Yesterday, I spoke with the kids of Fellowship Fort Smith about the significance of the Lord’s Supper. To truly understand its importance, one must first understand the significance of the Passover for the Jewish people. In the New Testament times, large numbers of people would come to Jerusalem for the Passover. The meal was to remind them of how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

It was not by coincidence that Jesus was crucified in this city during one of the Passover celebrations. The supper he has with his disciples before his arrest demonstrated this. During this meal, Jesus established a sacrament that the church has been observing and will continue to observe until He returns. The purpose of this meal is threefold.

First, it is to commemorate Jesus’ death. This is the past aspect. R.C. Sproul affirms, “This service of worship in which Christians remember the suffering that Christ endured for them is a distinctive mark of the Christian religion all over the world.” Paul also reminds Christians at Corinth that Jesus instructed His followers to eat and drink in remembrance of Him (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).

Second, it is to celebrate a believer’s new covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is the present element. According to F.F. Bruce, “Just as one step in the Jewish Passover meal was to proclaim the Hebrews’ deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 12:26-27), so in the supper Christians proclaim their deliverance from sin and misery through the death of ‘Christ, our Passover’” (1 Cor. 5:7).

Third, it anticipates Jesus’ return, which is the future facet. Paul asserts, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 14:26). According to Sproul, “(The Lord’s Supper) is a pledge of (Jesus’) return. It encourages the faithful in their daily walk and in their expectation.”

Bruce, F.F. Lord's Supper. New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1995. 772-774.

Sproul, R.C. The Lord's Supper. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando: Ligonier Ministries. 2005. 1659.