Communion and Its Significance

John 11:44
Milk
July 6th, 2014

Welcome.

Let’s begin with prayer and then join together and commemorate the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on our behalf.

PRAYER

The Last Supper

In Matthew 26, after Judas is exposed as the traitor and he leaves the room, Jesus is left in the upper chamber with the remaining eleven disciples. They were having a meal together – eating food, drinking wine. And we read:

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it (many Greek mss say that He gave thanks for it here), and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Later, the Apostle Paul, who was not present at this gathering of the original eleven, added His personal testimony of this practice saying in 1st Corinthians 11 –

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. till he come.”

Different Interpretations of Communion

From the beginning of Church history, the practice of communion has had all sorts of applications, hasn’t it? The Church institutions have taken ownership of it in many cases, allowing and disallowing people to ingest the elements depending on all sorts of factors and fictions.

You may have noticed that we have not been taking communion “religiously” here. Part of the reason is built right into how I just said what I said. When people do things religiously it tends to remove some of the meaning and importance – and if we know anything about God He wants us to do things with all of our heart toward Him… not rotely, not perfunctorily. He seems to hate that.

Additionally, I am of the biblically based opinion (and stand on this opinion as strongly as I stand on the opinion that Jesus was born) but I am of the opinion that the New Testament books unitedly confirm that Jesus returned for His church in 70 AD. Since Paul wrote that Jesus instructed His disciples to “do this” (do communion till He comes) I am of the opinion that thereafter the memorial is wholly open and believers are free to do it as often (or as least often) as they’d like.

I do not see the practice as deleterious or damaging but uplifting and encouraging and one of the few material applications believers have in their walk with Christ (water baptism is another) but I am of the opinion that man has taken this simple gesture of the Lord in that simple upper room gathering and, like it does with so many other things, turned it into either a spectacle, or a thing that should not be.

Symbols of Communion

The bread is unleavened – without yeast – making it flat and un-putrified – without corrosive bubbles, typifying the Lord’s life of humility, or a life void of sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.. Lacking all pride. The wine is regular juice of grapes or it’s fermented meaning it contains alcohol. We do that because that is the best symbol of His life’s blood – it’s what He drank, it’s what He turned water into, it’s alcohol typifying an ability to cleanse and sanctify.

These elements are here for you to decide to take in remembrance of Him. It’s your decision. In so doing you are admitting to yourself, to God, and to others that you believe – to some degree or another – that He gave His life – in eating and drinking you are showing a faith that His death was real and for the world.

Why don’t we begin with singing or reflecting on the Lord’s words as He offered up His life for us. Afterward we’ll sit in silence and reflection and then when His Words spoken about taking and eating you are all invited to come forward and do exactly that.

Play the seven statements.

Jesus and the Weeping

of the Cross. Silence, then “Play Take Eat” Communion

Alright, we left off last week with verse 35 of Jon chapter 11 which says:

Jesus wept.

Now, after our gathering last week I had the chance to hear a few opinions on the matter of Jesus weeping. Some believers provided me with yet another way to see the reason He wept – He was weeping over their unbelief. This insight carries some weight in my opinion.

First of all, some suggest that Jesus did nothing by emotion. On this I’m not sure I agree. I think we could certainly say that He did not let His emotions rule His life (as we might let ourselves do at times) but this does not mean he didn’t have any and that they didn’t manifest themselves. But we must admit, this is the last real miracle John reveals in His Gospel prior to Jesus entering into Jerusalem and therefore He is headed to His passion. Time is running short and He could have been moved to tears by the faithlessness expressed by both Martha, Mary and the Jews who gathered around Him. Maybe He wept over the fact that they were not looking to Him to save the day and raise Lazarus but instead seemed relinquished to the idea that he was dead (and had he been there he would not have died).

Additionally it was noted to me that had Martha truly had a change of heart toward Jesus identity and ability she would have shared it with Mary when she went to her secretly. Instead all she said was the Master (not the Lord or the Messiah but the teacher) has come and calls for you. I think there is merit to this insight as well because as we will read today, Martha tries to prevent the Lord from opening Larazus’s tomb which causes Him to remind her to be believing. The idea was if she had really trusted in Him as messiah she would have not reacted this way.

