The New Surpasses the Old

We will be continuing our slow journey through this pivotal night for Christ and His disciples but also a pivotal night for us. So far we have looked at the preparations that took place revealing that Christ is sovereign over all and that He, knowing the treachery in His midst, made preparations to ensure that this final Passover would be enjoyed in its entirety with His disciples. Notice again that even as they were at the meal they were reclining at table. The preparations that Jesus had made even provided a sense of security - there would be no need for flight in the middle of this meal.

During that meal He masterfully weaves together the truths of man’s responsibility in His betrayal with the sovereign, pre-ordained plan of God. In so doing He again reveals that the Scriptures maintain the tension between the responsibility of man and the sovereignty of God without clarification or equivocation - they are both prominent throughout and in some way they coexist together. Most notably they are revealed in the idea that God is sovereign over all things without being accountable for sin. He may use the sins perpetrated by mankind to accomplish His sovereign will but He is in no way tarnished nor culpable for those sins. Man is solely responsible for his sins being predetermined at birth to be a sinner. We are born with a predisposition toward sin. We don’t have to be taught to sin. Our environment isn’t to be blamed for our sinful nature - it was present from the very moment we were conceived.

Now this might strike some of you as an odd statement but it is interesting that Passover is not primarily about the forgiveness of sins. The Jewish calendar had a completely separate day set aside for that - it took place on the Day of Atonement in the seventh month on the tenth day of their calendar according to Leviticus 16. There are elements of cleansing from sin in the Passover meal - specifically following the first cup of wine and the hand washing. This celebration primarily is about the freeing of the Israelites from the oppressive Egyptian taskmasters that they had languished under for more than 400 years. Yet despite the centrality of this event in the history of the nation of Israel the Old Testament chronicles relatively few instances in which this feast was observed despite the ordinance that this was to be instituted as a lasting statute for all future generations. Only two of Israel’s kings observed it regularly Hezekiah and Josiah.

It seems that second Temple Judaism was more rigorous in their observation as the Gospels chronicle for us that Passover takes place all three years of Jesus ministry, it is chronicled that Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with His parents for Passover every year and the historian Josephus writes extensively of this festival in his writings. And so here we are observing Passover again with Jesus and His disciples. Yet things are about to change - for them and for us as their spiritual progeny generations later. See the Passover wasn’t enough and so it couldn’t last. Jesus is a mere 18 hours at best from the cross and uniting not only the Passover but the Day of Atonement and so something more must be instituted.

Notice also the detail regarding the Passover festival. There are lots of regulations and how it must be prepared and eaten. It is described in Exodus 12 and Deuteronomy 16 in detail. Yet the verses regarding Communion are not nearly exacting and in fact are so vague that there are lots of opinions as to when and how Communion should be practiced. It is actually the lack of detail that magnifies the importance of understanding every detail that we can and that’s what we’re going to look at this morning. Read with me Mark 14:22-26.

Mark 14:22–26 CSB

As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

There is very little detail given for us as Christ institutes this meal. As I just said it is the lack of detail that magnifies the importance of the details that we do have. One example of this is the elements themselves. When I was going through seminary I can vividly remember the shock I felt as I had to endure a discussion of the viability or advisability of using milk and cookies for the elements of communion. Oreos and milk to be exact - and while I am a fan of Oreo cookies that should never be done. Or there is the instance of two churches in Texas that used Coca-Cola as a substitute for grape juice in the communion service. One participant is reported to have said “The use of Coke instead of grape juice made me experience the Lord’s Supper in a new and wonderful way. I sincerely believe Christ was with us that day.” Now I’m also a big fan of Coke products despite their recent departure from sanity - but the Lord’s Supper is not a place where they belong.

Why does this happen? It happens when we forget what Communion is all about, what it is and what it isn’t. This morning’s sermon is going to be a little different than most of our sermons. Some of this morning is going to be spent teaching and talking about the different views that have been and still are held with respect to communion - what it actually is. And then we’re going to look at why was communion instituted in the first place - why did Christ change the Passover meal to this seemingly simple observation. My fervent desire is that you will come away from this with a greater appreciation for Communion - but more importantly for the Savior who instituted this most significant of ordinances. I hope that after this you can say with Charles Spurgeon “I think the moments we are nearest to Heaven are those we spend at the Lord’s table.”

The Institution

There is much debate and discussion as to exactly when Jesus interrupts the normal routine of the Passover meal to institute what has been called the Lord’s Supper. You will remember that there were several incidents during the meal itself - Jesus washing the disciples feet, rebuking them for their pride and desire to be first, the revelation that He would be betrayed that we looked at last week. It has been a very eventful meal with many ebbs and flows of emotion and action. Judas has left to set in motion the events that would lead to Christ’s arrest.

