“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” —Luke 22:14-20
There Are Two Different Words For The Lord’s Supper
Eucharist
The word Eucharist is derived from our text today, which says he had “given thanks” and the word used for giving thanks is the Greek word, Eucharisteo
Using the word Eucharist to describe the Lord’s Supper highlights two big ideas:
- The Eucharist Is A Meal Of
- The Eucharist Is A Meal of
“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” —Matthew 26:27-28
The death of Jesus Christ which resulted in the forgiveness of our sins and his resurrection from the dead three days later, conquering death and bringing new life to everyone who believes in Him is the primary article of our faith.
Also referenced Acts 2:42
Communion
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” —1 Corinthians 10:14-21
The Greek word that Paul uses here that is translated as participation is Koinonia. This word means communion or deep fellowship or relationship.
In Communion, Jesus is
“Although [at the Lord’s Supper] my mind can think beyond what my tongue can utter, yet even my mind is conquered and overwhelmed by the greatness of the thing. Therefore nothing remains but to break forth in wonder at this mystery, which plainly neither the mind is able to conceive nor the tongue to express.” —John Calvin