When I discuss communion with most Christians it is evident that the ordinance of Communion is often overlooked as being placed by Christ within the meal of Passover itself. Why didn't Jesus just wander up to the Garden with his friends with a little basket of bread and wine on the first day of Unleavened Bread and say, "Hey guys we usually celebrate Passover, but this year we are doing it differently, this year I am changing it to "communion". Instead Jesus institutes communion, (our remembering of what Jesus did for us and is about to do for the world all those years ago) right into Passover itself? Most people have no idea.
Another interesting fact is where in the meal is the "communion" celebration inserted and why? In the texts of Matthew, Mark and Luke we get a good idea of where communion was instituted. It is inserted directly before the singing of the last hymn. Singing of the last hymn was the final step in the meal after the lamb has been eaten. The Passover Lamb signifies the physical salvation from Egypt and particuarly the salvation of the First borns from the Death Angel.
Passover is the celebration of the sparing of the first born children from a PRE- MATURE PHYSICAL DEATH, the problem with this however is that although the children were saved then, (by the blood of the lamb) they will die physically later. Is Passover a celabration of the physical salvation of the first born of Israel? I would agree and say Yes. Jesus however wants to make Passover spiritual, He wants to take something dead and make it alive, But where does he do this? How does he do this?
The first major fact of importance is that Communion is instituted at the close of the supper before the last hymn is sung, see Matt 26- 26- 31. WHy doesn't Jesus institute our responsibility to remember Him before the eating of the lamb or even during it? I thnk He wants to make very certain that to the best of His ability we are reminded that communion is a celebration of what has already happened. The power of salvation is in the lamb, not the elements. I mean you could argue for some pretty convincing theology for transubstantiation and consubstantiation if Jesus had inserted the elements in Passover before the work of the lamb or even during the work of the lamb. In fact if he had done that you might even be able to argue that communion is a requirement for salvation. But it isn't.
If you remember the significance of the Passover lamb, the death angel did not fly around and look in tents and say, "oops sorry Jewish family, I will move on to the Egyptian house to kill them" The work of the death angel was not quenched by race or work of person but rather the work of the lamb. Did the tent have lambs blood on it or not? That was the deciding factor.
Jesus purposefully inserts communion, (our responsibility to remember His work) into Passover after the "work of the lamb" itself so as to never confuse that communion is a response to what has already been done for us by the lamb.
Christ is the Passover Lamb that after that night will go and do ultimately what we cannot do ourselves, and how blasphemous for us to take his institution of communion to a level of work that one does to hold up along side the work of the cross and the tomb. "thank you Jesus for all that you have done for me, but just to make sure I better take communion to ensure my place in the Kingdom." Erroneous Doctrine. We are given communion to remember so as that we will not forget the past, present and future work of the Lamb.
Happy Easter
