Introduction
Food and drink bring people together more than any other aspect of life. Perhaps this is the reason Jesus taught us to ask for "our daily bread" in the prayer that he gave us (see Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:3). The Hebrew word lechem (H3899) refers to more than just morsels of baked wheat, but also physical and spiritual nourishment. An example of a time when a simple meal caused peace to break through a time of pure hatred was during World War I. In the "Christmas truce" of 1914, the enlisted soldiers from each belligerent side—Britain, France, and Germany—laid down their arms to celebrate Jesus' birth. They missed their families and wanted a piece of home and family love. These soldiers did not have the approval of their higher-ranking officers to stop fighting. Yet, after five months, they had grown weary of non-stop combat. These soldiers, who typically came from the lower classes, were tired of the horrible conditions, the constant threat of danger, and watching other men die. Just as the Christmas truce was a joyous occasion that challenged the status quo, so is the rite of communion today.
Love Feasts & Lunches
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul of Tarsus warned against the corruptions of the Lord's supper. In context, the wealthier members flaunted their privilege over the impoverished when they ate together (see 1 Cor. 11:20-22). In the first century, communion was not a ritual but a "love feast" (Greek: agapē; G26; cf. Jude 1:12). The church lunches we host now have more in common with the original intent of communion than the ritual form. Imagine if everyone ate their food, with the wealthy suburbanites gorging themselves before their urban or rural poor counterparts. Gratefully, today, we all share our food equally at church lunches, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Paul was admonishing the wealthy Corinthians for their lack of humanity and hospitality. Communion is Jesus' way of compelling us to move beyond our ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic differences to join in love. No, this is not class warfare, but a template for all Christians sharing their resources according to need (see Acts 2:44-46). However, this is a free and voluntary act. The -union suffix alludes to the cooperation of different people working toward the same goal. At communion, we celebrate our ability to overcome differences but never impose rigid uniformity. Paul had harsh words for those who corrupted the Lord's supper by their sinful conduct. He even said those who partook in communion without reconciliation became ill or died from sin. Remember, Paul was not talking about some abstract form of confession or penance before communion, but a reconciliation of disparities (see 1 Cor. 11:27-32).
Body & Blood of Christ in Communion
Many grew up in a predominantly Christian culture, so we hear "body and blood of Christ" as a church-y term. Yet, once we step outside this paradigm, it should offend us. In the second century, many Roman intellectuals believed Christians practiced atheism, cannibalism, human sacrifice, and incest. However, they misunderstood the context, not realizing Christians believed in the true God, just not the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods. These people misunderstood the celebration of communion, love feasts, and the spiritual titles of "brother" and "sister" as immoral. Then why do we say we partake in the body and blood of Jesus? Why not just say that we eat bread and wine in memory of him? Although some churches teach that idea, the scriptures feature more metaphysical language about communion than a simple memorial. To be sure, Jesus' claim that anyone who wants salvation must eat his body and drink this blood horrified the Judean religious leaders (see John 6:48-58). Since many religions, including Judaism, feature some ritual meal, why not celebrate Passover? (Hebrew: Pesach; H6453). Today, we base most of our rites for communion on Paul's witness:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
We should acknowledge the symbolism behind Jesus' body and blood as hyperbole, a deliberate exaggeration. In their Jewish and scriptural contexts, "body" and "blood" refer to concepts beyond the literal human body. Jesus often used hyperbole in his teaching—unless we believe he wants us to hate our families (see Luke 14:26) in violation of God's commandment to honor our parents (see Exod. 20:12). When we commune with Jesus and our fellow Christians, we do so in both faith and thanksgiving (Greek: eucharistia; G2169). We share a meal just as the Israelites ate the Passover on their departure from Egypt (see Exod. 12). John described the last supper as a Passover seder (H5468, "order") but deliberately omitted the lamb (see John 13). Jesus and his apostles most likely ate lamb for this meal, but John left it out because Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins (see John 1:29).
Conclusion
Many Christians do not realize the eschatological nature of communion. It is noteworthy that Jesus said, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:14-16). Jesus also said, "For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:18). Even though he did eat bread and fish with his disciples after the resurrection, Jesus did not host another Passover nor drink wine again. This statement refers to the Passover tradition when Jews drink four cups of wine for the seder. Jesus drank the first two cups of wine during his last supper. However, he did not drink from the third one, which Jews call the "cup of redemption" or the "cup of thanksgiving" (see 1 Cor. 10:16). Jesus did not drink this cup but passed it to his disciples (Luke 22:17). When we share communion; we drink from the third cup to celebrate our redemption. On the contrary, Jesus passed on the third cup because he is our redeemer; therefore, he did not require deliverance.
Moreover, Jesus met with Cleopas and another of his disciples after meeting them on the way to Emmaus. There, Jesus revealed himself in the breaking of bread. Although they did not recognize Jesus on the road because God kept them from knowing, Jesus rewarded their hospitality for taking in a total stranger (see Luke 24:13-35).
Jesus understands that we need visual aids to know God better. So, he gives us both the Word and the liturgical rites of baptism and communion to show us wisdom and grace. In this context, the "Word" is more than letters on a page, but the living scripture is written on our hearts (see Rom. 2:15; Heb. 10:16). Luke of Antioch also recorded Jesus' parables of the wedding banquet and the excellent dinner. The theme of radical hospitality plays a vital role in each lesson. Jesus tells us to invite all people to his wedding banquet, even if we initially fail to see their inherent value in the image of God (Latin: imago Dei). In the second about a great dinner, we know what comes of those who reject God's invitation to join him (see Luke 14:7-24). Both parables are lessons about God's kingdom, and the matter of his offense is not a failure to respond to a meal invitation. Instead, communion is a picture of God's will to make the world right again. Nevertheless, if we cannot share our thanksgiving in the here and now, we will never be able to do so when God resurrects both the living and the dead (see 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5).
Prayer
Be present, be present, Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your disciples, and be known to us in breaking bread; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bibliography
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Harris, W. V., ed. The Spread of Christianity in the First Four Centuries: Essays in Explanation. Leiden, Neth: Brill, 2005.
Spangler, Ann, and Lois Tverberg. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018.
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Wagemakers, Bart. "Incest, Infanticide, and Cannibalism: Anti-Christian Imputations in the Roman Empire." Greece & Rome 57, no. 2 (Classical Association, 2010): 337–54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40929483.
Weintraub, Stanley. Silent Night: The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014.
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