On the night before his death, Jesus gathered his closest companions in an upper room to celebrate Passover. It was 14th Nisan and this annual event had been part of life in Israel and Judah for about 1,500 years, since the exodus from Egypt. The requirements were to eat lamb with bitter greens, along with unleavened bread. Red wine had also become a customary part of the meal, although it was not originally specified. And so Jesus and his twelve apostles ate the Passover meal. When they had finished, and after Judas had departed, he took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and told them to eat saying ‘This is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ Likewise with the cup of wine he said ‘This is my blood of the covenant.’ All four accounts give slightly different details but the instruction was clear: ‘do this in remembrance of me.’
This very simple command, given entirely without specific details, raises some very important questions. Who should do this? When? How often? Are the bread and wine important in themselves?
Who? Well, nowhere does Jesus say that some of his disciples should not eat and drink. Nowhere does he say ‘do this, but not all of you, just a few of you’. This command logically applies to all of Jesus’s followers, all those who believe, have faith, and wish to live forever in his presence. This is the answer to that provocative statement at John 6:53: ‘Unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you’. It is an act of faith!
When? Again, there is no clear direction. Jesus did it on the evening of Passover because it was the ideal opportunity, and it would be his last opportunity. He was gathered only with those who had stood by him through his trials (Luke 22:28). It was an intimate matter, not a free-for-all - or even a mass-recruitment event!
If we are to commemorate this on an annual basis, on what date should we do so? The Catholics celebrate the Lord’s Supper, the historical event, on Maundy Thursday. The Jews still keep Passover according to their calendar. Jehovah’s Witnesses do it on a date of their reckoning – and usually different to everybody else. They also insist that the bread and wine not be passed until the sun has set, local time. Some others go with sunset, Jerusalem time. Who is to say what is right and acceptable to the Lord? Is the liturgy more important than the event? Do the specifics trump the principles? So many questions, and nothing in those simple words ‘do this in remembrance of me’ to answer any of them!
How often? Passover was an annual event, but again Jesus does not specify how often they should perform this new command. At 1 Corinthians 11 Paul adds ‘for as often as you do this’, suggesting that it was perhaps a frequent event. Is there any significance in the bread being unleavened? No. This was important for Passover, and Jesus used unleavened bread because that is what he had available, but nowhere does he state that we must continue using unleavened bread. Indeed, the Eastern Orthodox Church uses leavened bread to represent his resurrection. And would it be disastrous to drink grape juice in favour of wine? There are no mystical qualities in the bread and wine. The purpose of this is so that we remember our Lord.
Can we determine, are there any clues, as to when and how often first century believers remembered Jesus this way? Yes we can, perhaps not with absolute certainty but we can find interesting information, if we have a decent version of the Bible, perhaps several. The key text is Acts 2:42:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
In NWT ‘breaking of bread’ is changed to ‘taking of meals’. This verse refers to the three thousand who got baptised at Pentecost. They were enthusiastic and wanted to follow-up on their new-found faith with acts of devotion – learning more, associating, breaking bread and prayer. These are all acts of worship. It seems that breaking bread had significance beyond the mundane daily feed. For the Watchtower Society to relegate the daily Lord’s Supper to a common meal in their interpretation is lamentable. The next reference is just four verses later. Acts 2:46 says:
With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart.
This is clearly ambiguous. Was the breaking of bread part of the meals subsequently mentioned, or a separate ritual, an act of worship, perhaps prior to taking the main meal? Most commentators accept that this was a daily event, in various homes in which the Lord’s Supper was combined with ordinary meals. Ellicott suggests that the communal meals eventually became the love feasts (2 Pet 2:13; Jude 12), while the breaking of bread developed into Communion, Eucharist.
