Q1 To you and to the Church, Do you think Communion is important? Why?


Context of the Communion, or the Lord's Supper

Connection to the Old Testament

The Passover meal is often seen as a significant foreshadowing of Communion. Or in other words, Jesus himself is the fulfillment of the Passover.

Q2. What parallels do you see between the events of the first Passover in Exodus 12 and Jesus? (Consider the lamb, the blood, and the deliverance from slavery).


Read the following passages:

Exodus 12:3, 8

3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 


Matthew 26:26-29

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and broke it. He handed it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup. He gave thanks and handed it to them. He said, “All of you drink from it. 28 This is my blood of the covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many people. 29 Here is what I tell you. From now on, I won’t drink wine with you again until the day I drink it with you in my Father’s kingdom.”


Q3. Do you notice the same wording of the command of the Passover “Take, Eat” is used by Jesus? What is the significance here?


Q4. What is the meaning of Communion in the context of Passover?

The sentence “It (This) is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord” (Exodus 12:26) is to be recited in the Passover meal about its meaning. 

Read Exodus 12:26 and compare with Matthew 26:26-29. What is significance of the similar wording “This is my body” and “It (This) is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord”? How about their differences? 

Why is Jesus using the same words from Exodus but modify the sentence?


Exodus 12:26

26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It (This) is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.


Q5. Jesus took the bread (the sides) and said “This is my body”. Why didn’t He take the lamb (the main dish)?


Q6. The deliverance of Exodus is remembered by Israelites every year by taking the Passover meal. (Exodus 12:26-27). Read Luke 22:19-20, remembrance is also presence in Communion. What is the similarity and difference of Passover and Communion in terms of rememberance?

Luke 22:19-20

19 Then Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and broke it. He handed it to them and said, “This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do this in memory of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup. He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. It is poured out for you.


Exodus 24:8-11

4 Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.


Q6 Compare Luke 22:20 and Exodus 24:8, what is the similarities and differences between old covenant in Exodus and the new covenant? How is Jesus the fulfillment of the covenant between God and man?


Reflections:

Q7 What does Communion mean to Christians? Which aspect of the Communion is most helpful and important to you?