We celebrate communion because Jesus Christ instituted it on the night he was betrayed. On the evening before his crucifixion, Jesus took bread and he broke it and he said ‘take this and eat this is my body which is broken for you and in the same way he took the cup and he said this is the blood of the Covenant that is spilt for you’ (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:15-20). It was a new Passover observance, that we refer as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. This week fell during the time of the Jewish holidays, the Passover feast and the week of Unleavened Bread (Matthew 26:17).
He was about to fulfill the significance of the Passover. So, it is important to look at the significance of the old for it is completed in the new.
Historical Insight – Shared Features between the Communion and the Passover
Remember and Proclaim
The Lord’s Supper does share some features common to the Passover. In the Old Testament, the Passover was significant because it pointed the people of Israel to remember and proclaim their redemption from Egypt (Exodus 20:1-2).
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever (Exodus 12:14).
And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped (Exodus 12:25-27).
In each case (Passover and Lord’s Supper), the elements (bread and fruit of the vine) symbolized specific events, ideas, or objects that were of great significance. It provides a time for reflection and the significance of the objects behind the emblems (Compare Exodus 12:1-13:10 with Matthew 26:26-29).
Redeemed from Bondage – Deliverance
Exodus 20:1-2, speaks of Israelites deliverance out of bondage and enslavement. This points to the mighty act of God. They were completely unable to redeem themselves from the situation they found themselves in. They needed a Savior. God heard their cries (Exodus 2:23-3:22) and delivered them with a mighty hand.
The story of deliverance is repeated an enlarged. The great prophets of Israel also used the Exodus to speak of a similar deliverance from exile and more. Ezekiel 20:33-34 speaks of God’s future deliverance “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” the exact phrase originally used of the Exodus from Egypt.
Jeremiah 16:14-15 even speaks of a time coming when the future deliverance will out-shadow the first Exodus:
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.”
Isaiah says much the same thing when he compares the return from exile in Babylon to the first Exodus:
“Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick” (Isaiah 43:16-17).
Here, the “way in the sea” and the destruction of the chariots and horses are clear echoes of the Exodus. Then, expressing a thought similar to Jeremiah, Isaiah adds, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19).
The New Testament uses the same Exodus imagery to point to its fulfillment in the Messiah. The very vocabulary used to talk about His death is drawn right from the Exodus: slavery, ransom, redemption, deliverance, freedom. The power of God seen in the Exodus is seen also in Jesus’ ministry. Luke 11:20 reads, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In Exodus 8:19, when the Egyptian magicians could not duplicate the plague of gnats, they said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” The same power of God seen in the Exodus was seen in the ministry of Jesus.
For further study, verses regarding “Bondage to Sin”: Exodus 6:6; Deut. 13:5; Isaiah 14:3; Ezra 9:8-9; Nehemiah 9:17; John 8:31-36; Romans 6:11-22, 8:15,21; Hebrews 2:15; Galatians 2:4, 4:3, 5:1; Eph. 2:1-2; 2 Peter 2:19; 1 Cor. 6:9-11. These are but a few of the many verses that tell of God’s people in bondage and deliverance. It is Christ, who was to come who did come, and who will come again; that set us free from the bondage of sin and its wages of death (eternally speaking), and He will change us in a twinkling of an eye from corruptible to incorruptible at His second coming (1 Corinthians 15:52-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Wow.
Jesus our Passover Lamb
One of the most pervasive images in the New Testament is that of Jesus as our Passover lamb. Recall the story from the book of Exodus 12. A perfect lamb had to be selected, set aside for four days, then killed and its blood put on the sides and upper doorposts of the Israelites’ homes so that they would be spared from the tenth plague: death of the firstborn.
Sound familiar? The Lamb lived with them (Matthew 1:23, God with us), became part of the family (we belong to the family of God, verses), and gave it’s life to spare them from certain death (Savior, verses). These are but a few of the many verses that tell us about our Deliverer.