The detail in the text says simply “as they were eating”. The end of the Passover meal consists of two successive glasses of wine. The third glass is poured but an extra glass is poured for the prophet Elijah as the Jews were waiting for the arrival of Elijah who would herald the coming Messiah. Then a fourth glass is poured followed by hymns and the end of the meal. It seems likely to me that it is during this final cup that Jesus takes some of the bread that is left, breaks it and begins to institute something new.

One reason for this is that, for this particular group of Jews, Elijah has already come and he was treated shamefully. John the Baptist filled the role of an Elijah figure in the ministry of Christ as he came and prepared the way for Christ’s arrival and then was unceremoniously killed by King Herod. More significant in my mind though is that the institution of the Lord’s Supper supersedes Passover completely. This is not merely a continuation of the Passover tradition. This is unlocked for me in great detail in Romans 3. Turn there with me for a few moments.

Romans 3:23–26 CSB

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

It’s right there in verse 25 - “because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.” The purpose of the Passover lamb was so that God would passover the house that had painted the lintels of the doors with its blood and would not take the first born within. The picture that Paul draws out of this in Romans 3 is that God has passed over, He has not exacted His righteous payment out of those who have previously committed sins. Yet now, here it is, God presents Christ - the final Passover Lamb - to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time through His death on the cross. The time for passing over is gone. No longer would God simply passover sins and so the need for that ceremony and the significance of that ceremony had passed as the true and better feast is inaugurated by Christ.

But there is also something to grasp here - that this is still only a commemoration. Luke records in his Gospel

Luke 22:19 CSB

And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

We need to recognize both the magnificence and the limitations of this ordinance. The magnificence is found in what the ordinance represents. The limitations are also found in what the ordinance represents. It is in this sense that this ordinance could be considered as a new Passover - but it is not because it represents so much more than simply that our sins are passed over. In the section on Communion in his book Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Biblical Truth, Dr. John MacArthur writes this “Whereas the Passover commemorated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 12:1–14), the Lord’s Supper points to the ultimate deliverance of God’s people from slavery to sin and death. The Passover looked back to the temporary rescue from physical bondage; the Lord’s Supper commemorates the eternal and spiritual deliverance provided through the new covenant. The lambs slaughtered during the Passover merely foreshadowed the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God who died on a cross to redeem sinners once for all (1 Pet. 1:18–19; cf. Heb. 9:25–26).”

You see, in the institution of the Lord’s Supper Christ is instituting a truer and better commemoration - but that’s all it is. It is a commemoration of what Christ has already accomplished for us on the cross. There is no forgiveness provided through this ordinance is what I’m driving at - any more than being baptized provides forgiveness for sins. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it this way “There is no new or additional grace given in the Lord’s Supper.”

That is why whenever we take the Lord’s Supper together we make it a point to encourage those who may not be saved to take the time to get saved, to repent and place their faith in Christ before coming to this sacred table. Because while there is no special power here, it is still sacred. Which is also why we need to understand what Christ is saying as He provides the elements and the instructions, short as they are, for how this ordinance is to be observed.

The Observation - 4 Views

As the meal is wrapping up Christ takes a piece of bread, blesses it, breaks it and passes it out to His disciples. They must have thought this odd as the meal was over. He fills the silence saying “Take this, this is my body.” Then He took a cup, blesses it and gives it to them and they all drink from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” What is happening here? And how should we view what happens when we take Communion or the Lord’s Supper today?

Historically throughout church history, there have been four views. There is trans-substantiation also known as the Roman Catholic view, consubstantiation also known as the Lutheran view, the Reformed view that emphasizes the spiritual presence of Christ, and the Zwinglian view or the memorial celebration view.

The Catholic view is the idea that as the bread and the wine (or juice) are blessed that they are trans-substantiated or transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. The physical body and blood of Christ. This view purports that this sacrament, the Catholic church’s term for seven practices which must be followed to maintain salvation, is a cause of grace and a bloodless reenactment of Christ’s sacrificial death making it efficacious for the forgiveness of sins. There are several issues with this view. The first is the idea that the bread and the juice are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. This would have been repugnant to the first century Jew as they were prohibited from drinking blood and even the idea of eating flesh - especially that of another human - would have been an issue. You will remember in John 6 that this is the very issue that caused so many to fall away from Christ.

