f. Communion
[10/12/20]
Some year and more back I left a note for myself under this heading which, as I look at it, had more to do with the previous subject. And not too surprisingly, the thought I had in mind back then is not entirely discernable to me at this remove. But the point of my crumb of thought seems to have been the idea that baptism is in some ways an anointing of God’s people. Certainly, there’s that association of washing and anointing to connect idea to act, and I think I revisited the idea already, in some degree, when I looked back to the anointing of the priesthood at the tabernacle.
At the time, my comment which resulted in leaving this note to myself was, “There is a reason, if this is the case, for us to hold to believer’s baptism.” I do think that message holds. The priests were not brought and washed at birth, but upon entry into service. Jesus, likewise, was washed in the waters of baptism upon entry into service. Would it not be fitting then that the believer, having become one of the nation of royal priests unto our Lord ought likewise to wash upon entry into service?
Again, the counterargument lies in the covenant sign aspect which some take towards the ordinance of baptism, and as I have suggested, the proper sign of covenant lies elsewhere, as does the proper, superior alternative to intended effect of circumcision. As it happens, this morning’s readings from the Old Testament have brought before me a passage that is almost directly to my point. Isaiah 49 is one of those sections particularly messianic sections, speaking of God’s Servant. “The LORD called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me” (Isa 49:1). Thus is Messiah introduced here. God declares, “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 in Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach the end of the earth” (Isa 49:7). We have a pretty clear view as to Who it is that God is indicating here. John certainly recognized Him. “There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God” (Jn 1:9-13).
John clearly harks back to Isaiah for his message. But I want to observe what Isaiah has to say following upon that declaration of Gentile inclusion. In the interest of remaining somewhat focused, I will take but one clause of God’s promise to His Servant. “And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages” (Isa 49:8b). I give You for a covenant… As I commented yesterday, so I see it confirmed today. Christ Jesus is the covenant.
Circumcision had sought to abolish sin by striking the flesh, but this, too, has been done in full in Christ Jesus. “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity” (Eph 2:14-16). Now, clearly, the central point in this passage is the unity of Jew and Gentile in shared faith in Christ, and in one, common means of salvation. But along the way, the point is made: That which circumcision symbolized has been achieved in full in Him. Away, then, with the sign when we have received the fulness!
But does this mean we have no evidence of covenant? Does this mean we have no further need of signs or symbolic representations? Clearly not. Baptism is, in fact, a symbolic representation, as we have observed is needful for the definition of ordinance to be satisfied. Consider: If ordinance is a command, then there must be some sensory means by which we obey the command. It can’t just be a nod of the head as we agree with the concept. Action is required where obedience is commanded.
Okay, so thus far, I seem to be continuing the matter of baptism, but I do so as a setup to pursue the topic of communion, the other official ordinance of the Church. Interestingly, if not too surprisingly, both of these symbolic actions point us back to the very same point: Christ died and raised again. Baptism identifies us with His death and resurrection. Communion thereafter returns our thoughts to those events, reminding us of the powerful, covenant blessings obtained therein.
I want to turn first to the brief depiction Mark provides of the institution of this practice as Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples one last time on earth. “And while they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it; and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup, and given thanks, He gave it to them; and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I shall never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God’” (Mk 14:22-25). Matthew brings out a bit more of the commanded aspect of this event, which Mark’s account does not really capture. As to the cup, “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’” (Mt 26:28). Luke’s account observes a cup of wine shared subsequent to the breaking of the bread (Lk 22:17-19), and also notes that Judas the betrayer was yet at table as this covenant sign was implemented. That is significant, I think. Judas partook. He entered into this covenant, and thus brought upon himself the curse of the covenant; for every covenant has in it both blessings and cursings, the one for those who abide by the covenant’s terms, the other for those who do not. But the terms of covenant cannot apply where covenant has not been entered into.
