The Lord’s Supper (commonly called Communion) is an opportunity for all believers in Jesus Christ to physically show their remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us by dying on the cross.  It consists of a person eating some bread and drinking some grape juice/wine.

What is the Meaning of the Lord’s Supper?

Christ said in Matthew 26:26-30 that the bread represents His body and the wine represented His blood. Verse 28 states that Christ’s blood was given for the forgiveness of everyone’s sin. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we not only “remember” Christ’s sacrifice, what He went through that we might be saved, what salvation means to us, and what we need to do to be more like Him.  By participation in the Lord’s Supper we are making known to others the victory of Christ’s death.  Our participation testifies of our faith in the forgiveness of sins that Jesus provided through His death.  The frequency of partaking in the Lord’s Supper, is the matter of the participant’s heart.  We are warned in 1 Corinthians 11:27 not to partake it “in an unworthy manner.”  We should never approach the Lord’s Supper carelessly. 

How Did the Lord’s Supper Originate?

The Lord’s Supper began with the last supper Jesus ate with His friends before His death.  This final supper is described in Scripture as a Passover meal.  The Passover was an annual meal that the Jews participated in to commemorate God’s mercy in the past when He passed over the houses of their forefathers in Egypt (Exodus 12:21-32).  The Passover was also a time of looking forward to the coming Messiah who would provide the ultimate rescue for God’s people.  In instituting the Lord’s Supper during the Passover, Jesus seemed to be saying:  “As Israel was spared death at the hand of the destroying angel, and delivered from slavery through the death of the Passover lamb and the sprinkling of its blood, so you are spared from eternal death and freed from slavery to sin by my broken body and shed blood.”

Where is the Lord’s Supper Discussed in Scripture?

Matthew 26:26-30

Mark 14:22-25

Luke 22:14-20

John 6:42-58

Acts 2:42, 20:7

1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-32