John the Baptist twice referred to Jesus as a “lamb”: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29) and “He looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’” (John 1:36).
Later in John’s gospel we read:
When they [the Roman soldiers] came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness – his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth – that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken” (John 19:33-36).
When Exodus explains the laws of Passover, it includes this stipulation: “You shall not break any of its bones” (Exodus 12:46). This is repeated in Numbers 9:12: “They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.” In a very direct way, John compares Jesus to the lamb of Passover; his body was treated the same way as that of the Passover lamb – although unintentionally on the part of the Roman soldiers! In addition, John may be alluding to Psalm 34:19-20 : “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” Not only is Jesus the lamb of Passover, but he is righteous – and was delivered from his afflictions of death by his resurrection.
Writing to a gentile congregation, Paul underscores this when he says, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For [Messiah], our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). The greater Exodus that the Messiah accomplishes benefits all of mankind who make the decision to follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Reflect for a moment on the parallels between the lamb of the book of Exodus and Christ.
The Passover lamb had to be perfect: “Your lamb shall be without blemish” (Exodus 12:5). Christ was perfect because he was sinless: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
The Israelites were in bondage (Romans 8:21) and slaves to Pharaoh. Christ says we are all slaves to sin: “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).
The tenth plague from which the Passover lamb saved the Israelites was death (Exodus 12:29). Paul writes that our sin leads to death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Israelites who applied the blood of the Passover lamb were spared that death (Exodus 12:13). The blood of Christ, the greater Passover lamb, spares us from death: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Ephesians 1:7); and “… in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).
The original Exodus was the template for the greater Exodus that took place when Christ the Messiah became our Passover lamb. God brings us out of oppression, delivers us from slavery to sin, redeems us with his great power and takes us to be his.
And so we move from slavery to freedom; from darkness to light; from death to life; and from brokenness to wholeness. That’s some Passover!
The Lord’s Supper was Instituted for the Same Reason as the Passover -Deliverance
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: 24 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. 25 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. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
The following are the Gospel accounts of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-20). In Matthew and Mark, Jesus said, “this is my body” speaking of the bread; “this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many…for the remission of sins” speaking of the fruit of the vine.
As it was also recorded in Matthew and Mark, Luke writes also that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you”. Luke account provides us with the statement: “this do in remembrance of me”. Then, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you”.
In all three accounts they were gathered to eat the Passover meal, and in all three accounts Jesus said, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom (Matthew, v. 29), “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God (Mark, v. 25), and “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come (Luke, v. 18).
The point to be made is, it is clear that the bread and the fruit of the vine were symbolic of Jesus’ body and blood that was given up for us. In fact, Luke records Jesus words: ‘do in remembrance of me” as does 1 Corinthians 11:25. It would not make any sense that Jesus would say, He will not drink again from the vine until He comes again, “until the kingdom of God shall come”. Since some believe the ‘fruit of the vine’ is literally becomes His blood – then He would be drinking his own blood. Below, we will let scripture define what John 6:32-58 is really talking about, which is the most referenced text regarding the believe of literal eating and drinking of Christs’ flesh and blood – John, and we will let the Bible to speak to cannibalism (eating of human flesh).
Old Testament Israel looked back to the Exodus through the Passover. New Testament spiritual Israel (that’s us) looks back to the cross and resurrection of Jesus through the Lord’s Supper.
As often as we eat this new Passover meal, we remember a greater exodus: ” Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Colossians 1:13-14).
Flesh and Blood – John
In John 6:53–58, 60, 66, Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
This rejection by His own who turned away took place prior to the Last Supper as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It was approximately a year prior.
Jesus’ graphic imagery about eating His flesh and drinking His blood is indeed puzzling at first. Context will help us understand what He is saying. As we consider everything that Jesus said and did in John 6, the meaning of His words becomes clearer.
