Should Christians Keep the Annual Festivals
God Gave the Ancient Israelites?
Part 3: The Lord's Supper

Shortly before his death, he shared a meal with his disciples. He shared a cup of wine with them, and then some bread. ``He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, `This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me' '' (Luke 22:19).

When Jesus told his disciples to do ``this'' in remembrance of him, what were they to ``do''? They were to take bread, give thanks, break bread and share it. Jesus' command also included sharing the cup (verse 17; 1 Corinthians 11:25). Although the Last Supper may have been special due to the festival season, the elements of commemoration were more ordinary. The disciples were to ``do'' what they had probably done many times before: share bread and wine. Now, however, they were to do it in remembrance of Jesus giving his body and blood on behalf of others so that we could have a new relationship with God. By sharing in bread and wine, they symbolized their participation in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life himself and their communion with one another (cf. 1 John 1:3, 7).

When two disciples were on the road to Emmaus, they did not recognize the resurrected Jesus until ``he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them'' (Luke 24:30). Then they remembered. When the disciples came together to break bread and pray (Acts 2:42), they would likely remember their last meal with their Savior. Whenever they shared an evening meal with other disciples, they would probably remember their experience with their Master.

Commemorating the body and blood of our Savior by sharing bread and wine does not have to be limited to once a year. Jesus indicated flexibility in the timing when he said, ``Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me'' (1 Corinthians 11:25). ``When'' could indicate a set time, but ``whenever'' (reflecting the Greek conditional particle ean) indicates flexibility.

Paul's letter to the Corinthians also gives evidence that the Lord's Supper was being observed frequently. He corrected them for their behavior at meetings in which they commemorated the Lord's death, and it sounds like this was a frequent occurrence (verses 17, 20, 33). It was done when they came together ``as a church'' (verse 18).

Some events are commemorated annually, but others are commemorated more often, such as weekly. There is no command about how often we should commemorate the Lord's death, just as there is no command about how often we should fast.

We have traditionally observed the Lord's Supper on its anniversary, associated with Passover, and we even called our observance "the New Testament Passover." But the commemoration has little in common with the Old Testament Passover. Bread, wine and footwashing have only a little overlap with lamb, bread and bitter herbs. Jesus told his disciples to prepare for the Passover, but he did not call the bread and wine a Passover.

In New Testament symbolism, the Passover is Jesus Christ himself, and the symbolism of the old covenant Passover was fulfilled and does not need to be repeated. Jesus never said that the bread and wine replaced the old covenant Passover practices. Rather, he instituted a new observance and then fulfilled the old and made the old physical details obsolete. The body and blood of Jesus fulfilled not only the Passover sacrifice, but also the sin offerings, fellowship offerings, grain offerings, etc. Just as those offerings were not limited to once a year, the bread and wine commemoration need not be limited.

We do not need to be limited by old covenant rules about the Passover regarding when we observe a different ritual under a different covenant. The observance of the Lord's Supper is not mandated by the old covenant or the Hebrew calendar. It is mandated by Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

For those who are under the new covenant blood of Christ, frequency and the date of commemoration are church decisions, not biblical commands. For a more detailed analysis of this question, see "How Often Should We Partake of the Lord's Supper?"

Conclusion

The old covenant festivals are not commanded in the new covenant. The old covenant Passover has been fulfilled, and Jesus instituted a different observance. Our Christian lives should be continual fulfillments of the spiritual meaning of the festivals. We should always be walking in righteousness, filled with the Spirit, looking forward to the return of our Savior, rejoicing that he has atoned for our sins, celebrating his kingdom and the salvation it brings. Through faith in Christ and Christ living in us, we are abiding by the spiritual purpose of the festivals.

We conduct some of our worship services on the Sabbath and on the annual festivals, but we do not require Christians to keep these days. The old covenant rules about these days are not binding on Christian consciences; they are not meritorious in terms of righteousness. Some members observe these days in an old covenant way, and others do not. Whatever they do, they should do it ``unto the Lord...fully convinced in his own mind'' (Romans 14:5-6).

The new covenant gives us two clear commands regarding festivals: 1) Observe the Lord's Supper in commemoration of the new covenant in Jesus' blood. 2) Do not let others judge us in connection with the festivals, with the implication that we should not judge others regarding these days, either. Those who observe traditional customs should not judge those who do not, and vice versa.

Written by Michael Morrison, copyright 1995 by the author