1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Sermon. April 1, 2021, Maundy Thursday. Grace-Benson. Jesus has given you the Lord’s Supper so that you would have a practical way to unload the guilt and shame that weighs you down; and receive from him a direct tangible assurance that you are forgiven and accepted by him. This evening we consider God’s Word from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” This is God’s Word. What is Holy Communion? Questions have a way of forcing you to explain and think out clearly things that you hold vague assumptions about. What is the bread in Holy Communion? It’s unlike any other piece of bread that you eat. Small, flat, not really even a snack. Different from everyday bread. What is the wine in Holy Communion? A smaller amount than any other beverage. Even wine drinkers, you drink it out of a glass, not a small cup. Maybe you don’t drink alcoholic beverages much and the communion wine gives a shiver. Or you’ve grown to like the sweet taste of it. What is Holy Communion? Good to ask questions to clarify in our minds what it is. Easy to not think very hard about it and think, it’s a religious ceremony, it must have some spiritual significance of some kind. It’s a way of showing reverence and honor to Christ. It’s good for us to ask questions and come to God’s Word to get clear answers. Paul knew the value of asking questions. When he wrote to the Corinthian Christians a letter that he knew would be read by many other Christians, that the Holy Spirit knew would come to you today; he asked a question in order to get them to think and come to clear conclusions. Is not the bread a participation in the body of Christ? Is not the cup a participation in the blood of Christ? Paul was inviting them them to come to this conclusion: Holy Communion, Lord’s Supper is an invitation into a communion with Jesus himself. Then in verse 17 he invites this conclusion: Lord’s Supper is an invitation into a community of people. Here’s an illustration: A young child as a baby is kidnapped, and taken to a foreign country. They learn a different language, different customs, rituals, dress style, food. When they grow up, they find out what happened, and that their real family has come to town, and is having a party right down the street. A part of them wants to be there to see their real family. But a part of them experiences fear. What if I’m not welcomed by them? What if they don’t recognize me as their own and I get turned away at the door? What if I don’t fit in with the group, can’t speak the language, don’t know the customs? Imagine that person going through these worries and doubts, when a messenger from the real family comes and says, “you are invited. I’m here to make sure that you know you’re welcome, you're qualified, you’re one of the family.” That’s a picture of what every human is like when they come into this world.
The Bible says God has made each person for himself, to know him and serve and honor him in this world he has made. But each of us when we are born, even since we were conceived, it’s as if we were kidnapped. Taught to speak a different language, not the language of heaven, the language of this world. Taught the customs and rituals and values and attitudes not of our real family, but of the community of the world. Then we hear this rumor that God has come down to us. There may be a way to get in with our real family again. But there’s worry, and doubt. Maybe I’m not welcomed. Maybe I’m not qualified. Those fears are well founded. We have every reason to think God would look at us trying to join his party and he’d say, “sorry, this group is for good people. Not people like you. People with your past, with your problems, with your wickedness.” Or to think that even if we were allowed into God’s presence, we’d feel unqualified, unable don’t speak his language, not knowing his customs. Lord’s Supper is Jesus’ way of coming to us as individuals and as a group of people, and saying, “you are welcomed, you are qualified. I want you at my table. I want to eat with you, I want you to eat with me.” The way he does it: Before he invites you to his table, he came to your table. Before he invites you into his house, he came into yours; the house of guilt, shamefulness, cruelty and wickedness. Before you can drink his cup and enjoy his feast, he drank the cup of your suffering and of hell itself. He took all the things that should make you unwelcomed and unqualified to live in God’s house, he took them on himself when he went to the cross. He took the journey to the only conclusion of human sin, death and complete separation from his Father. He did it all so that he could take away all that makes you unwelcomed and unqualified. Now he gives you the only thing that makes you both welcomed and qualified to live with God. He gives you his body, he gives you his blood. Not only the body and blood that were given into death, but the body and blood that raised again to new life after dying. After dying and rising for you, he now extends this invitation to you in such a way that you are assured and actually reconnected to his invitation for you to be united to him and to be united to his group of people. The way this is communicated to us in the section of 1 Cor 10 is in the word participation. “Isn’t the bread a participation in the body, isn’t the wine a participation in the blood?” The word participation is a hard one to translate. Greek word Koinwnia. I say it because some of you know the church band koine. Koine means common. Common people, common message of the Bible. Koinwnia has a similar meaning. To have something in common. The bread has something in common with the body of Christ. The wine has something in common with the blood of Jesus. Other ways of saying it. Bread is sharing in the body, wine is partnering with the blood. Bread has fellowship with the body. The wine is communion with the blood.