To the best of my knowledge, while the Pharisees who had come out to John to be baptized and were, by all appearances, refused because in them there was clearly no repentance to confirm by that act, there are not any suggestions of a covenant curse that might apply for violating that which the baptism marks. The same cannot be said for Communion. As just observed, we have the immediate example of Judas. But we have also Paul’s discussion of Communion with the Church in Corinth.
[10/13/20]
Here, we find a connection drawn between what we commonly understand as communion and that practice of the early church known as the love feast. We find that connection because it is with the feast the Paul begins his discussion. 1 Corinthians is, by and large, a corrective letter, addressing the problems of this local body and what should be done instead. That church, we see, was beset by a competitiveness unbecoming the people of God. Rather than humbling themselves before God, they were busily exalting themselves before one another ‘in the power of God’. Factionalism was inevitable in such an atmosphere, and Paul points to their observance of the love feast as prime evidence. “Therefore when you meet together, it is not to each the Lord’s Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?” (1Co 11:20-22a).
How is this to be corrected? “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. Therefore whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord” (1Co 11:23-27).
I want to pause and look at this before I look at the rest of Paul’s message on this subject. First, the connection between feast and communion is established. The early love feast may have been a more extended affair, but the intent is clear; that it was a setting in which to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It was a thing to be enjoyed together, as the community of the redeemed, and it was a thing to be observed with a clear sense of the equality of the members before God. The competitive spirit led to self-serving observance, to the observance of ordinance becoming just another get together. The point was being lost.
The first step to correcting this abuse was to remember what this was truly about. This cup is not just any glass of wine you may happen to imbibe, nor even such a glass partaken of at meal. This is a specific observance of a specific significance. The meal which Jesus chose by which to establish His covenant meal was the observance of the Passover, an observance fulfilled in His offering of Himself, to come on the morrow. It was a specific cup He chose, of the several that were a part of the Paschal observance. This cup, He says, is the new covenant in My blood. It’s not the drinking of any old cup of wine that is to be done in remembrance of Him, but this cup.
It is a signal observance, just as the Passover was a signal observance. That feast was indeed commanded by God as a perpetual reminder to Israel of her purchase as His people. He had delivered them out of Egypt. They most assuredly had not departed by their own power, but solely by the power of God. The events leading up to departure were such as no man could contrive. The passage through the Red Sea, whether one chooses to assign the matter to timing in conjunction with some natural event, or a truly supernatural intervention in the normal course of nature, was such as could not have been arrived at through the genius of Moses or any other. And, lest there be any doubt as to Who was in charge here, there was that pillar of smoke by day and fire by night. There could be no mistaking Who had done this great thing. The Passover was to be a remembrance of this spectacular Truth. Only by God’s hand were you, His people, preserved. Only by God’s choosing were your firstborn spared and Egypt’s destroyed. Do this in remembrance.
Jesus, by His sacrifice of Himself on the cross, the sinless son of God dying to atone for the sins of God’s people, fulfilled the promise of Passover. The bondage in Egypt was symbolic of the greater bondage to sin, and the lingering power of those bonds was evident in the behavior of God’s people as they made their way; first in their rejection of His promise as they reached the land at the beginning, and then in their constant rebellion throughout the years of wandering. Nothing God did was enough for them. They always wanted something else, something more, something different. But God remained faithful to His covenant though they did not. God still remains faithful to His covenant, though we do not. This is no excuse for them or for us. But it is great comfort when we come once more to our senses to know that this, too, He has already addressed.
The Lord’s Supper gives us that opportunity to remember and be thankful. It gives us, as well, an opportunity to look upon our fellow believers and be reminded that they, too, whatever their faults and foibles, are likewise sons and daughters of the covenant. Here, then, is our covenant sign. Whether weekly, or monthly, or whatever the schedule may be; we, the people of God, the members individually of this local body to which we have been called, come together to remember; to take into account once more the price paid by our Lord, and that which has been achieved for us thereby.
