August 11, 2001 The Blessings of Communion
Have you ever heard of the legend of the Holy Grail? Legend has it that the cup which Christ used at the Last Supper was saved by Joseph of Arimathea. Later on that night, Joseph supposedly used that same cup to collect the blood of Jesus after his crucifixion. He then proceeded to sail to France with his sister and then go on to England by himself. People are now saying that the Grail is buried under a hill called The Tor. There’s also a well located at this hill from which water flows. Wherever the water flows the rocks have turned red. Some even say the lottery leaves an aftertaste in your mouth that tastes a lot like blood. This is just one legend. Whenever legend you read, you will usually hear that the Holy Grail has certain powers. Some of these are - Healing and restorative ability. Communication with God or knowledge of God. Invisibility to evil or unworthy eyes. Ability to feed those present. Immortality.
That’s quite a Cup! Could you imagine if such a cup existed? People would be –like the Indiana Jones movie portrayed, willing to kill for such a cup. It would be more priceless than any gold in the world –more popular than any rock star – it would be worshiped like God himself.
My friends, today we are going to look at the blessings of a different cup - the one used in the Lord’s Supper. When we really examine the blessings, I hope and pray that it opens your eyes to much greater blessings God has given us in His Supper.
The Blessings of Holy Communion
I have a light in my basement. It’s an ugly light – kind of a mustard color with the big light bulb on top of it. One day, Tristan happened to accidentally knock down that light. You’d think it was no big deal, but my wife was surprised when I became pretty upset about it. Why? Because years ago that old light would shine in my grandfather’s bedroom every night that I stayed at his house. It wasn’t just some stupid light to me. It was a memory of days gone by.
Today we aren’t here to talk about lights. We’re here to talk about the body and blood of Christ. In order for us to understand this significance of this body and blood, it would be good for us to look at the history behind the way God used blood and bodies in the Old Testament. Take for instance one special time in Exodus 24:3-8When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”. . . . Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
In this case, God used blood to ratify the covenant he had made with the Israelites by throwing it on them. Imagine standing out in the Israelite crowd that day, having blood possibly thrown on your head or your garments. God was trying to impress upon them that they were intimately connected to this agreement. It’s like when the Jews said to Pontius Pilate in Matthew 27:25, “let his blood be on us”. They were claiming responsibility for what was happening.
In a similar way, whenever Aaron and his sons would make a sacrifice they would burn the body on the altar as a total dedication to the Lord. They would take the blood and sprinkle it before the altar and on the altar as a ratification that the sacrifice had been made. God considered the life of the animal to be in the blood - so when the blood was sprinkled before the altar and on the altar was to show that the Lord accepted the death of the animal for the atonement of their sins.
Now let’s look at the background of the Lord’s Supper. It was the night to celebrate the Passover. Remember what significance blood had with this festival. Exodus 12 says,
Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
Every time they celebrated the Passover after that, the blood reminded that they were saved from slavery because of the blood of the lamb over their doors. On this night, blood reminded them of salvation. It also pointed them forward to the sacrifice that was to come. Just as that lamb was sacrificed, so also the Savior to come would be sacrificed.
The one thing that was outlawed when it came to blood was the drinking of it. For Leviticus 17:14 said, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.” Many of the surrounding cults would regularly drink blood, and the blood of the sacrifice was thought of as sacred, so God didn’t want anyone drinking it in the Old Testament.
Fast forward now to the night of Jesus betrayal. Jesus was about to have his body mutilated, whipped, and nailed to a tree. The disciples were about to see Jesus’ blood flowing freely from his hands and his feet – not to mention his side. But before this would happen, Jesus instituted his Last Supper. What did He say to his disciples? While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. In the same way that the Passover pointed forward to the sacrifice that was to come, so also Jesus was pointing to them forward to it as well. He said that he his body was about to be “given”, and his blood was about to be “poured out”. Why was just going to happen? “For you” and “for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In other words, Jesus was saying that HE was going to be sacrificed for them.
Jesus called this a new covenant. If you remember, when the old covenant was brought before the people Moses sacrificed bulls, took their blood and had it sprinkled on the people. It ratified the treaty that they were entering into. If they would will obey the laws, God would make them prosperous in the land. This new treaty would be entirely different. Unlike with Moses, there would be no demands this time on the people. Instead, Jesus would just sacrifice himself to take their sins away.
How could they be sure of this? That’s where the Lord Supper comes into play. Jesus used blood to play a similar role to the way it was used in the Old Testament. Just as blood was used to connect the Israelites with the old covenant, so blood would be used to connect Jesus’ disciples with the new covenant. However, instead of throwing his blood on the disciples to ratify this treaty, Jesus did something entirely new. He told them to “eat and drink” his body and blood.
