The cup
of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of
the one bread. -1 Corinthians 10:16-17
So
then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another-- -1
Corinthians 11:33
On the
first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul
talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his
speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7
The
Lord’s Supper is a sacred memorial of the atoning work of the risen Lord.
Simple elements, bread and wine, are given great significance when consecrated
by the word of God and prayer (1Cor. 11:23-25). The Supper is truly a sacrament
in the Augustinian sense: a “visible word” which portrays the gospel. The bread
and cup have no power or real significance in themselves apart from their
attachment to the gospel message, but when rightly set forth according to the
Lord’s institution, this rite is truly sacred. The Lord’s Supper is a serious
joy, an occasion of redemptive commemoration in anticipation of the Lord’s
return (1Cor. 11:26).
The Scriptures teach us much about
the Lord’s Supper, but here we want to briefly focus attention on one of the
lesser recognized aspects: its corporate context. The Supper is celebrated in
the New Testament in the assembled Church. Part of the visible corporate
activity of the Jerusalem saints was the breaking of bread, most likely a
reference to the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42). The disciples in Troas also
“gathered together to break bread” on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
This was not, evidently, a special event but the regular practice of the
assembled saints. The Corinthian Church was observing (and abusing) the Supper
on a regular and frequent basis (1Cor. 11:17-34), and we know they met together
“on the first day of every week” (1Cor. 16:2). Clearly observance of the Supper
by the gathered church each week was the practice in the first century.
The corporate context of the Supper
is important for two reasons. First, the corporate context is integral to the
institution and perpetuation of the sacrament. Jesus gathered His apostles
before instituting the Supper on the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:26-30; cf.
Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:13-20). Early Christians ate the Supper when gathered
together (Acts 20:7). And the apostle Paul explicitly commands the Corinthian
Church, “…when you come together to eat [the Lord’s Supper], wait for one
another” (1Cor. 11:33). The corporate setting of the Supper is taught both by
example and express command.
Second, the corporate context is integral
to the symbolism of the sacrament. The Lord’s Supper does not only point us to
Jesus’ death and our union with Him; it also points us to the unity of His
Body, the oneness of all those in the fellowship of Christ. These two aspects,
union with Christ and unity in the Church, are highlighted by Paul in 1
Corinthians 10:16-17:
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
We participate in Christ’s blood,
referring to the redemptive benefits of His death, and we participate in
Christ’s body, referring to the relational results of His work. Both are
visibly portrayed in the Lord’s Supper as we share a common loaf and drink the
fruit of the vine.
For
many years our congregation carried communion to the homebound and nursing
homes in the form of small kits containing bread and grape juice. While
commendable in motivation, there are biblical concerns that can be legitimately
raised about it. The Supper has no intrinsic merit; its significance is to be
found in its consecration by word and prayer. This means more than formulaic
recitation. The Supper is to be celebrated in the context of the gospel; the
message of the cross is the theological and congregational context of the
sacrament. Now it is certainly possible to share the gospel while administering
the Supper in a hospital room or nursing home, but the circumstances make it
unlikely this will be done thoroughly. More often the elements will be hastily
delivered and ingested, its meaning mentioned briefly, a word of prayer spoken.
But where is the community of saints? Where are the rest of God’s people with
whom unity in the Body of Christ is shared? Where is the spiritual reality
which the one loaf portrays?
Some
will object the Supper ought to be sent to the sick and homebound who are
unable to attend and partake in the Church assembly. My question would be, why?
If they are providentially hindered from assembling with the saints, and not
merely forsaking the responsibility of assembling with the brethren (Heb.
10:24-25), their absence is certainly not sinful. We can bring recordings of the
preaching and singing, we can visit with them in their sickroom and pray, but
there is no way to replace or substitute for the actual gathering of the saints.
The inability to attend the assembly is a significant loss, but it is hardly
rectified by taking the Lord’s Supper alone or with one other at home. Rather,
it would be better to recognize the communal nature and congregational context
of the Supper and postpone participating in it until one can meet with the
saints in the regular assembly.
The Scriptures teach a high view of
baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacred practices of the Church, covenant signs
which visibly portray the gospel and the promise of salvation in Christ. Modern
evangelicalism has frequently reduced both practices to far more common use,
encouraging celebration of the sacraments at home, church camps, and in private
gatherings apart from the gathered church and its shepherds. While we should
never think of the sacraments as magical or mystical, as if they imparted power
to the saints in and by themselves, neither should these practices become
little or common in our eyes. This is where God meets with His people, where
the Church is visibly reminded of and commemorates Christ. This is holy ground.
–JME (March 2015)
