The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper

Chapter 15, The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, is a beautiful lesson. It was not quite what I had anticipated. The first time I read it, when I got to the end I thought, “Is that it? I surely must have missed something." So I read it again. And again. I will admit that I did not have the best understanding of the Passover and the majority of the lesson talks about the connection between the Passover and the sacrament. I clearly needed to do some significant study on the Passover and the symbolism of it! How grateful I am for this learning opportunity! It has strengthened my love for the Savior and increased my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I hope it will do the same for you.

Let me share a brief explanation of the Passover and its symbolism. When the Israelites were finally freed from bondage and captivity, the final plague that the Lord put upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians was that their firstborn would die. To escape the consequences of that plague, the Lord instructed Moses to have his people take the blood of a male lamb without blemish and put it on the side posts and upper door post of their houses so that destroying angel would pass them by. After the doors were marked, the lamb was to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This was the Passover meal.

“The Passover meal and the way the Israelites were supposed to eat the meal were symbolic. This symbolism taught the Israelites about the Lord’s hand in their deliverance.”1 The bitter herbs were to help them remember their bondage both physically and spiritually. After eating the bitter herbs they ate unleavened bread, which is bread without yeast. Yeast causes bread to rise, but it also causes it to spoil and get moldy. So leaven is symbolic of sin. Eating the unleavened bread cleansed the bitter taste from their mouths, which symbolizes repentance. Leaven was also to be removed from their houses, which was the symbolic removal of sin from their lives. The lamb, of course, symbolizes Jesus Christ who delivers from sin and death. It is important to remember that “the sacrifice of the lamb alone did not bring protection from the destroying angel. Only those who properly marked their doors with the blood of the lamb were promised safety.”1 Consider that great symbolism!

In the lesson, President Hunter teaches us that “the Passover is without equal in the Jewish calendar of celebrations and it is the oldest of the Jewish festivals. It reminds every generation of the return of the children of Israel to the promised land and of the great travail in Egypt which preceded it. It commemorates the passage of a people from subjection and bondage to freedom and deliverance. It is the Old Testament festival of springtime when the world of nature awakens to life, growth, and fruition.

“Passover is linked with the Christian observance of Easter. The Passover in the Old Testament and Easter in the New Testament testify of the great gift God has given and of the sacrifice that was involved in its bestowal. Both of these great religious commemorations declare that death would ‘pass over’ us and could have no permanent power upon us, and that the grave would have no victory.”

It would be the feast of the Savior’s last Passover that would “give full expression to this ancient celebration.” It was here that the Savior instituted the sacrament. What had been a tradition for nearly fifteen hundred years would soon take on a “new and holier meaning.”

Jeffrey R. Holland describes that occasion and teaches us so beautifully how the sacrament can and should change us! He said, “As a final and specially prepared Passover supper was ending, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his Apostles, saying, ‘Take, eat. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’ In a similar manner he took the cup of wine, traditionally diluted with water, said a blessing of thanks for it, and passed it to those gathered about him, saying: ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed … for the remission of sins. This do in remembrance of me.’

“Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane and Golgotha, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ’s sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.

“With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross. The Savior’s physical suffering guarantees that through his mercy and grace every member of the human family shall be freed from the bonds of death and be resurrected triumphantly from the grave.

“With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering. … The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for … the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were ‘bought with a price.’ What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!

“That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called ‘the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church.’

“Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How ‘sacred’ and how ‘holy’ is it? Do we see it as our passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption? With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions.”2

President Hunter reminds us, “To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernment – a time to reflect and to resolve.”

During those moments of reflection and resolution, Elder Holland also encourages us to remember. “In the simple and beautiful language of the sacramental prayers, the principal word we hear seems to be remember. If remembering is the principal task before us, what might come to our memory when those plain and precious emblems are offered to us?

“We could remember Christ’s miracles and his teachings, his healings and his help. We could remember that he gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and motion to the lame and the maimed and the withered. Then, on those days when we feel our progress has halted or our joys and views have grown dim, we can press forward steadfastly in Christ, with unshaken faith in him and a perfect brightness of hope.

“We could—and should—remember the wonderful things that have come to us in our lives and that ‘all things which are good cometh of Christ.’

