Doctrine of Lord’s Supper

January 16, 2011

The Lord’s Supper
It is the evening, the beginning of the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan A.D. 30 or the spring of 30 A.D. The entire course of history, both angelic and human is about to change forever by the events which will transpire in the next few hours when a blood curdling scream of a Lonely forsaken Man will echo through the rolling hills of Judea, “Eli, Eli Lama Sabachthani.” The actors on the stage of life are poised to play their parts which have been scripted by the Father from eternity past. 1 Man, our Hero stands poised to play His part in the greatest drama to ever unfold which we know as human history. Only He is cognizant of the part He is playing, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord will now orchestrate like a great conductor of a symphony the momentous events which will culminate in the greatest battle of all -the Cross. The War to end all Wars is about to be decided upon a cold Roman cross. Our Hero must die but will rise again.
True indeed is the statement made by Shakespeare that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances.” Visualize the scene and the actors who will play their parts at the cross: Disciples, Chief priests, Scribes, Pharisees, Herod, Annas, Caiaphas, Judas, Pilate, Invisible demon armies and Satan their leader invisibly directing and guiding His forces to do battle with our Lord. Our Hero will be forsaken by His comrades but never fear-our Captain will capture the high ground and raise the standard of victory. His legions of invisible angels are poised to receive the order to attack upon but the order will never come for He must accomplish His victory. Thus we see the Galilean, this Man, lacking in all the things that men count great, moving in the midst of circumstances that seem to hem Him in, and master Him, and beat Him; and yet as we look at Him, His hand is upon them all, and with quiet leisure and definite intention, and intelligent purpose, unafraid, and unsurprised, He moved towards His Cross.
There in the court of the high priests was the Sanhedrin. All moving towards the Cross. Thus grace and sin were moving toward the same climatic scene. Grace in the Person of God’s King planning for the Cross. Sin in the person of the rulers plotting for the Cross. The combatants are as far apart as heaven and hell, as love and malice, as right and wrong, as clear open action, and crafty devilish deceit. Yet both were moving toward the one end. As we read the story of the institution of the Lord’s table and His subsequent Cross, we find that these 2 pictures become impressed upon our mental vision, we see the Lord high and lifted up, His train filling the Temple, and we learn anew the meaning of the old Psalmist’s declaration, Psalm 76:10, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You. With a remnant of wrath You shall gird Yourself.” This was no human Teacher to be bruised and beaten at man’s choice. It was the King with His hand upon circumstances, governing the Sanhedrin, letting them work out their own nefarious designs, and yet so high seated over all, that presently He took the spear of their uttermost malice and bathed it in the blood of God’s uttermost grace.
So He approached the Cross. Visualize the faces and great words that will be spoken at this great event. Consider what emotions which permeate the atmosphere around Jerusalem because of the presence of our Lord and His open hostility with the Pharisees and Chief Priests. Joy, anger, love, hatred, courage, fear, happiness and sadness. Intense feelings and emotions conflicting such as anger and affection; devotion and antagonism; happiness and sorrow. All swirling around 1 Unique Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The enemies of our Lord are poised to make 1 more fatal assault upon His Person. Our Lord has set the trap and the bait. The Father’s plan of the ages will be accomplished. The battle is the Lord’s. Our Lord’s weakness is His strength. The cross is the means of His victory. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). The enemy plots the assassination of our Lord but unknowingly they play into His hand, the Hand which controls history. The One Who is the Director of this great epic called history; our Hero will defeat the adversary and will ride in on that white horse of victory. Yet before the battle commences our Lord prepares His raw recruits for the awesome events that will soon transpire and decide the angelic conflict as well as their own future glory.
Here we have the lull before the storm-the Lord’s Table. An eerie calm before the battle of the ages. An ominous quiet drifts over the city of Jerusalem as the Passover lamb is slain. The atmosphere surrounding this enigmatic city called Jerusalem is supercharged with emotion. All because of 1 Man. Here we see Him, Jesus moving through scenes which so perplexed and puzzled His students, moving through defeat-not to defeat. Moving through darkness, through pain, through all the things that men most fear and dread and attempt to escape, yet never losing His dignity, never losing that imperial magnificence which
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has been so manifest throughout this 1 solitary life. Here in Jerusalem we see the evil emotions in the enemies of our Lord, the mixed emotions in the friends of Jesus and the pure virtuous emotions in Jesus Himself.
Luke 22:1-2, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; but they were afraid of the people.” Consider the hatred of our Lord’s enemies towards Him. It is a true statement that the greatness of a man is revealed, not only by his friends, but by his enemies. There is no greater compliment that can be paid to a man than to be hated by certain man. The hatred of the religious crowd was tremendous compliment to Jesus. Their hatred was for a man who revealed their failure as shepherds of the flock. The intense hatred of the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees was held in check by their own fear of the people rebelling against them and siding with Jesus. Their real fear was of Rome. They were careful not to incite a riot because of fear that Rome would impose stricter sanctions upon their power and authority which was already minimal.
