The Lord's Supper - Every day
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As the title mentions the words “every day”, I would like to share my thoughts and my experience so far and how this has impacted me. But before we begin, I would like to share the Biblical background. Well, you all know the biblical background, but by sharing this again, we may be able to realign ourselves to this truth and see that the church or the people are forgetting to remember Jesus as communion is consuming people's time.
The Background:
When God spoke to Moses, He spoke about sacrifices and offerings in Leviticus 1 to 7 and in Leviticus 23, with regards to the sacrifice during the festival or feast. Also, in Numbers 19, 28, and 29 and Deuteronomy 16.
- Daily Sacrifice - twice a day
- Weekly Sabbath Offerings – on the last day
- Monthly Offerings – on the first day, new moon.
- Yearly Offerings/Sacrifice – Day of Atonement
- Guilt and Sin Offering/Sacrifice
- Fellowship Offering/Sacrifice
- Offerings and Sacrifice during the 5 feast or festival - celebration
- Red Heifer
The significant and common factor in all these is the “animal sacrifice”, a lamb or a goat or a bull. We know that through Jesus, all these are fulfilled, but I want to get into the root as to why.
1. Daily Sacrifice - twice a day
If you read those chapters, the key is, for example, when a burnt offering is given, the Bible says, “it’s a pleasing aroma to the Lord,” Numbers 28:2.
So, when they offered a burnt offering or an offering by fire, the Lord was pleased, and His daily anger towards His children subsided. Just like Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Note, the people were not required to come for this offering or sacrifice. It’s just an everyday routine in the Temple by the priests.
2. Weekly Sabbath Offerings – on the last day
When we see the 4th commandment, the Lord said to Moses, Exodus 20:8, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” This is a day that must be kept “holy” for the Lord. The Lord is saying, Leave everything that is “from the world” and come to my presence. So, to enter His presence, a sacrifice is to be made. Hence, a weekly sacrifice to enter the holy place to worship the Lord. Again, this is a burnt offering (Numbers 28:10) additional to the everyday offering, which means “it’s a pleasing aroma to the Lord and to enter the holy place.”
3. Monthly Offerings – on the first day, new moon.
The new moon defines the first day of God’s month, which is also the Jewish month.
Once again, just like Sabbath offering, Numbers 28:13, the sacrifice on top of daily offering is as a pleasing aroma to the Lord for adding a new month to His people. This also includes a sin offering for His people.
4. Yearly Offerings/Sacrifice – Day of Atonement
This is an important annual sacrifice where the whole community gathers together and “fast” for 24 hours. They are also required to make sacrifices just like the other days that we have seen so far. But the importance is that this is to make atonement for the whole community, for sin and uncleanness (sin is different from unclean), by sacrificing a bull and a goat and sprinkling both blood 7 times, first the bull then the goat, before the atonement cover, see Leviticus 16. Remember this “sprinkle 7 times.” This repeats again, and there is a mighty connection to Jesus.
A bull and 2 goats are brought. Using a lot, one goat is chosen for the Lord as a sacrifice, and the other goat is let go into the desert as a scapegoat carrying the people’s sin.
The bull is first sacrificed for Aaron’s and his own household sin. An incense is used along with the coal, which is then taken into the Temple to fill the rooms with smoke. Then, the blood that’s collected is sprinkled 7 times before the atonement cover.
The goat is chosen for the Lord as a sacrifice, is then slaughtered, and then its blood is taken into the temple just like the bull’s blood was and then sprinkled 7 times. The other goat, on it, all sins are laid, and then it’s led into the desert and released.
Note: There is no burnt offering, but there is an incense - pleasing aroma to the Lord. This is unique.
5. Guilt and Sin Offering/Sacrifice
Similarly, when a person offers an animal as a sin or a guilt offering, the sin or guilt (known or unknown) are laid on that animal and then sacrificed to the Lord, so the person can redeem their life and live. Leviticus 1 to 7.
I believe a planned sin will not be forgiven by the Lord according to the Law of Moses. But an unplanned (whether the person is made aware or not – known and unknown) sin will be forgiven through this sacrifice.
Again, the aroma is pleasing to the Lord when it is offered.
6. Fellowship Offering/Sacrifice
An offering of thanks to the Almighty for what he has done. Again, there is a pleasing aroma as it’s a burnt offering as well. Leviticus 1 to 7.
7. Offerings and Sacrifice during the 5 feast or festival - celebration
Passover: The Covering:
The first Passover lamb, as you all know, is a covering, a “Protection” to live and not die through the blood of the lamb that’s on the door post. All other Passover celebrations were in remembrance of how God “Covered” them when the Egyptians (sinners) were dying. Though sacrifices are made, it is to remember what God has done for those who were in slavery. The celebration includes unleavened bread for 7 days. “There shall be no yeast found in your house nor in your food” the Lord said. It resembles coming out of slavery as a free people.
First Fruits:
Harvest festival and celebrate it with an offering of grain and sacrifice.
