REMEMBRANCE
23 For I received from the
Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he
was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For whenever you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1
Corinthians 11:23-26.
Introduction
In the army, every
couple of years or more, each unit does a handover takeover, a.k.a. a HOTO.
Sometimes there’s a parade-ground ceremony, with everyone dressed in their
finest formal uniform, witnessing the outgoing Commanding Officer handover
authority to the incoming Commanding Officer or CO.
I was involved in
one of these regarding a large infantry regiment. I was the drummer in an ad hoc bagpipe band. I got to do some solo
rhythmic rat-a-tat drumbeats, keeping in time with a high-ranking individual as
he marched across the parade ground to face another high-ranker, stop, and then
salute. I was supposed to keep in perfect time with all their actions. I
drummed in time with his footfalls and hit my last beat when he saluted!
We have a handover
takeover, a HOTO, going on in our Scripture passage. In fact, there are a few
handovers taking place. In 1 Corinthians 11:23, Paul received something. The
Lord Jesus had handed over to him, what Paul in turn was handing over to the
Corinthians. And Paul reminds the Corinthians that what was handed over to him,
and that he is now handing over to them, took place on the night that Jesus was
handed over to the authorities.
And what is the
Lord’s Supper if it is not Jesus handing over Himself to all who partake? That’s
why we need to be careful with the Lord’s Supper. Partakers need to know what
they are doing. We need to march to the rhythm of the Scriptures. Otherwise, like
the Corinthians, we will make a mess of it. That is why the Apostle Paul was
handing over clear instructions.
Remembering the Christ
The instructions
come from Jesus, via His Apostle Paul. Twice Jesus says, “Do this in
remembrance of Me.” Once with the bread. Then with the cup. Why are Christians
on earth to do this? Remembrance! But notice who and what it is in remembrance
of. “In remembrance of Me.”
So, the Lord’s
Supper is a memorial service, to
remember Jesus. And, to jog our memory, we are to eat the bread and drink of the
cup. Therefore, the bread and the cup are prompts, memory prompts to remember Jesus. Who is Jesus and what is He
famous for? Ah, see the bread and the cup. His body was broken for us. And His
blood was shed to bring in the new covenant.
The NIV omits the
word broken in the following, “This is My body which is broken for you.” It renders it, “This is
my body, which is for you.” Whether the word broken should be in the verse,
or omitted, we’ll let the Bible scholars argue about. However, it seems to me
that the word broken is at least implied. Surely Jesus breaking bread in front
of His Disciples, which bread represents His flesh, suggests that Jesus’s body
was broken.
Sure, not one of
His bones was broken. That’s what Scripture says. However, His flesh was torn
beyond recognition through the beatings, the crown of thorns, the nail prints
in His hands and His feet, and the spear thrust that cut open His side. Christ
on the cross in Psalm 22 says, “All My bones are out of joint … They pierced My
hands and My feet.”
And Isaiah 52:14
says of Him, “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than
the sons of men.” And Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed.”
That all sounds
like a broken body to me, even though none of His bones were broken. Therefore,
the breaking of the bread in the Lord’s Supper illustrates who Christ is. He is
the Man whose flesh was torn open, just like the bread He lifted from His Table
and shared with His Disciples.
Also, apparently,
the unleavened bread used at the Passover had scorch-marks on it and holes in
it from baking, perhaps resembling stripes, you know, whip-lashes and pierce
marks. Be that as it may, we do know that Jesus knew exactly what lay ahead of
Him.
Remembering the Covenant
The
Lord’s Supper is the New Covenant Meal. The Old Covenant Meal was the Passover
Meal, which consisted of roast lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs, all
washed down with wine. In short, this meal and everything in it, all pointed to
the Promised Messiah.
The Old Covenant
Meal remembered the past. However, there was also a present and future aspects.
It’s just as you would expect from the eternal God, who always was, always is,
and always will be. The Old Testament Meal pointed to God, the God who set
Israel free from captivity, who provides for His people’s present needs, and
who will provide in the future.
The Old Covenant
promises were to do with an uncountable number of God’s people living in their
own land, the Promised Land. This people and the land were brought about by the
sovereign guiding hand of God, who promised Abraham, a people and a land. But
first, the people went into captivity. God set them free at the first Passover.
God killed the
firstborn of the Egyptians in the first Passover. But keep in mind that Jesus
is the firstborn of God. More on this later. However, here’s a little of what
the Old Testament has to say about the Old Covenant Meal, the Passover Feast.
Exodus 12:24-29:
“Obey these
instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you
enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this
ceremony.
And when your
children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is
the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the
Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians’ … At
midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of
Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the
dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well” Exodus 12:24-29. The
firstborn son ordinarily inherited his father’s estate.