Then we see the Betrayer indwelt by Murderer himself, Satan appear on the stage. Luke 22:3-6, “And Satan entered into Judas was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve and he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them and they were glad and agreed to give him money and he consented and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude.” Notice how they all covet. Covetousness is the subtlest sin of all. It was first manifested in an angel (Satan) in eternity past and its greatest manifestation in history is about to take place at the Lord’s Table. The weakness of Judas lay in the realm of his power. His capacity was the reason of his appointment to the treasurership and right at the heart of his power, or capacity, lay his weakness. This is always so. When Paul said “when I am weak then am I strong,” he declared a great truth which may be expressed in another way “where I am strong there I am weak.” Temptation always lies within the realm of capacity. Judas was mastered emotionally by covetousness, the weakness of his own power and capacity.
As the villain leaves the stage we now have one of the most beautiful of all love scenes -the Communion Table. The supreme value of the Supper of the Lord is emotional, not intellectual. Let me explain, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” or as it literally says in the Greek “keep on doing this in remembrance of Me.” The activity of memory produces the renewal of feeling, the reawakening of thanksgiving. We are priests of thanksgiving which is the offering of a sacrifice of praise. Our Lord instituted the Supper with that end in view. That we do not leave our 1st love which is devotion and appreciation for Him Who would give Himself as a Substitute for all of us. Let not the statement by Shakespeare apply to us “blow, blow thou winter wind. Thou are not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” Such provision was inspired by emotion and emotion is the response to what’s in the soul. Emotion is the response to the pictures in our soul of our Lord. Word pictures painted by the Holy Spirit.
Here we see Jesus making arrangements for the perpetual recurrence of an hour of tryst between Himself and His lovers, in which they should remember Him. The portraits of Him that hang upon the walls in the rooms of our soul remind us of Him. Portaits painted by the Holy Spirit. And as we are reminded of Him, our souls are renewed. The portrait is not there to instruct your intellect, it is there to touch your emotion. You are man, not machine. So our Lord instituted this only ritual for the church age which brings Him back to the memory more vividly, and causes an emotional outgoing toward Himself.
And I ask you this question, How did this feast end? These men singing the Great Hallel of Psalm 113-118, Jesus and the 11. What is singing but an emotional expression. Oh the value and the power of emotion. Evil emotion slays the Lord of life and glory. Virtuous emotion makes possible the saving of the slayers. So then let us guard our emotions. What masters them? What inspires them? Is it self? Or is it the Christ? If it be the Christ, then let us trust them and let us obey them. Let us dare to pour out our souls in emotional adoration as we are controlled by the Spirit and the Word of God.
Hebrews 12:2 states, “Begin concentrating on Jesus Christ, our Prince-Ruler, even the One who brings us to the attainment of perfect happiness by means of doctrine, Who (the humanity of Christ) because of His exhibited happiness endured the Cross, having disregarded the shame (of bearing our sins and being judged by the Father), and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For begin thinking about such a Person as Jesus Christ (undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person forever), having endured such opposition by sinners against Himself, in order that you do not become fatigued (through living in the Cosmic system), fainting in your souls.” 2
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And so it stands written for all of eternity in Matthew 26:26-30, “And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken the 3rd cup, the cup of redemption and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you: for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I say to all of you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with all of you in My Father’s kingdom.’ And after singing, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” And I think you all know by now who was the song leader as He marched to the Cross? Our Lord.

Dissertation on the Lord’s Supper Part 2
The procession of angels solemnly filed into the courtroom of heaven as the Supreme Court of Heaven was now convened. The Appeal Trial of Hallel Ben Shechar and his legions would now be decided by the self-sacrificial act of service by the Faithful Witness, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. The gallery of angels was filled with anticipation as the Suffering Servant King was about to take the stand and offer Himself as a sacrifice in order that justice might be served and to render a perfect example of service to be followed for all of eternity.
The Servant King would bring forth justice through suffering and life through death. Satan and his legions were on trial for their rebellion. His cry of unfounded injustice in response to the guilty verdict of the Supreme Court of Heaven had reached the ears of His Creator and his appeal had been graciously granted and now the moment of truth had come.
The Creator Himself, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the cosmos would vindicate the Supreme Court of Heaven of any injustice for sentencing Satan and his legions to the Lake of Fire. It would also prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the guilt of the greatest creature to ever come from the hand of His Creator. The gallery in the courtroom of heaven was packed with myriads upon myriads of angels whose faith in their Creator would be vindicated and their salvation sealed by the act of this 1 Witness. For as Paul writes in Col 1:20, “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, {I say} whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
On the other hand, the stubborn contention of Satan would be convincingly destroyed by the righteous act of the Lamb as He was sacrificed upon the altar of the cross. Never had so many watched as intently as those angels did on that faithful day in heaven as their Redeemer was lifted up off the earth. Suspended naked between heaven and earth for all to see. Never had humanity witnessed such a self-less act of love as that which the Servant displayed as He was stretched out upon the Tree of Life and unjustly, cold-heartedly crucified as a common criminal. Never had a Person suffered so much for so many as this Man of Sorrows had at the hands of his own countryman. And the words of Pilate will indeed stand for all of eternity and continue to pierce the souls of both men and angels, “Behold the Man.”
