The Significance of Communion: Mark 14:22-26- Pastor C.A. Rogers

Communion is not just bread and a cup. The Lord’s table brings believers back to the death of Christ, and that death ought to be precious in their sight. Paul rebukes the Corinthians because they came to the table with no reverence, no brokenness over sin, no care for one another, and no remembrance of what Christ endured. Christ’s body and blood cannot be treated like regular food when the cross is the reason sinners can be forgiven.

The first communion came in the middle of the Passover meal, on the night before Christ died. The Passover pointed back to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. Christ stands as the true Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God whose sacrifice delivers His people from sin and death. Judas departed into the night after Satan entered him, and Christ gave this holy meal to the disciples who belonged to Him, not to the betrayer.

The bread represents Christ’s body, given for His people. Isaiah declares that He was pierced for transgressions and crushed for iniquities. Christ was beaten, spit on, mocked, nailed to the cross, and suffered in His body so that His people might die to sin and live to righteousness. The command to take and eat means that His death was not distant or general only. His body was given for each believer personally.

The cup represents Christ’s blood, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins, but Christ entered once and for all by His own blood and obtained eternal redemption. His blood establishes the new covenant, cleanses the conscience, removes sin, and gives confidence to enter the presence of God. The guilty can be forgiven because Christ paid the penalty that sin deserves.

The cup also points forward. Christ will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the day He drinks it anew in His Father’s kingdom. The Lord’s table therefore looks back to Calvary and ahead to the marriage supper of the Lamb, where the saints will see Christ face to face in glorified bodies. Communion proclaims His death until He comes.

Paul’s warning calls believers to come together, to come with reverence, to remember Christ’s death, to examine themselves, and to seek reconciliation with others. Communion keeps the church on its knees before Jesus, dealing honestly with sin and living in the light of the cross.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ’s body was given for sinners. Christ’s suffering was not an abstract display of love. His body was beaten, pierced, and offered up so that sin would no longer rule those He saves. The bread calls each believer to receive that sacrifice personally and to die to sin rather than make peace with it. [19:44]
• 2. Christ’s blood secures eternal forgiveness. The new covenant rests on the blood of Christ, not on human effort, religious works, or temporary sacrifices. His blood cleanses the conscience and gives eternal redemption to all who repent and believe. Sin must either be paid for by Christ or borne by the sinner before God forever. [34:54]
• 3. Communion points toward Christ’s kingdom. The cup carries a promise that the last meal is not the final meal. Christ will celebrate anew with His redeemed people in the Father’s kingdom, where sin, suffering, and fading bodies will be no more. The table gives believers a reason to wait with hope for the final victory feast. [41:32]
• 4. Self-examination honors Christ’s death. Communion cannot be received lightly while sin is defended, relationships remain unreconciled, or Christ’s sacrifice is barely considered. Paul calls believers to put themselves on trial, searching motives, attitudes, obedience, and love for God’s people. Honest examination does not earn grace, but it shows reverence for the grace purchased at the cross.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:21] - Why Communion Is Significant
• [02:40] - Corinthian Disregard for the Table
• [05:28] - The First Communion at Passover
• [08:50] - Judas Betrays Christ
• [11:59] - Christ the Passover Lamb
• [14:22] - The Bread and Christ’s Body
• [20:32] - Christ’s Sacrifice Calls for Brokenness
• [24:03] - The Cup and Christ’s Blood
• [29:26] - The New Covenant in His Blood
• [33:12] - Repentance, Faith, and Forgiveness
• [37:03] - The Final Communion in God’s Kingdom
• [44:00] - Partaking in a Worthy Manner
• [46:58] - Examine Yourself Before the Table
• [50:27] - Prayer Before Communion

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 11:23-29
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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 He took the cup also after supper, saying, “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. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. [03:00]

Mark 14:22-25
While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” [05:36]

Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. [15:30]

Hebrews 9:12-14
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [28:41]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, what words and actions does Paul repeat when describing the bread and the cup? What does he say believers are proclaiming when they partake?
2. What connection does Mark 14 make between the cup, Christ’s blood, the covenant, and forgiveness? [26:17]
3. According to Isaiah 53:5, what did Christ suffer, and for whose sins did He suffer? [15:30]
4. What contrast does Hebrews 9:12-14 make between the blood of animals and the blood of Christ? [28:41]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “This is My body, which is for you.” How does that truth make communion more than simply remembering that Jesus died in a general sense? [18:33]
2. Hebrews says that Christ obtained “eternal redemption” by His own blood. What does this mean for a believer who still feels shame and guilt over sins that have been confessed to Christ? [32:07]
3. Paul warns against taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Does this mean believers must become sinless before coming to the table, or that they must come with repentance, reverence, and honest self-examination? Why? [47:00]
4. Jesus says He will drink anew with His people in the kingdom of God. How does this future promise help believers face present suffering, aging, temptation, and loss with hope? [40:40]

Application questions

1. When communion is served, is it easy to participate out of routine without giving serious thought to Christ’s body and blood? What could help prepare the heart to remember Him with gratitude and reverence? [46:38]
2. Christ bore sins in His body so that His people might die to sin and live to righteousness. Is there a sin that has become too familiar, excused, or hidden? What would repentance and a real step toward righteousness look like this week? [19:23]
3. Christ’s blood cleanses the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Are there past sins, failures, or accusations that continue to weigh heavily on the conscience? How can the promise of Christ’s finished sacrifice bring freedom to serve God rather than live under condemnation? [29:07]
4. Before coming to the Lord’s table, believers are called to examine their attitudes toward God, His Word, and His people. What are a few honest questions a person should ask himself or herself during that examination? [47:34]
5. Is there a relationship marked by anger, bitterness, avoidance, or unresolved offense? What would it look like to pursue peace, seek forgiveness, or take a first humble step toward reconciliation? [49:06]
6. Communion proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes. In what area of life does the hope of Christ’s return need to become more real right now—suffering, fear, temptation, grief, or discouragement? [42:09]
7. The future includes a joyful celebration with Christ in the Father’s kingdom. How might that coming feast change the way believers view the temporary pleasures and struggles of this present world? [41:18]