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.
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:23-32 NIV)
Why are we so mean? A couple years ago, at a former church, a new couple walked in for our Sunday service. I greeted them in the hallway. Their first words were, “Can we take communion today?” I asked, “Are you a member of a WELS church?” They said, “No.” So I said, “We ask you not to join us for the Lord’s Supper today, but I’d love to talk with you more after the service.” They walked right out the door and never came back. I bet they were thinking, “Why are they so mean?” Are they right? Tonight, let’s think about our practice of closed communion. Why are we so unwelcoming, so unloving, so mean, when it comes to the Lord’s Supper?
I can understand why someone might think that. The meanest thing in the world today is to exclude someone from something. The most unloving thing you can do is to deny people what they want. Because of that, we live in a society where we feel entitled to everything. We don’t ever like hearing anyone tell us, “No!” So I can understand why people might be upset about closed communion. Maybe you have questions too. “If the Lord’s Supper gives us forgiveness, if it’s such a blessing, why isn’t it for everyone?” As we study that tonight, let’s remember one thing: Whose supper is this? The Lord’s Supper. Not ours. It’s Jesus’ supper. Let’s listen to him!
That’s what Paul emphasized in our lesson. He wrote, “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.’” You’ve heard those words hundreds of times. I hope they haven’t grown old! In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus gives you his real body. His real blood. Given for you. Really for you! So that you are forgiven. What a blessing!
But have you ever wondered why we need Jesus’ body and blood in the first place? It sounds a little gross. Why do we need Jesus’ body and blood? Because we’re that sinful. Do we realize that? 500 years ago, in Martin Luther’s day, people did something foolish. They tried to buy the forgiveness of sins by buying pieces of paper called indulgences. It was wrong! But a Lutheran pastor in 1817—300 years later—said something interesting about that: “At least those people realized they had sins that needed to be taken away. Nobody is concerned about their sins at all today!” If that was true in 1817, what would we say? We have forgotten the seriousness of sin!
That’s why there was the Passover meal. God never wanted his people to forget his salvation. Every single year, since about 1500 B.C. when God freed the Israelites from Egypt, each family was to sacrifice and eat a lamb—the Passover lamb. Lest someone forget the purpose of that meal, one part of the meal was this: Every year, the youngest child at the Passover table was to ask the question, “What is all this for?” And it was the father’s job to tell them. To tell them how in the past God had saved them through the blood of a lamb. To tell them how in the future God was going to send his Messiah, who would shed his blood for our sins. Because we’re that sinful!
Saving sinners takes more than money. It takes blood. God says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The penalty for sin is death. For Jesus to rescue us from sin, he had to pay that penalty himself. What did Jesus pay? Listen to these passages: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). What was the price of our forgiveness? Jesus’ body and blood! Like the most powerful drugs that are used to treat cancer, so Jesus provided the very best medicine for our sins: “This is my body, this is my blood, given for you. You are forgiven!”
Isn’t that beautiful? A catechism student once asked me a perceptive question. If we’re forgiven by faith in Jesus, if we’re forgiven when we’re baptized, why do we need more forgiveness in the Lord’s Supper? That’s a good question! God doesn’t explain why he offers forgiveness in more than one way. But God knows how the devil works. He knows how guilt weighs on our hearts. Forgiveness can sound too good to be true. It must be for someone else! But God doesn’t want there to be any doubt in your mind that you’re forgiven. So he takes his forgiveness and he puts it in your hand and he puts it in your mouth and he says, “This is for you! Given for you!”
Maybe think of it like this. It’s great when someone—like a spouse or a child or a friend—tells you that they love you. Those words have meaning. Those words in and of themselves should be enough. “I love you!” But it’s still nice to have a hug. It’s nice to hold a hand. It’s nice to feel the touch of a loved one. To have those true, comforting words put in a physical, tangible way. The Lord’s Supper is like God’s hug. He tells you that he loves you and has forgiven you in Jesus. That’s absolutely true. But in addition to that, he takes all of his promises and he lets you touch them and taste them for your body and your soul. Like God’s hug. That’s the very best medicine!
