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October 6
Holy Communion as presented in Scripture, represents a personal experience that is troubling and emotional, framed between the Savior’s mission and His capture, condemnation, and death. The Lord’s Supper took place during Passover, just before Christ’s death, with the purpose of reminding us of His death and resurrection.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous masterpiece that is currently in Milan was painted in the XV century, took 3 years to complete, and depicts the Lord’s last supper with His disciples, in the context of which He instituted the Holy Communion. In Da Vinci’s painting, the 12 disciples are broken up into groups of three - two on his right, two on His left, the Savior in the middle - with a background of a large window through which a blue sky is seen in order to better highlight the image.
The Bible contains many passages that refer to the Holy Communion, but the most important fall into two categories:
1. The passages of the Gospel that present the historical aspect of the Holy Communion (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:15-20)
2. The passage in Corinthians, where Paul presents the theological aspect of the Communion (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).
THE BI-DIMENSIONALISM OF THE HOLY COMMUNION
1. The sacrificial dimension - the dramatic suffering endured by the savior as well as His death through which He sealed a new covenant for people. For this reason, Holy Communion has a note of sadness in it and it invites us to look to the cross upon which the Son of Man was crucified in our place.
2. The anticipatory dimension – Beyond the summoning of Christ’s horrific suffering, Communion looks to the messianic feast, the crowning of faith and hope of eternal life. Then, faith will make room for sight.
THE BI-DIMENSIONALISM OF REMEMBERING
Was the Lord’s Supper associated with the Easter meal in the Savior’s mind? (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16). In the early history of the primary Church, the celebration of Holy Communion was almost immediately separated from Easter. The Holy Communion is a church’s celebration symbolizing man’s freedom from sin, while Easter is a celebration of the Jewish people that symbolizes their liberation from Egyptian bondage. Although the Lord’s Supper was organized and instituted in the context of the Easter dinner, the Lord’s Supper was not a Passover meal.
1. Holy Communion is celebrated monthly (Acts 20:7, 11; 1 Corinthians 16:2) or even daily (Acts 2:46-47), but the Easter feast is once a year.
2. Holy Communion must contain bread and wine, but the Easter feast contained six different elements.
The Savior asks us to share in His body and blood, emphasizing that in this way we have life – life from God.
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