Read Luke 22:14-23

“¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

There have been innumerable movies in which one of the pivotal scenes includes two friends or lovers saying their final goodbyes, exchanging keepsakes and declaring they’ll “always remember” each other. Likewise, Jesus asked his friends and followers to “remember” him via a keepsake, a gift, that we call “Communion” or the “Lord’s Supper”. This simple meal usually involves bread and wine (or a cracker and juice) representing his body and blood sacrificed in our place on the cross.

Jesus inaugurated this meal in the middle of a Jewish Passover meal, a celebration of Israel’s exodus (“departure”) from slavery by the hand of God. It would be normal for any one of the Israelites who were rescued by God to say, “I’ll never forget what God has done for me!”. However, as all of us know, our memories do fade and our minds get distracted by the circumstances of life. This is one reason God gave them a Passover meal, so that as often as they would share this meal they would force themselves to remember how God had rescued them from a life of slavery. Similarly, Jesus gave all those who would put their faith in him a meal to invite them to remember how, through faith in him, God has rescued them from a life of internal sin-slavery.

Jesus gave only two elements in his meal, bread and wine. While he said the bread, “is my body”, when he declared that the wine, “is the new covenant in my blood” it became clear that these elements are physical representations of a deeper reality. This promised “new covenant” that Jesus’ death has made possible is God’s new agreement that all people who put their faith in Jesus’ death will be saved. Unlike the Jewish Passover in which a lamb is sacrificed to spare them from destruction, Jesus himself is the sacrificial lamb whose death spares us from destruction and brings us eternal life. Unlike the lamb which was sacrificed at each Passover, Jesus’ death was once-for-all-for-everyone. He died once to atone for all the sins of anyone who puts their faith in him. This death launches God’s new covenant with mankind that the Lord’s Supper celebrates.

Unlike a contract, which is void if one party breaks their agreed terms, a biblical covenant (e.g. a marriage “covenant”) sees each party keep their terms even if the other breaks theirs. Since God will not break his terms to forgive us of our sins, we take communion to celebrate that Jesus’ sacrificial covenant has freed us from all punishment for any and all of our sins!

However, the Lord’s Supper is not only a celebration of what his physical body accomplished, but his promised spiritual presence in and with us too (John 14:23, Matthew 18:20)! Finally,  similar to friends separated by great time or distance, we anticipate when we will one day be physically present with Jesus just like his disciples where over 2,000 years ago. Amazingly, it seems that Jesus also anticipates the day when he gets to be with us.