As it happens, I again have a lovely synchronicity between the course of my explorations here in this effort to lay out my beliefs and the reading schedule laid out by Table Talk, so as to read the OT in a year. Again, this morning, the readings concerned the Servant songs of Isaiah. The text of Isaiah 53 is familiar, I should think, to every Christian. But I wanted to focus particularly on a couple of verses from that chapter. “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?” (Isa 53:8). “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” (Isa 53:10). “By his knowledge, the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11b). “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” (Isa 53:12b).
This is what the Lord’s Supper leads us to consider. That body, the body of God’s own Son, broken and bloodied on the Cross is presented to us in the symbol of the bread. It’s not that the wafer is in fact His flesh, nor even that a wafer was intended. Given the Passover setting, it does seem likely that the bread at supper was the unleavened bread we know as matzoh, and not some fluffy artisan loaf from the local market. It would break readily, as would the body under Roman punishments. That cup which He held forth was to be observed as indicative of the covenant in His blood. What ought that to mean to us? It means, among other things, that the seal of the covenant is not had in this symbolic meal, but in the reality of His being. “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” It is emblematic of the covenant, but the covenant was sealed in His blood, poured out on the cross at Calvary. “He poured out Himself to death.” As Paul would tell the Galatians, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’” (Gal 3:13). But understand: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Co 5:21).
Again, the connection to Passover, and to the Exodus from Egypt in total, is evident. In that Exodus, God made His people a people in Him. In the exodus that is the Christian life, God makes us a people who were not a people. “I was found by those who sought Me not, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me” (Ro 10:20). God is making Himself a people, as He has been doing since the dawn of Creation. In Adam, He was making Himself a people. In Abraham, and the nation that sprung from his loins, He was making Himself a people. In Moses, and that generation led out from Egypt, He was making Himself a people. In the Church, as the elect are called from every tribe, and tongue, and nation, He is making Himself a people. And His people, if they are wise, are ever in remembrance of how this has come to be. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts (Zech 4:6).
[10/14/20]
I need to return to Paul’s letter, now, and observe his further comments on the observance of this ordinance. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. For if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you may not come together for judgment” (1Co 11:28-34a).
That’s a largish chunk of text to consider, but necessary. For one, it clarifies the love feast somewhat, at least as to its intended observance. This was not intended as a pot luck of some sort, to which the observance of the Lord’s Supper was attached. This was to be the Lord’s Supper observed – not the sating of hunger and thirst, but remembrance of Him. It’s not just any meal that is under consideration here, nor is this instruction for meal-taking. It’s a specific observance. The cup is a specific cup, not whatever glass of wine we may happen to imbibe. There is, to be sure, a place for giving thanks at every meal, and indeed, for every provision of this life, for all is from God, and He is good to have thus provided. But as I say that, I note that we must include in that reason for thankfulness those times of disciplinary judgment which, though never pleasant at the time, come to obtain good result. He knows what we need, and far better than we know.
I want to look, though, at the mention of physical health in the course of discussing the Lord’s Supper, for that seems to catch a few folks out and lead to misunderstanding. To be bluntly clear, Communion has never been a matter of healing. That would suppose far too much. It renders an observance in remembrance of what Jesus did to be some mystical, magical rite by which to manipulate God into providing us with things more to our liking. Paul’s point is not that they should partake of communion so as to stave off illness and even death. Rather, the focus is on their attitude towards self and others as they pursued their perversion of the Lord’s Supper. Remember where this started. “When you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” That is what they thought they were doing, what they claimed they were doing. Paul is telling them that by their abuses they have rendered the action completely devoid of value. They have made it just another meal. Those who would partake in pursuit of healing, rather than in remembrance of Him have made it just another medicinal herb, another cough syrup. This completely misunderstands and misapplies that which our Lord instituted.
