The Lord’s Supper a Picture of the Gospel – Calvin and the Lord’s Supper (part 4)

In the Institutes (IV:17:3) John Calvin calls the Lord’s Supper a “full witness” of the gospel.  That is his descrption of the words of Jesus cited by Matthew: “Take, eat; this is my body….Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:26-28).  In concise and wonderful language, Calvin helps us unpack the implications of these brief words of Jesus:

“By bidding us take, he indicates that it is ours; by bidding us eat, that it is made one substance with us; be declaring that his body is given for us and his blood shed for us, he teaches that both are not so much his as ours.  For he took up and laid down both, not for his own advantage but for our salvation.”

Firstly, Jesus would not say to us, “Take, eat…” unless we were his own, and thus, “it is ours.”  We don’t come to the table as uninvited guests, intruders at someone else’s banquet.  We come to this table as invited sons and daughters, in a beautiful fulfillment of Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  “It is ours” helps us to see that we can confidently and joyfully partake of the body and blood of Christ as our own possession.

Secondly, we are also “bidden to eat,” a process that internalizes food and unites it fully with our bodies.  Here our union with Christ is brought out, that truth that throughout the New Testament reminds us that we are now “in Christ” (Rom 6:1-11).  The simple elements of the Lord’s Supper present the completeness of our union with Christ, one that inspires our hearts to burst out in song:

“His forever, only His;
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee,
Firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.”

Thirdly, Calvin says that Jesus’ offered body and blood are “not so much his as ours.”  His sacrifice was for the Father, in obedience to him and to accomplish his glory.  And yet, it was also “given for you” (Matt 26:28).  There was a personal aspect of Christ’s sacrifice that made it more than a general offering for the vast and great family of the elect, but which also made it an offering for you individually.  Only God can operate on the level of the vast and sovereign, and also in personal and affectionate relationship. 

Fourthly, he continues in this section by speaking of the appropriateness of these elements of bread and wine.  Each of these affects our bodies in a way that is akin to how Christ himself affects our souls.  So, “as bread nourishes, sustains, and keeps the life of our body, so Christ’s body is the only food to invigorate and enliven our soul.”  And then, as wine’s benefits are “to nourish, refresh, strengthen, and gladden,” so these are “spiritually imparted to us by Christ’s blood.”  The wisdom and condescension are perfectly united in the Lord’s Supper, as our heavenly Father wants to regularly and often remind us of his feeding of our souls by the offering of his Son.  He will truly “nourish, sustain…refresh, strengthen, and gladden” us. 

So, let this “full witness” be a sermon to your soul as you partake of the Lord’s Supper.  And let it “strengthen and gladden” you each and every time.

DJB