Feast of Weeks:
New grain offering – after harvest, removing, for example wheat from the sheaf, the grains are collected during the 50 days and they see that the one seed has multiplied into many and celebrate this week for the Lord for the blessings. Post harvest festival.
Feast of Trumpet:
Celebrating the fall season. This is also a new year for the civil calendar.
Feast of Tabernacle:
Remembering that they were living in tents after leaving Egypt. A temporary place before entering the promise land.
All these 5 festivals do include a sacrifice and offerings. There is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, which is also a factor here.
8. Red Heifer
The sacrifice of Red Heifer is not part of any festival nor happens on a prescribed date. The red heifer is a unique sacrifice used for cleansing, see Numbers 19. Uncleanness that is caused by touching a dead body is cleansed by ash and water. The ash is burning the red heifer. The red heifer that is chosen is taken outside the city, slaughtered, and the blood is collected. The blood is then sprinkled 7 times towards the temple, and then the body is burnt to ash. The ash is collected and kept outside the city, any one who is unclean because they touched a dead body or went to war and killed someone must be cleansed through this ash mixed with water.
Notice that the first 7 has a "pleasing aroma to the Lord" as a common element to the sacrifice.
That's a detailed yet stripped of a lot of information, so it can be less detailed rather than rewriting the book of Leviticus.
So, to the significance.
You noticed that all these had the “sacrifice” of an animal. Yes, as you know, Jesus died as each of those sacrifices. See the table below, but there are a couple of special ones, “sprinkle 7 times”, that are 4 and 8.
| Number | The Old Covenant | The New Covenant |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daily Sacrifice - twice a day | The sacrifice that was made daily, Jesus was sacrificed. |
| 2 | Weekly Sabbath Offerings – on the last day | The additional Sabbath sacrifice so people can be made holy to keep the Sabbath holy, Jesus died for that too. |
| 3 | Monthly Offerings – on the first day, new moon. | The monthly sin offering and thank offering for a new month, yes, Jesus died for it. |
| 4 | Yearly Offerings/Sacrifice – Day of Atonement | The annual Atonement, yest Jesus died for that too. |
| 5 | Guilt and Sin Offering/Sacrifice | As a guilt and sin offering, yup, Jesus died for that too. |
| 6 | Fellowship Offering/Sacrifice | The fellowship and thanks to God sacrifice, that too is Jesus |
| 7 | Offerings and Sacrifice during the 5 feast or festival - celebration | The sacrifice that are made during the 5 feasts, that too is Jesus. |
| 8 | Red Heifer | The Red Heifer, that too is Jesus. |
Why 7 times? How is it related to Jesus?
Jesus was made to bleed “7 times” or bled from “7 parts” of his body.
- Jesus’ sweat
- Crown of thorns
- Flogged
- Nail on the right-hand
- Nail on the left-hand
- Nail on the feet
- Literal broken heart (ruptured heart), which was revealed when his side was pierced.
As you can see that Jesus is the one who died for all those Old Covenants through which life can be gained. But Jesus is not just a sacrifice. He is also the High Priest/Priest - this also you know. When people brought their sacrifice or offering, or when the high priest or priest made sacrifice for the whole community, just how the priest did it on behalf of people, Jesus is also doing it, this is the term Paul used as, “that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.” Meaning, we are the animal that is sacrificed through all those 7 points.
In this manner,
- Jesus is the High Priest who offers our sacrifice, which means we need to live as a living
- daily sacrifice
- holy sacrifice to enter the holy place on Sabbath
- monthly sacrifice
- sacrifice while the sin was carried away by the scapegoat (Jesus)
- sacrifice for the guilt and sin
- thank sacrifice
- sacrifice made to God during those festivals
- Jesus died as a sacrifice, so “do this in remembrance of me”.
I remember, when I was a kid in the 80s and the 90s, watching others or me having communion every Sunday at church. Then it became monthly, and now it's quarterly. Will this communion become a special event, and people will say we need one specific day to remember Lord Jesus (like Veterans Day), and only on this day, the church may serve communion? I don’t know, but it looks like that is how it is going. But, Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me.” This means we need to remember every day how Jesus is all those 8 categories of sacrifice and what he had to go through so we no longer need to sacrifice but live in faith by remembering. Yes, we remember, but “doing” is the act of remembering.
Three things happen when we consume the bread and wine, remembering the Lord.
- We acknowledge what he did (a pleasing aroma to the Lord - see how I linked it)
- We seek to be worthy every min
- We are healed
If you see the sacrifice and burnt offering, it is done on behalf of the people, “a pleasing aroma”, so the Lord’s anger may not fall on the people, making them worthy.
In conclusion: I believe we must consume the bread and blood “in remembrance” every day. When we do it every day, (1) we remember the suffering and (2) we remember and acknowledge the intercession of Jesus in front of the Father, just like Moses did when the Lord’s anger burned against the whole Israelites community and (3) remember and acknowledge the Salvation that God brought to us through Jesus.
Hope this is something useful!
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