The word “ communion ”, (Greek: “koinonia”), means the sharing of experiences, feelings and speaking in union. The Last Supper is the first time that this ordinance or ritual was put to practice. All of Jesus disciples were gathered around Him in the upper room, where He took a cup, blessed it and told them to take it and share the cup amongst themselves. He then did the exact same with the bread. This was such a significant event that the synoptic gospels each gave an account of it, (Mt. 26:26- 29, Mk. 14:17-25 & Lk. 22:7-22) . The cup of wine they all sipped from was given as being representative of the blood He would spill for the sins of the world. The broken bread was given as being symbolic of His physical body which would be broken. They all even described that this event would remain in place as an ordinance until the time Jesus returns at His Second Coming where He will only then let the fruits of the vine touch His lips. Matthew is the only one who describes that after they had eaten of the bread and sipped from the cup, they all sung a hymn together.

The historical backdrop It is apparent that the disciples were not startled by this, even though they were slow in understanding the implications of what Jesus had done. Without a doubt, all of them after His resurrection, fully understood that the ceremony was steeped in a greater meaning. The Last Supper paralleled the Passover Festival which was an extremely important Jewish holiday considered to be sacred. It served as a reminder of God’s hand over the Jewish race when they left Egypt to inherit their promised land. He had instructed Moses to inform all His people to slay a lamb and place its blood on the sides and the top of the door frame. They then had to prepare a feast as an everlasting commemoration of their deliverance from both the angel of death and their provision while escaping Egypt. The food had to be specially prepared, where the lamb had to be without blemish and the bread made without yeast. According to the account of Exodus 12, while the angel of death reaped bloodshed over all the first born in Egypt, (whose door frames were not marked with the blood), the Hebrews were in their houses dining in anticipation of God delivering them from the Egyptians.

The comparisons of symbols Just as the blood on the door frame spoke of both deliverance and salvation, the “cup of wine” is symbolic of the blood of Jesus. Since yeast is often associated with sin in a scriptural context, the unleavened bread was a symbol of Jesus being free of any sin. He declared that He was the “ bread of life ” implying that He stands as the doorway into eternal life. Since Jesus interpreted His own body as being symbolic of the bread, it indicated that His body was broken and bruised, just as bread is torn apart, when shared with others. He fulfilled the ultimate sacrifice, and it is why from this moment the need for animal sacrificing ceased. Just as the Jewish residence were told to eat and drink in a state of readiness: “with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand”, (Ex. 12:11) , so all followers of Christ should celebrate their communion with God in anticipation of His return and governance.

The proclamation Paul echoes the words of the gospel authors, when he says: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes”, (1 Cor. 11:26) . In other words, this celebration will remain until Jesus returns. However, Paul did add some additional insights not presented by the authors of the gospels. He says that whoever participates in this ritual, “in an unworthy manner”, (1 Cor. 11:27) , will be guilty of sin. Now there are debates as to what the nature of this “unworthiness” means. Most scholars believe it includes un- repented sin, as this is hypocrisy, which if not made right with God, renders the ceremony not only useless, but potentially dangerous for the person. No doubt, most agree that it includes taking communion light heartedly or as an afterthought. Paul directs every believer to “examine themselves” before they partake in this commemoration. Failure to do so, could result in judgment being passed on them. In fact, Paul gave this as a reason why so many in Corinth were both weak and sick.

The offering of the communion Protestants differ in the manner they treat and present communion in their churches compared to The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. While most Protestant churches share communion with their members, some churches such as the Church of England and the Anglican Church requires one to be baptized before they are allowed to participate in this ritual. In Catholicism, a first communion is a celebration of a child’s decision to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church. They also believe that the wine physically turns to blood and the bread takes on the flesh of Jesus, through a process called “transubstantiation”. Naturally as Protestants we strongly disagree with this interpretation, as then every time we celebrate communion, we are crucifying Christ all over again. While there will be slight differences of opinion especially in the offering of communion, it remains a source of unity where believers gather together, in church or in private and reflect on the accomplishments of Christ, Him delivering us from ours sins and presenting His faithful, before His Father, as the redeemed. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder that Jesus is coming again. Our hearts should not be weighed down with worldly desires and possessions, but rather with the blessed hope of His return. This is what the Christian life is truly about … His kingdom come, His will be done!