The Purpose of the Supper

Why do Christians eat unleavened bread and drink fruit of the vine on the first day of every week? The obvious answer is, “Because the Lord told us to,” and that is a correct answer. After all, Jesus did say, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19b). But, there is more to the Lord’s Supper than just going through the motions of observance. There is a purpose behind it that every Christian must understand, if they are going to partake of it “worthily” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

1 Corinthians 11 is an account of the establishment of the Lord’s Supper, which runs parallel to those that are given in the Gospels. It is identical to the accounts found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but it also expands gives us additional information. In 1 Corinthians 11:26 KJV, the text says, “For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” This means that the Lord’s Supper is a living memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which is meant to endure until He returns to bring the last age of the world to an end.

Like statues and other memorials erected by men to commemorate the valiant deeds and sacrifices of others, the Lord’s Supper is meant to testify to the world about Jesus Christ and the valiant sacrifice He made for all humanity. When we partake of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, our mind are meant to recall the Biblical account of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord. It also serves as a reminder that the Lord is coming back to the Earth to judge us all (2 Corinthians 5:10).

1 Corinthians 10:16 describes the Lord’s Supper as “communion” with the Lord. That is why most tend to regard it as a solemn occasion. While it is only one part of a worship service, which also consists of singing, prayer, giving, and preaching, it is a time when God is said to be acting in accord with us. When we fail to commune with God every week, our souls miss something that they desperately need. Don’t just go through the motions of observing the Lord’s Supper, but think about what it really means.

Emblems of the Supper

The common practice in the churches of Christ is for the Lord’s Supper to consist of bread, which is unleavened, and grape juice, which is unfermented. As is the case with most everything that is done in the worship of the Lord’s church, we do this, not because it is our tradition, or because it is our preference, but because of what is written in the Word of God.

We know “that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread,” and we know that it was likely the very same kind of bread that He and His disciples had been eating at the “Last Supper,” but how do we know that it was unleavened? We know this, because this meal took place during “the feast of unleavened bread” (Matthew 26:17). This was a time when Jews were to put all leaven out of their houses and eat only bread which was unleavened (Exodus 12:6,18). Leaven is that which causes bread dough to rise. Therefore, unleavened bread is flat bread, which has no airy quality about it. Today, we use what is essentially a cracker, which has no leaven in it, at all. In certain denominations, it is popular to use leavened bread, but this is not in keeping with the Biblical pattern.

In like manner, the “fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29) is exactly what the text suggests: unfermented grape juice. The juice of grapes was safer to drink than water and it tasted better, too. We know that this is what Jesus used in instituting His Supper, because alcohol was considered a leavening agent by the ancients and would have been unwelcome at the feast of unleavened bread. Some denominations use wine in their observances of the Lord’s Supper, but this is not in keeping with the Biblical pattern.

The First Day of the Week

A significant difference between the churches of Christ and other churches is the practice of observing the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Some churches do so only twice every year (at Christmas and Easter), some include other holy days on the calendar, and some have a “Communion Sunday” once every month. The practice of a weekly supper is not what most people today would consider to be the norm in Christianity.

But, what if I told you that ancient Christians, in the earliest days of the Lord’s church made the Lord’s Supper a regular part of their weekly worship services? The best evidence of this is seen in Acts 20. The first few verses of the chapter record Paul’s three-month excursion into Macedonia. We see in Acts 20:6 that Paul sailed from Philippi to Troas, where he rejoined traveling companions who had arrived there before him. He stayed for a week in Troas, and preached to the church there at their weekly assembly.

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together…” – Acts 20:7

The language of Acts 20:7 indicates that “the first day of the week” was “when the disciples came together.” That is why the modern church meets for worship on Sunday – not because it is Sunday – but because it is the first day of the week. 1 Corinthians 16:2 also indicates that the first day of the week was the day in which the church gathered for its regular assembly. Hebrews 10:25 indicates that ancient Christians understood these regular gatherings to a compulsory exercise. Relevant to this discussion, 1 Corinthians 11:20 indicates that an observance of the Lord’s Supper was supposed to be part of the weekly worship assembly. Paul rebuked the church in Corinth for failing to observe the Lord’s Supper, as they were supposed to do so. Members of the church in Corinth had made the Lord’s Supper into a common meal, which was not even shared among all the brethren. Paul reminded them of the emblems and purpose of the supper, as he encouraged them to get back what they ought to have been doing all along.

Does the church where you worship celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week? If not, then I would like to invite you to consider worshipping with the church of Christ in your community. In accordance with the Biblical pattern, we partake of the Lord’s Supper, as a regular part of our weekly worship, just like our brethren did, in ancient times.