“To those who stagger or stumble, he is there to steady and strengthen us. In the end he is there to save us, and for all this he gave his life. However dim our days may seem they have been darker for the Savior of the world.

“In fact, in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, our Lord of this sacrament table has chosen to retain for the benefit of his disciples the wounds in his hands and his feet and his side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and perfect. Signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you. It is the wounded Christ who is the captain of our soul—he who yet bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love and humility and forgiveness.”2

With the blood of a pure lamb, the destroying angel passed by the Israelites. To remember that gift of deliverance from death, sin and bondage, Passover was celebrated yearly. Weekly we are offered symbolically the same thing through the emblems of the sacrament. We too can be delivered from spiritual death, sin and bondage.

Several years ago I had an experience that changed my life. It has now taken on an even greater meaning to me. At the risk of being too personal, I share it hoping to emphasize how understanding the Passover has given me an added perspective of what the sacrament can do for us, if we let it.

A few years ago I was really struggling with feelings of anger after someone betrayed one of my children. The pain of watching my child continually being treated so unjustly was hard to bear. There was no remorse on the offender’s part, only smugness. As time passed, my feelings turned from anger to hatred. And each time I would see this person, those feelings only intensified and became almost unbearable. I fasted and prayed for help. Oh how I needed help! I had turned harder things over to the Lord, but I couldn’t seem to do that in this situation. I remember pleading with Heavenly Father to help me know how to get past the wrongs, let go of the hate and find peace. One Sunday that finally happened. During the sacrament, I was reading the account of the Savior washing His disciples’ feet. The lesson I learned was so powerful! The imagery was profound! The Savior washed ALL the disciples’ feet - even Judas’. He knew that Judas was about to betray Him, but He treated him the same as the others. I could see in my mind Judas sitting there – smugly – letting the Savior wash his feet! The lesson I learned came from the Savior’s own words. The answer to my prayers was found in two verses in John 13. Verse 15 says, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” And verse 17 says, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” I knew the only way to find peace in this situation was to treat this person like I would treat anyone else. The Savior showed me what to do and promised that I would be happy if I did it. Immediately the hatred was gone! Immediately I felt peace! Immediately I was freed from the bondage of hate.

Whatever our bondage, be it sin, hate, loneliness, heartache or anything else that is holding us back or weighing us down, the Savior can free us. This lesson caused me to do some serious study. It helped me to understand something that I knew too little about. Understanding the Passover and the sacrament more fully will help us understand the Atonement more fully. I absolutely love the quote “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Do you notice there are no exceptions listed! The Savior stands ready to help and heal. He loves us! He gave His life for us! I hope the sacrament can have a deeper, holier meaning for each of us. I love the sacrament hymn Reverently and Meekly Now.3 It is the only hymn that is written as though the Savior is speaking. I love to read it during the sacrament. It is a powerful reminder of His love and devotion to me and also of His desires for my love and devotion to Him. This beautiful poem is written by Joseph L. Townsend.

Rev'rently and meekly now,

Let thy head most humbly bow.

Think of me, thou ransomed one;

Think what I for thee have done.

With my blood that dripped like rain,

Sweat in agony of pain,

With my body on the tree

I have ransomed even thee.

In this bread now blest for thee,

Emblem of my body see;

In this water or this wine,

Emblem of my blood divine.

Oh, remember what was done

That the sinner might be won.

On the cross of Calvary

I have suffered death for thee.

Bid thine heart all strife to cease;

With thy brethren be at peace.

Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be

E'en forgiven now by me.

In the solemn faith of prayer

Cast upon me all thy care,

And my Spirit's grace shall be

Like a fountain unto thee.

At the throne I intercede;

For thee ever do I plead.

I have loved thee as thy friend,

With a love that cannot end.

Be obedient, I implore,

Prayerful, watchful evermore,

And be constant unto me,

That thy Savior I may be.

May we constantly rely upon Him and allow Him to be our Savior!

References:

1. Old Testament Seminary Teacher's Manual - Lesson 45

2. This Do in Remembrance of Me - Jeffrey R. Holland

3. Reverently and Meekly Now - Hymn 185