The Lord's Supper as Memorial
On the night before His death, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as a way for His people to remember Him. Baptists hold to a memorial view — the bread and cup symbolize Christ's body and blood; they do not become His body and blood. The ordinance is rich with meaning, but its power is in the remembering, not the elements.
What Scripture says
All quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).
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Luke 22:19-20
He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke and gave to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me." Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
"Do this in memory of me." Jesus Himself frames it as remembrance.
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1 Corinthians 11:24-25
When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me." In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me."
Paul repeats "in memory of me" twice. Remembrance is the point.
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1 Corinthians 11:26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
The Supper proclaims His death. It is a sermon for the eyes — until He returns.
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1 Corinthians 11:27-29
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord's cup in a manner unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn't discern the Lord's body.
Self-examination matters. The Supper is for those who can examine their hearts before God.
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1 Corinthians 10:16-17
The cup of blessing which we bless, isn't it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn't it a sharing of the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
A sharing — participation, communion. The Supper unites believers in one body.
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Matthew 26:26-29
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, "All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's Kingdom."
The Supper has a forward look too — to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
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John 6:35
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
Jesus calls Himself bread. The image is rich, and the participation is by faith.
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John 6:63
It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
In the same discourse about eating His flesh, Jesus says the flesh profits nothing — the Spirit gives life. This anchors the symbolic reading.
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Hebrews 10:10-14
by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Christ's sacrifice was "once for all." The Lord's Supper is not a re-sacrificing — it is a remembering.
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Acts 2:42
They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
The breaking of bread was a regular practice of the early church — not an occasional one.
A prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the bread and the cup. Thank You for the picture they give us of Your body broken and Your blood poured out for us. Help us never to take this lightly. Examine our hearts. Make us one body, even as we share in one loaf. Amen.