So why are we so mean? If communion is so great, why not let everybody come? Remember what we said earlier? Whose supper is this? The Lord’s Supper. God’s Word has more to say. Listen closely: “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” There’s a way to eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. If we do that, what will we receive? Judgment!
We don’t want that! So we ask, “What does in an unworthy manner” mean? Our first thought is sin. “Maybe I’m too sinful for the Lord’s Supper!” Except, what does the Lord’s Supper do? Take away sin! Whom is the Lord’s Supper for? Sinners! If you’ve sinned, you need the Lord’s Supper! So what does “in an unworthy manner” mean? Paul explains it for us: “Those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” Those are very strong words. The person who receives the Lord’s Supper without believing that Jesus’ body is really there receives judgment from God! We need to discern the body of Christ.
So God encourages us to examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. How do we do that? It’s always good to confess our sins, but the focus isn’t just on our sins. It’s on the enormity of what Christ did for us. It’s so easy for us to take Jesus’ sacrifice for granted. To stop being amazed at Jesus’ unbelievable love. As you prepare yourself for Communion, God wants you to believe Jesus’ words: “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Slow down. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Then you’re ready!
Is all this really such a big deal? All this for a little piece of bread and a tiny cup of wine? Aren’t we going overboard? No! What in the whole world is a bigger deal than Jesus’ body and blood? When people took the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy way in Corinth, here’s what happened: “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” God allowed people in that church to get sick and die because they were misusing the Lord’s Supper. That doesn’t mean that if you are sick, you’ve sinned against the Lord’s Supper. But it means God is serious about this! It’s a wonderful blessing, but only when received in the right way.
Like the best medicines. We have some powerful medicines in our world today. Medicines that God uses to heal diseases. But when you fill a prescription for some medication, it’s illegal to share that medicine with anyone else. Why? Isn’t medicine a good thing? Yes, but only when it’s used in the right way! The same medicine that saves your life could end the life of someone else. God speaks in a similar way about the Lord’s Supper. For the believer in Jesus who recognizes Jesus’ body, it’s a powerful blessing. But for those who don’t believe—or who don’t discern the body of Christ—it doesn’t bring a blessing. It’s a serious thing to sin against Jesus’ body!
So, who should take the Lord’s Supper? Some people say, “Everybody!” But not the Bible. You need to be a believer in Jesus, and you need to recognize that you’re receiving Jesus’ true body and blood. Is that everybody? No! Not little kids. Young children don’t understand this. But it’s not just kids. It’s anybody who hasn’t been taught the truth about the Lord’s Supper. Sadly, like those people in Corinth, many—maybe even most—Christians today deny that we receive Jesus’ body in the Lord’s Supper. Most Christians today say it’s just a symbol. Just a representation. It’s not that big of a deal! But if people deny Jesus’ body and take the Lord’s Supper, what do they receive? Judgment. This is why we practice closed communion. The Bible tells us to!
So are we mean? No. We love people. We love you. Our closed communion practice is based on love. It’s love for Jesus. His body and blood truly are special! It’s love for Jesus’ Word. We want to follow and teach everything God says. It’s love for those who don’t yet know the truth about Jesus or the Lord’s Supper. We want to teach people the truth first so that they receive the Lord’s Supper as a blessing, not as a judgment. Finally, it’s love for each other and our desire to have God’s Word taught purely among us. It’s not mean. It’s using the best medicine with love.
It’s a great blessing as a pastor to have the opportunity to teach people the truth about the Lord’s Supper and see their eyes widen as they begin to recognize what Jesus truly offers us: Himself. All of himself. For you. For me. For every sin, he paid the price in full. For every doubt, he puts himself in your hand and says, “Here I am. It’s true. It’s real.” The Lord’s Supper isn’t coffee and donuts. It’s a meal with the King. It’s to stand in the presence of God himself and watch God serve us. It’s to take Jesus’ death on the cross for the sin of the world and apply it to you. To me.
That’s the point. Paul writes, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” This is what the Lord’s Supper is all about—this is what our lives are all about—proclaiming the Lord’s death. Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we have the chance to preach to our guests and to preach to each other Christ crucified. Never be ashamed of standing up for your Savior. Never be ashamed of Jesus’ words: “This is my body. This is my blood. Given for you.” Come with believing hearts and receive the best medicine.
Comments