Stark Sword

The Lord’s Table October 4, 2011

Motionless, I sat in the pew and listened intently to Spafford’s hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.”[1] I heard triumphant voices singing together in harmony about the profound truth of Christ’s love. My gaze directed at the clean white tablecloth covering The Lord’s Table and I reflected on the prior week. I thought about how often I had fallen short and the heavy burden of my sin. I had failed miserably in two aspects, I did not love my neighbor as myself and I did not love the Lord with my whole heart. My name is suitable, for I am Adam, a sign of the fall.

United in fellowship, the congregation took a few moments to reflect and pray silently. I began to examine myself once more. I acknowledged my sin and weakness. The lingering question remained, how can I be accepted before Him? My pastor stood in front of the fellowship and spoke these words, “The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it…”[2] My pastor broke the bread in half as he said these words. “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The elders proceeded to approach the front of the table, removed the white cloth and gathered the trays of bread. They began to walk down the aisles and distributed the bread along the pews accordingly. I clasped the bread in the palm of my hand and thought about how Christ was broken on my behalf. When the elders finished I heard the words, “Take and eat.” As I ate the bread, I thought about the sharp teeth Christ had endured for my benefit.

The elders moved forward to gather the wine trays and my pastor addressed the congregation once more with these words, “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” When I had received the individual cup in my hand, I thought about how Christ drank the full cup of wrath I justly deserved. The precious blood of Christ had been shed on my behalf. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Let us drink.” I meditated on these thoughts and drank the cup before me.

The Lord’s Supper is the most personal experience I’ve encountered in my life.  One of the most intimate activities that can be done with family or friends is share in a meal together. Prior to hearing the Good News of Christ proclaimed on Sunday morning, I often think about how I’ve fallen short during the week. It is of great comfort to receive the Lord’s Table. There is rich symbolism in the distribution of the sacraments.

This sacred mystery serves as a gracious reminder of what Christ has accomplished for His people. It is often described as a visual sermon.  The Lord’s Table is a sign that provides sustenance for those who desire to be strengthened in their faith. Most importantly, this feast proclaims what the King has done in order to redeem His people. It continues the thread throughout the Old Testament of how the Lord always provides. It is a means of grace.

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”[3]

“He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[4]

The signs that comprise the Lord’s Table are bread and wine. These two signifiers address the cost of the signified King. These are nothing more than signs; however, they act as powerful reminders. It is not the actual flesh and blood. Nevertheless, the value of observing these signs in context shouldn’t be underestimated. The message of the good news conveyed by these symbols is very powerful. The bread and wine is symbolic of expiation, atonement, restoration, and redemption. These guideposts provide a strong sense of assurance for receivers who believe in the message conveyed.

Using the commutation test, if the bread and the wine were substituted for different objects it most likely would not hold the same connotation. There are exceptions for certain cultures, since what is common food might differ from region to region. Bread is a fairly common source of food but is necessary for nourishment. When it is divided and consumed, it can be broken. This is important. When the receiver recognizes the bread being broken, it symbolizes how Christ suffered as our substitute. His body was torn for the penalty due to the fall of humanity. The red wine is significant since it is symbolic of the blood that was shed as a ransom. If it were orange juice, it would be more difficult to grasp the intended meaning. Wine is often brought to a wedding feast. It is a sign of royalty and prestige.

The significance of bread is proven by the commutation test. There is good reason why bread was chosen rather than steak, lobster or candy. Its plainness is not an accident. “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” [5]Jesus was born into poverty. He took on ordinary human flesh, worked as a carpenter, and lived for thirty three years. Bread is important because of what is signified by it in the Old Testament.  There is a strong connection to the Passover meal of the Old Covenant. The first night of the Passover in Egypt required the slaughter of spotless lambs with their blood covering the doorframes. This was a significant sign in the Old Testament which foreshadowed the sign of the New Covenant. This sign was recognized by God and provided a refuge from the plague, “When I see the blood, said the Lord, I will pass over you.”[6] The roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread were eaten during the Passover. Both the Passover and the Lord’s Supper act as memorials of how God has delivered His people, from the slavery of Egypt and the slavery of sin itself.

If Christ were exchanged for a Roman general by the commutation test, we would lose all meaning of eternal hope. “The Emperor Trajan rent off a piece of his own robe, to bind up one of his soldier’s wounds. Christ rent off his own flesh for us.” [7]Removing material clothing to bandage a wound is gracious. However, it is substantially different to be sacrificed as a ransom in order to defeat death itself. “Rather than sending a conquering general, He sends His Son to suffer.” [8]The love of Christ is exponentially greater.

The manner in how the bread and wine are administered is fully intended. In Genesis, the single act of eating an apple led to rebellion, ruin, and exile. Therefore, by partaking of the bread and wine in fellowship with others, by faith there is restoration and hope. There is significance in the fact that both actions involve food. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” [9] The first Adam disobeyed by taking the forbidden apple which brought death. The second Adam perfectly obeyed and offered up Himself to bring life.

There is a sufficient level of modality in that these signs are tangible. The bread and wine engage the senses and reinforce what is proclaimed. The absence of such a tangible reminder often accompanies unbelief. Thomas refused to believe unless given a sign, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” [10] Christ responds to us in the same way through the tangible signs of the Lord’s Table. He stoops down to address our needs. “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” This allows us to grasp the love offering presented.

For 2000 years, this visual text has strengthened the hearts and minds of believers across the globe. It is a reminder that Christ has paid a substantial debt through His life of perfect obedience and vicarious death. The Lord’s Table reinforces my true identity as an adopted heir of Christ. The bread and wine provides an anchor for my hope. Louis Berkhof illustrates it this way, “The central fact of redemption, prefigured in the sacrifices of the Old Testament, is clearly set forth by means of the significant symbols of the New Testament sacrament. The words of the institution, ‘broken for you’ and ‘shed for many’, point to the fact that the death of Christ is a sacrificial one, for the benefit and even in the place, of His people.”[11]

The congregation stood together in celebration of the King’s feast and began to sing. “Here is love, vast as the ocean, loving-kindness as the flood, when the Prince of life our ransom, shed for us his precious blood.” [12]I was filled with a sense of overwhelming comfort. I realized that my hope wasn’t due to anything I had done. The basis of my assurance rested on the finished work of Christ and what He has provided for me. This is signified by His death which is proclaimed in the Lord’s bountiful supper. My mind absorbed the words of the hymn as we continued to sing together. “Heaven’s peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love.”

© 2011 Adam Stark