The words found at Acts 20:7 tell us that ‘On the first day of the week we came together to break bread’, although Paul did not actually perform this act until after midnight, and after the resurrection of Eutychus (v11). That he waited seven days in Troas when he was in such a hurry to arrive in Jerusalem suggests that this event on the first day of the week was important and could not be rearranged. He left immediately, at daybreak, travelling overland to catch up with his companions who had gone ahead on board ship. When taken with the counsel at 1 Corinthians 16:2 to set aside a portion of income ‘On the first day of the week’ it seems that the daily breaking of bread had become a weekly event. It is noteworthy that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week, or at least started to appear to the disciples (John 20:1). Eight days later, the first day of the following week, he appeared again when Thomas was present (John 20:26). Pentecost of that year also fell on the first day of the week. Perhaps he was indicating that the first day of the week, following the last day of the week which was the Sabbath from the Law that was no longer binding, was to become a new weekly event for the new congregation of Christ, comprising both Jews and Gentiles. (NB – Biblically, Saturday is the Sabbath, Sunday the first day; the treating of Monday as the first day of the week is a modern arrangement).
That the breaking of bread has a religious significance is clear from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17:
Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.
Here there is spiritual meaning. Many are sharing the one loaf in complete union, and breaking it makes this possible. It refers not to many loaves. Paul goes on to explain at 11:24 how Jesus likewise broke the bread and handed it round for the apostles to eat. This is my body, he said, so breaking the one loaf made it possible for all to partake of him.
Further in chapter eleven, Paul discusses the matter of partaking unworthily. This is different to being unworthy. We are all unworthy. Unworthily refers to the way we partake. The Corinthians were treating it as a party – a time to eat and drink – so Paul had to warn them against irreverence, treating the Lord’s Supper as ordinary. Then, having addressed the outward practices, in verses 27 to 29 he encourages each one to examine himself. Do I truly believe, am I partaking in faith? Have I confessed my sins and forgiven my brother? Am I approaching with a clean conscience? Partaking of the bread and wine has nothing to do with who we claim to be, what secret funny feelings we might have had that cannot be corroborated, but everything to do with the inner person, our motivation for attending. So by inviting all and sundry, is this not enticing each one of them to eat and drink unworthily?
There are other references to bread breaking, other than when Jesus broke it to feed the multitudes. When Jesus arrived at Emmaus and broke bread (Luke 24:30, 35), the only significance appears to be as an act of revelation rather than as communion. Their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus. At Acts 27:35, whilst on board the doomed ship, Paul took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to eat, after which others also took food.
How do modern religions interpret the Bible in this regard? The Catholics cover all the bases. Mass is offered every day; the faithful are expected to attend every Sunday. Maundy Thursday is the annual commemoration of the historical event of the Last Supper. John Calvin was keen that communion take place at least once a week so many Reformed and Anglican groups follow likewise with a weekly event. Monthly communion is very common among Methodists and Baptists, inter alia. Apparently some Presbyterian and evangelical groups observe this on a quarterly basis, and there are those who wish to preserve Passover symbolism by observing communion either annually or on special holy days. But with dwindling attendance, the shortage of clergy, and the closing of religious buildings, many congregations, particularly in the western world, do it whenever they can.
The purpose of this piece is to stimulate critical thinking and to inspire you to further research. How do you read the scriptures? How often do you wish to partake of the bread and wine? How do you make sure of what is important to the Lord (Eph 5:10)? Whilst the Bible seems to allow for some latitude in the how often question, on the first day of the week is the leading contender. This is the rhythm that began to emerge after that initial enthusiasm of every day. Observing annually gives the event a certain gravitas, providing a focus in the year that makes this day special. But there is no obvious mandate in the scriptures to support this, unless continuing Passover tradition is important to you.
Appendix
The Greek verb to break is klao – to break (bread) - appears 14 times in the NT, eight of which are in the synaptic gospels, referring specifically to Jesus. The other six are found at Acts 2:46, 20:7, 11, 27:35; 1 Cor 10:16, 11:24. Its noun klasis – breaking - occurs twice: at Luke 24:35 and Acts 2:42.