor our hearts in the very center of our faith. At the Table, we remember His body broken for us, His blood poured out for our forgiveness.

This remembrance isn’t a passive recollection. It’s an active, Spirit-empowered proclamation: “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). We are remembering the gospel Christ’s substitutionary death, His resurrection, and His promised return.

And we’re not remembering alone. We remember together, reaffirming our shared identity as those purchased by His blood.

4. To Nourish Our Souls

The Lord’s Supper is not just about remembering what Christ has done it’s about receiving what He continues to do.

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is spiritually present at the Table. As we eat and drink in faith, we receive real spiritual nourishment. Just as food strengthens the body, this meal strengthens the soul. As Paul writes, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

In other words, something happens at the Table. The Supper is not empty ritual. It’s not a mere memorial. It’s a means of grace a divine gift through which Christ nourishes, sustains, and sanctifies His people.

As believers approach the Table with faith, repentance, and love, they are drawn deeper into communion with Christ. This is why the Supper is such a sacred and serious moment. Paul warns, “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Corinthians 11:29).

This is a meal of life and death. To partake in an unworthy manner is to invite discipline, even illness and death (verse 30). But to partake in faith is to be fed by the risen Christ Himself.

More Than Bread and Wine

Ultimately, the Lord’s Supper is a picture of the gospel. It reminds us of the cross, unites us as one body, and renews our hope in Christ’s return. It is an echo of Passover and a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb.

At the Table, we look backward to Calvary, inward in self-examination, outward in fellowship, and forward to glory.

Here, we find not just bread and wine, but grace and truth. We meet Jesus, not physically, but spiritually and He meets us with mercy.

So let us come reverently, expectantly, joyfully. Not because we are worthy, but because He is.

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