Written by Ashley Ling; Thir.st Ministry
Article originally published in the October issue of JOY! Magazine
“For believers only.” That’s one thing about Holy Communion that can come across as exclusive, especially for a faith based on a God who died for all. But there’s a good reason for this exclusivity – communion is about a lot more than just bread and wine.
The first communion
We see in Matthew 26:26-29 that Jesus conducted the first communion at Passover. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins … until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt 26:26-29).
Symbols of Passover
The food eaten at the traditional Pass-over meal was meant to convey symbolic meaning. For instance, the bitter herbs represented the bitterness of slavery, while salt water commemorated the tears shed by the Jews when they were oppressed by Egypt (Exo 1-3). But Jesus would raise these meanings. While the Passover bread traditionally symbolised the bread of affliction eaten in Egypt, Jesus likened the bread to His body, reminding His disciples that He would soon suffer and die for the world He would save.
The broken bread
Unleavened bread was used in the Passover meal – bread made without rising ingredients like yeast. Yeast was often symbolic of sin and corruption in the Bible. Unleavened bread is also easily broken, a fitting parallel to Jesus’ body that was broken and pierced for our iniquities and transgressions (Isa 53:5). In taking the bread of communion, we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.
The new covenant
Jesus also declared a “new covenant” to His disciples. Instead of the sacrifice of unblemished animals like lambs to cleanse one of sin, Jesus became the perfect sin-bearing sacrifice for us, once and for all. The wine consumed during communion symbolises Jesus’ blood that seals this new covenant, just as Moses sealed the old covenant in Exodus 24:8.
Choosing to receive Him
Today, we can have a personal relationship with God only because of what Jesus Christ has done for humanity on the cross. By commanding us to “take” the bread and the cup, Jesus reminds us that we must choose whether we will receive Him into our lives and follow Him. Just as we have to eat to live, we can only have eternal life when Christ is our Lord and we “eat” His bread and cup.
An unworthy manner
In taking communion, Paul reminds us to “examine” ourselves. He warns, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:27). This reminder to the Corinthian church also applies to us. We are meant to take the bread and cup with reverence, examining ourselves and our conduct to see if we are living righteously before the Lord.
Remember His sacrifice
Communion is a solemn practice that we undertake in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice (1 Cor 11:23-26). Today, be encouraged to look deeper into why we take Holy Communion at church so that we may always bring the right attitude before God.
This article appears in the October 2026 issue of JOY! Magazine. Read the digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 29/09/2026
Feature image: Sourced from original article published in the October issue of JOY! Magazine
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