So out of the majestic counsels of the Trinity, the Son proclaimed His willingness to serve the Father in order to deliver those in bondage to the tyrant, Satan, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your Will, O God (the Father).’” Thus the Creator embarked upon His career as the Servant of His creatures and His Eternal Companion, the Father. Serving as the perfect example of sacrificial service and at the same time rebuking the Adversary for his refusal to serve his Creator, and instead serve himself. The prophecy of the Suffering Servant King was proclaimed by the great prophet Isaiah as He cried out to Jacob in Isa 42:1-4, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one {in whom} My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise {His voice} nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
Listen as the Lord of Glory Himself speaks to all of us through the prophet Isa. 49:1-7, “And now says the LORD, who formed me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that you should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel {and} its Holy One, to the despised One, to the One abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, princes will also bow down, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
So there in the city of David on the night before He took the stand our Lord’s willingness to serve are expressed by His Words have echoed throughout the corridors of time and will continue to do so into eternity, John 17:1-5, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
Indeed, His work was to serve His Father and His creatures. As our Lord reminded all those who would care to hear Him, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
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ransom for many.” Listen to the words of the greatest sinner to ever walk this earth, the apostle Paul who says in 2 Cor. 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
The Cup of Suffering had indeed been placed in the hands of the One Who had compassionately healed and yet soon those same hands would be stretched out and pierced through by one of His own creatures. Oh the irony of it all, the Servant rejected by those whom He came to serve.
And so He came to this earth for you and I as a Deliverer and as a perfect example of servanthood which we are to follow. Oh how can we reject so great a love that He had for us and not serve Him? Does not your heart melt within you when you read the words of the prophet Isaiah as He declares through the Spirit? Read with me as we behold the Man. Isa 52:13-53:12, “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, {My people} so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand. who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke {was due?}. His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; if He would render himself {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it and} be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”
Does not your heart melt within you as you read those words? Who can read these words of Isaiah and not weep at the agony that our Lord endured for us. How can we remain bitter and unforgiving toward others who have wronged us when our Lord was the bearer of all our sins and never complained but was compassionate and forgiving to those who mocked, scourged and crucified Him? Are we that hard hearted, self-centered and selfish that we cannot give up our lives in order to serve Him Who gave Himself for all of us as a Substitute? How can we ever complain about a thing? Will we not issue a sacrifice of praise to Him in our adversities as the Scriptures state in Hebrews 13:15-16, “Therefore, through Him (Jesus Christ) we should keep on offering up a sacrifice (thusia) of praise continually throughout all circumstances to God (the Father), that is the fruit of the lips, acknowledging His Person (integrity of character). In fact, you yourselves do not forget the unselfish performance of divine good of intrinsic value for with such sacrifices (thusia) God the Father is greatly pleased.” Have we become so hard-hearted that we have lost sight of the true meaning and purpose of our lives as believers? Willing, unconditional, self-sacrificial service motivated by our love for the Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 John 3:16-17, “We know virtue-love by this because He (the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union) laid down His life as a Substitute for all of us; and we ought to keep on laying down our lives for the royal family. But whoever may possess the world’s goods (time, talent and treasure), and beholds his fellow believer in need and bars or shuts the door of his affections from him, how does the virtue-love of God reside in him (his soul)?”
Listen to our Lord and will we respond to His challenge issued to all of us. John 13:13-17, “You call Me Teacher and Lord (kurios); and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also
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should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
As we approach the Lord’s Table, we are reminded of our Servant King and His willing self-sacrificial service on behalf of all of us. The bread and the wine are a reminder of Him and hopefully we are challenged by the thought of His Servanthood, His willingness to self-sacrificially give Himself as a substitute for all of us at the cross of Calvary 2000 years ago. Will we not follow in the footsteps of our Servant King? Or will we selfishly follow in the footsteps of His adversary? Choosing to serve ourselves rather than our Savior and our fellow believers in Christ.
The Lord’s Table is a reminder of Him Who came to serve rather than be served. Who chose the cross before the crown. Suffering before the glory. The bread portrays the impeccable human nature of our Lord and His sinless body, which was so badly scarred for all of us. The cup portrays the tremendous suffering that He endured as an example for all of us to follow in our own walk. It also speaks of His spiritual death that paid the price for every sin that we have ever committed. And so we read in 1 Cor 11:23-26, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”