1.Introduction
(a)Sometimes when you go shopping at a supermarket you will see people offering small samples of a new product, such as a new brand of cheese, a new type of salami, or a new sort of bread.
(b)If they are giving away samples of a new type of bread, they may well be the same size as the pieces of bread we use at Communion – which raises the question, how is it different?
2.Ordinary Bread
(a)Chemical composition – 50% carbohydrates, 8% protein, 3% dietary fibre
(b)The difference lies in symbolism – the way in which it is used – the act of receiving / eating, and what that means.
(c)Necessity of faith – I can't prove to you that it isn't just ordinary bread.
(d)So what does it mean? We will answer this question by looking at John 6, and applying it to the Lord's Supper (also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist).
(e)We can also note at this point that the Lord's Supper is connected to the past, the present and the future – in 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul says “you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” In the Lord's Supper we look back to Jesus' death, and forward to his return. Today, however, we will focus mainly on the present aspect – that in the present, right now, Jesus offers himself to us as the Bread of Life.
3.Living Bread
(a)John 6 – after the feeding of the 5000, Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life.”
(b)The Communion bread isn't the bread of life – it points to Jesus who is the true, life-giving Bread.
(c)The bread come down from heaven (verse 41)
i.the Incarnation – Jesus being born, the Word becoming flesh – of particular significance today, the first Sunday in Advent – the period leading up to Christmas, focus on preparing for our Lord's coming.
ii.We feed on his flesh and blood remembering that he became flesh and blood
(d)Food (particularly bread) nourishes and gives life
i.Comparison with manna (verse 49)
ii.The Israelites had bread from heaven, but now they are all dead – Jesus, however, is the true bread from heaven, the True Manna.
iii.He is our sustenance for our journey to the Promised Land – and since the communion bread points to Jesus, since as we eat it we feed on Christ – it sustains as well.
iv.In the Lord's Supper we look forward to Jesus' return – specifically, we look forward to the great feast in paradise. “I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom”(Matthew 26:29).
v.The Lord's Supper is a foretaste of that – looking forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19. Horatius Bonar puts it very well:
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by;
Yet, passing, points to the glad feast above,
Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,
The Lamb’s great bridal feast of bliss and love.
(e)We obtain life from his death (verse 51)
i.He gave his life on behalf of the world (Greek word!) which indicates substitution – he died in our place.
(f)Jesus offers us life – as the Choir will sing shortly in the offertory hymn, “Whoever feeds on this bread, will live forever” (verse 58).
4.Sacramental Bread
(a)One of the things we can say about the Lord's Supper is that it is a seal.
(b)Seals on university degrees (illustration going all the way back to John Calvin) – declaring that you have, for example, Jane Smith obtaining a Bachelor of Education.
(c)In the same way, participation in the Lord's Supper actually does something – it's not just an illustration, not just a visual aid, not just God's PowerPoint presentation to help us understand the gospel better, not merely symbolic, any more than the University Seal is merely symbolic.
(d)In the Lord's Supper, Christ confirms his promise to us that he is the Bread of life
i.Confirmation – the University seal is useless attached to a blank document, and in the same way the Lord's Supper supports and confirms God's promises to us. It backs up the gospel promise that Christ died for our sins, and that whoever believes in him has eternal life.
ii.Proclamation – just as a university degree proclaims someone as passed the requirements, so the Lord's Supper proclaims Jesus' death – just as the wine (or grape juice) is poured out and the bread is broken, so Jesus died for our sins.
iii.Assurance – just as a teacher who is wondering if she is really qualified can look at her degree and be assured, so the Lord's Supper strengthens out faith.
(e)Christ gave himself for us once, on the cross, but he gives himself constantly to us in the offer of the gospel, and in the Lord's Supper, where he seals that offer. Calvin says that the sacrament “gives us a taste and relish” for the Bread of Life, who is Christ.
5.Eating the Bread
(a)Feed on Christ! If it sounds strange, be assured that it would have done so to Jesus' hearers – his disciples (not just his opponents) grumbled at this saying (verse 62). It means coming to him and believing him! (verses 35 and 47-48).
(b)Come to him you've never done so before, and keep on coming to him. Every day commit your life to him, and trust in his sacrificial death!
6.Conclusion
(a)Don't bother about other sources of sustenance. What nourishes your soul? This chapter reminds us that it must be Jesus, more than art, music, literature, work, family, church – even the Lord's Supper itself.
(b)Come to the table in faith! Don't eat the bread as if you were sampling a new product at a supermarket! Rather, come to the table believing in Jesus, trusting in his death to pay for your sins.
This will be the last Sunday hymn I post this year. And since we celebrated the Lord's Supper today, this one seemed appropriate – written by a man who went from being known as a "dumb ox" to being called the "Angelic Doctor"...
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