What is the deeper spiritual meaning of the Lord’s Supper?
With profound gratitude, the Christian Church remembers Jesus every time we take Communion. But there’s more to it than just bread and wine. There’s a spiritual meaning of the Lord’s Supper that fills our hearts.
The night before Jesus was arrested he was the observing the Passover with his disciples. While he was still at the table he uttered some words which still guide us today in the way we honor and remember Jesus.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all relate the event in pretty much the same way. John shares a completely different incident that happened at that meal. This is Matthew’s account:
You’ve heard these words many times:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:26-30 NIV
Mark’s account is almost exactly the same. (See below.)
Luke adds one little detail the other omit, that Jesus said “do this in remembrance of me.” And we’ll talk about what “doing this” means in just a bit,
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:19, 20 NIV
Remembering Jesus
And so, down through the ages, the Christian church has endeavored to honor Jesus’s request to remember him by what we call Communion: breaking bread and drinking wine in memory of his sacrifice on the cross and his victory over death.
This practice was prevalent in the early church. We see this in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. First, in the King James translation:
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16 KJV
We hear the word communion so much, but what does that word really mean? I used to think of it as being in community with fellow believers. The word can mean that, in the right context.
Here’s how NIV translates it.
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16 NIV
The word in Greek for communion is koinōnia. It means communion, partnership, participation.
Participating with Jesus
What does it mean to participate with Jesus in his blood and his body?
Does it mean we literally drink his blood and eat his flesh?
He actually used those words in talking to his disciples as well as others who listened to him as he preached. Jesus said:
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. John 6:51-56 NIV
Literally?
I’ll ask the question again: What does it mean to eat and drink Jesus’s flesh and blood? Does he mean this literally?
No, not at all.
If he had meant it literally, sorry to get graphic here, he would have cut himself, put some of his actual blood in a cup and passed it around to his disciples. There are certain cultures around the world that do that sort of thing. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about.
I’m not going to describe what it would mean for us to literally eat some of Jesus’s flesh. You can think about that for yourself.
But you already know the answer. When Jesus passed the cup and broke bread for his disciples to eat at the Last Supper, he did not use his actual flesh and blood. The bread and wine were symbols of something Jesus was trying to instill in his disciples.
Did Jesus want to start a new ritual?
Here’s the question I ask myself: Was Jesus instituting a practice, a ceremony, a ritual, using symbols to help us remember the sacrifice he was about to make?
Did he want us to eat a piece of bread to remember him by or did he want us to partake of the Bread of Life, the Word of God, be nourished by it and share it with others?
Was he asking us to drink a sip of wine (or grape juice) to remember him or to participate and take part in the sacrifice he made by making those same sacrifices in our lives?
In other words, did Jesus want us to remember him through the material symbols of bread and wine? Or did he want us to eat and be nourished by the bread of Truth and imbibe the spirit of sacrificing our self-will to God’s will?
Or change the way we think?
The way you answer this question determines whether or not you use material symbols for Communion.
The danger in not using the symbols of the bread and wine is that we may not take this participation in Jesus’s suffering and victory seriously.
The danger in using the symbols is that we may think there is substance in the symbol itself and it becomes a ritual, which we make a golden calf out of.
Jesus wanted his disciples to remember him and the sacrifice he made and to participate with him. He expected us to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
And I totally agree. There is immense blessing in drinking the cup of our Lord and eating the Bread of Life.
But the more I read these passages, and notice Luke’s added request made by Jesus to do these things in remembrance of him, the more I have pondered what Jesus really wanted us to do. Did he want to institute a new ritual to replace Jewish rituals and practices?
Did he want us to literally eat bread and drink wine to remember him by?
Do we really need the symbols?
In the church I grew up in, when we had Communion, the focus was all on Jesus and what he did for us. But I wondered why did I need to drink a little jigger of grape juice and eat a tiny wafer to remember and participate with Jesus.
I know this is a sacred practice for most of the Christian world. And different churches observe Communion in a wide variety or ways. And it can be an incredibly moving experience when entered into with a pure heart and a motive to honor and remember Jesus.
My question is: Why do Christians take this command of Jesus so literally, to eat bread and drink wine but don’t take literally the other command, found in the book of John, to wash each other’s feet?
It’s interesting that John does not relate the bread and wine part of the Last Supper, and that none of the other Gospels talk about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
Why did Jesus wash their feet?
When he rose from the table after the meal was over, took off his clothes and donned a towel, and started washing their feet, the disciples were flabbergasted. Here was their Lord and Master, taking on the role of a slave to do the most menial task of washing their feet. They felt it was way beneath his dignity. Peter, at first, balked at this gesture and refused to let Jesus act in a servant role to him. Fortunately, Jesus explained why this was important and Peter relented.
I can almost see the disciples sitting there stunned by what had just happened.
But Jesus had an important lesson to share with them, and as was often the case, he used simple things to teach deep spiritual lessons.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. John 13:12-16 NIV
In about two months Jesus would send his disciples out into the world to preach with authority and power. He did not want them to get egotistical about it. Washing their feet would be a reminder to have a servant mindset in their ministry.
Why don’t we wash feet on Communion Sunday?
So, Jesus says we should follow his example? Does this mean we should go around literally washing each other’s feet on Communion Sunday?
Why not? It happened at the Last Supper and Jesus said that we should do this to each other. If you take the bread and wine literally, why don’t you take the foot washing literally?
One is just as much a symbol of how Jesus wanted us to think and act as the other.
I’ve heard some pretty fancy theological footwork trying to explain why the church as a whole still uses bread and wine (or grape juice, which I guess is not quite as literal as wine) at a Communion service but does not have everyone come up and get their feet washed.
There are some churches who do this occasionally, but in general however, it’s not a common practice.
If you find that a meaningful practice, that’s great. I hope and pray it helps you draw closer to Jesus and live your life in unity with Christ.
Communion is a mindset
But for me, Communion, or participation, to use the original meaning of the Greek word, should be a way of life, a way of thinking, a mindset, every day throughout the day.
The substance of what the Lord’s Supper is all about is so much more than just eating bread and drinking wine or washing feet.
Is it possible to have this substance and spirit of participating with Jesus in his suffering and victory without the symbols of bread and wine and foot washing?
If breaking bread and drinking the wine for Communion are important in your faith tradition, that’s wonderful. I hope it is a meaningful experience for you. But I hope you will take the spirit of Communion with you into each day.
If you celebrate Communion without the symbols of bread and wine, it’s just as important to remember to bring the spirit of the bread and wine into every day of your life.
Another term used for observing Communion in many churches is celebrating the Eucharist. I love this word. In Greek, the Eucharist means “gratitude.”
The best way to take communion, to participate with Jesus, is to express gratitude for all he has done for us. It’s to take his teachings and live them in our daily lives, to eat them up, so to speak and make them our own. It’s to drink in the spirit of Jesus surrendering to God’s will, in everything we do.
The next time your church or faith community celebrates the Lord’s Supper, in whatever way that may be, I encourage you to imbibe and partake of the deep spiritual essence of what the bread and wine represent. Let it fill your heart. And let it overflow into your life.
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Previous podcast episode mentioned:
The Parable of the Unbaked Cake
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Bible References
Matthew 26:26-30 NIV
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:22-26 NIV
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Luke 22:19, 20 NIV
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
1 Corinthians 10:16 KJV
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 10:16 NIV
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
John 6:51-56 NIV
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 13:12-16 NIV
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
