On the night before He died, Jesus ate with His disciples what has become known as the Last Supper, which as we know was the P

Maundy Thursday, 2003 (B)

Texts: Mark 14:12-26; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17.

The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper

On the night before He died, Jesus ate with His disciples his last supper, which was the Passover meal, the Seder. In the midst of this Seder meal, Jesus served and instituted another meal, a new meal that was to be repeated. We heard the words his words of institution in our Gospel reading and hear it every time we repeat this meal in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper. My question to you this night is, "What is this meal?”

I. It is a Meal for the Soul

What is this meal? The first thing I want to say is that it is a meal. It is easy for us to forget this because we don’t always refer to it as a meal, but often as “Holy Communion.” We may forget this because of the way we eat it: Not sitting at a table, but kneeling in a row at the altar rail. Or, we may not think of it as a meal because of the small portion of food we receive.

Yet, the Lord's Supper is a meal, but it is obviously not intended to be a meal that satisfies the hunger of the body, as all the other meals we eat do. It is a meal for the soul, one intended to satisfy our spiritual appetite. As Luther puts it, "Therefore, it is appropriately called the food of the soul since it nourishes and strengthens the new man.”

II. It is a Memorial Meal that Remembers His Death on Behalf of Us All

What is this meal? Second, it is a memorial meal that remembers Christ's death on behalf of us all. This memorial emphasis of the meal is heard especially in Paul's rendition in 1 Corinthians 11:

The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me (11:23-25).

The Lord's Supper is meal that remembers Christ's death, but it also as much more than this.

III. It is a Holy Meal, Since It is Consecrated by God's Word

What is this meal? Third, it is a holy meal, since it is consecrated by God's Word. What is it that transforms ordinary bread and wine into a holy meal in which Christ's body and blood are present? It is God's Word, the words of consecration that Christ spoke at the Last Supper and which the Pastor repeats each time this meal is served. It is not my holiness or my faith, or my being an ordained pastor that makes effects the consecration. It is the words of Christ spoken over the bread and wine that make this a holy meal. For as Luther rightly says in the Large Catechism: "The Word of God is the true holy thing above all holy things. . . . God's Word is the treasure that sanctifies all things"

IV. It is a Meal of Forgiveness

What is this meal? It is a meal in which God gives and serves forgiveness for all sins. Christ Himself established this in the words of our text when He said, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." This, by far, is the most important answer to the question, "What is this meal?" It is a meal of forgiveness.

Just as the preached Gospel announces and gives forgiveness through the cross of Christ to all who believe, so does this meal. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." The only difference is that whereas in the preaching the Gospel of forgiveness is heard, here in the Supper it is seen and tasted. This is why the Lord's Supper has been called "the visible Gospel." The forgiveness that is given in this meal is the complete forgiveness that Christ won on the cross. In the Lord's Supper that once-for-all forgiveness is applied to each person who believes so that they are assured that all their sins, including the ones they are feeling guilty about, are forgiven.

Because of this it is right to say that the Lord's Supper is especially for sinners, for those sorrowing and struggling over their sinfulness. It is not for those who feel worthy, but for those who feel unworthy. Luther puts it beautifully:

When your conscience troubles you and says: There and there you have sinned and you are anxious to be free from your trouble, then go to the Sacrament, and say: Have I sinned, then this body has not sinned, it is without guilt; this body is offered for me, and this blood is shed for me for the remission of sins, this I do believe, and as a token of it I will receive the Sacrament. When you do this, then your sins are taken away and can cause you no more distress. (The Sermons of Martin Luther. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, 2:229.)

This point, that the Lord's Supper is for those who believe in the promise of forgiveness is intended to (1) encourage those who are feeling unworthy and are staying away - that they might gladly come; and (2) warn those who eat this meal without any thought of receiving forgiveness (who eat it to look pious in front of others, who eat it purely by habit without any thought at all, etc.). But Luther emphasizes again and again that this meal is especially for those who know they are sinful but who believe that they will receive forgiveness there.

V. It is a Meal in Which We Eat and Drink Christ's Body and Blood

What is this meal? It is a meal in which we eat and drink Christ's body and blood. Although most Christian traditions affirm that Christ is present somehow in the Lord's Supper, some deny that he is present in the bread and wine. They say that Christ according to his human nature sat down at the right hand of God. Therefore it is impossible for His body and blood to be present also in the bread and wine here on earth. But this is a childish argument that betrays a faulty understanding of God.

For where is God? Answer: Everywhere! And where is God’s right hand? Answer: Everywhere! Therefore, the fact that Christ is seated at the right hand of God shows that he shares in God’s almighty power to be present wherever he wishes to be. And if Christ promises to be present with us in the bread and wine of his Supper, then who am I to say that he cannot be there.

