Examination Before Communion
(No. 2699)
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1900.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING,
OCTOBER 2, 1881.
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup." 1 Corinthians 11:28.
IT can never be too clearly understood that spiritual ordinances are
only for spiritual persons. Baptism and the Lord's Supper belong to
Believers and to none but Believers. It is an evil thing for any church
to give either the one or the other of those two ordinances to those
who are destitute of "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ." There would have been no necessity for Paul to say, "Let
a man examine himself," if the Lord's Table were free to all. If every
man might come to it, then every man might come simply because he was a
man, and he would have no occasion to examine himself at all. The very
fact that there is an examination, presupposes that there are some
persons who have no right to "eat of that bread, and drink of that
cup." And our own personal examination is in order that we may discover
whether we have a right to participate in this ordinance or not.
Therefore, let every man clearly understand that the Lord's Table is
for the Lord's people. As in a man's house, his table is for his
family, so, in God's House, His Table is for His family, and if we do
not belong to the family of God, we have no right to draw near to His
Table at all!
I fear that there are some unconverted people who imagine that they
have performed a meritorious action when, on certain days in the year,
they have, as they say, "taken the sacrament." But, my Friend, if your
heart is not right with God, you were a thief and a robber when you
came to His Table and took what He provided for His children alone! You
did not come in by the Door, that is, Christ, but you climbed up some
other way, and you were really sinning against God in that very act
which you supposed to have some merit in it! Unless you believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Unless you have been born again by the effectual
operation of the Holy Spirit. Unless you truly belong to the household
of faith, as you have no part in the spiritual mystery, so you have no
right to the outward and visible sign by which that mystery is set
forth. All this is implied in our text, "Let a man examine himself, and
so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
The ordinance of the Lord's Supper is not meant for the conversion of
sinners. It is not intended to lead men to salvation, but it is
intended for those who are already saved, those who are converted. I
have heard of unconverted persons coming to the Lord's Table and the
solemn impressions experienced there have led them to repentance and
faith in Christ. We must always remember that God works how He pleases
and, in such cases as those, He overlooked the communicants' great
mistake and even in the midst of their error He worked according to the
Sovereignty of His Divine Grace. Yet this is no excuse for ungodly
persons venturing to come to the Communion Table, for they will be
eating and drinking condemnation to themselves! And if it should please
God to forgive the transgression and to save their souls, this will be
an exception, and a surprising work of Grace, for it is not according
to the Law of the Master's House. If any of you think that by being
baptized and coming to the Lord's Table, you will thereby be saved, you
"err, not knowing the Scriptures." You have no right to either
ordinance till you have first come to Christ and are saved. But when
you have passed from death unto life, when you have been washed in the
Savior's precious blood, then is your time to come forward and, by
being buried with Christ in Baptism, acknowledge your conversion and,
by sitting with your fellow Believers at His Table and meditating upon
His wondrous Sacrifice, of which the bread and the wine are the
significant symbols, feed the spiritual life that God has imparted to
you.
Having given you this plain warning, I now come to my text, which
teaches us, first, the objective of the examination commanded in
it–"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup." Secondly, it points out to us the matter of that
examination. And, thirdly, the duty that follows after the
examination–"Let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
I. First, our text teaches us THE OBJECTIVE OF THE EXAMINATION
COMMANDED IN IT–"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that
bread, and drink of that cup."
The distinct objective of the examination is that the communicant may
eat and drink at the Lord's Table. In some churches, there is a
practice which is called, "fencing the tables," defending the Table of
the Lord against the approach of improper characters. This is a very
right and necessary thing to do, but some ministers have so guarded the
table that very few have dared to come to it–and those who have come
have often been persons who had more conceit than Grace, while the
better part–the truly humble and broken-hearted ones–have been
frightened away! It would appear, from the exhortations of these
ministers, as if Paul must have said, "Let a man examine himself, but
never let him eat of this bread, nor drink of this cup. Let him so
examine himself that he shall come to the conclusion that he has no
right to sit at the Table of the Lord and, therefore, shall go his way
feeling that he is utterly unworthy of that high privilege." Beloved
Friends, this is not my objective in preaching from this text, nor
should it be yours in obeying it. Examine yourselves with the hope and
the strong desire that you may be permitted to come to the Lord's
Table. Do not let the examination take so morbid and melancholy a form
that you almost look out for causes of self-suspicion, but the rather,
especially as many of you have known the Lord for years, let your
examination be made in order that you may come aright to the table,
that you may come there in a right spirit, and not that you may be
compelled to stay away. "Let a man examine himself," and then, in the
spirit of self-examination, let him eat of this bread, and drink of
this cup.
