March 5
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes,” 1 Corinthians 11:26.
After the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians and informed them how the Lord Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he proceeded to give them some instructions about how they should properly prepare themselves to be guests at the Lord’s Table. The apostle does not say anything about outward preparations, such as fasting – that is, refraining from eating for a certain period of time before you come to the Lord’s Table. There are many people who think that fasting is required to be a worthy guest when you come to celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar. However, requiring fasting as something necessary to prepare properly before coming to the Lord’s Table is a man-made rule.
Instead, the apostle directs our attention to where our thoughts should be. When we come to eat the communion bread and drink the communion wine, we should be concentrating on what Christ has done for us. We do not come to the Lord’s Table to please God and to make the angels jump for joy. We come to receive something that will bring a blessing for us. We come to receive the true body of Jesus with the bread and the true blood of Jesus with the wine as a seal that our sins are forgiven. We come to receive the same body and blood of Jesus that was nailed to Calvary’s cross to redeem us. The body and blood of Jesus are really present. His body is really present with the bread and His blood is really present with the wine. This teaching rests upon the word of Jesus: “This IS My body. This IS My blood.” The word “is” means “is” in every language. The word “is” does not mean that the bread and wine merely represent the body and blood of Jesus. Neither is there any physical change that occurs to the bread and wine during the consecration or celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
Instead of devoting our time to all kinds of man-made rules and opinions, let us come to the Lord’s Table meditating upon the words of Jesus, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins!” With faith in His words, you are properly prepared to be His guest. We come to His table to receive what He gained for us – namely, the forgiveness of sins, which we accept by faith.
Following the text quoted above, the apostle urges us to examine ourselves, that we might be properly prepared to be a guest at the Lord’s Table. The procedure to examine ourselves is not spelled out in Holy Scripture. The apostle simply states, “Let a man examine himself.” How? No additional details are given. Following the suggestions of the faithful church fathers, we ask ourselves whether we truly are penitent sinners, whether we believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, whether we believe that the body and blood of Jesus are truly present in and with the bread and wine, and whether we really are determined to live a better Christian life.
“Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast prepared
A feast for our salvation –
It is Thy body and Thy blood;
And at Thy invitation,
As weary souls, with sin opprest,
We come to Thee for needed rest,
For comfort, and for pardon.
We eat this bread and drink this cup,
Thy precious Word believing
That Thy true body and Thy blood
Our lips are here receiving.
This word remains forever true;
And there is naught Thou canst not do,
For Thou, Lord, art almighty.” Amen.