Blog

Sep 18, 2025 06:00am

The Lord’s Supper: More Than Bread and Juice

51 Views

Date Night

Imagine if…

My husband asked if I wanted to go out to dinner and a movie and of course, I said yes.

We both got ready and headed into town. We had a gift card to the local pizza place that’s close to our theater, so we decided that would be a great place to go.

Dinner was quiet. Both of us on our phones, answering texts and emails that we didn’t get done through the day. At one point my husband asked, “hello?”

Startled, I looked up.

“What?”

“I asked you something and you haven’t answered.”

My mind must have been a million miles away.

“Sorry. Just let me finish this message.”

We finished our dinner, grabbed our stuff and headed to the theater.

As soon as the movie was over, we hopped in the car and started our drive home. At one point, he asked if I thought so too.

Too?

What had he just said?

Guilt filled me. Where on earth was my mind? This is my husband, the man I love. The one who loves me. Marriage is a commitment and a relationship meant to be enjoyed and cherished, not spent going through the motions. He deserved more.

“I’m so sorry.”

1 Corinthians 11:23–34

“23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.”

What Is the Lord’s Supper?

The Lord’s Supper is also referred to as Communion. It’s a church ordinance, or practice, that has a deeper meaning. It signifies the relationship between the church and Jesus. Who is the church? Those that have put their faith and trust in Christ. Individuals who have committed their lives to Jesus.

This ordinance symbolizes the death of Christ. He gave His life and poured out His blood to cover our sins. Followers of Christ partake in the Lord’s Supper through the local church by remembering what Christ did for us and looking forward to the promise of what He will do in the future.

What is the new covenant referred to in verse 25? Remember, in the Old Testament God made a covenant with His people that allowed them to come to Him through a priest and animal sacrifice to receive forgiveness of sins. The death of Jesus on the cross brought in the new covenant, or agreement, that allows us to come to God through Jesus alone, our High Priest and sacrifice. Christ didn’t replace the old covenant; He fulfilled it!

When a believer takes part in the Lord’s Supper, he or she eats the bread (the body of Christ that was broken for us) and drinks the juice (the blood that was poured out for us) as a remembrance and acknowledgement for His sacrifice. We are reminded of our commitment to our relationship with Him.

And here was the problem and reason for Paul including this in his letter of correction to the Corinthian believers.

They were abusing this ordinance.

They were coming to the Lord’s Supper hungry and were acting like “pigs” at the meal, making others go without.

It had become a ritual that held no significance to them. They were just going through the motions of eating bread and drinking some juice as part of their to-do list.

Many of them weren’t focused on Christ during Communion. They were thinking about a gazillion other things, including unforgiveness in their hearts towards another believer.

And they were being judged because of it.

God has always been a God of order, respect, and righteousness. Why would the Lord’s Supper be any different?

Here’s what we need to know about taking part in the Lord’s Supper:

It is for believers. Do you know Jesus as your Savior and is He Lord of your life? To have a relationship with Him and commune with Him, salvation must take place first.
We should approach it with respect and reverence for our Lord.
Our minds should be focused on Him and what He did for us on the cross and what He promises to do in the future.
We should examine our hearts. Are there any sins within your life that need to be confessed to the Lord? Is there unforgiveness there? Even if the situation doesn’t resolve itself, if you forgive them in your heart, you will have done what the Lord has commanded.

Truthfully, we are all unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper. We are all sinners. However, if you are a believer, if you have been saved, you have been saved by grace. Grace is forgiveness even though we didn’t do anything to deserve it. As we reflect on our lives and become more aware of our sin, we should desire forgiveness and communion with the Lord.

Just as we do when we recognize we’ve been foolish in our marriage and taken for granted the beautiful gift we’ve been given. Paul wanted the hearts of the believers to be focused on their first love, Jesus. Is yours?

Do you want to know more about growing in a relationship with Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org or follow.lifeword.org/spanish.