The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Examination - 1 Cor 11:29

The church today finds the Lord's Supper to be solemn partly because of the words of institution: "do this in remembrance of me".

From this, the church has traditionally focused solemnly on the death of Christ and His suffering in order to redeem us. The focus is historical -- a looking back.

1. How does this compare with the early church practice: they "broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts."

2. How does this compare with Jesus' eschatological prospect of eating and drinking again in the kingdom.


What then does "Do this in memory of me" mean? Allow me to explain how these words of Jesus will tell us the purpose of the Lord's Supper.


Literally, "Do this in remembrance of me" is "do this into (Greek eis: for, toward, with a view to) my remembrance".

Who is to remember whom? Either we are to remember Christ (traditional view) or Christ remembering us.

The phrase can be translated as: "do this in order to remember me" or "do this as a reminder to me (so that I'll remember you)".

The Greek anamnesis translated "remembrance" occurs only four times (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24, 25; Heb 10:3) with the only context not involving the Lord's Supper being in Heb 10:3, which states:

[color:"0000FF"] Hebrews 10:3
-- 3. But in these [the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood] there is a annual remembrance [reminder] of sins.[/color]

The meaning of Heb 10:3 is the sacrifices are to be an annual "reminder" of their sins, not a "memorial". Heb 10:3 establishes the meaning "reminder" as an option for anamnesis. This is important as to whether the Lord's Supper is only a remembrance (looking back) or a reminder (of something yet to be).

One example of the usage of anamnesis in the Old Testament (LXX) where the Greek meaning is "reminder" is in Psalm 70:1, the heading reads:

[color:"0000FF"]Psalms 70:1
-- 1. To the Overseer, by David. --`To cause to remember.' O God, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help, haste.[/color]

Literally, this reads "For the end, by David, for a reminder (eis anamnesis), in order that the Lord might save me". Here eis anamnesis likely means "for a reminder [to God], a reminder for God to save David.

Other passages where God is called upon to "remember" are Psalms 25:6-7;74:2;119:49;132:1.


Jesus' words of institution "do this into my remembrance" combined with the fact that Jesus would never again eat the meal or drink the cup until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, adds weight on the phrase. Therefore, the content of this "reminder" is for Christ to come again and to inaugurate the Messianic Banquet in fulfillment of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper, as oft as done, is a reminder "unto Me" (that is Christ) that His Church awaits the Messiah's return and the fulfillment of the Marriage Feast when He will yet eat again.


[color:"0000FF"] -- 25. In the same way He took the cup also, after supping, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; as often as you drink it, do this in remembrance of Me." [/color]

Verse 25, "as often as you drink it" introduces the purpose of drinking the cup: "When you do it, it is to be done into (eis, "with a view to") my remembrance (or reminder)".


[color:"0000FF"]-- 26. For "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show" the Lord's death until He shall come.[/color]

Verse 26 "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup" introduces the purpose of the Supper: "a proclamation of the Lord's death".

Verse 26 seems to suggest that anamnesis has a historical rather than eschatological focus (proclaiming the historic death of Christ).

But, who would be proclaiming His death? To unbelievers? In the first century meetings in private homes unbelievers would not be commonly present. Paul mentions the possibility of an unbeliever walking in during a meeting (1Cor 14:23-24) but that is not the norm for meetings in private homes. Who do we proclaim His death? To ourselves? Why do Christians need to proclaim His death to each other?

In light of Luke's eschatological focus, Paul's words make equally good sense if we view this "proclamation" as one directed to Christ Himself. We are proclaiming, as a "reminder" (anamnesis) to Christ whereas He has initiated the New Covenant by means of His death, He has yet to bring it to its consummation by returning.

Note, in 1Cor 11:23-26 the eschatological element in the phrase "until He comes" in verse 26. Literally in the Greek it produces the awkward "until the goal is reached that he comes", and means, "until the goal of the proclamation is reached - namely, his coming".

Hence, the purpose of celebrating the Lord's Supper is to sound a plea for the second coming: "As often as the death of the Lord is proclaimed at the Lord's Supper, and the maranatha rises upwards, God is reminded of the unfulfilled climax of the work of salvation, 'until (the goal is reached, that) He comes".

The command to remember Him is not a command to preserve the memory of Jesus (i.e., "repeat the breaking of bread so that you may not forget me") but is eschatological. At the end of Corinthians (16:22) Paul makes the statement, "maranatha!" or "Come, O Lord!", a statement that parallels Rev 22:20 "Come Lord Jesus!". Historically this phrase may have gained prominence in the early church's celebration of the Lord's Supper. Maranatha likely means "O Lord come!" rather than the perfect sense "Our Lord has come!", everything seems to point to a future hope.

We petition Christ by "proclaiming" (1Cor 11:26) to Him that the New Covenant, represented by this meal and initiated by His death, stands unconsummated, and that we long for Him to bring it to its fulfillment in the kingdom (maranatha!). It is a reminder that Christ is still "not eating" with his Church and still "not drinking". The anticipation of the Messianic celebration that will one day come produced for the early church a jubilation and "gladness" (of Messianic expectation).

john