Why celebrate the Lord’s Supper?

Why celebrate the Lord’s Supper?

by the Rev. Paul Seiler

On the evening before the Lord Jesus died on the cross He met with His disciples in the upper room. There the Lord Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples.

It is no mere circumstance that God chose to offer up His only begotten son as a sacrifice for our sins at the time of the Passover. The Passover was a time when the Jews remembered with  thanksgiving how God had miraculously delivered them from bondage in Egypt. The Passover was a memorial feast to remind the people of Israel of the great and mighty works of the LORD and also a time to give thanks to God for His many mercies. Just as the Passover was a memorial and thanksgiving for God’s great salvation from the bondage in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper is a memorial and a thanksgiving for God’s great salvation from the bondage of sin.

In the upper room on the night before His death Jesus broke bread and gave it to His disciples and said, ” This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me;” (Lk. 22:19) He then took the cup and gave them to drink and said “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’ (Luke 22:14-22).

Why do we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Because Jesus gave us this command, and in doing so we give thanks to God for our great salvation from sin and the gift of eternal life. The Lord’s Supper is commonly referred to as the Eucharist, which is the Greek term for giving thanks. We have much reason to give thanks to God for His great salvation.