It is a time to remember what He did on our behalf and, I should insist, why it was needful. His blood was poured out because of me. His body was broken because of me. This is not a time, then, to be whining about my aches and pains, but rather, a time to be most deeply aware of and disgusted with my sins, my selfishness, my disregard for God. It is a time to recall once more that while we were yet His enemies, He died for us. It is a time to reenter that state of holy humility which ought rightly to define our whole being. Who am I, Lord, that you should consider me in the least? “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me this far?” (2Sa 7:18). David prayed this in regard to his kingdom, but we ought really to ask the same in regard to our own little fiefdoms, even if they be a kingdom of one. Consider who you were. Consider who you are. Now consider Who God Is. Why have You brought me this far, Lord? I am not worthy.
Think Peter in the boat. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Lk 5:8). Had we the least bit of self-awareness and a real sense of our condition, this must be our response to the near approach of a holy God. And yet, we are invited to not only draw near, but to become temples to His holiness. No, we are not invited. We like to speak of it in those gentle terms that leave us nominally in charge, but that’s not really the case. The slave, having been purchased, is not invited into service, should he so choose. He has been bought, and is not his own. Twice, Paul reminded this same Corinthian church of that truth. “You have been bought with a price: Therefore glorify God in your body” (1Co 6:20). “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (1Co 7:23). This ordinance brings us face to face with the price that was paid. It brings us face to face with our neediness, but also with the glorious, undeserved and unexpected magnanimity of our Lord in having purchased us out of our slavery to sin to become slaves to righteousness, resulting in our sanctification (Ro 6:19b).
All of this is on view as we partake of this ordained observance of the bread and the cup. We are brought into remembrance of the sinfulness of Jew and Gentile alike in bringing about the death of our Lord. We are brought into remembrance that whatever their machinations, the event was in fact the outworking in time and space of that which the Triune God had covenanted with Himself to achieve on our behalf from before the beginning. We are hopefully reminded that for just so long a time, our place in His household had also been ordained by Him by and through Whom all things were made which were made. That Lord, that God, looks upon us and says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” (Isa 43:1). How lovely is that proclamation, which resounds in our hearts as we observe this Communion in the Lord’s Supper. Yes, Lord, You have redeemed me. By Your own body, broken on the cross, by Your blood poured out as a propitiation, a once-for-all sacrifice on my behalf, You have done it. You have proclaimed to us, “You are My witnesses, and My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me” (Isa 43:10). So, you have said, and so I am. By these elements, You established this covenant with me, this covenant in the very Person of Your Servant, my Lord. You have called, and I am Yours. You have appointed me as witness, and witness I shall be. I shall arise from this place of humility with a purpose, knowing that You, My God, are with me, even to the end of the age.
I shall arise recognizing that no, I have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in my striving against sin (Heb 12:4), and recognizing as well the unlikelihood that I shall do so even yet. But I know this, because I have had brought to mind once more Your promise: “Those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb 12:6). I know this, because it is You Who has said it. This, Your Word does not return to You empty, without accomplishing all Your desire, and succeeding in its purpose (Isa 55:11). By these elements, rightly observed, I recall my weakness, but also Your gracious power toward me, and am once more confident of this very thing, “that He who began a good work in me will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Php 1:6), “For it is God who is at work in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Php 2:13). Therefore, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord” (Ro 8:38-39). And I must include myself, for all my remaining sinfulness in that category of created things. My God has promised, and by His own right arm, He shall do it. I commit myself once more to render as little opposition and difficulty as I may, but I know that however much I strive to comply, it is by His power alone that I shall know success, and in His power, I shall assuredly know that success in His time.
That’s rather a lot to pack into the simple act of partaking of these meager elements. But then, these elements are not given, as Paul reminded us, to satisfy hunger or thirst after earthly provision, whether prosperity and ease, or health or longevity. They are given to recall to mind that our spiritual hunger and thirst have long since been provided for, and we need not be starved and parched henceforth. Whatever our earthly circumstance, we have overflowing abundance in Christ, for in Him we have eternal life; in Him we have the assurance of our home in heaven, there is our treasure and there is our heart.
