The Communion of Jesus
16The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16
The wonderful Supper left to us by the Son of God is, among other things, a communion. This rich word, "communion," comes from the Greek word κοινωνια, meaning "a participation in, partnership, fellowship or contribution." It is also interesting to note that this word comes from the root meaning "common," the opposite of the word which we translate "holy." Thus, the Lord's Supper is a communion, a common sharing, of the Lord's Body and Blood, with the members of His Body, the Assembly.
The apostle explains why the Supper is so:
17Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread. 1 Corinthians 10:17
What makes the breaking of the bread a communion in the Body of Christ is that we ourselves are part of that Body. We share that Body for we have been born again, new creations, from the will of Yahweh Himself (John 1:12-13). Why? Because we all "partake" out of the one bread, which is His Body. Our source is the Bread from Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is from Him that we have sprung in new life, by the will of the Father. This is why Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers.
The Lord's Supper is a tangible, spiritual truth given access to us here on earth in the flesh. Through our bodies we share the bread and the cup, wherein dwells the real Body and Blood of the Lord. In this Supper, we have true communion, or fellowship, with both Him and His entire Body, the Assembly. We partake out of the one bread, and thus we participate in that bread, which is His Body.
Thus, when we come to the Lord's Table, we do not only have communion with the Lord Himself, but with all who have been joined to Him in faith. The Lord's Supper is a fellowship of all the people of God, receiving their life from the Vine itself, Christ. It is a spiritual sharing of the Head with all the Members of the Body.
Paul here compares the sacrifices to Yahweh in the Old Covenant, done at the altar in the Tabernacle, with his previous thought. Those who ate those sacrifices had fellowship with the altar.
18Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 1 Corinthians 10:18
The altar was unto God—the nexus between Yahweh and His people; to sacrifice upon it was to bring one into communion with Him through the animal slain and burned upon it. The apostle does not want his flock to experience this at the table of idols, which in actuality would be "communion with demons:"
19What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have fellowship with demons. 1 Corinthians 10:19-20
He concludes with the fact that we cannot drink of the Lord's Cup and partake of the Lord's Table, while doing the same with that of demons. We must not provoke Yahweh to jealousy; we must have communion with Him alone, at His Table alone—because we have died to the law, all things are lawful, but all things are not profitable, and all things do not build up (1 Corinthians 10:21-23).
Therefore, we must be mindful of the consequences of our actions. And here, concerning Paul's subject, we must consider the ramifications of partaking of the Lord's Supper. It reinforces our obedience to Him, our service to Him alone; we cannot have fellowship with demons at the same time.
The Lord's Supper is a true communion, a true fellowship and participation in the Body and Blood of the Lord. It is a taking hold of together with the rest of the Body of Christ, the Assembly. Whenever we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we recognize the real partnership we all have with both Him, our Lord, and His people, our brothers and sisters. The Supper is a vital part of our relationship with one another and the Lord, and we should look forward to it as such, enjoying all the benefits of coming to His Table in faith.