But if we say that we really eat Christ in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, does this mean that we are actually eating Christ's skin and tissue, or that if we broke the wafer we could actually see Christ's skin and tissue inside? Is this what we are supposed to believe? Though Lutherans have often been accused of this, no, we are not cannibals! We believe Christ's body and blood are truly present and truly eaten, but in a supernatural or sacramental way, in a way that cannot be seen by the eyes, but only by faith in the word and promise of God.

VI. The Fruit of this Meal is to Show Forth Love

What is this meal? As our sins are forgiven, our faith strengthened and we are joined to him the result of this in our life is beautifully described by Luther:

Now this is the fruit, that even as we have eaten and drunk the body and blood of Christ the Lord, we in turn permit ourselves to be eaten and drunk, and say the same words to our neighbor, Take, eat and drink; meaning to offer yourself with all your life, even as Christ did with all that he had, in the sacramental words. . . . these we must take, and repeat them to our neighbor, not by the mouth alone, but by our actions, saying, Behold, my dear brother, I have received my Lord; he is mine, and I have more than enough and great abundance. Now you take what I have, it shall be yours, and I place it at your disposal. Is it necessary for me to die for you, I will even do that. The goal placed before us in the Lord’s Supper is that the attainment of such conduct toward our neighbor may appear in us.” (The Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol. 2; paragraph 24)

Of course, it is true, we will not become so perfect that one places his soul and body, goods and honor at the disposal of the other. We still live in the flesh, and this is so deeply rooted in us that we are unable to furnish this symbol and evidence as perfectly as we should. On account of these our shortcomings, Christ has instituted the Lord’s Supper for our training, that here we may obtain what we lack.” (25)

Therefore, when we have received the Lord’s Supper we must not allow ourselves to become indolent, but must be diligent and attentive to increase in love, aid our neighbor in distress, and lend him a helping hand when he suffers affliction and requires assistance. While we live on earth we must bear with one another as Christ also bore with us, seeing that none of us is perfect.” (Luther, 28)

VII. It is a Family Meal that Gives and Celebrates Unity Among Those who Eat It

What is this meal? It is a family meal that gives and celebrates unity among those who eat it. The Lord's Supper has often been called the Sacrament of unity. Why? Love, the fruit of the Lord’s Supper in our lives also brings forth unity. This is pictured in the elements we consume in the Supper, the bread and wine.

First of all in the bread. For as long as the grains of wheat are in a pile before they are ground, each is a body separate for itself, and is not mingled with the others; but when they are ground, they all become one body. The same thing takes place with the wine. As long as the berries are not crushed each retains its own form, but when they are crushed they all flow together and become one drink. You cannot say, this is the flour from this one grain, or this is a drop from that berry; for each has entered the form of the other, and thus was formed one bread and one drink. (Luther, 32)

This is the interpretation of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:17: "Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." We eat the Lord by the faith of the Word which the soul consumes and enjoys. In this way my neighbor also eats me: I give him my goods, body, and life and all that I have and let him consume and use it in his want. Likewise, I also need my neighbor; I too am poor and afflicted, and suffer him to help and serve me in turn. Thus we are woven one into the other, helping one another even as Christ helped us. This is what it means spiritually to eat and drink one another.” (Luther, 32)

Therefore it is good and God-pleasing to eat this meal together. For we are truly one spiritual family, truly one in Christ, one in faith, and one in doctrine. When we eat this meal together, we enter into unity with one another. We celebrate our oneness of faith, oneness of doctrine, and oneness of purpose together.

VIII. It is a Meal that is a Foretaste of the Feast to Come

What is this meal? Lastly, it is a meal that is "a foretaste of the Feast to come." This phrase, taken from a Communion liturgy of Lutheran Worship, beautifully expresses another aspect of the Lord's Supper. It is meal that is a foretaste of that eternal, heavenly meal that we will enjoy with our God. For this meal points not only backwards but also forward in time. It looks to the past and remembers, looks to the present and receives, and looks to the future and anticipates!

This future aspect of the Lord's Supper is supported by our Lord's words, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." It is also supported by Paul's words in 1 Co. 11:26: For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." The words "till He comes" gives this meal an end-times dimension. It keeps us looking forward with eager anticipation. It fills us with great strength and joy as we remember that no matter how difficult our current circumstances, through our crucified and risen Savior, we shall overcome, and feast with Him in glory forevermore!

Based in part on a sermon by Pastor Richard P. Bucher: www.ultranet.com/~tlclcms