"And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the
children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the
people bowed the head and worshiped" (Exod. 12:26,27). The Lord’s thoughtful care for the
dawning intelligence of the children in the families of His people of old is brought out in these
verses. The Passover was the yearly reminder of His divine interference when their fathers were
slaves in Egypt, and brought before them year after year the great truth of redemption by blood.
It was to be expected that the younger generation, growing up, would look on with wonder, and
sometimes amazement, as the various parts of the Passover ritual were carefully carried out by
their elders. The question would naturally spring to young lips, "What mean ye by this service?"
and the parents were to answer in accordance with the testimony of the Lord. The last Passover
feast that God ever recognized was that celebrated by Jesus Himself, with His disciples, in the
guest chamber at Jerusalem. The typical Passover came to an end that night, but on the same
evening He instituted the great central ordinance of Christianity, the Lord’s Supper, the memorial
of His mighty love and infinite sacrifice. Directions for the keeping of this feast are given clearly
in the New Testament, and older believers, who have gone on in the ways that be in Christ, should
always be able to give a scriptural reason for everything connected with the observance of the
breaking of bread in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ. For now, as of old, the younger
generation is still likely to ask, "What mean ye by this service?" It is my desire, as simply as
possible, to attempt to answer some questions often raised concerning the Lord’s Supper,
particularly for the benefit of those who are young in Christ and who desire to walk in obedience
to His Word.

1. Why do we observe this feast so frequently when, in many places in Christendom, it is but at
rare intervals that what is commonly called "the communion" is celebrated? For answer we reply
that we have, in Scripture, no distinct commandment, as in the case of the Passover, regarding
the particular times this festival is to be observed. The Passover was to be celebrated once a year;
but when the Lord instituted the Supper He implied much more frequent observance when He
said, "As oft as ye do this, do it in remembrance of Me." It is the Lord’s desire that His people
should often show His death in this way, calling to mind frequently His love and sacrifice for
them. In the earliest days of the Church’s history, the Christians broke bread daily; but when the
first days of transition passed and the new dispensation was fully established, we get the scriptural
example in Acts 20:7, "Upon the first day of the week . . . the disciples came together to break
bread."

Now this is not a commandment, but it is a word from the Lord, and He has said, "If a man love
Me he will keep My words." A devoted heart does not ask, "How seldom can I do this and yet
have the Lord’s approval?" but "What does His Word show to have been the established order in
early days?" The Book answers, "On the first day of the week," and, therefore, upon that day we
delight to come together to remember Him.

2. Why is there no officiating clergyman to dispense the elements and take charge of the service
as generally in the denominations around us? We answer, Because we cannot find anything like

this in the Book. There is no intimation anywhere, either in the Acts or in any of the Epistles, of
any such officer in the early Church. Believers came together as brethren. The Lord Himself has
said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst." Faith laid
hold of that and recognized His presence. Wherever two or three are found scripturally gathered,
He is in the midst to take charge by the Holy Spirit, and to lead out the hearts of His people in
their remembrance of Himself. Of old, in that upper room, when the time came to break the loaf
and pass the cup, His own lips pronounced the blessing, and His own hands gave to His disciples.
Any brother going to the table to give thanks and to break the loaf or pass the cup, simply
becomes, for the moment, as hands and lips for the blessed Lord Himself. There is no human
officialism required; the simpler the better. It is Christ with whom we desire to be occupied, and
he who goes to the table does so as acting under Him. If anything more were necessary, any
ordination or official position, the Word of God would somewhere indicate it; but in regard to this
we search its:pages in vain. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren."

3. Why is there one unbroken loaf upon the table as the feast begins, and why is it afterwards
broken? Because the one loaf pictures the precious body of our Lord Jesus Christ in its entirety,
and the breaking signifies His death. Also we are told, "We being many are one bread (or literally
one loaf), and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). As it is passed
from one to the other, after having been blessed and broken, each again breaks for himself, thus
indicating his communion with the body of Christ.

