1 Corinthians 11:23-27

In the previous section, Paul condemned the Corinthians for the way their actions were bringing division into the church; they were treating the church as something common instead of something holy. But the worst part of this whole thing was that this was being done either as part of or a precursor to the celebration of Communion. So here, in this passage, Paul will specifically address communion: what is and why is it so important?

That is the purpose of this section. Paul wanted to remind the Corinthians about what Communion is and what it is supposed to be. (Spoilers: something different than what the Corinthians had made of it.) I had to be careful in that statement not to use the word 'explain' because, in a sense, Paul doesn't explain it. It's not clear that anyone truly understands communion. But we can at least know what it is and how to (and how not to) do it.

This was not something new. Paul had already taught the Corinthians this—it is “that which I delivered unto you”--but in light of events in the church, it was necessary to remind them.

Interestingly, Paul speaks of this as something Paul received directly from Jesus. “I have received of the Lord.” This fits with what Paul says about his calling in Galatians. This is what he says happened after God called chose him: “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” (Galatians 1:16-17) Paul did not meet with the leaders of the Christian church when he first became a Christian. He didn't meet with them, except briefly, until after being a Christian for many years. God seems to have revealed many things to Paul directly rather than have him receive them indirectly from others.

This is interesting because Paul was not present at the Last Supper, yet his account substantially matches that of Matthew (who were there) and Mark (who was possibly there.) Luke, almost certainly, was not present, and many believe that his information came from Paul. 

The first thing Paul notes is an issue of timing. This happened on the night of Jesus' betrayal and arrest, the night when Jesus was celebrating Passover with his disciples. Communion is one of the most sacred and spiritual aspects of Christianity and yet it is rooted in a historical event. And that is not an incidental matter.

One of the key aspects of communion is the aspect of REMEMBRANCE. This is specifically what Jesus said about communion—that it was to be done in remembrance of Him. Communion is an arrow that points to the past. 

It reminds us of Jesus, but not merely of Jesus' life but more specifically of his death. Look at how Jesus describes the cup in Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Even though Jesus hadn't yet died, He speaks of His death as a present reality. In one sense, his blood was not yet shed. But in another sense, it had already been shed. Because we have to remember that Jesus came to earth specifically to die. Jesus, as a human, existed only in order to die. His blood existed solely and specifically for the purpose of being shed. It was, categorically, shed blood from its genesis in the womb of Mary. 

The point is that communion is explicitly a remembrance of the death of Christ. This is what Paul says in verse 26, by communion: “ye do shew the Lord's death.” This act brings back again to the passion of Christ—and not merely to His death, but to the reason for that death. The verse we read from Matthew emphasizes that Jesus was going to die and that His shed blood would bring salvation for sin. We have something similar in Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Remember that Jesus had not yet died, and his disciples had still not fully grasped the concept that he was going to. In a few hours, that would be scattering in terror. A few hours beyond that, Jesus would be dying on the cross. And what Jesus is making clear to them here is that when that happened, it would not be because of the scheming of the Sanhedrin or the cruel indifference of the Romans. This is what he had said about his death earlier: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:18)

Jesus' death was, ultimately, His own choice. It was not taken from him. It was given to us. Jesus died so that we might live. He gave Himself as food for us. That is what communion points to. In sharing in the bread and the cup, we share in the body and blood of Christ and in the salvation provided by that.

This goes back to what Paul said in chapter 10. In communion, we have fellowship with one another and with Christ. There is a sharing or partnership. There is, in a deep and spiritual sense and not merely a social sense, FELLOWSHIP.

And while that fellowship is based on a past event, it also has a present reality. The church has fellowship, not in the past but in the present—there is a present fellowship with one another and with Christ. I said before that communion is like an arrow pointing at the past. But it also points to the present, to where we are here and now. It is a sacrament of present fellowship.

Notice what Jesus called it—it was a “new testament.” The word translated testament in Greek, like in English, can mean a will, but it can be more broadly used to mean a contract or agreement. And is the word the Septuagint used to translate the word covenant. A covenant is a promise or agreement between two parties; we think of it with the promises that God entered into with people. For instance, there was a covenant between God and Abraham which is the foundation for the Jewish people.

Several covenants led to the existence of the Jews. But the prophets spoke of a coming new covenant: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33) God promised to establish a new covenant, one which would be internal and spiritual, as opposed to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, which (in many ways) were external and material.

That new covenant is the gospel; it is salvation through faith in the atonement provided by the death and resurrection of Christ. The old covenants formed a nation. The new covenant also forms a nation—the church exists because of that covenant. This new covenant is the basis of our relationship with God but also of our relationship with one another. Communion is a ritual of a new covenant, a new testament.

And as such it is also a testimony. Paul says that when the church celebrates communion, it shows the Lord's death. The Greek word translated shew means “to proclaim, promulgate:--declare, preach, shew, speak of, teach.” It is a WITNESS, a witness to the church herself and to the world around—it is our present testimony to our belief in Jesus and our fellowship with Him.

Communion came out of the feast of Passover. And this is what The Bible says about the celebration of the Passover: “And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Exodus 13:14) Passover was to be a continual testimony, from one generation to the next, of God's power and His act in delivering the Israelites from Egypt.

And because it is about deliverance, it is also about WORSHIP . Verse 24 emphasizes the fact that Jesus gave thanks; He engaged in the worship of the Father when He instituted communion. The meal also ended with an act of worship: “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:3) This is reflected in our communion service, which, with the giving of the elements, repeats the words: “be thankful.” 

Communion is a commemoration of death, and yet it should not be the solely somber thing that a remembrance of the dead usually is. Speaking of his coming death during the last supper, Jesus said: “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” (John 16:22) Charles Spurgeon comments: “How sweet to reflect that the memorial of our dying Lord is not a funeral wailing.” (Matthew 26:28)

There should be joy in communion, but it is a joy that points to God, to what God has done for us. The Wexford Carol is a Christmas song, but it also captures the idea of communion: “Good people all, this Christmas time,/Consider well and bear in mind/What our good God for us has done/In sending His beloved Son.” 

And yet, communion does not merely point to the past as a remembrance, nor does it merely point to the present, to our fellowship, our witness, and our worship. It also points to the future as an EXPECTATION.

After giving His disciples the cup, this is what 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 26:29) Now there is some debate about the meaning of this, but the common idea is that this refers to Christ's second coming and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth. This corresponds to Paul's statement here that communion proclaims, testifies, and shows the Lord's death until He comes. 

That is what Communion is. All these things have a part in it. It is tied into the very heart of the Christian experience. The Allegheny Discipline defines Communion this way: “The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather it is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death; insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, it is made a medium through which God doth communicate grace to the heart.”

You may remember that I said that Paul doesn't explain precisely what communion is or how it works—whether it is objective or subjective or whether that distinction even matters here. Several explanations for communion have been proposed by Christians over the years, but Paul's words don't delve into that.

What he does make clear is that it is a big deal. This is a very serious matter. And that leads us directly to the next section.