Distinctly remember that the qualification for a place at the Lord's
Table is notperfect sanctification. If it were, I am afraid that there
would not be a soul here so qualified. And if there should be one who
declared that he had attained to such a state, I should expect that he
would prove to be the biggest hypocrite in the place! Recollect, also,
that the qualification for coming to the Lord's Table is not the full
assurance of faith. There might be some genuine believers in Christ who
would not be able to commune if that were the qualification, but,
happily, it is not. The least grain of true faith in Christ qualifies
you! You are not to examine to see whether it is full noontide with
your soul–have you even a little twilight? Have you been quickened
into new life so much as to have a holy hunger and thirst for more of
the Christ who is already yours? If so, you may come to His Table. Do
not arrange the examination in such a way as to exclude yourselves
unnecessarily. I will not, if I can help it, put it in such a style as
to exclude one of you who ought to be admitted. On the contrary, my
soul longs that the whole of you might truly feel and say, "Yes, we do
love the Lord, and we are anxious to come and obey His command, and
thus show His death in remembrance of Him."
Well, that is the first great objective of this examination–not that
you may be made to stay away, but that you may come, if you are really
entitled to sit at the Table of your Lord!
Note, next, that another objective of this examination is that every
man may know that the responsibility of his coming to the Lord's Table
rests wholly with himself ' 'Let a man examine himself, and so let him
come." Not, "Let a man go to his minister and be examined." Or, "Let
him go to his priest and make confession." No, no! "Let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat." I can give no man a certificate which
really entitles him to come to the Communion Table. In my office as
pastor, it is my privilege to receive members into this Church. But, by
so doing, we never mean to imply that we thereby certify that they are
really converted. That is a matter which must rest with each man and
his judgment of himself, if he is a wise man, will not be the opinion
of his minister, but the verdict of his own conscience in the sight of
God. Come to this Communion Table, Brothers and Sisters, as
individuals! Come, each one, feeling, "I alone am responsible to God
for what I am about to do. Taking the Word of God as my guide, I judge
myself to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, I am
about to sit at this table."
I think that of all abominations, the idea of sponsors, either in
Baptism or the Lord's Supper, is the most detestable. No man can be a
sponsor for another! Everyone of you must individually stand before God
and no godfathers or godmothers can, without telling a lie, promise for
you that you shall keep God's holy Commandments, and walk in the same
all the days of your life. It is not in their power, neither is it in
the power of any minister to give you the right to come to the Lord's
Table or to the other Christian ordinance–"Let a man examine himself."
Take the responsibility upon your-
self, each one of you, for so the Apostle puts it, and this will help
you to come aright to the Table of the Lord. You are bidden to examine
yourself, in order that you may come under an overwhelming sense that
it is your own act and deed– that you are not here because your mother
came or your father came–that you are nothere because you are entitled
to come by virtue of your church membership, but you are here, each
woman, each man, each one of you, for himself or herself, having
searched your own heart and asked God to search it, to see whether you
ought to come, or not!
In the next place, the objective of this examination is that everyone
may come to the Lord's Table most solemnly– not flippantly,
thoughtlessly, heedlessly–but that each communicant may say, "I am
going to eat of that bread and drink of that cup in resemblance of my
dear Lord whom I really know and trust. There is no mockery or mere
formality in this act. I come in downright earnest, bringing my heart
with me, for I have looked into my heart, I have examined myself, and I
take upon myself the responsibility of saying, 'Lord, You know all
things. You know that I love You.'" So this examination means that you
are to come to the Lord's Table with deep solemnity.