4. What is in the cup, and why do all drink of it? The cup contains the fruit of the vine. It speaks
of the precious blood of Christ, the price of our redemption. "The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?" Just as the rich clusters of grapes are cast into
the wine press and crushed to give forth what Scripture calls the blood of the grape, so Christ
endured the judgment of God for our sins, and when crushed in death His precious atoning blood
flowed forth for our salvation. As we drink in solemn silence we recall, with grateful hearts, the
mighty cost of our redemption.

5. Why is not so sacred and precious a feast open for everyone? Why such care to see that only
those who know what it is to be saved, and who are seeking to walk with God and to confess His
truth, gather together about His table? Because He will be sanctified in them that draw nigh to
Him, This sacred observance is for those who have a common interest in the death of Christ, and
have been saved by His blood. In 1 Cor. 5:9-11 we are distinctly directed to walk in a path of
separation from evildoers, and regarding certain ones, we are told, "With such a one not even to
eat" (JND). This clearly includes the Lord’s Supper, and shows us the importance of care as to
those received.

6. Why is there no previously arranged program as to the order of this service, the hymns to be
sung, the prayers to be offered, and ministry to be given out? Is not time wasted in silence which
might be occupied in teaching or expounding the Scriptures? It is important, first of all, to
understand that we do not come together to pray, nor yet to minister, nor to listen to teaching or
exhortation, and certainly not simply for singing hymns and enjoying one another’s fellowship.
We come together to meet the Lord Himself, and to be occupied with Him, to offer Him the
worship of our hearts, and remember what He passed through for us. Let me put it this way:

Suppose that on a given Lord’s day morning it were known definitely that our Saviour, in Person,
would be present in the meeting room, and that all who were there from say 11:00 to 12:30 would
have the great privilege of looking upon His face. How do you think real Christians would act on
such an occasion? Would we not enter the room with a deep sense of awe pervading our spirits?
Surely there would be no lightness of behavior, no frivolity, no worldly joviality manifested as
we came together. Nor would we be coming to listen to some one preaching or expounding. Our
one desire would be to see Him, to fix our adoring eyes upon His blessed face; and if we spoke
at all it would be to rehearse something of His sufferings for us, and the gratitude and worship that
would fill our hearts as we recalled the agony endured on the cross, and now beheld His glorious
countenance. At such a time one can well understand how all might join in a burst of melody,
singing together some hymn of praise in which His wondrous Person, His past sufferings, and His
present glory were celebrated! But surely anything like mere fleshly formalism would be
altogether out of place, and if one ministered audibly, it would be simply to praise His name, or
to bring to the mind of the believers some portion of the Word that would give a better
understanding and apprehension of His Person or work. No one would have the effrontery to set
Christ, as it were, to one side, by taking the place of a teacher of others at such a time, unless
indeed directly requested by the Lord to minister.

Now, if it be borne in mind that when we thus come together as gathered to His name, Christ is
just as truly present as though our human eyes beheld Him, then we will realize how we ought to
behave in the house of God on such occasions. There will be room for praise, and for reading a
portion or portions of the Word of God which will bring more vividly before our souls the object
for which we gather. But any brother would be decidedly out of place who sought to occupy us
with lengthy expositions of Scripture, or exhortations as to conduct which have no bearing on the
object for which we come together. The sense of awe which comes over the soul consciously in
the Lord’s presence will put a check upon the flesh, and any participating, either in the giving out
of a hymn, or in leading the assembly in vocal thanksgiving, or reading a portion of the Word,
will be very sure that it is the Holy Spirit Himself who thus guides. If there be periods of silence
there will be no wasted time as we all sit gazing with rapt, adoring eyes upon Himself whom we
have come to meet.

If this one thought be clearly fixed in heart and mind that we gather to remember Him, in
subjection to the Holy Spirit, all else will soon be regulated.