Earlier in the chapter, Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6:1-13). The next day, the same multitudes continued to follow Him, seeking another meal. Jesus pointed out their short-sightedness: they were only seeking physical bread, but there was something more important: “Food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (verse 27). At this point, Jesus attempts to turn their perspective away from physical sustenance to their true need, which was spiritual.
This contrast between physical food and spiritual food sets the stage for Jesus’ statement that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus explains that it is not physical bread that the world needs, but spiritual bread. Jesus three times identifies Himself as that spiritual bread (John 6:35,48,51). And twice He emphasizes faith as the key to salvation: “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (verse 40); and “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life” (verse 47).
After Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000, they wanted Him to “evermore give us this bread” (v. 34). Jesus tried to get their attention off of the physical bread and onto the true “bread of life”. “32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:32-35). They were more concerned with the condition of their stomachs than the condition of their souls. Jesus then compares and contrasts Himself to the manna (a type foreshadowing Jesus) that Israel had eaten in the time of Moses: : “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (John 6:49–50). Like manna, Jesus came down from heaven; and, like manna, Jesus gives life. Unlike manna, the life Jesus gives lasts for eternity (verse 58). In this way, Jesus is greater than Moses (see Hebrews 3:3). Jesus firmly established his metaphor (and the fact that He is speaking of faith in Him. Sadly, the people could not get their minds off of physical bread long enough to understand the spiritual truth Jesus was declaring.
Special note: To prevent being misconstrued, Jesus specifies that He has been speaking metaphorically: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).
Unfortunately, those who misunderstood Jesus and were offended by His talk about eating His flesh and drinking His blood were stuck in a physical mindset, ignoring the things of the Spirit. They were concerned with getting another physical meal, so Jesus uses the realm of the physical to teach a vital spiritual truth. Those who couldn’t make the jump from the physical to the spiritual turned their backs on Jesus and walked away (verse 66).
At the Last Supper, , Jesus gives a similar message and one that complements His words in John 6—when the disciples gather to break bread and drink the cup, they “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). In fact, Jesus said that the bread broken at the table is His body, and the cup they drink is the new covenant in His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26–28). Their act of eating and drinking was to be a symbol of their faith in Christ. Just as physical food gives earthly life, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross gives heavenly life.
Another way to it would be, just as God provided manna to the Israelites to save them from starvation, He has provided Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls. The literal manna temporarily saved the Israelites from physical death. The spiritual manna saves us from eternal death. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:49-50).
Some people believe that the bread and wine of communion are somehow transformed into Jesus’ actual flesh and blood, or that Jesus somehow imbues these substances with His real presence, which ignore Jesus’ statement that “the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63). The majority of Protestants understand that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about His flesh and blood and hold that the bread and wine are symbolic of the spiritual bond created with Christ through faith.
Why was the bread unleavened?
During the Passover, God instructed the Israelites to be ready to leave as soon as Pharaoh gave his consent.
“They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves” (Exodus 12:39, NKJV).
Through the years, as the Israelites celebrated the Passover, they used unleavened bread as a reminder of their hasty exodus from Egypt.
The Apostle Paul added additional meaning to eating unleavened bread at times of remembrance when he wrote to the Corinthian church:
“Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8, NKJV).
Wine, or Grape Juice – Jesus’ Blood
The fruit of the vine symbolizes Jesus’ blood that was shed for us.
“This is My blood of the new covenant,” said Jesus, “which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22, KJV).
As with the bread, Jesus was standing before His disciples when He made the pronouncement, “This is My blood.”
Was the fruit of the vine fermented or unfermented?
Many Christians believe the fruit of the vine used in the Passover celebration was unfermented grape juice. After partaking of the cup, Jesus said,
“I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
Above all, considering the ways fermented wine is often condemned in Scripture, many Christians seek to commemorate Christ’s sacrifice for us with a clear, unclouded mind.
“Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
“Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:31, 32).
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).
Grape juice, freshly squeezed from the vine, is a fitting symbol of the perfect blood of Christ, shed for the redemption of mankind.