Why the radical change? Why did Jesus tells them to eat and drink his body and blood when that was forbidden in the Old Testament? Remember, this was a completely new covenant. It was no longer only a promise of something better to come. This supper would be much greater than just partaking of a dead lamb. It was a partaking of the real and living body and blood of Christ. Jesus’ body and blood wouldn’t just provide a superficial cleansing. It was more than just a feeling. When Jesus died he paid for their sins of the world. That is a done deal. And now, Jesus was providing a way to convey this forgiveness to his people through this Supper. As they ate and drink on it, His blood would wash their mouths, their hearts, their stomachs, and even their souls. It would penetrate their deepest being and wash them from the inside out. His life would be integrated into their lives. He and His holiness would now become their holiness. Every time that they tasted that body and drank that blood they would remember that Jesus blood was shed for them. Every time that they partook of the Supper their sins would be wiped away. In a very personal a and a very physical way Jesus was providing away to be connected with his people after his death and resurrection.
Just recently I went back to New London, Wisconsin, where my grandparents used to live. While we were there, we decided to drive by where my grandmother used to live. I can still picture the house in my mind. I can remember playing ball on this side of the house, swinging on the front porch, and playing in the living room. It seems like just yesterday that I would go fool around with Grandma’s typewriter or listen to my Uncle John’s old Electric Light Orchestra album on the record player. But when we journeyed by the house and I saw it again - physically - with my eyes - all of those distant memories came to life. A part of me wanted to get out of the car and sit on the front steps again, lay down on the grass, and experience it all over again. That, in a sense, is what the Lord’s Supper is all about. When you take it, not only do you remember with your mind that Jesus died for you, but your mouth actually tastes it, your stomach actually experiences is it, your nose actually smells it. It becomes all the more real to you. History, that is His story, becomes alive!
Luther explained in this way: it is as if a wolf were to devour a sheep and the sheep were a food so strong that it changed the wolf and turned him into a sheep. Thus when we eat Christ’s flesh bodily and spiritually, the food is so strong that it changes us into itself and out of carnal, sinful, mortal man makes us spiritual, holy, and immortal man. Indeed, we are this already- but, of course, in a hidden manner, in faith and hope; and the fact is not yet evident. (WLS 818) He also compares it to the links which make up a “golden chain.” The command of Christ puts wine in the cup; the wine by virtue of the words of Christ embraces the blood of Christ; the blood lays hold of the covenant, because it is the blood of the covenant; the covenant lays hold of the forgiveness of sins.
It took Jesus a lifetime to prepare for this meal. Jesus died for this meal. It’s a wonderful meal with wonderful blessings. Can you believe that there are people who don’t view it this way? When they see the communion ware on the altar they are disappointed, because they won’t get out of church until the hour is up. They look around at the congregation and try to estimate how long communion will take. They go up to communion and come back feeling no better than when they came. What kind of an attitude is that? How can anyone partake of such a wonderful meal and leave feeling no different than when they came? Is that possible? You would have to be dead to get “nothing” out of the Lord’s Supper. Again, there are some people who feel that His Supper is no big deal. It doesn’t matter to them when they had it last. Luther said, under no conditions should we force or compel anyone to go to Communion. Nevertheless, it should be known that people who shun the Sacrament and withdraw from it for so a time cannot be considered Christians. Imagine if you spent 30 years preparing the ultimate meal for your child. Throughout the years you found out exactly what he wants, exactly what he likes, and exactly what he needs. You anxiously await the day to serve him this wonderfully prepared delicatessen. However, when he comes to the supper table that night, he says to you, “I hope this doesn’t take too long. I’ve got a lot of things to do. ”And then, when he starts eating, he shovels everything down in five minutes, leaves the table, and doesn’t even say “thanks.”
What is Jesus going to do with us? He prepares a wonderful meal, and what do we do? We complain about it. We don’t appreciate it. We say it takes too long. When all he wants to do is bless us. What is Jesus going to do with us? I’ll tell you what he’s going to do. He’ll take you by the hand, lead you up to his altar, and say, “take, eat, this is my body, which is given FOR YOU. Take, drink, this cup is the new Testament in my blood, which is shed FOR YOU for the FORGIVENESS OF SINS.” With those sweet words of forgiveness and the sweet taste of his body and blood he will once again remind us that his body and blood has made us holy in his sight. With those wonderful words he will take us out of the depths of hell and lift us back by His side in heaven. What a wonderful and patient and gracious God we have.
Legend has it that the Holy Grail has healing and restorative ability - that it can give communication with God or knowledge of God. Legend has it that it makes you invisible to evil and able to feed those present. Legend has it that the Holy Grail could make you live forever on earth. This is just a legend. And yet people seek it yet today.
My friends, the Lord’s Supper is REAL. And what’s more, is that it provides us with so much more than the Holy Grail. It personally assures us that Jesus died for us! The actual body and blood of Jesus enters our souls and purifies us! Because of this forgiveness which the Lord’s Supper gives us, we are given spiritual life now to live to the glory of God. With this body and blood, we are then assured not of a long life on earth, but of eternal life in heaven. And the best thing is, we don’t have to go to Canterbury, England to partake of it. Instead, Christ comes here to us, right here at our altar. What a wonderful blessing this is! Amen.