John 6:50–54 CSB

This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” At that, the Jews argued among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day,

This saying resulted in many of his disciples leaving Him

John 6:66 CSB

From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him.

The disciples sitting there at the table with Him would have been repulsed the same way as those who had previously left.

Another issue with this view is that it requires another sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 9 tells us of the one time efficacious death of Chris

A final issue is the sense test - meaning our actual literal senses. We can see that the bread is still bread and that the juice is still juice. If we believe, against all reason, that these elements transform before our very eyes (which are telling us something else) then why would we trust anything that our senses tell us.

The consubstantiation argument fails in many of the same ways as the trans-substantiation does. It is the idea that the bread and juice do not become the physical body and blood of Christ but that He permeates them. Martin Luther, the foremost proponent of this view, said “it is not that the bread and wine have become Christ’s body and blood, but that we now have the body and blood in addition to the bread and wine.” In other words, His body and blood coexist and are concurrently present with the bread and the wine. So the elements of communion would become some sort of hybrid of themselves that not only are somehow simultaneously bread/body and juice/wine but also have some form of spiritual benefit imparting to the takes forgiveness of sins and confirmation of faith.

Again this view falls short as how can one element be two things at the same time? And how could Christ’s body be both holding the bread and be the bread at the same time - or be holding the cup and be in the cup at the same time.

The Reformed view that Christ is spiritually present is somehow in addition to His omnipresence as God. The way that this view has been explained uses the sun “The sun remains in the heavens, yet its warmth and light are present on earth. So the radiance of the Spirit conveys to us the communion of Christ’s flesh and blood.” This view still carries spiritual benefits that seal the believer to Christ through the participation in Communion. The challenge is that Christ is physically present in Heaven and that the only avenue for spiritual benefit is through the cross.

The final view is the memorial view that this is a remembrance (following Christ’s own words) of what Christ has done on our behalf and that there is no spiritual benefit. Much that same that baptism is a physical demonstration of justification or the regeneration of the heart, communion is a physical demonstration of continued repentance and sanctification into the image of Christ. This is the view that is demonstrated in the Baptist Faith and Message “The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.”

The act of communion though is two fold. It is significant in the memorial of what Christ has accomplished on our behalf - as He institutes it He says that these elements represent His own physical actions that would take place on the cross within the next 18 hours. But there is also the view toward the time to come.

A Pointing Forward

Christ finishes off the institution of a new memorial saying “I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” This statement contains the promise that we will one day eat at His table with Him when He returns in power. And that is the promise that we should all hold on to as the days seem so dark and the forces of evil seem to be closing in around us. Christ’s promises are sure and He will return and will reclaim His Kingdom and will celebrate it with a meal. What a beautiful promise of peace we have here. This promise goes right along with the promise of peace that we see in Psalm 110

Psalm 110:7 CSB

He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore, he will lift up his head.

Christ will eat this meal again. This great Psalm is one of the Messianic Psalms that speaks of Christ conquering His enemies. No one in a war sits down to eat a meal during a fight. No one in a war bends down to drink from a brook when He might be attacked. These two verses - that He will eat this meal again and that He will bend down and drink from the brook promise victory and peace.

And notice the way that a turbulent, tumultuous dinner concludes - they sing hymns before leaving to go to the garden to pray.

Conclusion

We are about to come to the table and to commemorate what Christ has done for us. As we do there are two quotes from Charles Spurgeon that I want to resonate through our minds:

You are taught by this institution that the very best way in which you can remember Christ is by receiving him. You are not asked to bring bread with you. It is here. You are not asked to bring a cup with you. It is already provided. What have you to do? Nothing but to eat and to drink. You have to be receivers, and nothing more. Well now, whenever you want to remember your Lord and Master, you need not say, “I must do something for him.” No, no, let him do something for you.

You come here empty handed. You have nothing to give. You have everything to receive. But before coming to this table you must receive His forgiveness. Or maybe you need to receive His renewal of your purity as you’ve wandered (as all of us have) and need to be cleansed by Him again. Spend time praying and seeking His forgiveness before you come so that when you do you can see Christ clearly through these elements the way Spurgeon says it here

“Never mind that bread and wine, unless you can use them as folks often use their spectacles. What do they use them for? To look at? No, to look through them. So, use the bread and wine as a pair of spectacles. Look through them, and do not be satisfied until you can say, “Yes, yes, I can see the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

This moment signifies the most significant event in the history of the world - that God will no longer passover sins but instead will pronounce them forgiven for all time, removed from our accounts because of what Christ has done to satisfy our debt on the cross.

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