After Supper
Originally scheduled for April 24
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."
(1 Corinthians 11:25 NASB)
A
common misimpression among Christians is that the Lord’s Supper was
part of a Passover meal. If you will notice the two words underlined
in the translation above, you will see that in fact Christ
implemented what we now call communion after they had finished with
Passover. The point is not particularly well emphasized, so it’s a
common misconception. But it is clearly something that happened
after the Passover meal — “after supper.” By implication this would
include the bread as well as the cup.
The
point is not insignificant. It implies that Christ was implementing
something completely new. We sometimes forget this and view the
Lord’s Supper as nothing but a ritual meal, an external action only.
The
author of Hebrews tells us otherwise. He makes the contrast between
the old covenant, one largely composed of rules and regulations and
the new one which Christ implemented. The old covenant was based
around the idea that if you obeyed all the rules and went through
all the rituals you are okay with God. But we know what this led to:
hypocrisy, particularly among the leaders of the faith. This was
often accompanied by a “holier-than-thou” attitude which left the
average worshiper convinced that there were two kinds of Jews: holy
and ordinary.
For the
sake of the ordinary man, Christ implemented the new covenant. The
author of Hebrews tells that this is a better covenant, because it
has better promises and a better guarantee. The main reason for this
is its effect on the holier-than-thou attitude — it eliminates it.
The new covenant is kept in the heart and mind of the believer.
There is where the Holy Spirit does His work. The function of the
Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin and judgment — which
necessarily implies that everyone who says he is a Christian is
admitting to being a sinner.
Therefore, before you partake this morning, examine yourself and see
if your living the new covenant life. If you are, there is no trace
of hypocrisy in you. Indeed there should be no legalism in your life
either and certainly no holier-than-thou attitude either. If you
find such in your heart, ask yourself this: “am I doing ‘just
enough’ or am I a full hearted Christian believer?
Remember what Christ sacrificed so that you might have this new
covenant. He went to the cross so that you might live eternally. Are
you doing your part in return?
