True Meaning of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-29)

True Meaning of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-29)

  
When I attended the Princeton Seminary, we had every day chapel hour at 10:00 in the morning during weekdays. And every Wednesday we had the Lord's Supper also called the Holy Communion.
I really liked to participate in the Holy Communion, because it was the time that I strongly felt that I was part of the body of Christ and that Jesus died for me.
Walking toward the altar, I used to think of Jesus' life, his ministry, his suffering, his death, and his resurrection, and of my future ministry for him.
Participating in the Holy Communion refreshed me and made me a better Christian by letting me feel the presence of Christ in me and appreciate his death for me.

In Korea most churches allow only baptized members to participate in the Lord's Supper, as people are united with Jesus Christ through baptism as Paul says in Romans 6. But the baptism that unites a person with Christ is the baptism by the Holy Spirit. We usually assume that a person who was baptized with water was also baptized with the Spirit. That is, he or she already confessed and accepted Jesus as the personal Savior is assumed to be united with Christ.
So, in those churches, some people who are not baptized yet may feel that they are excluded when they are not invited to participate in the Lord's Supper.

Jesus wanted to have the last supper with his disciples on the night before he was caught.
That was the day before Passover. He called the last supper "the Passover (meal)." Jewish people commemorated the God's saving act while their ancestors stayed in Egypt by letting the Angel of Death pass over the houses of the Israelites where the blood of the lamb was painted on the sides and tops of the door-frames.

When Jesus had the supper with his disciples, he taught them how to serve others by washing their feet and told them to love one another other as he loved them.
On that night, Jesus also gave them an institution of the Holy Communion.
That is, he took bread. When he had given thanks to God, 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."
Whenever we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's suffering, death, and resurrection until he comes.

Early churches could not meet at the regular hours at the regular places as they were in danger of persecutions.
Whenever they could meet, they met.
Wherever places were available, they met.
When there was less danger, they met either on Sabbath days or on Sundays although later they more tended to meet on Sundays as Sunday, on which Jesus was resurrected, was more meaningful to Christians.
Whenever they met, they participated in the Lord's Supper.
At first, early church Christians were very much moved by participating in the Lord's Supper, remembering Jesus' ministry, teaching, and death for them.
However, as people had weaknesses, later they habitually participated in the Lord's Supper without remembering Jesus' salvific death for them.

Among believers in the early churches, some people were rich and some other poor, some people were masters and some other slaves.
Some rich masters looked down upon some other poor slaves.
Some rich people came early to a meeting place and ate all the loaves of bread and drank all the wine that were provided for the Lord's Supper without waiting for                                                        

some other poor people who did not arrive there as they had to finish all the works for their masters.
Thus, those people who came late could not eat their dinner and were hungry.
They became believers because they found peace in Jesus and thought that Jesus came down to the earth in the lowly form of a man to become a friend of lowly people.
However, in reality, they felt that they were discriminated and hurt by fellow rich Christians.

The Corinthian church had the same problems.
There were divisions among members, the rich and the poor, the masters and the slaves, the Jews and the Gentiles, the men and the women.
And some people claimed that they belonged to Paul, some others to Peter, some others to Apollos, and yet some others to Christ.
Some rich members came early to the meeting place, and they hurried to eat and drink without waiting for the people who would come late.
As a result, some went hungry while others got drunk.
Paul who founded the Corinthian church and ministered there was troubled having heard their situation.

Why did Jesus give his disciples the institution of the Lord's Supper?
First of all, Jesus wanted his disciples to remember his salvific death for them.
His body was broken and his blood was shed to forgive our sins and trespasses and to save us from the power of death.
Jesus tells us in the Lord's Supper, "This is my body that was broken for you, and this cup is my blood that was shed for you."
So, whenever we eat the bread and drink the cup, we do this in remembrance of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, Jesus wants us who participate in the Lord's Supper to be united with Him in his death to sin and in his resurrection and life to God.
Paul in Romans 6:5 says, "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
So, whenever we participate in the Lord's Supper, we should confess that we are united with Christ to die to sin and to live to God.

Thirdly, Jesus wants us who participate in the Lord's Supper to serve others as Jesus serves us and to love one another as He loves us without despising and blaming one another.
Paul says in verse 27, "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord."
What does he mean by "an unworthy manner"?
The answer is in verse 29: "Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself."
As you are a member of the body of Christ so are your fellow Christians.
When you look down upon others or blame others, you result in despising or blaming the body of Christ, that is, Jesus Christ Himself as well as yourself as you are also the body of Christ.

And fourthly, Jesus wants us who participate in the Lord's Supper to proclaim his suffering, his death, his resurrection to others until He comes to us again.
By proclaiming his death and resurrection, we realize that we are Christians who follow Jesus Christ, will recognize what our mission is, and will be strengthened for our better Christian lives.

Now, when we are participating in this institution of the Lord's Supper, let us remember that Jesus died and was resurrected for us, that we are united with Jesus in his death to sin and in his resurrection and life to God, that Jesus wants us to serve and love one another as he serves and loves us, and that we all are members of the body of Christ so that we may remember and love others without hurting and blaming them.