One answer to the question, what is Lord’s Supper? What is the bread? It is Jesus’ real body. What is the wine? It is Jesus’ real blood. In this meal Jesus is communicating something impossible. Not just the union of bread and his resurrected body, wine and his resurrected blood. But it’s meant to communicate to you in the present moment, that you are united with Jesus. An unholy person is a partner with a holy God. A sinful human is sharing with perfect God. Weak, flawed person that you are, you have fellowship with eternal all powerful God. In Lord’s Supper, you commune with Jesus. As if he’s at a table, and he invites you into the room, and he pulls out a chair and says, sit down. Let’s eat together. It should be impossible. But Jesus has made it real. A partnership, fellowship, sharing between God and man is happening. All because Jesus did two things that should be impossible. God died. A perfect person died in place of the sinner. And then a dead man on his own authority raised again, and raised to a type of life in which he will never die again. He continues to do impossible things today. Bread being body, wine being blood. And a sinful heart being restored in true faith in him and faithfulness toward him. Which is harder? For Jesus to turn wine into blood, or for Jesus to turn a stubborn heart into a heart of faith and obedience? Much harder to change your heart and mine. But by his death and resurrection and by his connecting you to himself through Lord’s Supper he’s doing the impossible. I can’t make bread into body, but he can and he has done it and is doing it. I can’t make my rebellious heart unified with his, but he can, he has, and he is currently doing it. A few results of what Jesus is doing when he gives the Lord’s Supper. First, this is something for all of you - your mind, your body, your spirit. Your mind - God gives you plenty for you to think about. This is a mystery that defies explanation. Yet, God wants you to think about it. He wants you to consider not just with your mind, but he wants you to receive this into your body. To know that as you take the bread and put in in your mouth, your body is interacting with jesus’ body. Not just your mind, but your body. As you drink the wine your body is interacting, sharing in, participating with, partnering with the blood of Jesus. Jesus died not just for your mind, or your spirit, but also for your body. He will assure not just your mind or your spirit live with him in heaven, but also your body. As you eat and drink, it goes from your mouth, down into your body, past your heart, into your gut. God wants you to know your union with him, every part of you. He has something for your mind, something for your body, and something for your soul. Second implication, your deepest desire is given a foretaste of fulfillment. You get participation in his body and blood. There are so many amazing stories that you hear, and you almost want to jump into the story if you could. But you can’t. This is the one exception. The story of Jesus dying for you,
surpasses all others in terms of its beauty and strength and determination to save you. And you get to be a part of the story. Jesus is showing you that you’ve always been a part of the story. That his death, his resurrection included you and still includes you. So many ways that we desire to be caught up into the beautiful things that we experience in this life, and we can’t. But with Jesus you can. Lord’s Supper is one way he gives you a taste, to enjoy unity with him now through faith, as a preview of the complete unity with your resurrected body that is waiting for you in the future. In him, you get the body you’ve always wanted, the soul cleaned from all guilt you’ve always wanted, the ability to come home that you’ve always wanted. And he gives it to you through faith as you receive this meal. Third implication, we are given a powerful experience of unity with the people around us. Verse 17 says, “We who are many are one body, for we all partake, same word koinwnia, we share in the same loaf.” All of those times that we want to be a part of a community of other people, not just a person going through life alone. We desire community. And here we experience it in a special way. Not saying that this group of people here tonight is perfect, it isn’t. But there is a cause of unity among us that is stronger than all the things that would divide us. Jesus’ unifies you to the people around you as you receive the body and blood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, pew to pew with others, it’s like the fabric of your lives are being knit together. This is a powerful resource for being able to carry each others burdens, pray for each other, help one another. Because Jesus unifies us. As if you’re sitting at the table with each other, and Jesus is at the head. Even if you’ve never sat at a dinner table w some here, you’re at Jesus’ table, not just the 2 of you, but many experiencing this together. If you ever wonder, can I be part of God’s people? Is there a spot for me at Jesus’ table? Listen to his word first of all, but if you want more evidence, listen to the evidence of this visible church which is saying, you are welcome to receive this. Not as if we never get it wrong. But God wants you to be built up by this gathering of people to be more assured, Jesus does have a place for me at his table, to be more strengthened in your ability to live as one of his own day by day. So, as we’re about to receive this gift in a few moments. Some of you will not eat and drink at this time. There is still invitation to consider what is happening, consider how you might be able to receive it one day. If you will receive it, think about Jesus. Receive what he gives with your mind, into your body, to be believed in your soul. Accept the place at his table that he has prepared for you. Look around at the other people who have been welcomed as well. Eat, drink, be satisfied. And look forward to more to come from Jesus’ hand. Amen.