In Old Testament times, God appointed for Israel, His chosen people, certain feasts and times of special religious services, the purpose of which were to commemorate outstanding events in the history of the nation, and, through reflection upon these Divine mercies, to kindle anew their love and gratitude to the God of their salvation. For example, the Passover Feast was intended to keep fresh in the minds of the Children of Israel their miraculous deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, and to remind them as well &quotthat their own arm did not save them, but God's right hand, and the light of His countenance." Furthermore, it was intended to show to Israel that as their forefathers, on that memorable night in Egypt when God's avenging angel was abroad, owed their safety and deliverance to the shed and sprinkled blood of the Passover Lamb; so, also, in each human life, deliverance from the power of sin, as well as peace with God, can be obtained only through that precious Blood &quotwhich was shed for many for the remission of sins."

The children of God in this New Testament dispensation are not called upon to observe those special occasions which were incumbent upon His people in Old Testament times. That does not mean that the Church of God in this dispensation has no time of special commemoration enjoined upon her. The Word of God plainly declares that our Lord Jesus, on the eve of His betrayal and death, instituted a special feast which He commanded His followers to continue to observe until His return. This special feast, which our Saviour instituted for His people to observe, is commonly known as &quotThe Lord's Supper." Let us consider briefly what God's Word has to say in regard to the Lord's Supper and its observance.

1. The Simplicity of the Supper

Ornate display and elaborate ceremonial were integral parts and prominent features of many of the special occasions celebrated by God's people in Old Testament times. When we come to the New Testa ment, however, and consider the Lord's Supper as instituted by Christ Himself, we find a complete absence of display and ritual - everything connected with the Supper has the mark of simplicity upon it. The writers of the Gospels, who record the institution of this supper, have told us all about it in two verses - so simple was the feast and its celebration. Listen to the account of it, as recorded by Luke, Chapter 22, verses 19 & 20:-

And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.

The Master and His disciples reclining at the table, their celebration of the Passover Feast almost over, suddenly the Lord reaches for bread, asks a blessing, and then passes the bread to His disciples, at the same time bidding them to eat. This done, He reaches for a cup of wine and does likewise. The keynote of the whole affair is simplicity, both in word and action.

It is strange that, with the Word of God to guide them, some branches of the Christian Church ignore or overlook the stamp of simplicity which Christ placed upon the feast, and have overlaid it with all manner of pomp and ritual till the purpose and significance of the supper is obscured from the view of those who draw near to partake. The Church that wishes to honour her Lord in the observance of His supper will be careful to follow the same simple procedure which Christ Himself followed at the time of its institution.

2. The Sacredness of the Supper

Despite what has been said regarding the simplicity of the supper, we must not therefore conclude that all and sundry may partake. Those present when Christ instituted the supper were a band of men who, despite many shortcomings, loved their Lord with deep devotion. Of them, He was able to say, &quotYe are they who have continued with Me in My temptations." They were men who owned Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, and whose lives were yielded to His obedience. It was for them, and such as them, that Christ instituted this supper. On the other hand, those to whom Christ is not Saviour and Lord, have no invitation of right to partake of this supper. What does the Word of God say? &quotYe cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils, ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." The supper of the Lord is for the people of the Lord, and for them only. It is a sacred feast. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Church in Corinth, emphasises this aspect of the supper, and warns the Christians in that city that not only are unbelievers expressly debarred from the Table, but that it is possible for a Christian to be permitting sin in his life, which must be confessed and renounced before he or she approaches to partake of the supper: &quotLet us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." &quotWhosoerer shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." These words help to remind us that the Lord's Supper is a sacred feast; and that only those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity should be found at His Table.

