"Communion"

Almost all Christians, us included, use the word “communion” to denote the act of partaking of bread and wine (juice), a symbolic act we do every month out of remembrance of the Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf. Every time we take “communion” we know we should be remembering the night before Jesus’ death, when He sat down with His disciples to teach them about what was to befall Him, and the significance of that coming event. The bread, He claimed, is His body; the wine, His blood –

Mark 14:14-26

"Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us." 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me." 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?" 20 He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

For His disciples, you can imagine that it would have appeared a gruesome thought, actually eating a person’s body and drinking their blood… particularly since blood was considered an unclean thing, not to be ingested (especially with the meat of the sacrificed animal). This was a new concept for them, but apparently one that they embraced.

But for us, now, post Cross and resurrection, it is not only about looking back on the Lord’s death (and partaking in the Passover meal), it is about proclaiming His death UNTIL HE RETURNS –

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

We are looking forward to something…the return of Jesus Christ with His kingdom; we are only looking back because of the ramifications it has for us concerning that which is yet future -

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is all very familiar to us, and particularly important to us (to have something tangible to do in which to connect to the Lord on a spiritual level), which is why we choose to partake in this ritual every month. And nowhere in the Scriptures does it say we have to partake in this ritual, and of course nowhere in the Scriptures does it say we have to do it every month. This is just our choice.

However, nowhere in Scripture does the word “communion” stand alone as the word for the symbolic ritual or practice of eating bread and drinking wine. What we physically do with the food and drink is NOT communion – it’s eating and drinking.  

The word translated as “communion” in Scripture is “koinonia.” Sound familiar? It should. It means a “fellowship of like-mindedness,” a “togetherness with a shared purpose.” Koinonia.  We’ve all heard that word before, right? That’s what we’re doing when we share in the food and drink… we’re supposed to be spiritually sharing in the Lord’s Final Supper, and spiritually together and fellowshipping with Him (and dare I say each other) with a like-mindedness WITH HIM. With the food and drink, which is symbolic of the Lord’s body itself, we are to enter into and share His sufferings… we are to enter into and share His joy of what lay before Him as He gave His life for us…we are to enter into and share His willfulness to do the Father’s will and not His own. Koinonia.

And another thing that popped out at me as I looked at what we call “communion” was the expressed command by Paul to “judge yourself” as you partake of the “Lord’s Supper” –

1 Corinthians 11:27-31

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

And I thought about this “examining and judging ourselves” in connection with the Lord’s Supper, and I began to see why Paul would point this out in this context. Remember the Lord’s Last Supper with His disciples? And do you remember one the most significant parts of that gathering with all 12 of them? The Lord judged one of His disciples, didn’t He?

Matthew 26:20-25

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" 23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."

The Lord Himself pointed out the unworthiness of one of the 12 to “koinonia” with Him, for that man did not share in His or the others’ like-mindedness. Judas sat himself down, he lied and he deceived the Lord and his brothers in Christ… and he did not change his mind concerning his direction, though the Lord clearly examined and judged him right then and there.

So Paul, in all his wisdom, exhorts those who “koinonia” together over the partaking of the Lord’s Supper together to check yourselves in this way… are you fellowshipping properly with the Lord? Or are you secretly determining that you want to subvert the sufferings to come, and instead profit from the world rather than share and enter into that communion that the Lord is offering? It is now that we need to do this, for if we would do this ourselves, NOW, the Lord won’t have to do it when we meet Him face to face.

And I think that would be why, going back to the use of the specific translation of “communion” for koinonia, one of the three places we see that word used is in this passage –

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you." 18 I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty."

We need to have a proper understanding of the word “communion,” each and every time we use it, and we need to “koinonia” properly, with a proper perspective.