And, surely, it also means that every communicant must come most
humbly, for the result of any true examination of ourselves mush be
deep humiliation of spirit. As for myself, I must confess that I am not
what I want to be, and I am not what I ought to be. I can only come to
the table declaring myself to be an unworthy one in whom the Grace of
God is indeed magnified. That He should ever have put me among His
children and permitted me to call Him, my Father, will be a wonder to
me throughout eternity! See, then, the blessed result of this
self-examination when it lays you low at the foot of the Cross, and
makes you come to the Lord's Table, not boasting, "I have a right to be
here," but humbly and gratefully saying, "I do indeed adore the Grace
of God which has made it possible that such an one as I am should be
allowed to sit down with the family of God at His banqueting table of
love."
Another result of the examination which is aimed at is that we may come
to the Lord's Supper intelligently, knowing why we come and what reason
we have to come, and on what footing we come. Examining yourself you
will discover your soul-hunger and learn that you come to be fed.
Examining yourself, you will discover spiritual life and understand
that you come that it may be nourished by your meditation upon the
Person of your Lord. You know, in holy ordinances, almost everything
depends upon the right understanding of them. There is no efficacy in
water, whether it is applied by immersion or by aspersion–the value of
the ordinance depends upon the conviction which the man has when he is
baptized–that it is the will of his Lord that he should thus confess
his faith. There is nothing efficacious in that bread or that wine. The
bread has no more virtue in it than there is in any other bread which
the baker ever made. The wine is, in itself, no more a means of Grace
than any other wine that ever was pressed out from the vintage. It is
the thought that shall be excited by that bread and that wine that will
be the benefit–it is the mind seeing through the visible sign that
which is inwardly signified. Hence it is that our Lord calls us to this
self-examination, that our intellect may be stirred and our mind may be
prepared, under the influence of the Divine Spirit, to understand the
meaning of that which He puts upon the table for us to feed upon.
And, just once more, this examination is intended that we may come to
the table with an appreciative joy. Let me explain that rather long
word. You know if you come to the Communion Table saying, "I do not
know whether I have a right to be here," you cannot enjoy yourself. If
I were sitting at a man's table, and I said to myself, "I am afraid I
have made a mistake. I do not believe he ever invited me," I should
feel very uncomfortable while I was there, and I should be wonderfully
glad when the dinner was over. But if, as I sat at the table, I said,
"I know the gentleman invited me. I have his invitation with me and he
is smiling upon me, for he is glad that I am here." That is how I like
to feel at the Lord's Table–to know, after examination, that I am in
my right place. Then I soon forget all about my right to be there and
all I think of is that which is on the Table, and about my Lord who has
invited me, and how I can enjoy the sweetest communion with Him, and
partake of the dainties which He has put before me.
I want you, Brothers and Sisters, to examine yourselves till you come
to this conclusion, "We are not perfect, but we believe in Jesus. We
are not yet fully assured, but we have a humble hope in Him. We are not
the strongest of His warriors, but we have His life in us–we do know
Him, and trust Him." Then you will feel, "The Good Shepherd feeds the
lambs as well as the full-grown sheep of His flock, so we may come to
Him for all we need." Then you will have nothing to think about as to
yourself, but all you will have to do will be to say, "My Lord here
gives me His flesh to eat, and His blood to drink, after a spiritual
fashion. In these outward types, I will now feed upon Him. The fact
that God took our nature upon Himself shall be as food to my soul. The
equally blessed fact that being found in fashion as a Man, He took
my sins upon Himself and suffered in my place shall be like generous
wine to me. I will drink it down! I will feed upon it! I will live by
it!" Then you will have joy and gladness in your soul and this supper
will be what it really is–no funeral feast, but a banquet of delight
for all the friends of Christ! "Let a man examine himself with the view
that he may so eat and so drink when he comes to the Table of the Lord.
II. Now, very briefly, I must dwell upon the second point which is
this–THE MATTER OF THE EXAMINATION. "Let a man examine himself."
Listen, Brothers and Sisters, while I ask you a few questions which
will help you to examine yourselves.