At the same time, we must remember that the supper is for ALL who love the Lord Jesus, irrespective of the strength or weakness of their faith, or the measure of their advancement in the Christian life. It is not a case of &quotbeing good enough." Our Lord's disciples who were present at that first supper, exhibited at times the same human weaknesses which cause God's people sorrow of heart whenever they sin in like manner. While in the very room where the supper was instituted, we find the disciples arguing amongst themselves as to who should be the greater. Not many hours after they had partaken of the supper, we find the same disciples displaying cowardice and forsaking their Master in His hour of trial - Peter even denying Him with oaths. The recollection of these things should not lead us to presume, but should encourage us who love and own the Lord Jesus Christ to come to His Table, no matter though we may feel that our walk and witness has been most imperfect. Having confessed our sin and need, and sought His pardon and cleansing, we may come to His sacred feast with a pure conscience to witness to the love of Him &quotWho died for our sins and rose again for our justification."

We have already noted that the special feasts observed by the people of God in Old Testament times had a definite purpose and were intended to teach important and spiritual lessons. The same applies to the New Testament feast - The Lord's Supper. When instituting the supper, Jesus said to His disciples, &quotDo this in remembrance of Me." Our Lord knew that the time of separation from His friends was drawing near, and He desired that after He had left, His memory might remain with them. The Lord's Supper was the means He chose to accomplish this purpose.

Frequently during His public ministry He had referred to Himself in such terms as &quotThe Bread of Life" and &quotThe True Wine." Now, at the institution of the supper, as He breaks the bread and pours out the wine - types of His body and blood - He says in effect to His followers, &quotEvery time you observe the Supper and see the bread broken, remember that My body was broken for you. Similarly, let the outpouring of the wine remind you that My blood was poured out as an offering for sin. One spiritual purpose of the supper therefore is to bring to the remembrance of the Lord's people that Christ, through His sacrifice on Calvary, has wrought a wonderful redemption for them, and that we are healed with the stripes of Him on Whom was laid the iniquity of us all.

There is another spiritual significance in the supper when we remember that the bread and wine are not only broken and poured out - they are partaken of also. &quotTake eat" - &quotDrink ye all of it" - were our Lord's commands. To the Christian this suggests that Christ is not only his sin-bearer, but his Life. How often did Jesus say, &quotExcept ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you."

Just as constant and regular eating and drinking are essential to any strong and healthy physical nature, so constant feeding upon Christ by faith is necessary to Christian growth. The people of God, as they partake of the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, are reminded afresh that &quotHis flesh is meat indeed, and His blood is drink indeed," and that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the source and supply of their spiritual life.

Then, lastly, the observance of the Lord's Supper is intended to signify the unity of His people, and also to promote the spirit of unity and love amongst them. At the institution of the supper, all Christ's disciples were treated alike; no one enjoyed any favour denied to the rest. The bread and wine was passed from one to another without any distinctions being made. By this means, Jesus was teaching them once again that they were all brethren. Paul had occasion to reprove the Christians in Corinth for losing sight of this purpose of the supper. &quotBrethren," he says, &quotwhen you come together for this meal, wait for one another." This injunction was necessary, because some had adopted the practice of eating and drinking in advance of others, and sometimes even to excess, with the result that frequently it was impossible for some to partake who wished to do so. The spirit of Christian fellowship and the sense of Christian unity which the supper is intended to signify and promote was sadly lacking. No wonder Paul said he could not commend their conduct.

All true Christians, by sovereign grace and power, have become members of the mystical body of Christ. &quotWe are the body of Christ, and individually members of it." This wonderful truth comes afresh to the Christian every time he sits with fellow-believers at the Lord's Table and shares with them the symbols of His Saviour's body and blood. As the Apostle Paul says, &quotThe cup of blessing which we bless, does it not signify participation in the blood of Christ? This bread which we break, does it not signify participation in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we, many as we are, are one body; we all of us share in that one bread.''

To those of God's people who are taught by the Spirit concerning the significance of the Lord's Supper, each sacramental season will be a time of blessing and refreshment, a time of spiritual strengthening and quickening, and a foretaste of that experience in the life beyond, when &quotThe Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed His people, and lead them unto living fountains of waters."