“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you… he said… do this in remembrance of me”.
1 Corinthians 11:23-24
What is the Lord’s Supper?
The “Lord’s Supper”, also known as the “Last Supper”, the “Memorial”, “Evening Meal”, “Communion”, or the “Eucharist” (which is Greek meaning “Thanks Giving”), is a traditional meal celebrated by Christians in remembrance of Lord Yeshua’s (Jesus) sacrifice on the stauros (cross, tree or wooden stake) for our sins.
Yeshua commanded his followers to practice this event in remembrance of him.
By practising the Supper, we honour what Yeshua did for us, follow his command to remember him, and express our faith in him by “proclaiming his death” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
How to Practice the Lord’s Supper
The directives of how to practice the Lord’s Supper can be found at several places in scripture:
- “While they were eating, Yeshua took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me’. Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for you, for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'”. – Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:25 (Compiled)
As we see, it is very simple.
The Lord’s Supper is usually practised in a congregational or communal manner, as a gathering of fellow Christians, as is described in scripture, and therefore it is recommended (Hebrews 10:25). However, in circumstances where one cannot find other brothers and sisters to celebrate with, or if they cannot attend a communal gathering for other reasons (such as sickness or travel), it is seen by most to be perfectly acceptable to do it alone by oneself, or with one’s family in private.
During the meal, we all eat from a single loaf or piece of unleavened bread, breaking it and sharing it, this representing Yeshua’s broken body, and likewise we all drink red wine from a shared cup, which represents his blood.
Eating and Drinking
Before the breaking and eating of the bread, we say a prayer to give thanks for the body of Yeshua that was offered up for us. Following, we likewise do the same with the wine, saying a prayer of thanks for the blood of Yeshua that was spilled, then drinking the wine.
By drinking and eating, we are being reminded of his sacrifice. The consumption of the bread and wine representing our participation in his body and blood, our acceptance of his sacrifice, and our dedication to him as our Lord, Master, Teacher and King (John 6:47-51, 53-58, 63, 68, 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, 16-17).
Conducting Ourselves
As such, it is also to be respected as a solemn occasion, not as a wild party, to gorge ourselves on the bread, or as an excuse to get drunk on the wine, nor should we be partaking of the bread and wine if we are living in unrepentant sin. The Apostle Paul himself warns us in this respect:
- “Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the congregation of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!… Therefore, 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. Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself… So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment”. – 1 Corinthians 11:20-22, 27-29, 33-34
As we can see, we must “recognise the body” of our Lord Yeshua at the event, that is, the sacredness of the event of the remembrance of his body, and likewise we should honour our Christian body of brothers and sisters, not withholding the bread or wine from them, but willingly sharing our means with one another, and allowing each Christian to make an independent and informed choice on their worthiness of partaking (that is, in relation to their state of conduct and repentance of sin).
What Kind of Bread & Wine Should We Use?
Traditionally, the Lord’s Supper is practised with unleavened bread (bread made with a plain or otherwise natural flour, and water, with no added yeast, raising agents, or other ingredients).
One reason unleavened bread is used, is that the occasion Yeshua instituted his Supper was during the Jewish Passover event, which made use of unleavened bread (Mark 14:12), and thus would have been the bread he used. The second reason is often based on a traditional theological view of scripture, in that in the Bible, leaven (a raising agent) is often used to symbolise sin or corruption (1 Corinthians 5:7-8), and the body of Yeshua was without such things, therefore the bread representing his body should be without yeast or any other raising agents, to represent his perfection.
Likewise, the wine used traditionally is a plain red wine made from grapes, with no added sugars for extra sweetness, nor with added spices, or other fruits. This representing his perfect natural blood with nothing need added to it.
Such suitable wines I can personally recommend may be plain Kosher red wines traditionally made for Passover to this day by Jews. These wines can be found at relatively low prices. However, any other kind of plain dry red wine will also be perfectly suitable.
Non-Alcoholic Alternatives?
For those who cannot at all drink alcohol, such as one with a history of alcoholism, those who cannot drink any alcohol whatsoever for health reasons, or perhaps baptised children, it should be noted that as Christians, we are guided by principles of love.
Whilst we want to do things accurately as possible in accord to Yeshua’s commands, he also taught us that there are times where sometimes making adjustments against the norm was acceptable (Matthew 12:1–8).