The Israelites
were to put the sacrificed lamb’s blood on the sides and crossbeam of the
doorframes wherever they were to eat the Passover Meal. For their own safety, they
had been given the following command, “Not one of you shall go out of the door
of his house until morning” Exodus 12:22b.
But what happened
the night when Jesus was transitioning the Old Covenant Meal into the New
Covenant Meal? “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was
night” John 13:30. We don’t know if Judas Iscariot was a firstborn. We are only
told that he was the son of Simon Iscariot, John 6:71 and John 13:26.
However, we do
know the Judas Iscariot was what Jesus called “the son of perdition”, “the son
of destruction”, “the one doomed to destruction” in John 17:12. Therefore, Judas
was not covered by the blood sprinkled on the posts of the door or by the blood
that was sprinkled on the posts of the cross.
To be without the
blood of the Covenant is to be open to the LORD’s destruction. For, “By faith
he [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, lest He who
destroyed the firstborn should touch them” Hebrews 11:28. As Jesus says, “If
you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” John 15:6.
Judas trampled the
blood of the covenant by handing over the Christ, the Lord of Glory, to the
powers of darkness. Then Judas went to his own place. He “left to go where he
belongs” Acts 1:25, which means being thrown into the fire and burned! Yes,
Judas went out, and it was night indeed! But so did Jesus!
Jesus, God’s Son, is
“the firstborn over all creation” Colossians 1:13. After celebrating the Last Passover,
which became the First Lord’s Supper, He then went out of the house. He took
His Apostles to the Mount of Olives, to the place where Judas was going to hand
Him over.
Remembering the Cross
God killed the
firstborn at the first Passover. And
it was God who killed His own firstborn at the last Passover. God the Father, not Satan, poured out His wrath on
Jesus as He hung on that cross.
What happened when
Christ was hanging on the cross? Amos 8:9, “And it shall come to pass in that
day,’ says the LORD God, ‘That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will
darken the earth in broad daylight … I will make it like mourning for an only
son.’” And Zechariah 12:10b, “They will look at Me whom they pierced. Yes, they
will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one
grieves for a firstborn.” Yes, the death of God’s firstborn Son echoes very
loudly the first Passover night!
God’s justice was
propitiated, His righteous anger at our sin was assuaged, as our sin was expiated.
All our transgressions of God’s Law were blotted out by the shed blood of
Jesus, the blood represented by the cup, i.e., the new covenant in His blood.
We must march only
to the clear drumbeat of Scripture. Keep in step only with God speaking in His
Word.
If the unleavened
bread represented bread without the leaven of sin, then Christ was without any sin.
He died for our sins, which sins God
imputed (handed over) to Him before He holocausted His Son on the cross. Yes, He was THE
“Branch” that was thrown into the fire and burned!
And it was the
righteousness of Christ’s perfect Commandment keeping that the Father imputed (handed over) to us. Therefore, the bread represents the Lamb of God’s roasted and now broken body. And the cup represents His
shed blood, the blood sprinkled on the doorposts that became the blood sprinkled
on the cross posts.
The “Last Supper”
is a bit of a misnomer, because the last official
Passover became the first Supper. And the Old Covenant became the New Covenant
with the death and resurrection of Christ.
Notice that Jesus
says, “This cup is the new covenant”. It’s a new covenant. But notice that He doesn’t leave it at that, but adds “in
my blood.” The Old Covenant was in the blood of bulls and goats etc., but the
New Covenant is in Christ’s blood. That’s what’s new about it! Moses, as it were, held the fort until One greater
than him arrived.
Here at the first
Lord’s Supper is the great handover takeover, the HOTO, from the Old Testament
to the New Testament. (More on the word Testament in a moment), but Hebrews
8:13 says, “By calling this covenant ‘new’, He has made the first one obsolete;
and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear” Hebrews 8:13.
Right, to
translate the Old Testament Hebrew word for covenant, i.e., berith, the writers in the New Testament
opted for the Koine Greek word, diatheke,
over suntheke.
You’ve heard of a
“last will and testament”? It means that a person has to die before his or her
estate is divided, handed over, to those who were listed in the will. Well
that’s what diatheke has to do with.
Whereas the word suntheke speaks more
of a bilateral agreement, the word diatheke
is more unilateral.
It’s kind of like
the covenant God cut with Abraham. Only God marched through the valley of the
shadow of death, i.e., between the divided pieces of animals and birds. It all
makes better sense to you if you keep in mind that all earthly administrations
of God’s covenant have their source in the heavenly administration of the
eternal covenant, i.e., the covenant between the Father and the Son.
