Table of Contents:
Part 2 Communion and the Last Supper celebrating spiritual freedom:
How did Jesus introduce the concept of Communion?
In part 1 we looked at how Jesus introduced the Communion by having a Passover Meal, and we looked briefly at how the Passover Meal has now become the Seder Meal.
We see the Communion meaning when we look at Jesus during his last supper with his disciples.
He was celebrating the Passover meal and Jesus would certainly have seen this as a celebration of spiritual freedom, even though he knew that he was about to die on a cross.
Who was there at this Passover meal?
Talking about who would betray Him Jesus said: ‘It is one of the Twelve’…”
Mark 14:20
This implies that there were more people present than just the twelve disciples.
There were probably women there and possibly children.
After all, the Jewish Passover does include children in the ceremony.
The Passover Meal is a picture of freedom – from Egypt:
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.”
Luke 22:14
The Passover meal celebrates being redeemed out of Egypt.
Hundreds of years of slavery of hard physical labour, making bricks for their Egyptian oppressors.
Egypt is a Biblical symbol of being ensnared by this world.
So Jesus would certainly have seen this meal as celebrating the release of the Israelites…
Spiritual freedom for all of us
Freedom from Egypt, yes, but also more importantly, spiritual freedom.
Why freedom?
Jesus knows that his sacrifice, his body pierced by nails and a spear would give spiritual freedom to all who believed in him:
the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
So Jesus says a remarkable thing while they were eating.
He took hold of the bread, gave thanks for it, then he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said:
…’Take and eat; this is my body.’
Matthew 26:26-28
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave 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.’..”
Yes it was going to be absolutely terrible for Jesus in the next 24 hours or so, but he was looking towards securing our freedom:
For God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13
More detailed articles covering: [1] What is Communion and the Jewish Seder Meal?
[3] The symbolism of the Passover Seder Meal
[4] The symbolic food at the Seder Passover Meal