The Lord's Supper as Summary

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Jesus' actions never lacked purpose. The care he took in choosing whom to heal, when to pray, and what to say is evident from the Gospel accounts. Therefore, we wouldn't expect any waste in his final hours. The culmination of his earthly ministry had come. 

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." (John 12:23 ESV)

How does Jesus spend the remaining hours with his disciples? He establishes a practice that will be repeated regularly for millennia. The Lord's Supper is layered richly with meaning and is a beautiful summary of the breadth of Jesus' work.

Looking Back in Faith

In the coming hours, Jesus would be crucified. His willing and perfect sacrifice would be presented as a substitute for sinners. For Christ to be glorified, he would be lifted up on a cross. Glory in Christ's kingdom consists of a paradoxical humility. The cross-event is foundational for the follower of Christ. The Christian's entire identity is wrapped up in the work of Christ. He died there, and so did we. Our faith finds its ground at the cross. In the Lord's Supper, we look backward. "Do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus says. We look backward to the simplicity of the Gospel. When the Spirit made us alive, we received the gift of faith, and we trusted in the sacrificial work of Christ. In the Lord's Supper, we remember Christ's work, and this regular practice of remembering feeds this faith. We add nothing to the work of Christ. His work in the past is enough. It is finished.

Looking Forward in Hope

Jesus knew the life of the Christian would be difficult, and he provided comfort to his disciples prior to his death. He promised the Holy Spirit (John 14). He spoke words of peace (John 16). He prayed for them (John 17). Not only do we forget the work of Christ in the past and struggle with unbelief, but we also have a tendency to lose hope. We become myopic sufferers. Our immediate circumstances take precedence in our hearts. Waves of sorrow beat upon us, and we struggle to breathe and cannot see the shore. It is hope that buoys us up, allowing us to see our afflictions are temporary. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells his disciples, "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29 ESV). There is coming a day, Christian, when the kingdom will be consummated. In that kingdom, we will drink with Christ in victory. The Lord's Supper is a balm for the suffering soul, reminding us we will one day feast with our King.

Looking Around in Love

Knowing "his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). Jesus displays his love outwardly, not in mere clichés or sentimentalities, but in action. He becomes as a servant and washes his disciples' feet. Then he directs them to serve one another likewise. He establishes the pattern of Christian life as lovingly serving each other. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul observes the divisions in the church in Corinth as nullifying their practice of the Lord's Supper. Christ's work on the cross reconciles sinners to God and sinners to each other. The Lord's Supper is a display of our love for one another. We wait for one another. We "discern the body" by loving one another. The Lord's Supper is regular demonstration of the solidarity of Christian love. It is a readying of our hearts to serve each other lovingly in our daily lives.

Conclusion


The Lord's Supper is intricately designed by Jesus to cultivate the faith, hope, and love necessary to  live as Christians. In all aspects, its observance draws us out of ourselves. Christians have their faith rooted in the past, while hoping in the future and loving others in the present.

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