The eternal or
everlasting Covenant is that the Son take on flesh and lay down His perfect
life as our representative. Thus, the Son is referred to as “the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world” Revelation 13:8b. And the blood of that slain Lamb
is “the blood of the everlasting covenant” Hebrews 13:20. “For the joy set
before Him He endured the cross” Hebrews 12:2. What joy is that? The joy is His
Father’s promised reward for His perfectly keeping the Covenant unto death,
death by hanging on a cross!
When kids play the
blindfold game of piñata at a birthday party, the piñata needs to be whacked
and broken open by a stick before its contents will pour out. God whacked His
Son on the cross and all the covenant blessings came pouring out along with His
blood. I merely seek to illustrate, not mutilate, a point, but Jesus said,
“This is My body which is broken for you.” All the benefits contained in the
everlasting covenant could not be handed over until Christ had shed His blood.
But moreover, not until He had been raised again.
As we march across
the Lord’s parade ground, and approach that final salute where the handover
takeover, the HOTO, will be complete, let’s recap and apply what we’ve learned.
What are we doing when we partake of the Lord’s Supper? “For whenever you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he
comes” 1 Corinthians 11:26.
Now, what about
this wonderful piece of Scripture? Hebrews 9:16-18, “In the case of a will [will here is the same Greek word for covenant], it is necessary to prove the death
of the one who made it, because a will [same word] is in force only when
somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood”
Hebrews 9:16-18.
Whether made with
the pre-Fall Adam, or Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, all God’s covenants
throughout the Bible from beginning to end are ultimately made with Christ! How
so? 2 Corinthians 1:20a, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they
are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”
Let me beat the
drum to drive home the point! The Presbyterian theologian Charles Hodge says,
“A covenant is a promise suspended upon a condition.” Thus “a covenant is a conditional promise.” The words covenant
and testament, as in last will and testament in Hebrews 9:16-17 are
interchangeable. How so? Well, again, “A will is in force only when somebody
has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.”
Everything the
Father bequeathed His firstborn is now ours! How so? Well, it’s because He
died, that’s how! But, I hear you say, He is risen! He’s alive! Yes, but He
definitely died, didn’t He? But because He was crucified, died, and was buried,
but rose again from the dead, does this mean that we have to hand back whatever
was handed over to us? God forbid!
As the firstborn
Son, Jesus has received the Father’s promised inheritance. Jesus perfectly kept
the conditions of the Old Covenant by His works, and we perfectly keep the
conditions of the New Covenant by God’s gift of faith. Jesus fulfilled the Old
Covenant by keeping all of its conditions, which was to live a perfect life as
our Husband or Representative, and then to die as the Testator, i.e., the One
who had signed the will, the One who had covenanted with God on our behalf.
Reading Hebrews
9:16-18 once more, this time from the New King James Version, will drive home
what we’re on about: “For where there is a testament [same word as
covenant], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator [or
covenanter]. For a testament is in force after men are
dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives” Hebrews 9:16-17.
Would it surprise
you to know that a lot of theologians get themselves into a flap over whether
the word diatheke in Hebrews 9:16-17
should be translated as covenant or will or testament? However, you won’t get
into a flap if you remember the three Cs whenever you see a Biblical covenant, i.e.,
Christ, Covenant, and Cross. If people would just look at Christ who is “the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (see Revelation 13:8), then they
would realise that every Biblical covenant, all the way from Adam to Noah to
Abraham to Moses to David, were simply administrations of the everlasting
covenant which is another name for Christ’s last will and testament!
The Rainbow Covenant?
A last will and testament! The Circumcision Covenant? A last will and
testament! The Passover Covenant? A last will and testament! How so? Because every
Biblical covenant points to Christ, that’s how!
And all
Christians, including those Apostles who left the house with Him on the night
He was betrayed, are crucified with Him, just as we are raised with Him.
Therefore, all the contents, i.e., all the promises of the covenant, will, or
testament are ours in Him and with Him.
Christ now has a people (His Church), and a place for them to live in, (the new heavens and new earth), just as His Father promised Him.
Conclusion
The HOTO has been
completed. The broken bread represents His torn and pierced flesh, and the cup
His shed blood, i.e., His death. God struck down His firstborn on the cross.
Christ is our Passover. The cup represents the shed blood of the Lamb who takes
away our sins. We eat and drink at His Table in remembrance of Him, proclaiming
His death till He comes.
We are so quick to
forget. Remembrance Day is when we remember the death and mayhem of WWII and
its toll on humanity. Like ANZAC Day, it’s “Lest we forget.”
The Lord’s Supper
is the remembrance of the One who died to save us from death and hellfire.
