100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
57. The Lord’s Supper
The New Testament states that Jesus instituted the communion meal, or the Lord’s Supper, the night of His arrest and trial, and subsequent execution. In the minds of Christians, the communion meal is inseparable from the violent death of Jesus. A Nevertheless, Christians have observed this ordinance with joy from the church’s inception B. The obvious explanation for this apparent paradox is that Jesus did not stay dead. The Lord’s Supper ordinance, with its connection to the violent death of Christianity’s founder, makes sense in light of the Lord’s resurrection, but is curious if the resurrection were not an historic reality.
57. The Lord’s Supper - Notes and References
A. The apostle Paul stated: “For I received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 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. 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. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
B. Acts 2:42 lists the activities of the early church. They continued in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, braking of bread (the Lord’s supper presumably), and prayers. In Acts 2:46 we read, “…and braking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.”