The Meaning Of The Lord’s Supper (1 Cor.11:23-26)

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These are the familiar words read out every communion service.

  1. The Lord’s Supper is part of a relay of gospel truth.
    • 11:23a. The account is especially close to Luke 22:19-20.
    • 1 Cor.15:3; 2 Cor.12:1-7; Gal.1:11-12. There is a relay of truth.
  2. The Supper is a memorial of Calvary.
    • 11:23-25. It is serious language but not literal. ‘Boil the kettle’ means ‘boil the water in the kettle’. ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ is not about duelling.
    • ‘I am the door’ (John 10:9) means that Jesus is the only way to the Father and to salvation. Calvin points to John 1:32 – the dove indicated that the Spirit was present. Is Jesus present at the Lord’s Supper? Yes, but we do not literally eat and drink Him.
    • ‘we remember’. Jesus speaks of ‘the new covenant in My blood’ (11:25; see Ex.24:8; Jer.31:31-34).
  3. The Supper proclaims the gospel.
    • 11:26. Thomas Watson: ‘The Word is a trumpet to proclaim Christ, the sacrament is a glass to represent him.’ Actually, Paul uses the language of preaching here. Augustine called it ‘a visible word’.
    • looks ahead to Rev.19:7-9. At the Lord’s table, we look back to what Christ did on the cross; we look to what is happening now in proclaiming the gospel; and we look ahead to His coming again.