Because the Bible does not tell us strictly that we ‘must’ use fermented wine, it may be permissible in some circumstances, that those with any kind of genuine issue drinking alcohol which may result in triggering an alcoholic problem, or a life-threatening condition, might opt to drink unfermented grape juice, or perhaps grape juice mixed with just the tiniest amount of wine that isn’t noticeable, resulting in what would essentially be an extremely “low percentage” wine.
Another alternative perhaps to look into might be “alcohol-removed red wines”, which can be purchased from many wine retailers.
However, we can also bear in mind, we are not told ‘how much’ to drink, and therefore, if one can stomach or manage just the tiniest sip, that would be a sufficient partaking. But ‘if’ having no choice to opt for a wine alternative, it is my personal opinion that alcohol-removed wine may be the best option to go for, with grape juice as the lesser preferred alternative.
When & How Often Do We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper?
Many Christian groups practice the Supper on various days, times and occasions. Some doing a daily practice, others weekly or monthly, and some anually.
The night Yeshua instituted his original Supper, was on Passover, which in Yeshua’s day and according to the Old Testament, was on the date of Nisan 14 (Leviticus 23:5), which begins at sundown upon the first hour of the first watch (according to traditional Jewish calendar days), which is usually between 6-8pm in our modern time.
Since that time, Christians in the 1st Century and onward were known to have celebrated the Lord’s Supper on Jewish Passover night, calling Yeshua the “Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), and for this reason, some modern day Christians also follow this same pattern.
For Christians wanting to follow in this tradition and but do not know where Nisan 14 falls on our modern calandar, it is always in Spring, typically between the months of March or April, but varies from year to year, according to the cycles of the moon, traditionally known as the “spring equinox”.
To know when it is Nisan 14 each year, one might refer to a traditional Jewish calendar, or one may simply look it up online and mark the date if they have access to the internet. It should be recognised though that most modern Jewish calanders that Jews used today, are not “Biblical calanders”, as their method of calculating times and seasons changed in the 4th Century A.D. (For more reading on this topic, I recomend this post from another blog).
(A very useful resource I can recommend in attaining the Biblical festival date in this regard, is torahcalendar.com, where at the top of the page one simply needs to select “1” in the Hebrew month, and type the current year in the box marked “year”, with the “C.E” option selected, then click “view calendar”. This will take you to a calendar page where you should look for the 14th day of Nisan, and then read which day on the modern calendar it points to):
Some Christians feel, based upon the scriptures, that the Supper should ‘only’ be celebrated once annually every Nisan 14, as the Supper was practiced as a replacement for or in tandem with the Jewish Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), which was also practised once annually:
- “You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year“. – Exodus 13:10
- “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover“. – Leviticus 23:5
- “And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer'”. – Luke 22:14-15
- “The evening meal was underway…” – John 13:2
- “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For [the] Anointed [One], our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”. – 1 Corinthians 5:7
However, some Christians feel that the Lord’s Supper can also be celebrated any day and time on the basis of other scriptures which mention the “breaking of bread” and “gathering together” for the meal throughout the New Testament at various times (Acts 20:7, Acts 2:46, 1 Corinthians 11:19-20), whilst others might choose to do it every Sunday, following Christian tradition that has been in place since the 2nd Century A.D.
Since this is an interpretational matter, it is up to each individual Christian conscience to study the scriptures and then prayerfully decide whether to observe only on Nisan 14, or if they also feel comfortable celebrating on other days throughout the year also.
(For more on this topic, feel free to read my article):
Conclusion
A quick rundown to recap:
- The Lords Supper is the expression of our faith in Yeshua, and remembrance of his sacrifice. The unleavened bread representing his body, the plain red wine his blood
- If possible, the celebration is preferably done with a communion of fellow Christians, but can be celebrated in private
- During the event, we pray in thanks for the body of Yeshua before breaking and consuming the bread, and likewise with the sharing of the cup of wine
- The event should be practised in honour and respect, not in gluttony, drunkenness or casualness
- We should not partake of the bread and wine if we are not repentant of our sins, lest we invoke the Anointed’s judgement
- The Supper should be practised ‘at least’ once annually, traditionally after sundown of Nisan 14, but some Christians also believe other dates and times are also acceptable.
Proselyte of Yah 