Reflection on Faith and Belief

So, in the end this is yet another perspective to seriously consider to the story of Lazarus – that the Lord wept due to their weak or altogether missing faith. There perhaps is an even greater message and lesson to learn from all of this.

I want to take just a minute and express it because it is important to all we are trying to do here through CAMPUS. I want you to understand my view of how Christianity looks today because it is very, very different from the way most denoms and pastors and churches do church.

History and the Christian Faith

This book (the Bible) is a history book. And the history it presents is God’s dealings with the Nation of Israel. We trust it was written by inspiration and had physical application for those it was written for then. Naturally, the Old Testament is a book reflecting God’s dealings with the Nation of Israel. They were long promised a Messiah. After 400 years of silence the Messiah arrived, and He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets and to the House of Israel specifically. From Jesus to His apostles it was the Old Testament that they referred to for guidance (along with letters and epistles written by the apostles for their benefit).

While the early Christians looked to the Old Testament they would never re-adopt its physical practices – they learned from the scripture, took what was applicable, and let the rest remain as a part of their ancient history. In the Apostolic church, the letters and epistles they wrote were available to the people (or church) they were written to (like the people of Corinth certainly had Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians) and sometimes those letters made their way into the hands of believers in other parts of the Body. It was at least once hundred and twenty years before any semblance of the New Testament was agreed upon (and there were a LOT of other books that were floating around that were suspect) and it wasn’t for another 150 years before the New Testament books were canonized (or deemed inspired).

Then, it wasn’t for another 105 years when Jerome completed the first total translation of what we call the Bible (so now it’s 405 AD) and by that time most people couldn’t read Latin. Finally, with the advent of the printing press, the Bible wasn’t available to the masses to read until 1450.

I mention this to ask: How did God reach people with the Truth, how did they know God, how were they led since what we call the Bible wasn’t really available to believers for the first…

The Role of Apostolic Guidance

1500 years of Christianity?

Let me try and explain.

Jesus came and fulfilled all that was necessary in God’s commitment to the House of Israel. He chose twelve apostles, witnesses of His resurrection to teach and guide His church. They wrote letters that were applicable to them literally and physically until Christ came. They oversaw a church that was spirit-filled and spirit-led with apostolic guidance and the gates of hell could not prevail against it.

When that age was complete, and all the apostles died, and the Bible was not yet compiled or agreed upon, people were guided by the Holy Spirit. After the end of the Old Covenant, God promised those in the New Covenant (made possible by the shed blood of Christ) to guide people from the heart.

The New Covenant in Believers' Hearts

In Hebrews 10:16, this is how the writer of Hebrews says God puts it:

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.”

This is a paraphrase from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah which says:

Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Paul adds how he sees believers as a result of God writing His laws on our hearts in 2nd Corinthians 3:3, saying:

“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

The Purpose of the New Testament

So what am I saying? Simply this:

Nowhere in the New Testament do we have any directive from either the Lord or any of the apostles that the Bible was written for people to use as a manual after the apostolic age. Nowhere. Contextually speaking, the New Testament was written for that people at that time and for the church of that age (which Jesus promised He would come back and save) to use as a literal, physical model for them to follow.

That is context. Ever since Constantine gathered up the Bible and put it together and Catholicism began to reign, men have taken the directives and assigned them to their day and age. All this has amounted to is division, bloodshed, denominationalism, and claims by Alexander Campbell and Joseph Smith and Ellen G White and Charles Taze Russell that the truths (of the early Christian church) needs to be restored to the way it was. This has NEVER been so.

What is so is since Christ has fulfilled His salvific work for humankind, and His Church, and His work among the Nation of Israel, everything is spiritual. And since in the new covenant God writes His laws upon our minds and hearts we use the Bible to increase our faith (which comes by hearing the word) and to give spiritual insight to the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives subjectively.

To we study the Bible! Of course! It remains the living Word of God. Hearing and reading it is how we increase in our faith! But it is a gigantic error on our part to try and take what happened in the History of God working with people who were under the Law, and try and apply what they did as a means to play church today.

I say all of this because in this room we are all believers. The Lord has written on your heart as He has written on mine. I am called a pastor but I am just a teacher of the word and have no greater insight to the jewels and gems of scripture than you. I have no authority over you – His laws and written on your heart too. All I am is the one who runs this gathering and keeps it operating. There is no confession of sin to me – you, as a believer confess to God, just as I confess to Him. I have no more authority to baptize, to pray or bless, than you.

