"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." — Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
The short answer
The Bible presents the Lord's Supper as the meal Jesus gave His church on the night He was betrayed — a sharing of bread and cup that remembers His broken body and shed blood and proclaims His death until He returns, anchored in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and Luke 22:19-20. Christians honour it in differing ways.
Communion is one of the oldest acts of Christian worship, given by Jesus Himself the night before He died. It is a meal of memory and hope: it looks back to the cross and forward to His return, and it draws believers together as one body around one table. Below are seven passages, quoted exactly from the King James Version, arranged around the questions people ask about the Lord's Supper.
How did the Lord's Supper begin?
It began at a table, on the night of Jesus' betrayal, with bread and a cup He put into His disciples' hands. The Gospels record His own words over each.
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." — Matthew 26:26-28 (KJV)
Bread and cup are joined to His body and blood, and both are given "for the remission of sins." The Supper is not something the disciples devised; it is something Jesus handed to them, and through them to His church.
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." — Luke 22:19-20 (KJV)
"This do in remembrance of me" turns the meal into a lasting practice. Every time the bread is broken and the cup is poured, the church remembers a love that gave itself away.
Why do we keep coming to the table?
Paul received the tradition of the Supper from the Lord and handed it on to the churches. In his hands it becomes both a remembrance of the cross and a proclamation until Christ returns.
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." — 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (KJV)
The Supper faces two directions at once: back to "the Lord's death" and forward to "till he come." It is remembrance and hope in the same mouthful — the gospel preached not only in words but in bread and cup.
What are we sharing in at the table?
The word "communion" is not incidental. Paul describes the Supper as a real participation in Christ, and Jesus Himself spoke of feeding on Him in the most vivid terms.
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" — 1 Corinthians 10:16 (KJV)
To share the cup and bread is to share together in Christ — a communion with Him and, in Him, with one another. The table is never merely private; it binds the whole body to its Head.
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." — John 6:53-54 (KJV)
Jesus speaks of feeding on Him as the source of life itself. Whatever the depth of mystery in His words, they press the point home: life is found in receiving Christ, given for us and offered to us.
How should we come to the table?
Because the Supper is holy, Paul urges self-examination rather than carelessness. And in the earliest church, the breaking of bread was woven into a whole life shared together.
"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." — 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 (KJV)
The call is not to perfection but to honesty — "let a man examine himself." We come as those who need grace, discerning what the table means and who gave Himself to make it.
"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." — Acts 2:42 (KJV)
For the first believers, "breaking of bread" belonged among teaching, fellowship, and prayer — not an isolated ritual, but part of the ordinary, steadfast rhythm of the church's life together.
Where do faithful Christians differ?
All Christians agree that Jesus gave the Supper, that it remembers His death, and that it proclaims Him until He comes. Sincere believers do differ, however, on how to understand His words "this is my body." Some hold that Christ is truly and specially present in the bread and cup; others receive the elements as a memorial that points back to His once-for-all sacrifice; still others speak of a real spiritual presence received by faith. Scripture calls the table a genuine "communion of the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:16) without settling the exact manner, and so this has remained an honest, centuries-old conversation among people who love the same Lord. It is worth holding with reverence, not division.
Frequently asked questions
What does "do this in remembrance of me" mean?
At the table Jesus said, This do in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19, KJV), and Paul repeats it in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25. The Lord's Supper looks back to the cross, where His body was broken and His blood shed, and it proclaims that death until He returns. Paul writes that as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come (1 Corinthians 11:26). It is a remembrance that is active and hopeful, holding together the cross behind us and the coming of Christ ahead.
Are the bread and wine actually the body and blood of Christ?
Faithful Christians answer this differently. Jesus said this is my body and this is my blood of the new testament (Matthew 26:26-28, KJV), and believers have long asked how those words are to be understood. Some hold that Christ is truly and specially present in the bread and cup; others receive the elements as a memorial that points back to His once-for-all sacrifice; still others speak of a real spiritual presence received by faith. Scripture presents the table as a genuine communion of the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16) without spelling out the manner, so humility is fitting.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." — Revelation 3:20 (KJV)
Take it deeper
These verses are a beginning, not the whole of what God says about the Lord's Supper. FlickerFaith is a Scripture-first study companion — open it to read these passages in full context, compare how different traditions understand the table, search related verses, and pray as you prepare your heart to receive Communion. It keeps you close to the Word, not away from it.
Keep reading
The Supper sits within the wider life of God's people. See what the Bible says about baptism, the church, and fellowship. To understand who draws us to the table, read what Scripture says about the Holy Spirit. You can also browse all Bible topics, explore AI Bible study, or return home.