The Cup and the Bread

We all know the story. As Paul puts it,

I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. (1 Cor 11:23-26)

I've wondered about this phrase "as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup." What bread and what cup were they?

He took the bread and broke it, saying, "This is My body, which is for you." What bread? In the Passover meal the bread was a specific bread initially commanded by God: unleavened bread made in an unleavened house (Exo 12:15-20). Scripture uses "leaven" as a symbol for sin (e.g., Matt 16:6, 12; 1 Cor 5:6), so this bread symbolized moral purity. Breaking it, obviously, represented death. Beyond this, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48) and "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh" (John 6:51).

As for the cup, Scripture clearly refers to the cup taken after supper (1 Cor 11:25). That would correspond to the 3rd cup of the seder meal, part of Jewish tradition in Jesus's day and beyond. In Jewish tradition (and in Jesus's day), that 3rd cup was called "the cup of redemption" or "the cup of blessing." Paul called it "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10:16) and Jesus referred to it as "the covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:20). For us, then, it represents the spilling of His blood, and, in that, redemption (Eph 1:7). So the psalmist says, "I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of YHWH" (Psa 116:13).

We know that the elements represent His body broken for us and His blood spilled for us. These are important. More on the bread and the cup can be helpful facts and insights into what we know as Communion or the Lord's Supper. Our repetition is commanded (Luke 22:19), but our inattention can make it lose its meaning -- monotonous. And it is rich in meaning. We need this reminder and must not let our human frailties allow us to be lazy and forget. If Communion is boring to you, you're not paying attention. You might want to pray about that.