As a last point, I think, and particularly as I am considering this whole matter of ordinances under the heading of “Defining Church”, it behooves me to consider the communal aspect of this ordinance. Baptism is, in its way, a more individual thing. It is done publicly, but it is a personal act, an individual declaration of obedient faith. Yet, it is also, as we observed, a demarking of sorts of our membership in this family of the Church. It is an evidence of our oneness with those others who have known that call upon their hearts, and discovered the wonderful offer of the Gospel sealed to them.
Communion, the Lord’s Supper, is also personal at some level. That call to partake of it aright is a personal call, a reminder to check yourself. What it is not, is an occasion to check your neighbor. That, at least on this occasion, is not your job. At one level, it is never your job. Yes, we are to care for our fellow believer, as we saw with the Ordinance of Law, but not as judges, rather as caring brothers and sisters, seeking the welfare and edification of our siblings, and seeking, also that they might contribute their own strengths to supplement our weaknesses as we grow together into this people called the Church.
And that aspect comes out forcefully, I think, in the shared partaking of Communion. As we are reminded of our own weakness towards sin, perhaps we grow just a bit more sympathetic with our fellow believer, and less critical of their particular failings, as we measure things. As we join together in the eating of the bread, and drinking of the cup, it is a unifying act. It is not rushed, as each seeks to be first to partake. Rather, we are careful, generally speaking, to see that all have the element in hand before any should partake, that we may together celebrate what our common Lord has done for each and every one of us. I can be thankful to Him not only for what He did for me, but what He did for you, as well. I can rejoice not only that I am redeemed by His blood, but that you have been redeemed by His blood also. I can give the greater thanks to God for being cognizant of this marvelously diverse family into which I have been engrafted. And, if I’m feeling particularly sensitive to the occasion, I may even recognize and give thanks that this body of which I am made a member by His doing far exceeds the local congregation, stretching out through all time and space to incorporate every believer whom He ever has or ever will call.
What I am striving to convey here is the communal aspect of this, the fact that what we are called to remember is far more than our personal experience. The original Passover was not a ‘me’ thing. It was an ‘us’ thing. Recall that the meal preparations included provision for others, if the lamb was more than could be consumed by the immediate family in one sitting. This was not a private matter. It was a national matter, a matter for the whole of the people of God. That whole at the time included only the Israelites in its scope. Now? Every tribe, and every tongue, and every nation is found within its definitions. We have been redeemed. He has called us by name. We are His people, and He is our God. Come, let us celebrate together the great goodness of our most holy, most awesome God.
We cannot celebrate together if we observe alone. I will grant that there may be occasions of extremis that require one to observe alone for entire lack of option, but that ought to be seen to be a sad, and hopefully temporary exception case. The observance is intended to be communal, a drawing together of the redeemed to remember our Christ and worship at His footstool. Yes, we have our private worship, our devotions, our personal prayers and the like. But we are called to this, as well. Our God, three in one, knows perfect fellowship within His being. We, certainly in our present state, do not. Our fellowship requires community, and our community rightly consists of our fellow believers, whether they are at the same stage of growth as ourselves, whether they hold all the exact same doctrinal views as we do or not, whether their gifts and priorities align with ours or not.
Our physical families are rarely matters of choice, and do not begin to ensure a commonality of preferences and practices. Yet these variant attitudes do not exclude one from being part of that physical family. The Church is, at heart, a family affair. Jesus looked at those sitting around Him and said, “Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Mk 3:34-35). Communion shouts out to us that likewise, those seated around us, doing the will of God, are our brothers and sisters and mothers. We are family, and whatever disputes might arise, whatever differences of perception and opinion might beset us at times, whatever challenges may be thrown at us due to our different stages of progress, that fact does not change. Each time we come together to observe this remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, we are invited, even commanded, to remember that underlying fact: These are family. We are children of one Father, brothers and sisters to one Lord. Whatever may seek to divide, we are one, in and through Him Who died for our sins and rose again for our redemption.
Try that on for size next time you partake. See if it doesn’t have
impact on your attitude towards God and fellow believer alike. He has
accomplished mightily. Don’t diminish it by your smallness of spirit
in response.
