THE LORD'S SUPPER
THE LORD’S SUPPER
The love of Christ is the central thought in the Lord’s supper. There is no intimation in Matthew or Mark that the Supper was to be continued, but in Luke the Lord says, “This do in remembrance of me”. This is confirmed to us in 1 Corinthians 11, though possibly that epistle may have been written before Luke.
As the Lord’s day dawns we realise in a peculiar way that the Lord is absent, and we who love Him long for His company, and come together to break bread for the calling of Him to mind. The Lord Himself made the suggestion that this should be done; it did not proceed from the disciples. It was the suggestion of His own love, and it can only be rightly done under the impulse of that love.
When we think of what His body was — of all that was wrought and expressed in it — and that He says, “This is for you”, it excludes every element of lawlessness. There were those at Corinth who were disorderly; they did not distinguish the body. It can only be truly distinguished by those who are morally after His order. All can see that the lawless man — the man after the flesh — could not distinguish it.
When the Lord made known to Paul what had taken place on the night when He was delivered up with a view to the Supper being eaten by gentile believers, He intimated from heaven that His love to the saints was as great as when He died. Each time we come together it remains in all its abiding blessedness. It is not historical remembrance of a Person or a fact. Indeed, we never knew the Lord as the apostles knew Him, but we have the Supper suggesting His great love in all its abidingness for us.
We can individually cherish the Lord’s love. A bed-ridden saint may have all the preciousness of such a word as “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him”, John 14: 23. But there is a great difference between this and the enjoyment of the Lord’s love collectively and in assembly affections. How blessed to be together in affection for Him who gave Himself for us!
In Luke 22 the conditions on the side of the disciples were very imperfect, but [p. 165] there was ability in His love to displace all that was imperfect by the perfection that was in Himself.
There was ability in His love to adjust everything. When we come together conditions on our side may be imperfect, but He brings us into the presence of that which will subdue everything. The Lord delights to assert the supremacy of His love; He delights to bring the saints effectively into the good of all that was secured for them by His death.
The love set forth in the Supper intimates to the saints the delight which the Lord would have in coming to His loved company. He wishes to be present with them, and if we enter into the import of the Supper we shall constitute a company such as He could give His presence to. It requires suited conditions for Him to be there, and if they are present He would not keep away; in His love He must come.
But then this has in view our being conducted by Him to His Father and God. Think of the wonderful place which He has as ascending to His Father and our Father, and His God and our God! If we knew what it was to be brethren of the ascending One we should return to responsible life in an extraordinary way. The power for testimony would be commensurate with the high elevation to which sovereign love has brought us. The privilege of the assembly has in view a great effect in testimony here. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”. I believe the Lord would impress us as together with a character which would fit us for the mission here. So that it is a serious thing not to get this impression on each occasion. If we miss it one Lord’s day we have no opportunity of getting just that particular impression until found in assembly again.
If people take up the Supper as a command they may be only seen amongst the saints on the Lord’s day. But if we know it as the suggestion of His love, and see how He values our affections and interest, we shall delight to come together with the brethren to pray. For if the assembly is the place where the Lord qualifies us for the testimony it makes the meeting for prayer a great necessity to us. We need divine help and guidance at every moment if we are to be maintained rightly in the mission. Then the reading of the Scriptures together becomes a necessity also, for we need all the divine instruction that is available, and I have no doubt that the Scriptures are opened up by the Spirit when the saints are together in a way that no private study or meditation could give.