Equality in Faith

We are equals. It was the sharing of ideas from Phyllis, Kathy, and Marnita that brought this picture to mind. So while I might have more insight into the Word because I have made it my life to understand, my interpretations are at best limited, can be enhanced and even corrected by yours, and what I say and do is said and done to help build faith.

This brings me to the last point – our gathering together is a physical activity that does reflect a physical activity found in the New Testament church. We live in a physical world so there are some things that will carry over directly. But the idea of establishing a church, with all the trappings of the Apostolic church, would be like establishing a hospital with all the practices of early medical procedures still in place.

In other words, in a time when God has written His laws on individual believers' minds and hearts, there is no more reason to establish church in the manner that the apostles did than there would be for a modern hospital to continue to have leeches in jars or phrenology charts on the walls. We do NOT play church here. We gather to increase our faith by hearing the Word. Your Christian walk, your sin, your righteousness is a personal subjective experience for which you are responsible before God – not me, not a board of elders, not the congregation. Such things are all part of men playing church.

Insights from John 11

This approach is a concrete part of CAMPUS gatherings and I hope it makes some sense to you. Okay.

Back to the narrative of John 11. After writing Jesus wept, John continues at verse 36 saying:

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Perspectives on Jesus' Compassion

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

Based on our new insights, these Jews could have been misunderstanding His tears or they tapped into the Godly love Jesus had for the situation at hand. Whatever it was we seem to be witnessing the fact that some of the Jews hearts were softening toward the Lord. In fact, verse 37 says

37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Last week we discussed the nature of the groaning Jesus was doing back in verse 33 and here in verse 37 it’s the same type – again lending credence to the idea that He was more troubled with the situation (and maybe the faithlessness of the people) than He was troubled in the way that causes us to groan when we are in pain.

AS typical, Lazarus was buried in a cave which was most likely dug out from the side of a limestone hill. To seal such caves shut once the dead was placed inside they would use stones to cover the entrance.

39 Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone.”

This line carries with it all sorts of implications. First of all, according to the Talmud once the stone was set it was unlawful to remove it. This was probably a means to keep order, hygienic purposes, keep wild animals out.

The Law and Faith

Keep grave robbers out, etc. Additionally, to engage with dead things was wholly against the Law of Moses. To roll a stone back put the potential of uncleanliness front and center. Additionally, we note that Jesus stayed away from the tomb Himself. I would not think this was because He was afraid of being made unclean (He ate with sinners after all) but to 1) make sure He had no contact with the scene so there could be no question about His involvement with the corpse, and 2) it seems He placed those who were with Him on the spot to see if they trusted His advice. All throughout the Bible (but not in every case) but all throughout the New Testament Jesus gives commands and people are required to either follow them (by faith – since there was no evidence what He was about to do could be done) or to resist the command as it being untenable.

Commands and Responses

He told Mary and Martha and those with Him to roll the stone back amidst every reason we just gave on why they shouldn’t. They had to decide to act (in faith) which might result in their brother rising from the grave or refuse. To the man with the withered hand Jesus commanded Him to stretch forth His hand. To the man with lame legs He commanded Him to rise up and walk. To Peter on the storm-tossed sea He said, “Come on out.” And to every single person, He is constantly calling us to move, to act, in faith. If we have not trusted Him with our lives, He asks us to give it up. It seems, to me, that there is an exchange that occurs between God and Man in matters of faith. He gives promises – and we have to act to see them occur. I believe this is a biblical principle. And I think it is being played out here with Mary and Martha and those Jews who were there to assist them.

Martha's Hesitation

So He says, Roll the stone back, and John writes that: “Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Like the ladies said, Martha hasn’t yet seemed to really comprehend His nature. Or, maybe she was still a bit wishy-washy on how to respond to the fact that she did believe on Him. Whatever it was she questioned the Lord’s directive. She blinked. We see this trepidation in our children when it comes to them doing something they are not so sure about – like jumping off the diving board for the first time. “Come on,” we reassure them, everything will be fine. I’m right here to catch you.” But they are uncertain – like Martha. She has professed that she believed that “even now” God would give Him whatever He asked.” And she has professed that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. But when something as radical was presented to her (like opening the tomb of her brother who had been laying inside dead for four days), she blinked.

