Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:26
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26, NIV)
“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again.” (The Living Bible)
“So whenever you eat this broken bread and drink of this symbolic cup, you proclaim the Remedy to sin the Lord’s death procured—until he comes again.” (The Remedy)
More Than a Ceremony
The Lord’s Supper is a cherished, time-honored celebration in the Christian churches. Often it is a well-thought-out, warm time of fellowship. But that alone is not the full meaning of the Supper. Breaking the bread and drinking the cup are symbols of something more.
The bread represents Christ’s body, broken for the salvation of humanity. Yet we are not only to remember His body; we are to take it in. To ingest His body is to take in His Spirit, His character, His very life poured out for us—including the way He lived in that body.
How He Lived in His Body
He went about doing good (Acts 10:38). He took every opportunity to bless others with all the strength His human body possessed. He was human in every way and did not draw on His divinity to sustain Himself. There were times He was so utterly exhausted that He slept right through a raging storm (Mark 4:37–38).
He needed rest to recover from His day of service, just as we do. Taking in His body means taking in His wisdom about the body too: He rested so He could keep giving. A period of recovery is required before we can spend more energy. No human body can pour itself out continuously without rest to rebuild its strength. This is true of our physical, mental and emotional work alike.
So we wisely care for our body temples, that we may keep celebrating the Lord’s Supper daily, proclaiming and remembering His life until He returns.
Hardware, Software and Power
We are made of three parts, something like a computer. The body is the hardware. The mind is the software. The spirit is the electricity, the animating power that comes from God alone. None of them works without the others.
The hardware does only what the software directs. We choose what we do with our hands, and whether our feet go to care for others. Every action begins in the mind. We have fully committed to an action in our minds before our bodies take a single outward step toward it.
And the power runs whatever program we have installed. Christ is so gracious and good that He lets us use His gifts, His gift of life and energy, even on the devil’s side if that is our choice. That is true freedom.
Guard Your Mind Food
We may not be able to live out all that our minds and hearts desire, but the Lord reads our hearts. It is by the intents of the heart that we become who we are. We can hide our hearts from the world, and to some degree even from ourselves, but “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).
Life is lived out in our minds first; the body will follow where the mind is allowed to lead. So guard well the door of your heart, and be careful of the “mind food” you take in each day. What we behold will change us (2 Corinthians 3:18). The things you allow to fill your mind become part of who you are.
You are either eating at the Lord’s table or supping with demons (1 Corinthians 10:21); there is no middle ground. The world is choosing sides, and the constant barrage of information can overload even the strongest mind. Be as discerning in what you consume mentally as you are in guarding your physical food.
Proclaiming His Death by Living His Life
We proclaim His death by living the life His death made possible. Your life is now the life of Christ. You proclaim the story of His life, in action as well as speech, in your daily business.
As you live out His story in every part of your life, you are linked more closely to the One you represent. More of His Love and Truth, His Grace, the Fires of Truth and Love, will flow through you—first healing your own life, then going out as a blessing of light and Glory to the world around you. As you pass through your day, you will leave a wake of calm, warmth and a lovely freshness for those you meet to bask in.
Be the one God can use to fill this world with His light. We are the light on a hill (Matthew 5:14), the army of the Lord still in training but soon to be revealed. Secure your post in that army now by choosing to sit at the Lord’s Supper daily. Then go out and remember Him to everyone you meet—not only with your words, but with your life: your selfless acts of kindness, the constancy of your character.
You are Christ to them. You have the mind of Christ growing in you, His heart of Love beating in your chest.