First, then, here is a spiritual feast. Am I spiritually alive to
partake of it? Dead men have no right to come to a banquet. Am I, then,
spiritually alive? Have I ever been quickened and renewed in heart and
life? Has the Holy Spirit brought me into the spiritual world? If so,
have I an appetite for this sacred feast? Do I hunger after Christ? Do
I long for the Water of Life? Then I may come to this table, for here
my Lord supplies the needs of those who are the living in Zion. The
dead cannot feed on the richest dainties–corpses can neither eat nor
drink. And dead sinners may not come to this festival for the living.
But, if there is even a spark of spiritual life in you, though you are
faint and sick, come along, for you have a right to come!
The next question is–Here is a feast, but am I a friend of the Lord
who is the Host at this table? The Lord Jesus invites all His friends
to come to His banquets. Am I, then, His friend? And is He mine? Have I
ever taken Him to be my Savior and am I trusting in His precious blood
for my salvation? And then, in return, do I love Him and love His
cause, and love His people? Do I commune with Him as friend communes
with friend? Do I talk familiarly with Him? Am I on intimate terms with
Him? Does He know me, and do I truly know Him? If so, I need not be
afraid to come to His Table, for every friend of His is welcome there.
Ask yourself these three questions. Am I alive? Have I a spiritual
appetite? Is Christ my friend?
Next, this feast is meant to set forth the death of Christ. That fact
suggests another question. Do I really believe in His death? Of course,
I believe that He died, but do I really, myself, trust Christ's death
to save me? Do I believe that by His dying, He offered to God such an
Atonement for the sins of men that whoever believes in Him is justified
from all things? And have I, by faith, appropriated to myself His
Atonement so that I am thereby justified in the sight of God? If so, I
may come to His Table, for I am only doing, then, in outward sign, what
I am really also doing in my inward spirit.
Further, our Lord Jesus bids us "do this" in union with all His people.
That suggests the question–Am I one of His people, and one with them?
Do I really love them? The Apostle Paul says, "We being many are one
bread"–"one loaf–and "one body." Is our union as close as this? I
think, Brothers and Sisters, that if you have any malice or ill-will
towards any of your fellow Christians, or towards anyone else, you
ought not to come to the Lord's Table while you are in that condition
of heart. You remember that Christ said, "If you bring your gift to the
altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you;
leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
The same rule applies to those who would be guests at this sacred
feast. It is a hard thing for men to sit at the same table and all the
while to be, as it were, eating one another's hearts out. No, no–there
must be true love among the brotherhood–and if I have not love to all
the people of God, I have no right to come to the Table of the Lord.
Once more, this cup is the New Covenant in Christ's blood. That Truth
of God leads me to ask another question–Am I in covenant with God in
Christ Jesus? Have I accepted the Covenant of Grace? Have I yielded
myself up to God by bringing to the great Father the Sacrifice of
Christ which is the seal and ratification of the Covenant? Do I regard
myself, at this moment, as one of the covenanted ones to whom the
promises of God belongs? If so, I may certainly drink of the cup of the
Covenant!
Moreover, Jesus bids us observe this ordinance in remembrance of Him.
Now, a man cannot remember what he never knew. Here, then, is another
question–Do I know Christ? Have I ever seen Him with the eye of faith?
Did I ever behold Him hanging on the tree and feel the burden of sin
roll off my shoulders as I witnessed His amazing sufferings? In a word,
do I really know Christ? Do I speak with Him in prayer? Do I commune
with Him and tell Him my griefs and sorrows? Or, am I a stranger to
Him? A stranger to Christ may not eat of this feast, but he who is
acquainted with the great Lord who sits at the head of the Table may
freely come and eat and drink that which is set before him.
These are some very plain and simple questions which I beg you to put
to yourselves. And if you do not know Christ, if you do not love Him,
if you do not love His people, if you are not trusting in His blood, if
you have never been born again, if you have nothing of the Grace of God
in you, get far away from His Table, I pray you, for you would only be
eating and drinking condemnation to yourselves if you partook of the
emblems of Christ's broken body and shed blood! But if you have the
least evidence of a work of Grace within your soul. If you have the
feeblest faith–as long as it is true faith–if you are really resting
in Jesus for salvation, come and welcome to His Table–
"How happy are Your servants, Lord,
Who thus remember You!"
III. This brings me to the third head, which is THE DUTY AFTER THE
EXAMINATION–"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that
bread, and drink of that cup."
