THE LORD’S TABLE

And as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And He took the cup, and He gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.

Matthew 26:26-27

Right reception of the Lord’s Supper has a sanctifying effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how great is our debt of gratitude to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him who died for our sins. They seem to say to us, “Remember what Christ has done.”

J.C. Ryle-

          This week, we shall look at a solemn subject. It is of importance in the life of every child of God. Christ spoke of it and led His disciples in the first enactment of the Lord’s Supper. It was a re-enactment of the Passover that had been instituted by God during the Israelite nation’s first night of freedom as they left bondage in Egypt.

         The Lord’s Table [The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion] is very symbolic and there are a great many lessons to be gained from this enactment. First, it is important to understand that the Lord s Table is not about merely eating a meal, but remembering the death of Christ, its significance to our salvation and the hope it yields for us. For Christ did not just promise that He would die, but that He would rise from the dead. His death and resurrection were not signs of defeat but were a victory against Satan- the enemy of our souls.

        The Lord’s Supper comprises of two elements:

a.     The wine-which symbolizes His blood that was shed for us and

b.     The bread-which symbolizes His body which was broken for us.

        In His passion for us, the Lord Jesus Christ bled in several places. We shall briefly discuss the significant victory that blood wrought for us.

i.                     At Gethsemane

      As Jesus shed blood, while in prayer at Gethsemane, it signified an access for you and I to prayer. His blood sanctified our prayers. Now we can be sure that God hears our prayers, even the secrets of our hearts.

ii.                   His head

        His head was pressed and punctured by a crown of poisonous thorns. This was for the healing and redemption of our minds from any affliction, insanity, stress, guilt, insecurities etc.

iii.                  His beard

         They tore at His beard which was a sign of beauty, glory, maturity. This is so that we would always walk with our head up and square our shoulders in dignity.

iv.                His Hands

        Nails pierced His hands. His blood blessed the works of our hands; thus no futility but productivity as we work for our livelihoods [Deuteronomy 28:12]

v.                  His Back

       His back was shredded for the healing and eradication of every disease that would seek to come our way [1 Peter 2:24]

vi.                His Side

       He was pierced on His side and blood and water flowed out. This was to seal and protect every marriage [Ephesians 5:26]

vii.               His Feet

       His feet were pierced with a nail to secure Him to the cross. His bleeding on His feet was so that our “steps” would be secured [Psalm 119:133, Deuteronomy 11:24 and Joshua 1:3]

               Our prayer is that the Lord’s Table and it elements will now make sense to you as you partake them and that you will have a deeper reverence for its symbolism.