#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Our Passover Lamb & We Commune With Him & Each Other As Participate In His Supper
Maundy Thursday
1 Corinthians 10:16–17
16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
On this day we celebrate Jesus Christ becoming our Passover Lamb. He also is sign of the New Covenant or rather Testament. Jesus institutes this New Testament promised in Jeremiah 31:31ff and in Ezekiel with this meal. Jesus takes bread and wine and joins himself to it that we, in celebrating it, may become participants and communicants in his sacrifice.
In the original Passover, the Israelites sacrificed lambs, put the blood on their doors and ate the lamb. Those who participated and communed in that house were imperious to the Angel of Death going throughout the land killing the firstborn. Their action was a demonstration of their faith in Moses’ or rather the Lord’s word.
When Moses instituted the covenant with the Israelites he took the blood of the sacrifices and sprinkled it on the altar (representing the Lord) and on the people. They were communing with the Lord there both the Lord and the people participating, being fellowshipped in the blood of the sacrifice.
So too, we when we celebrate this mystery, the Lord’s Supper, we commune, participate and fellowship in Christ’s body and blood. The blood that was poured out for our sins and made atonement is now our blood and we receive the forgiveness of sins. Every where the New Testament mentions the blood of Christ and its benefits you can be certain that as you participate in communing with Christ and his Church at his table all those benefits of his blood are indeed yours.
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we commune, participate and fellowship with Christ’s body. That body that endured suffering, shame and death we become one with when we participate in the Lord’s Supper. His suffering, his shame, his death, they all become our own when we commune with our Lord at that table. In this way we have life in ourselves. We have the benefits of not having to suffer the death that we deserve for we have already participated in it in the Lord’s Supper.
Finally in this Lord’s Supper, we not only commune with the Lord Jesus Christ but we commune, participate and fellowship with one another. We are made one body with Christ. So Paul can say, if one part of the body is sad so is the rest of the body and if one part rejoices, the whole body rejoices. We, as Christians in Christ, interpenetrate each other. Unknown or perhaps imperceptible at times we are supporting all fellow Christians in heaven or on earth and they are supporting us. Such is our unity with Christ and with one another at the Lord’s Table.
Heavenly Father, in the Lord’s Supper you create a people who are one with Jesus and with one another. Grant us such faith that we may partake of its benefits and grant us pastors always that we may partake of it often remembering your Son’s death until he comes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.