Communion

Matthew 21:46
But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

Communion, that is, the traditional ceremony in the church that involves eating bread and drinking wine (in most Protestant churches grape juice is substituted for wine), has to be the most misunderstood practice in Christianity. It’s meant to be a great blessing and yet it’s been simplified down to a ritual event that usually takes place on the first Sunday of the month. Communion is so much more than a ritual.

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, when His atonement for our sins began, He had supper with His disciples. He spoke about what was going to happen to Him. Jesus used the bread as a symbol of His body that would be broken for them (us), and He used the wine as a symbol of His blood which would be shed for them (us). And Jesus gave instructions: do this in remembrance of Me. 

Now, it’s two thousand years later and we do just that: we get together and we eat some crackers and drink a swig of grape juice and sit, quietly remembering Jesus. Thoughts flood our minds, “Oh, how He suffered. Oh, the humanity.” But we really don’t REMEMBER what He did that day, on our behalf. We’ve made it more of a “Remember when Timmy learned to walk...that was cute” occasion instead of the healing, life-giving moment that it should be!

This brings me to the point: how do you take Jesus? Some take Him for a prophet. Others, a good man. Some take Him as their all access key to heaven. Some take Him for a lunatic! But more importantly than how you take Jesus in your mind’s eye, is how you take Him in your body! It’s how you take Jesus that makes communion important.

We’ve lost touch with the significance of the bread and the wine. We pay it lip service, but we don’t take it to heart. To paraphrase Dr. Phil, “We’ve got to own it!” Like grace, communion has been oversimplified and overlooked. It’s been made a ritual event instead of a crucial part of our spiritual health.

The bread isn’t just a cracker that helps you make it to lunch and gives you an opportunity to “reflect”. It’s the body of Christ. It was beaten, bruised, crushed, spit on, mocked, mutilated, pulverised, and pierced for you! All of these things, the stripes on His back, the nails in His hands and feet, the thorns in His brow, were done so that you could be made whole. There is healing in His body. Your sickness, your disease, your anxiety, depression, frustration, and aggravation were put on Him at the cross! When you eat the bread, know what it is: healing and renewed strength for your body!

The wine or juice isn’t just for washing the cracker out of your mouth and rewetting your lips. It is the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God shed for the forgiveness of sin. Know that! Embrace what the cup represents: your righteousness, through grace, by the blood of Christ. The shedding of blood gives us the remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). When you drink the cup, renew your mind with praises to Jesus for making you righteous by His blood. Clear your spirit of the guilt and condemnation laid on you by society in the knowledge that Jesus has made you righteous by taking your sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

They took Him for a prophet. What are you going to take Him for? Healing, peace, strength, and life are all things you can take Jesus for. He is the Savior; He is Salvation!