If you can satisfactorily answer all the questions I have given you, it
is your duty to come to the Table of your Lord and to eat of the bread
and drink of the cup! I know some professing Christians–I hope they
are really Christians, it is not my place to judge them–but the
commands of Christ seem to be very trifling and inconsiderable things
with them. What would you think of anyone who said that he was a
disciple of a certain teacher, but he did not care to observe his
teacher's commands? Why, you would say that he was trifling with his
master! Now, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke thus plainly concerning one of
the two ordinances which He instituted–"He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved." Yet we have met with a number of His
professed followers who say, "Well, that Baptism is not a saving
ordinance." Who said that it was? Would you attend to it if it were?
Then, if you only mean to do what will pay you, your obedience will be
selfish and of small value! Are you really a disciple of Christ? It
should be the delight of a disciple to do what his Master bids him,
whether there is any visible benefit to him in it, or not. It is not
for you or me, Beloved, to question or quibble at anything which our
Lord has commanded, but promptly to obey it.
Another person says, "Well, I never come to the Communion Table, but I
am just as good as those people who do." My dear Friend, I will not
quarrel with you about your own goodness, but I generally find that
those who think that they are good are not as good as they think they
are. However, if the Lord Jesus Christ has given you this plain
command, "This do in remembrance of Me," I ask you, believing it to be
commanded by Christ, how can you call yourself His servant when you
refuse to do what He bids you? I am not putting the question too
strongly. You know that I have no faith in the saving power of
ordinances. Do I not, as clearly as I can speak, constantly warn you
against that error? Still, if it were only the picking up of a straw,
and if Christ had commanded it, I do not see how a man could be sure
that he was the servant of Christ if he did not pick up that straw when
his Master told him to do it! The less the thing is in itself, the more
does it become the test of our obedience. If these ordinances were
essential to salvation, then everybody would observe them with the view
of being saved by them, but, inasmuch as they do not save, and were
never meant to save, but are, in fact, only the privileges of those who
are saved, the observance of them becomes a test of a man's true
discipleship, for it makes it clear whether he will obey Christ or not.
"Well," says one, "I have examined myself and I do not feel that I have
a right to come to the Lord's Table." Then, do not come, my Friend, as
you are. Still, it is your duty to get into such a state that when you
again examine yourself, you shall be able to say, "Now I have a right
to come," for, if you have not a right to come to the Lord's Table,
then you have no right to enter Heaven! If you are not fit to commune
with the saints on earth, you certainly are not fit to commune with the
saints above! So look to that matter at once, I pray you. And look to
it very carefully.
After examination, it appears from the text that it is the duty of
every man who has examined himself to eat of the breadand drink of the
cup. I t is very noteworthy that the Holy Spirit should have moved the
mind of Paul to put it in this shape–"let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup." Especially observe that he mentions the cup. "No,"
says the Roman Catholic priest, "it is not for you. When I go up to the
altar, as a priest, I drink the wine in that cup. It is not for you,
you must not meddle with it. The cup does not belong to the laity."
What shall I say to such a man? With what burning words shall I express
the indignation that I feel against the apostate church that dares to
withhold what Christ has so freely given? "There," says He to His
disciples, "all of you drink of that cup"–but in comes a man who
pretends to be a priest, and he says, "You shall not touch it." By that
mark, as by many more, can the beast and the antichrist still be
discovered this day, even as of old! Still does the cry ring out from
Heaven, "Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her
sins, and that you receive not of her plagues," for
plagues must come upon the arrogant priesthood that dares to take away
from God's people that which Christ puts on His Table, and of which He
says, "Drink you all of it."
It is your duty, as Christians, to see to it that you eat of this
bread, and drink of this cup, after you have examined yourselves and
proved that you are really on the Lord's side!
