Biblical Meaning of the Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper (the Eucharist, Communion) is the meal Jesus instituted on the night before his death — "do this in remembrance of me" — the enacted parable of his body and blood, the community meal that proclaims the Lord's death until he comes.
On the Night He Was Betrayed
The Lord's Supper (Greek: kuriakon deipnon — "the Lord's supper"; also: the Eucharist — from eucharistia — "thanksgiving"; Communion — from koinonia — "sharing together") was instituted at the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples on the night before his death. Luke 22:19-20 — "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'" The Passover context was deliberate: Jesus was reinterpreting the Exodus meal around himself as the Passover Lamb.
Until He Comes
1 Corinthians 11:26 — "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." The three temporal dimensions of the Supper: past (the death proclaimed — remembrance), present (the community eating together — the shared meal as present experience of Christ's presence), and future (until he comes — the anticipation of the Messianic banquet). The Corinthian church was eating the Lord's Supper in a way that reproduced social divisions — the wealthy eating before the poor arrived, the communal meal stratified by class. Paul's correction: "When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for the others." The sharing of the one bread makes the many one body; the divisions that make some go hungry contradict the body they claim to share. The Supper is the most inclusive and most demanding of all Christian practices.
Key spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of the Lord's Supper
- This is my body
- the Passover reinterpreted around Jesus as the Lamb whose blood brings the new covenant
- Do this in remembrance of me
- the commanded repetition — the memorial act that re-presents the past event
- The new covenant in my blood
- the Sinai covenant ratified in blood, the new covenant ratified in the blood of the Son
- You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes
- the three tenses of the Supper — past death, present proclamation, future return
- The one bread making many one body
- the communal theology — the sharing produces the unity it symbolizes
- Worthy examination
- the Corinthian warning about eating without discerning the body
- Until he comes
- the forward-pointing eschatological dimension — every Supper anticipates the Messianic banquet
- Spiritual meaning
- remembrance, presence, anticipation — the past death, the present Christ, the coming Kingdom
Frequently asked questions
What does Biblical Meaning of the Lord's Supper mean spiritually?
The Lord's Supper (the Eucharist, Communion) is the meal Jesus instituted on the night before his death — "do this in remembrance of me" — the enacted parable of his body and blood, the community meal that proclaims the Lord's death until he comes.
On the Night He Was Betrayed
The Lord's Supper (Greek: kuriakon deipnon — "the Lord's supper"; also: the Eucharist — from eucharistia — "thanksgiving"; Communion — from koinonia — "sharing together") was instituted at the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples on the night before his death. Luke 22:19-20 — "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the…
Until He Comes
1 Corinthians 11:26 — "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." The three temporal dimensions of the Supper: past (the death proclaimed — remembrance), present (the community eating together — the shared meal as present experience of Christ's presence), and future (until he comes — the anticipation of the Messianic banquet). The Corinthian church was eating the Lord's Supper in a way that reproduced social divisions — the wealthy eating…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of the Lord's Supper?
1. This is my body: the Passover reinterpreted around Jesus as the Lamb whose blood brings the new covenant 2. Do this in remembrance of me: the commanded repetition — the memorial act that re-presents the past event 3. The new covenant in my blood: the Sinai covenant ratified in blood, the new covenant ratified in the blood of the Son 4. You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes: the three tenses of the Supper — past death, present proclamation, future return 5. The one bread making many one body: the communal theology — the sharing produces the unity it symbolizes 6. Worthy examination: the Corinthian warning about eating without discerning the body 7. Until he comes: the forward-pointing eschatological dimension — every Supper anticipates the Messianic banquet 8. Spiritual meaning: remembrance, presence, anticipation — the past death, the present Christ, the coming Kingdom