Jesus in the Wilderness
In the wilderness testing, the devil tempts Jesus with bread, and Jesus answers, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3). The implication is that the bread is God’s Word and that is what sustains us. Jesus is called the Word of God who came to earth and was made flesh (John 1:14). The Word of God is also the Bread of Life (John 6:48).
Hebrews
The book of Hebrews references the way that God uses the physical things of this earth as a way to help us understand and apply spiritual truth. Hebrews 8:5 says that some tangible things are “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven,” and that chapter explains how the Old Covenant, so concerned with physical rites and ceremonies, was replaced by the New Covenant in which God’s law (Ten Commandments) are written on our hearts (verse 10; cf. Jeremiah 31:33).
Hebrews 9:1–2 says, “The first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the seven-branched candlestick, alter of incense, and the table of shewbread (consecrated bread); this was called the Holy Place.” According to Hebrews 8:5, the consecrated bread, or the shewbread (aka: bread of the Presence), was a physical representation of a spiritual concept, namely, the actual presence of God being continually with us today. Just as He was in the Old Testament, where is Presence resided in the Most Holy Place where the ark of the covenant was located (with the Ten Commandments inside).
When Jesus said we must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (John 6:53), He spoke, as He often did, in parabolic terms. We must receive Him by faith (John 1:12). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). We understand that we need physical food and drink; Jesus wants us to understand that we also need spiritual food and drink—and that is what His sacrifice provides.
Paul Rebukes the Abuse of this Ordinance
In I Corinthians 11:17-34, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church which was abusing this memorial. This additional passage is a rebuke from the apostle Paul to the Corinthian church, which was abusing this memorial. Communion is not something we should take lightly.
The Bread – Symbol of Christ’s Body, The Wine – Symbol of Christ’s Shed Blood
God himself laid down his life in our stead. HE, being sinless, became sin and paid the wages we earned…death (Romans 6:23).
Jesus abolished death for the believer (2 Timothy 1:10).
We are judged out of the ‘second death’ and into eternal life (Revelation 2:11, 20:6).
The ‘second death’ is reserved for those who reject the mercy and grace of Christ, the devil, and his angels; also death and the grave are destroyed in it as well (Revelation 20:14,).
The second death is the ‘lake of fire’ which is final…it’s end is total eradication of sin (Revelation 21:8).
The Bible says that Jesus Christ by one sacrifice forever made perfect. So, his one sacrifice at the cross was sufficient (Hebrews 10:1-13, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 7:27). No “re-sacrifice” of Jesus is necessary for our sins.
Cannibalism
This is only being mention to show that if “eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ” is true, then we have another major contradiction in the Bible. Cannibalism is mentioned several times in Scripture (Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 2:20, 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10), but in each case, the practice is regarded as a horrible curse and inhuman act of desperation. Moses and other prophets predicted that, if the Israelites forsook God, they would fall into such awful degradation as to cannibalize their own children. These harrowing prophecies were fulfilled during the siege of Samaria during the reign of King Jehoram (2 Kings 6:28-29). Cannibalism was the physical horror which accompanied the spiritual horror of apostasy.
The Old Testament closely associates cannibalism with the final stages of judgment from God, thus marking it as a loathsome and evil practice.
Zwingli’s View of the Lord’s Supper: Symbolic
Article in part: By – Joel N. Nusvosvi
Ulrich Zwingli’s understanding of the Lord’s Supper differed radically from that of both the Catholic Church and Luther. Though Zwingli believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible, he also recognized in Scripture the presence of images and symbols. Making a distinction between Christ’s natural body (which He had while here on earth), the glorified body He now has in heaven, and the mystical body (which is the church), Zwingli insisted that the words of institution (“this is my body”) must be interpreted metaphorically. This, he believed, is the only interpretation that “made scripture plain, simple, reasonable and humanly intelligible.”16 The only means of receiving Christ, Zwingli argued, is by faith, and one cannot do that by merely eating the bread and drinking the wine of Communion.