I will not prolong this exhortation further than to remind you that it
is not only our duty to eat and drink, but "so to eat and drink as to
discern the Lord's body. "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat
of that bread, and drink of that cup." "So." That is one of the biggest
little words in the English language! You remember one text where it is
very big–"God so loved the world"–measure that word if you can–"God
so l oved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Here, in
our text, is another instance in which the word, "so," is very big,
indeed. After examination of himself, a man is "so" to eat–in the
spirit which that examination produces, which I have shown you is one
of solemnity, humiliation and earnest delight in Christ–"so let him
eat," so as to discern the Lord's body, which means just this. I take
that bread, and I say, "This represents to me the great Truth of God
that God was made flesh, and dwelt among us and that, today, He is one
with men as well as one with God. I eat that bread and I feed
spiritually on that Truth."
Then I take the cup and I say, "This cup represents to me the blood of
Christ, and I see in this cup the symbol that He died, 'the Just for
the unjust,' to bring me to God. I take this wine to represent the
blood of His Atonement, the great fact that He died as my Substitute.
And as I drink the wine and it goes into my inward parts, I take the
precious Truth of Substitution–Christ dying instead of me–and I put
it into my very soul to nourish, to cherish and to delight me."
Now that is the way to discern the Lord's body and that is the way,
"so," to eat of that bread, and to drink of that cup, as to be
spiritually profited! May God, the Holy Spirit, help you to enter into
the spirit of the ordinance, and to observe it as Christ ordained it,
for His dear name's sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: MATTHEW26:17-39; 1 CORINTHIANS11:20-34.
Matthew 26:17, 18. Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened
Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where do You want
us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? And He said, Go into the
city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master says, My time is at
hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My discip1es. See
here the blending of Christ's humiliation and His Godhead. The Master
had no room of His own in which He could keep the Passover. He had not
even where to lay His head, yet such was His power that He had only to
send messengers to one whom He knew, though perhaps the man did not
know Him–and as soon as ever the message was delivered, the large
upper room, furnished and prepared, was at once freely tendered for the
celebration of the supper! Jesus Christ, even in His lowest estate, had
the hearts of all men beneath His control.
19-21. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made
ready the Passover Now when the evening had come, He sat down with the
twelve. And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one
of you shall betray Me. This was a very unpleasant thought to bring
into the midst of those who were gathered there for the memorial feast,
yet it was most suitable for such a message to be spoken at the
Passover, for at its institution, the Lord said to Moses, "With bitter
herbs they shall eat it." And here was something bitter enough. I hope
we shall have our Master's Presence at the Communion Table, yet it will
be well for our joy to be sobered with such a painful thought as
this–there may be a traitor with us even here.
22. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began, each one of them,
to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? The habit of self-suspicion, rather
than suspecting somebody else, is a good one. If there is anyone in
this place who is going to commit a gross sin, why may it not be
myself? The natural tendency of each one of us is to say, "I shall
never do such a thing as that, I am sure." Ah, me, if Grace were truly
reigning in our heart, we would, each one, be suspicious of himself and
not of others, and the question of each one would be, "Lord, is it I?"
Not one of the Apostles asked, "Lord, is it Judas?" or, "Is it
So-and-So?" But everyone of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"
23, 24. And He answered and said, He that dips his hand with Me in the
dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of
Him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had
been good for that
man if he had not been born. Remember, this "woe" applies not only to
Judas Iscariot, but to anyone else who betrays Christ. Oh, if, under
the pressure of persecution, or if being bribed by some present
pleasure, or if through our own natural fickleness we should betray our
Master, woe unto us! May the Lord, by His almighty Grace, keep us from
committing such a sin as that! If we do betray our Lord, it would have
been better for us that we had not been born.
25, 26. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is
it I? He said unto him, You have said it. And as they were eating.
While yet the paschal supper was proceeding. "As they were eating"–
26. Jesus took bread, and blessed it. Or, as the marginal reading says,
"gave thanks for it"–
26. And broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat;
this is My body. That is to say, "This represents My body." Our Lord
could not possibly have meant that the bread was His body, for there
was His body sitting whole and entire at the table–and they would have
been astonished beyond measure if they had understood Him literally!
But they did not do so, for they were well used too the Oriental custom
of leaving out the word for, "like," and just saying, "It is
so-and-so." Besides, Christ had also said, "I am the Door," "I am the
Way," "I am the Good Shepherd." And there is also that striking
sentence, "I am the Rose of Sharon." No idiot ever understood these
passages literally! And those are more foolish than idiots who render
literally these words–"This is My body." They are wickedly, wantonly
and willfully foolish in thus misrepresenting our Savior's meaning!
27. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink you all of it. That is, "Drink from it, everyone of you." Was
this the institution of the Lord's Supper? Yes, but what do the
Romanists say? Why, that the people may not drink of the cup and so
they keep it away from them! But our Savior says to this representative
company of all His disciples, "Drink you all of it."
28. 29. For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you. I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in
My Father's Kingdom. "In that joyous day, that day of days when the
battle will have been fought, and the victory won forever–then will I
pledge you in My Father's Kingdom, and keep the feast with you forever!
30. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out to the Mount of
Olives. Oh, how brave it was on the Master's part to sing a Psalm just
before He went out to be betrayed and to be crucified! Our second
reading is also concerning the Lord's Supper. Turn to the first Epistle
to the Corinthians, Chapter 11, verse 20. The Corinthian church, as I
have often explained to you, was one that had no pastor. They had what
is called "open" worship–everybody speaking who pleased, and there
being no kind of government or discipline. They fell into every sort of
conceivable disorder, and even the ordinance of the Lord's Supper was
utterly degraded among them. Here is what Paul wrote to them.
1 Corinthians 11:20, 21. When you come together in one place, it is not
to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, everyone takes his own supper
before others, and one is hungry, and another is drunken. They had such
low notions of the communion that they seemed to think that if they ate
together, each one bringing his own provision, they would be
celebrating the Lord's Supper! But Paul would not agree to that. What
did he say?
22. What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise you
the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to
you?Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. They may not have
meant to do so ill, but they had fallen into all sorts of disorder and
Paul, therefore, first rebuked them, and then explained to them the
right observance of the ordinance.
23-27. For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered
unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed,
took bread: and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, Take,
eat: this is My body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of
Me. After the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying,
This cup is the new covenant in My blood; this do you, as oft asyou
drink it, in remembrance ofMe. For as often as you eat this bread, and
drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore
whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord,
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Note
carefully the wording of this verse; it is not, "Whoever, being
unworthy, shall eat and drink." It is not an adjective, it is an adverb
and relates, not so much to the person, as to the way in which he came
to the communion. Those who came to the Lord's Table in a half-drunken
fashion. Those who regarded it merely as a common meal. Those who came
there under false pretences. Those who came there not thinking of
Christ's body at all–they would all be guilty of not discerning the
Lord's body, and so of prostituting His ordinance, robbing it of its
dignity and solemnity by coming there in such a condition.
28, 29. But let a man examine himself, andso let him eat of that bread,
and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily. We are
all unworthy to come to the Table of our Lord. Who among us can
possibly be thought to be worthy to come to such a feast as this? But
the Apostle is writing concerning those who came there carelessly, or
without thought, or with a wrong motive. Years ago, you know, nobody
could hold certain government or municipal offices without taking what
was called "the sacrament." That was making the Lord's Supper a
picklock to office! That was, indeed, to eat and drink it unworthily!
Such, also, as come merely for the sake of getting alms, or out of
custom or formality, but leave their hearts behind them, eat and drink
unworthily and shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord"–as
guilty as they were who actually crucified the Savior. "For he that
eats and drinks unworthily."
29. Eats and drinks "condemnation" to himself For that is how the Word
of God should be rendered. 29, 30. Not discerning the Lord's body. For
this cause many are weak and sickly among you, andmany sleep. God
is always carrying out a system of discipline in His Church. To a large
extent, He lets the world, for the present, sin as it pleases, but in
His own family He uses the rod. And when the Lord's Supper is
dishonored, there is no doubt that the sickness and sleep here
mentioned will follow. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among
you, and many sleep." Many even die–not that they are lost–not that
this sickness is sent as a curse, but as fatherly chastisement. And the
death of many of its members is often a chastisement to the church
which is thus weakened by losing its best helpers.
31-34. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But
when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be
condemned with the world. Therefore, my brethren, when you come
together to eat: tarry one for another And if any man is hungry, let
him eat at home; thatyou come not together unto condemnation. And the
rest will I set in order when I come.