Why the Supper Matters
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus gave His disciples bread and a cup and a simple command: this do in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19). Of all the ways He could have asked to be remembered, He chose a meal His people would share together.
We believe the Lord's Supper is an ordinance Christ gave to His church. The bread pictures His body, and the cup pictures His blood. When a church observes the Supper, believers remember what Jesus has done, proclaim His death, and look for His return. It is a memorial, not a sacrifice. It pictures grace already given; the bread and cup do not convey it.
This is not a jubilant celebration but a holy time of consideration. And few questions have divided Christians more sharply than what happens at the Table. Some believe the bread becomes Christ's body. Others believe His body is present with the bread, or that believers feed on Him spiritually. The answers shape what people trust when they come.
When you take the bread and the cup, where are you looking: at the elements in your hand, or at the Saviour they point to?
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For Deeper Study
- Understanding Four Views on the Lord's SupperAmazon John H. Armstrong, ed.Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic writers each present their view and answer the others. Russell D. Moore presents the Baptist memorial view.
- The Lord's Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He ComesAmazon Thomas R. Schreiner and Matthew R. Crawford, eds.Baptist scholars on the Passover background, the Gospels, Paul, the history of the major views, and the Supper in the life of a local church.
- 40 Questions About Baptism and the Lord's SupperAmazon John S. HammettA readable Baptist guide to both ordinances, including who may come to the Table and how often (Kregel, 2015).
- Understanding the Lord's SupperAmazon Bobby JamiesonA short book in the Church Basics series on the Supper and the local church: what it is, who should take it, and how to prepare.
- Till He ComeAmazon C. H. SpurgeonCommunion meditations and addresses, published in 1896, that turn the heart to the cross before coming to the Table.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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The Passover
The spotless lamb, its shed blood, and the judgment that passed over every house under the blood point to Christ our passover, sacrificed for us.
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