“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, This is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Paul was writing the Corinthians about some problems they were having in the church. The last half of Chapter 11 deals with the Lord’s Supper and the abuse of it. The Corinthians were eating it like a regular meal rather than doing it as a memorial of Jesus. Some of the Corinthians were quickly eating the Supper before others could even be present.
Paul said that the Lord’s Supper is eaten to remember Christ. We partake of the bread to remember His body. We partake of the juice to remember His blood shed on the cross. It is interesting that the Greek word translated “remembrance” can have a particular inference. While it can be used as a synonym for other words meaning to remember something, this word can carry the idea that the remembering comes from the individual rather than an external force or action bringing a remembrance to mind. In other words, we remember Christ’s body and blood given on the cross, and this gives us the motive to eat the Lord’s Supper.
If this inference is present in our text, it means that because of our love and appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice, we gladly partake of the Lord’s Supper to demonstrate that appreciation. This would agree with the fact that such a memorial, then, is perceived by the world as showing (proclaiming) the Lord’s death (verse 26).
This remembrance is in opposition to what God’s disciples had in the Old Testament sacrifices. Hebrews 10:3 says that when they gave their sacrifices, they remembered their sins. What a blessing we have that in our eating the Lord’s Supper we have a thankful remembrance of Jesus taking away our sins instead of a remembrance of the guilt of our sins.
Study your Bible. Learn all you can about our wonderful Savior, Jesus. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
