As we take communion throughout the year, we often read 1 Corinthians 11:26:
“As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
The apostle Paul is instructing the Corinthians to remember the price that Christ paid when He poured out His blood on the cross.
While this is clearly significant and necessary, I want to encourage you to look further back into your spiritual heritage. Because when you look back, you see a broader view of God’s redemptive plan, and it paves the way for the greatness that lies ahead.
From Passover to Communion
The first Passover was introduced in Exodus 12. The Israelites had endured slavery for 400 years. God sent a series of nine plagues across the land of Egypt to send a message to Pharaoh to let His people go.
However, Pharaoh’s hard heart did not bend, so God sent a 10th and final plague. This plague would get Pharaoh’s attention but at a higher cost. It was the plague that would kill the firstborn male in every household.
The only way to escape death was to take the blood of the spotless lamb and smear it across the wooden doorpost of the home. Death would then pass over the homes with the blood, and no one inside would be hurt.
When you take communion, do you think about the glorious, supernatural gift of how Christ’s blood, which covered the wooden posts at Calvary, allows you to pass from death to life? Most of us would say, “Yes!”
Let’s take it a step further. Do you think about the significance of the first Passover and how it relates to communion?
Communion: Is There Something Missing in the Commemorating?
Reading the events that led up to Jesus’ death on the cross, we find that He instructed the disciples to prepare the Passover meal.
“Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came, when the Passover lamb must be killed. He sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us to eat it'” (Luke 22:7-8).
The Lord’s Supper, or communion, was when Jesus took the cup of wine and gave thanks. Then He took the bread, gave thanks again and divided it among each of the disciples (Luke 22:17-19).
This Passover meal is what most of us consider communion. There is a connection! When we don’t see the connection, we miss out on seeing the remarkable work Christ did in order for us to pass from death to life.
Here is the supernatural beauty of it all: The more we seek Him, the more the Spirit reveals the power of this covenant relationship.
The Passover Is for You
From the moment He ordered the Israelites to smear the blood of the lamb, to when the Lamb’s blood dripped down the cross, He had you in mind.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
He planned for you to cross over from death to life before you were formed. And today, He invites you to pull up a seat at His table to partake in the blessings of your spiritual heritage.
You see, when you understand the magnitude of God’s restorative plan, you can partake in communion with a heart full of thanksgiving.
As you begin to understand the richness of your spiritual heritage, you’ll hunger and thirst for righteousness—not your own, but God’s.
A powerful way to pursue this blessed appetite is to study the blessings of Passover.
“For even Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).
Every believer wants to experience more of Jesus, more guidance from the Holy Spirit and more of the Father’s love—abundant life!
And as a believer, you can hold fast to this promise. This is what Jesus said He came to give us!
“I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
In order for the church to be set apart for God’s purposes, we must reflect on God’s power displayed through the entire Bible. We must embrace our spiritual heritage and look forward to the glorious return of Christ.
When we fail to remember our heritage, we miss out on seeing how mighty our God truly is.
Do you want a deeper look at how the Passover relates to your spiritual heritage? Download The Ultimate Guide to Passover e-book.
Here’s What You Can Expect From Your FREE E-Book:
—A look at the historical events that took place before the first Passover.
—A discussion of God’s intention for the Passover to be observed as “an everlasting ordinance” (Ex. 12:14).
—A deep dive into the symbolism of the Passover Seder meal.
—An overview of what the four cups of wine represent.
—A list of the nine blessings of Passover and the promises to declare with each.
—Greater understanding of why Passover isn’t celebrated by many believers.
—And more! {eoa}
Curt Landry, founder of Curt Landry Ministries, and his wife, Christie, travel extensively, preaching and teaching about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Together, their passion is to empower families to live and leave kingdom legacies and understand their own personal heritage.