Zwingli called attention to the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John: “‘It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life’” (John 6:63, NKJV).* These words became for him the exegetical key to unlock Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.1 Accordingly, Zwingli interpreted Christ’s words at the Supper: “This is,” as meaning “this signifies.” Since Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, His body cannot, at the same time, be in the bread and wine. But Christ is spiritually present to the believer who receives Him by faith.2
According to Zwingli, therefore, the bread and wine represent the body of Jesus, just as a portrait represents a real person, but is not that person. To emphasize the symbolic nature of some of the sayings of Jesus, Zwingli cited statements such as “I am the door,” “I am the vine,” “I am the living water.” Certainly, Jesus did not mean to convey the impression that He was really a door, a vine, or water in a literal sense.3 Such an interpretation would be nonsensical.
In his most complete exposition on the Lord’s Supper, “Amica Exegesis,” Zwingli stressed the centrality of faith in the Christian life. Faith cannot be realized by a mere physical act, even the act of eating of the body of Christ. If it were so, he who administered the Communion would be greater than he who received it. Therefore, the only body of Christ that is on earth is His community of believers who are united to Him by faith.4
What, then, is the Lord’s Supper? Zwingli asserted that it is a common meal of thanksgiving and remembrance.5 Is Christ present at Communion? Zwingli’s answer is “yes.” In what form is He present? Spiritually, not physically. He is assuredly present for the believer who will partake of Him by faith.6 Hence the Supper is a commemoration of the body of Christ that was broken for the sins of the world. It provides a setting for thanksgiving on account of what Christ did for us.
In his reform program Zwingli ordered that Communion bread be carried around by appointed ministers or deacons on large wooden trenchers from seat to seat among the believers. The wine was also to be carried in wooden beakers to all members.7 It was no longer necessary for each believer to come and kneel at the altar, for Communion was not a sacrament. The Lord’s Supper was not a miracle, but a commemoration.8
Zwingli’s Symbolic View—And Ours
Zwingli maintained that in the Communion service individual receive only bread and wine. But by contemplating on the Lord’s death, they receive a spiritual blessing from participating in the symbols. Thus, by faith we are lifted up to God’s right hand where Christ sits, there to enter into spiritual communion with Him. Christ is not lowered down to sinful humanity at the table. The bread and the wine are mere symbols of a historic reality, Christ’s suffering and death for a sinful race.9 Faith is the requisite to receiving Christ and participating in His blessing. Without faith there is no benefit derived from the Lord’s Supper.
Among the Reformers, Zwingli gave the clearest view in his exposition of the Lord’s Supper. Emphasizing the words of its establishment as a celebration (“This do in remembrance of me”), he stressed the memorial aspect of the feast. Thus, in this supper the believer “is graphically reminded of and participates in the total drama of God’s redeeming activity in Christ.”10 Our faith is nourished as we participate in this ceremony, vividly recalling the sacrifice of Christ. The memorial feast itself does not bring grace to the participant, but it is an outward sign of the grace the believer has already received. As we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we’re brought by faith into a meaningful communion with Christ, who is spiritually present.
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*Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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1G. R. Elton, ed., The New Cambridge History, vol. 11, “The Reformation” (Cambridge: University Press, 1965), p. 102. See also Potter, p. 299.
2Potter, p. 299.
3Ward, p. 209.
4Cited in Potter, p. 303.
5Potter, p. 304.
6Ibid.
7V.H.H. Green, Renaissance and Reformation (London: Edward Arnold Publisher, 1964), p. 162.
8Ward, p. 209.
9Schwiebert, p. 704.
10John Dillenberger and Claude Welch, Protestant Christianity (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1954), p. 52.
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Joel N. Musvosvi was a professor of theology at Solusi College when he wrote this article. Today he serves as the dean of the theological seminary at Adventist University of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”