Question: I’ve heard preachers say in their lessons, and people waiting at the Lord’s table, that we “remember the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.” I realize that while we are remembering this event, that we might think about the resurrection, but the purpose of the Lord’s supper is to remember his death, right?
Answer: It is significant that Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper in the night in which he was betrayed, immediately prior to his death, (Mt. 26:26-29). He said the bread “is my body” and the cup “is my blood.” He was obviously using the emblems as metaphors of his own death, (cf. Mk. 14:22-25). In the parallel account, Luke adds the following words of explanation: “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me,” (Lk. 22:19). Taken as a whole, these verses indicate that the focus of the remembrance was the suffering and death of Jesus.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul repeats the language used by Luke, and adds these important words: “For as often as he eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come,” (1 Cor. 11:26). To “proclaim” is to announce, declare, or emphasize. This makes it clear that each time we observe the Lord’s supper we are recognizing and placing the proper emphasis upon the death of our Lord. It is his death, with all of its implications for our salvation, which is being memorialized and remembered.
Paul specifically ties partaking of the Lord’s supper to the death of the Lord in verse 27, arguing that observing these acts in an unworthy manner brings guilt for “the body and blood of the Lord.” Again we see the emphasis upon the destruction of his body, and the shedding of his blood in death. Paul sees these aspects of Christ as central to the memorial, and so should we.
When officiating or presiding at the Lord’s table, it is wholly appropriate to emphasize the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. A proper observance of the memorial will focus upon these aspects.
Having said this, I would point out that it is not possible to properly appreciate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ without acknowledging the implications of these acts for our salvation. The death of Jesus Christ in the shedding of his blood was for a purpose, namely the purchase of his church, (Acts 20:28). Thus, the observance should include a private “examination” of ourselves as his followers, a proper “discerning” of the body of Christ, (1 Cor. 11:28-32).
The death of Christ does not stand alone in a vacuum. It is central to God’s marvelous plan for redeeming man. A proper appreciation for our Lord recognizes that his unselfish suffering and death on our behalf is critically and inseparably connected with our own salvation. Thus, any proper partaking of the supper will look backward to the cross, but will also look forward to our faithful service to the Lord. It will include a proper appreciation for the results of his death, as they extend to each one of us today.
I would encourage the person waiting on the table to keep their comments brief and specific. There is perhaps no time in the worship service where more erroneous or inappropriate statements have been made. The speaker should briefly and specifically remind worshipers that the purpose of the act in which we are about to engage is to remember the death of our Lord. Other events in his life might be mentioned, but only insofar as they reinforce a remembrance of his death. Then, each observer should evaluate the implications of that great sacrifice for his or her own life. This examination best occurs in the silence and solitude of our own thoughts.
On a related matter, I would discourage further speaking, reading, singing, and other activities while the members are partaking, since they are privately communing with the Lord. Paul said, “Let a man prove (examine) himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” The specific thoughts which are appropriate for each partaker are individual in nature. What you need to think about during the Lord’s supper may not be exactly the same as what I need to be considering, as each of us is examining ourselves.
The Lord’s supper is a powerful memorial to the death of our Lord. In observing it faithfully, we are ever recalling that momentous event, and what it means in our lives of daily service to him.
-by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
