WEEK 17

EMBLEMS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Review of Previous Lesson (5 Minutes)

  1. What did you learn in the previous lesson?
  2. How has that influenced your life?

Main Text: Mark 14:22-24.

Memory Verse: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. – John 6:54.

Introduction

Christ’s death on the cross established a new covenant between God and all who receive Him as Lord and Savior. When we repent of our sinful ways and turn to God through faith in Christ, we are forgiven our iniquities, redeemed from the power of sin and Satan, and given a new spiritual life (Col. 1:13, 2 Cor. 5:17). We become the children of God (John 1:12) and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As part of our obedience to His lordship, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper as He commanded (Luke 22:19). As we partake of the bread and drink of the cup at the Lord’s Table, our hearts should be set on the benefits that His death and resurrection brought us, which should encourage us to also offer our lives to Him as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto God (Rom. 1:12). In today’s study, we shall consider the emblems of the Lord’s Supper and what they mean.

Questions for Discussion

  1. What are the emblems Jesus used in the celebration of the Communion?
  2. How do you understand the following statements of Jesus;
    • ‘…this is My body’, in reference to the bread. Verse 24.
    • In your view, what is the significance of the body and blood of Christ

3. From the passage, the body was broken and the blood was shed.

    • What does it mean?

    • How should this affect our celebration of the Lord’s Supper?

Conclusion

The emblems of the Lord’s Supper refer to the bread and wine used at the Lord’s Table. When Christ said of the bread, ‘this is my body’, He did not mean His real body as some believe. He rather meant it represents His body which is broken or sacrificed for all.

The bread also symbolizes the Church, the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16; 11:29). Similarly, when He said of the cup, ‘this is my blood’, He did not mean His real blood, but a symbol of it. These can be inferred from the celebration of the Passover when the lamb used is not the actual lamb killed during the exodus. Therefore, feeding on the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus is a metaphorical statement which simply means believing in His death so as to have eternal life. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, to provide the opportunity for forgiveness and make salvation available to us. This is why the Lord’s Supper is an occasion of thanksgiving where we express our heartfelt gratitude to Him for the sacrifice made on our behalf.