“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Unless Jesus said this and John failed to report it we must assume the meaning was implied when He told Martha about her brother rising again (which would obviously be to the glory of God who would cause such a thing). Maybe at this point Martha was only so far along in her faith and did not believe the Lord was going to raise her brother. Maybe she thought the Lord just wanted to see the corpse and this caused Martha to remind the Lord that by that time he had to smell – it had been four days, after all.

The Name Lazarus

Now, to Lazarus. In every parable and story that Jesus tells He never uses a proper noun to describe the characters. He will say things like: There was a rich man. There was a farmer. There was a King. There was a woman. A sheep herder. The only exception to this is in the story of the Rich man and . . . that’s right, someone Jesus actually names – Lazarus. The story is only found in Luke chapter 16. The chapter opens up with the Lord teaching some principles about money and He adds this famous bromide: “No man can serve two masters – He will love the one and hate the other.” And then added, “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” Luke goes on and says this.

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man

Teaching made the Pharisees angry because they were covetous. And then the Lord continues and tells another “apparent” parable.

This is how it goes:

The Story

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Insights on Lazarus

I’m not going to go into detail about the story but I mention it because of the Lord’s use of the proper noun Lazarus in teaching it.

Why? I believe it was not a parable but a true story. And that in His telling of it I think we learn some things about Lazarus – like where he was and what he was doing while his body laid in the grave.

Last week or the week before we talked about soul sleep. This story found in Luke suggests strongly that soul sleep is untrue. It clearly intimates that there is interaction among the dead, there is rest and suffering, there is division between them, and that there is no coming back.

The thirst part is quizzical and for another time, but in the context of what Jesus was talking about, that it is impossible to serve both God and Mammon, His point is made in this follow-up story about the rich man and Lazarus, isn’t it? (verse 41)

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

The fact that He lifted up his eyes speaks of Him praying. And He thanks the Father that “He has heard Him.” Now, either John has not given us the entire prayer here or Jesus has been silently communicating with the Father and is just thanking Him for the things He has already silently told him.

He goes on:

42 “And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Conclusion

In other words, He seems to be saying: “I know you always hear me, Father, but I thanked you out loud for hearing me because of the presence of the people which are standing by so that they may believe that you have sent me.”

This prayer seems to be saying that Jesus knew what was about to happen, He wanted the believe who were about to witness it to know that it happened because Jesus had been sent by the Father, and so He tied the Father into the event (through prayer) to prove He was from God. (verse 43)

43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

The Greek versions say, "with a great voice." And the Syriac versions say, "With a high voice."

In either case, it was a distinct assertion of His power. Apparently the ancient pagans would

The Power of Jesus to Give Life

Mutter their incantations, and speak subtly and in whispers but Jesus bold proclaimed His desires – Lazarus come forth.

And while He thanks the Father for hearing Him Jesus spoke of His own power here. No magical formulae. No priesthood. Just the words.

Even among the pagans raising a being to life (from the dead) was viewed as one of the most supreme powers because it not only implied the power of God to reanimate a deceased body but so did by entering the world of spirits, taking command of the departed soul (who is in the presence of heaven or hell) and pulling it out to be reuniting with the body. This single act proves perhaps as much as any other that He was omnipotent, all powerful and divine.

Lazarus Comes Forth

(Verse 44)

44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

He that was dead came forth. The picture of Christ giving life to all who are dead and come to new life. The picture of all of us being dead to the unmerited gift of God within us, and Him calling us forth to new life, and our responding.

Certainly, there is a picture of the Resurrection here. This cannot be denied. But I cannot help but believe that the best illustration is Jesus is Lord of the living, and He gives life to any and all who hear the call.

Removing the Graveclothes

Of course Lazarus did nothing to merit this gift Christ gave him, but we do have to wonder if he had the choice while resting in Abraham’s bosom. Whatever came into play, Lazarus came forth, bound (hand and foot) in the preparations of Man.

In a highly symbolic gesture, Jesus, who had given Him life from the dead, tells them to “loose him,” from these preparations. Remove the bandages, so that he may walk freely. Those things men have placed on Lazarus in the face of his death are meaningless now and will only serve to hinder his movements.

“Take them away,” Jesus says, “and let him go.” I can’t help but believe these same words apply to all Jesus sets free.