Communion: A Proclamation of Christ's Death

"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 1 Corinthians 11:26

Today we take a brief interruption from our study of Proverbs and Samuel to take a look at communion, otherwise known as the Lord's Supper. If you think about it, communion is kind of weird, is it not? It's a bunch of church members eating tiny pieces of some dried-up, unleavened bread and drinking fake wine in what looks like Christian shot glasses. What in the world is going on here?

When we partake in the Lord's communion, we must remember that there is most likely a lot more going on than what we often realize. Wayne Grudem, in his book Bible Doctrine, lists six meanings behind the partaking in the Lord's supper:

1. Christ's death

2. Our participation in the benefits of Christ's death

3. Spiritual nourishment

4. Unity of believers

5. Christ's affirmation of his love for us

6. Our affirmation of our faith in Christ

Today, I wish to focus on the first meaning of the Lord's Supper listed here: Christ's death.

In the verse quoted above, Paul tells us that when we take part in the Lord's supper, we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." This is also kind of weird, don't you think? When we partake in the Lord's Supper, we proclaim that the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah, has died. If things were to make sense, don't you think that we would be proclaiming the Lord's life when we partake of such an important thing as the Lord's Supper? Paul surely doesn't think so.

So why do we proclaim the Lord's death? Ultimately, because apart from the Lord's death none of us could have life. We all know this, but so often it becomes so cliche for us that it doesn't amaze us anymore. How surely we so quickly get bored of the Gospel, yet how damaged our souls are in doing so!

Let us take a moment to think of Christ's ministry here on earth. He starts out as a baby, but then grows up, gets baptized, and starts his ministry. He starts off with a bang, turning water into wine, and before you know it he's the most popular guy on the block. Sooner that you know it, he's feeding 5,000 men, plus any women and children who would have been there. There are many who like him, though there are certainly some who do not. But all of the sudden, amidst all of that, he tells his disciples that he's going to be delivered over unto death. Furthermore, he continues to tell them this a full three times, but they still don't get it. He is then delivered over unto death, and dies a horrible death on a cross.

Now, we all know that Christ's rises again, and this surely gives us hope for our own Christian walk. But that's not the accent on the Lord's Supper. The accent on the Lord's Supper is the ironic, awful, and we might even say weird death of our Lord. Yet, in its very reality, we find the proclamation that we are making until Christ comes again: that he has died for our sins. Amen.

So, the next time you partake in communion, I encourage you to reflect upon this truth: that the Lord has died, for you and for me. Realize that when you eat the bread and drink the cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord, also known as "Jesus in your place." Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! That we can proclaim a God who died for the sins of the world!