Compelled to Worship: Communion

Some time ago I attended a worship service and they administered communion toward the end. As I approached the table an elder stood behind it and held the plate of bread out to me. We took the broken piece of bread but there was no cup to drink from. We were to dip the bread in the juice and consume them together.

As I took the bread the elder said, “This is Jesus’ body, broken for you.”

This is a unique ceremony where we recall our sin which necessitated the Savior to die. We communally eat the bread remembering the immense sacrifice He gave. We drink the wine/juice celebrating the new covenant Christ has made.

Two things stood out to me and I do not make mention of this in judgement of anyone but simply as something to consider being followers of Christ.  Dipping the bread in the juice rather than taking them separately; and referring to Christ’s body as ‘broken’.

Intinction

The Doctrine:

Communion is a sacred thing. It is more than ritual, although it is one. It is more than fellowship, although it is that too. It is also more than simply remembering, though it is an important aspect. It is worshiping Christ Jesus through obedience in a specifically proscribed way. God created worship for us to walk in it – so it is important that when He gives us a specific instruction, that we do not become creative and invent a more convenient way to accomplish it.

In Matthew 16:26-28 Jesus gives the disciples these instructions for how to observe this important sacrament.

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

Pretty specific details. Take the bread and eat it because it represented His body. His body was about to be put through excruciating suffering. We both remember His sacrifice and accept that His will may call us to do the same.  Take this cup and each of you drink from it.  It confirms the covenant between God and His people. We also remember that Jesus asked the mother of the sons of thunder, “Can you drink this cup of which I am about to drink?” Matthew 20:21-23. Indeed they would.

The Christian Ethic:

After we read this ominous and foreboding instruction on the night of His betrayal (which is also echoed in Luke 22:19-20 and Mark 14:23-24) how are we to proceed? Should we conclude that we have the right to speed up the process by dipping the bread instead of taking it separately? This practice is referred to as Intinction. Is it sacrilege and heresy? I don’t think it is but it is a subject that should concern us.

The most important aspect (but not the only aspect) is that with pure hearts, we worship God by partaking in communion as a church and remembering His sacrifice for our sin.

So when we have an instruction from the Lord regarding a sacrament He ordained, shouldn’t we obey in the very manner He gave it? We certainly do not contextualize Christ’s commands regarding fornication, idolatry, helping the hungry, or being humble. Why would we then consider the Lord’s words ‘optional’ here?

Food for thought (no pun intended). As I am compelled by the Word, I think we need to take the cup representing His blood separately and distinctly from the bread. If we can honor Him in this simple act of obedience, then we should.

Body ‘Broken’?

The Doctrine:

You’ll notice that the bread Christ handled in Matthew 16 was broken.  It specifically says, “Jesus took the bread and broke it.” The problem is in extrapolating that word to also denote Christ’s body.

A short snippet of history may be needed here but it’s critical. In the Old Testament, Jews were required to offer a sacrifice for sin.  In Exodus 12:46 we read that the sacrifices were never have their bones broken. It had to be unblemished male lamb.

We learn that this sacrifice, which was conducted regularly, was really all about Jesus. The instructions concerning the sacrificial lamb would have implications thousands of years later.

In Psalm 34:19-20 we are specifically told that the Messiah’s bones would never be broken. Later when Jesus hung upon the cross we read these words in John 19:36, “For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”

It was imperative that Jesus fulfill the sacrificial process perfectly. And perfectly He did. He was the spotless Lamb Whose blood was poured out for our sin. His body was bruised, cut, pierced, but never broken.

The Christian Ethic:

So then, acknowledging that Biblical truth, should we be playing with metaphors when administering the Lord’s Supper? Something so critical that God commanded His people multiple times how to prepare an acceptable sacrifice; that He prophesied in advance of Christ’s death in this manner and emphasized on the cross. But some administer this sacrament using (IMHO) careless language that actually undermines the acceptability of the very sacrifice we are remembering.

Perhaps, we should not be so careless in our worship. Most of the inventions of our minds are not glorifying to God. When it comes to sacred things we ought to allow the instructions God gave us to constrain us, rather than being a general guideline. We cannot improve upon Christ’s instructions. His Word is perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

So if placed in a situation where I administer communion to another believer, I'll use Jesus' words. Jesus said, "Take this [bread] and eat, for this is My body."

Prayer:

God grant us insight into the perfect mind of Christ. Help us to see things as You see them so that we can turn from our human inventions of worship and turn TO the ways that You have enumerated in Your Word. We desire to give you glory and to make much of You; the only Name worthy of praise.