Remembrance of Christ’s Death – the Lord’s Supper

We celebrate the remembrance of the death of Christ with the correct name Yeshu every year: 14 Abib after sunset.
Why did we take the date from the Old Testament?
Why don’t we keep the Memorial at the time when Christ died on the cross?
Because we are copying the ceremony prepared by Lord Yeshu.
Christ celebrated the Passover:

“For Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7.

“Then He said to them, „I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” – Luke 22:15

We commemorate the same as Christ did. This is the model of this celebration. It is obligatory for every Christian:

„So Yeshu said to them, „Truly I tell you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My Flesh is true food and My Blood is true drink. The one who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the Bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your ancestors ate — and they died. The one who eats this Bread will live forever.” – John 6:53-58.

How many times can we celebrate/participate in the Memorial?
The Israelites celebrated Passover once a year. Christ changed the Passover into a Memorial of His death. This means that we should also celebrate this holiday once a year.
But we have information from the apostle Paul that suggests that this holiday could be celebrated more often.
Let’s see these verses:

“In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, and said, „This cup is the new covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often (3740) as (302) you drink it, in Remembrance of Me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:25

“For as often (3740) as (302) you eat This Bread and drink The Cup, you proclaim (2605) the Lord’s Death until He comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26.

The above verses can be understood in two ways:
1 – We celebrate the Memorial as often as we drink and eat during this celebration during our lives, meaning once a year.
2 – We celebrate the Memorial as often as we drink and eat for the Memorial at a given time, meaning several times a year.
We also have a description of the Lord’s Supper, which the Judeans probably celebrated more than once a year:

„Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter! For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Yeshu took Bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My Body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the Cup, after supper, and said, “This Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this Bread and drink the 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 sin against the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the Bread and drink from the Cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.” – 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.

Note that the description of the Lord’s Supper above was a party, not a celebration. They drank, they ate, they came at any time.
In other words, it was a gross disregard of Christ’s death.
Why do we hold the Memorial?

The first reason: to deserve eternal life: „Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has aeon (eternal) life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
The second reason is: „you proclaim/announce/proclaim publicly (2605) the Lord’s death until He comes.”

The word 2605 means: to preach publicly, that is, to preach to people who do not know the biblical truth.
This means that the celebration of Christ’s death is not only about drinking wine, eating bread and reading the Scripture among people who know the biblical truth.
But also, we are to proclaim this truth to others.
And the question arises again:
What does it mean to proclaim the death of Christ?
Christ on the cross said important words:

„At about nine (three in the afternoon our time) Yeshu cried out with a loud voice,“Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtáni (4518) ? ”that is,“My God, My God, why have You abandoned (1459) Me?” – Matthew 27:46.

The same calling can be found in Psalms:

„‘For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” – Psalms 22:1.

„For dogs have surrounded Me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on Me; they pierced My hands and My feet. I can count all My bones; people look and stare at Me. They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing.” – Psalms 22:16-18.

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You, for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules the nations. All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him — even the one who cannot preserve his life” – Psalms 22:27-28.

To proclaim the death of Christ means to talk about the achievements of the Son of God, about His future Kingdom, about eternal life.
Summary
We celebrate the commemoration of Christ’s death once a year, on the 14th of Abib, following the example of the celebration celebrated by Christ with the apostles.
We can have the Lord’s Supper several times a year. Then we invite people from outside and proclaim the Good News to them.

Author: Robert Brzoza

Translator: Hubert Brzoza