The Lord's Communion

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“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Eph. 5:30-32).”

Communion is an intimate fellowship-sharing with Christian brethren.  This is a very close ceremony in which only those who are circumcised in heart may share in the blood and body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“ The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ (I Cor. 10:16)?”

“... for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof (Ex. 12:48)”

Such sharing is commemorative of the great sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  What a blessing to be able to participate in such a beautifully crafted ceremony left here by the Lord Jesus Christ for His brethren to experience rapport, commonality, and sincere fellowship in.

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come (I Cor. 11:26).”

To grasp the depth of this fellowship, we should understand how (and the extent), believers are reconciled to God.  As stated in the discussion on “Eternal Relationship,” the Lord says:

“... for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion (Jer. 3:14):”

Yes, the context of the above verse from the Old Testament clearly applies to God’s chosen people, the Jews.  But please understand and know that believers who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ have been “grafted” into this great heritage (Rom. 11:17), and are now considered to be Jews as it were “inwardly” (Rom. 3:29).  So now, understanding marriage we see that in the beginning, Adam said:

“...This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: ... Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh (Gen. 2: 23 & 24).”

In speaking on the sacred bond of marriage, The Lord Jesus Christ explained as follows:

“... Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh (Mt. 19:4 & 5).”

Thus, it would well appear that the reason a man leaves his parents to be joined to his wife (becoming one flesh) is due to how God wonderfully and purposely made them.

As presented in the heading to this section, in the New Testament, the Holy Ghost, in speaking through the Apostle Paul further explains our relationship with Jesus Christ by stating:

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Eph. 5:30-32).”

This illustrates and exemplifies our closeness to Christ and (I also feel) touches on the doctrine of predestination [that is, being made to be part of the body of Christ and to conform to His image (Rom. 8:29), not the image of the fallen nature].

How and why does this intimate relationship relate to and show the death of Christ?  This is explained in the book of Colossians in the following verses:

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Col. 1: 21-22).”

As so clearly stated above, we were given this close reconciliation in his body by and through His death!  And another scripture informs that in performing the fellowship rite of communion, we show the death of Jesus (I Cor. 11:26).

During passover, the bones of the lamb were not broken (Ex. 12: 46)(Num. 9:12)(Jn. 19:33,36).  Nor were the bones of our Lord broken at his death, but in eating the Passover, Jesus broke the bread and said:

“… This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me (Lk. 22:19).”

In this intimate and special ceremony, we are showing not what he did for the world, but His death for we who are reconciled to Him in his flesh and bones.  In understanding this, we can better fathom the sincere desire and earnestness of our Lord and savior at the last supper:

“ And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:(Lk. 22:15)”

How touching and wonderfully beautiful the sharing of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus is intended to be with those of “like precious faith” (II Pet. 1:1) to show his mighty work on the cross that he performed and so faithfully completed.

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