The Bread of Communion

Communion is always within the context of community from the Passover to the Last Supper.

During the Passover, Christ broke bread and told His disciples to take and eat. This represented His body broken for us (Matthew 26:26) and Jesus is called the Bread of Life (John 6:35). By breaking and distributing the bread to eat, the Lord was in essence giving away His life, as it were in pieces, to be consumed by his disciples who in turn become bread for others.

We see this breaking, distributing and gathering of bread illustrated in the feeding of the 5,000 when Jesus order the disciples to gather every fragment so nothing will be lost (John 6:12). Not one crumb or fragment of Christ’s life is ever wasted, but always multiplies.

Compared to Gospel accounts of Mark 14:22 and Matthew 26:26, Luke adds the words, “in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church also includes this call to remember (I Corinthian 11:23-24).

When you hold the bread in your hand during communion, what are you remembering about the body of Christ? And when you eat the bread do you reflect more on your own brokenness/restoration or more on your redeemed life purchased by a broken Redeemer?

Who and what we remember matters when we take communion. For it will help us not to forget our purpose in partaking of the bread both as an individual and a community of believers.

After the resurrection, Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee to find the disciples had returned to fishing. After all the events that transpired, He finds them at the very placed He called them three years before!

What is interesting is that Jesus makes them breakfast but notice the description in John 21:9. There is fish broiling on hot coals and bread.

It could be as simple as having full breakfast but I believe it was to serve as a reminder for one particular disciple. To the other disciples Jesus might say, “Remember I’m the Bread of Life! Remember how I feed the multitudes with only five loaves and fishes! Remember that man shall not live by bread alone but through every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!”

But in this same passage, Jesus turns to Peter and asked him, “Do you love me more than these?” There is speculation to what is meant by “more than these” but undoubtedly Peter understand the question. Jesus might have pointed at the bread and fish (provision) or Peter’s boat (occupation) or toward the disciples (friends and family). Jesus then tells Peter to feed His sheep.

This is the same disciple who betrayed Him. Peter boasted that he would never deny Christ (Matthew 26:35). Peter is a very different man when Jesus meets him. We can say he is very much a broken man (fragmented) from the arrogance and boasting that eventually lead him to deny Christ.

Imagine Jesus holding a piece of bread in hand as He reminded Peter the words in Luke 22:31-32. Satan desired to shift you like wheat but I prayed for you, Peter. Now you can go strengthen your brothers and feed my sheep! The Enemy desired to destroy Peter much like he did to Judas. But this time it worked in Peter’s favor. For you see, the first step in process of sifting wheat is to loosen the chaff from the edible grain, which is called threshing. Whatever remained in Peter’s life after the threshing was not chaff of arrogance and boasting, but edible grain to become bread to feed others!