The Miracle Table: REDISCOVERING THE POWER OF COMMUNION

by Andrew Murray

Belief is enough to save us. But it takes more than that to live in the fulfilment of promise. I too need my faith to be strengthened until I reach the point of knowing – knowing God will do what He has said, and knowing He will do it for me.

Remarkably, Abram didn’t have a Bible to read, he didn’t have access to teaching on faith, he didn’t have a little book of Bible promises, but he had a covenant; and that was enough. He knew – this covenant has been sealed in blood, therefore it can never be broken! This was how Abram knew that God would do it. This was why he did not waver. This was why he was fully persuaded. He had a covenant sealed in blood.

The Bible tells us that Abram “faced the fact,” yet he knew that the covenant that God had made with him was more powerful than the facts. “I don’t know how God will do it, the facts are against me, but God has entered into a blood covenant – He must do what He has said He will do.”

And so it is to people who understood the power and nature of a blood covenant, that Jesus would do this: ‘After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And 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.” In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”’ (Luke 22:17-20) The breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup were looking ahead to the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood. And in itself this was looking back to that time with Abram, when the body of a sacrificed animal was broken in two, a pool of blood was created, and God entered into a blood covenant with man. Here Jesus is saying, “I am entering into a new blood covenant. Not just with one man or one nation, but everyone who chooses to partake. This covenant will not be made with the blood of animals but with my very own blood.” This new covenant, surmised in Hebrews 8, is a covenant that allows all of us to have our sins forgiven and washed away. The new covenant enables us to be reconciled with God, and for all of us to know Him in a real and intimate way. The new covenant means that we no longer have to struggle or strive or obey laws and regulations in order to be made righteous,...

The cross is more than just the forgiveness of sin and eternal life — it is God entering into a new covenant with man. A greater covenant. A better covenant. A covenant that encapsulates every other covenant and every other promise. This is what Christ wants you to remember and know at The Table – He has entered into covenant with you. He has made an irrevocable promise, a binding legal contract sealed with His own blood, to promise you that He will do what He has said He will do.

I wonder if sometimes we go through life, bound and bent over, forgetting just who we are, what He has said, and what He has done. Communion is not just a reminder of what Jesus did, but it is a reminder of who we are and what we have in Him.

Although God’s covenant with Abram was unconditional, in Genesis 17, God instituted the act of circumcision. Circumcision was a physical act of remembrance of the spiritual reality of the covenant. They were receiving something in their body, in their flesh, to remind them of the covenant that God had made. This was so important that God said that anyone who didn’t circumcise their flesh would be cut off from God’s people, (v14). God was not saying that circumcision itself saved them. The covenant had already been made, it was established, it was unconditional, it was eternal. What God was saying was, if you want to be a partaker of this covenant, you now have to receive the sign of covenant in your body. I hope the parallel is obvious. Christ’s covenant is finished, it’s done and it’s a covenant of grace. We can’t earn or work for it. However we must now receive the sign of His covenant into our body – the Bread and the Wine. These in themselves have no power to save us, just as circumcision has no power to save the Jews, but in receiving the Bread and Wine into our physical bodies we are partaking of the body and blood of Christ, and entering into the reality of all that Christ has already purchased for us.

So Communion for us is an act of remembrance, but just what are we remembering? We are remembering that we are covenant people! We are remembering that all of God’s promises for our lives are based on a covenant sealed with His own blood. On the days when my guilt and shame are overwhelming, I take communion and remind myself, “I am forgiven, I am righteous, I am a new creation.” On the days when I am sick, I take communion and I remind myself, “By His stripes I am healed.” On the days when I am in the midst of a battle, I take communion and I remind myself, “He is good. He is my peace. He is my joy. He is my comfort. He is a faithful God and He will do what He has said He will do!” However, communion is more than just reminding myself of His covenant. It is receiving in my flesh the signs of the covenant, and in doing so entering into the reality and manifestation of the covenant itself.

“Just as by melting two candles together you get one piece of wax, so I think, one who receives the flesh and blood of Jesus is fused together with Him, and the soul finds that He is in Christ and Christ is in him.” - St. Cyril of Jerusalem

In the midst of the trials and circumstances of our lives, and our own struggle with sin, how often we forget the basic truths – I am loved, I am forgiven, I am a child of covenant. Communion helps us focus. Helps us remember.

The Christian act of remembrance is more than just remembering a historical event - it is the invitation into a fresh, present day encounter.

The Lord’s Table is remembering the past and longing for the future. But it is also an experience, an encounter in the now. The Master is here with us at the Table. He is here inviting us not just to remember, but to dine, to commune, to fellowship.

What were these two men doing as they were walking on the Emmaus Road that day? They were remembering. They were looking back to the crucifixion and death of Jesus. When they encountered the mysterious third man they continued this act of remembrance, going over once again the story of the death of the Nazarene. But surprisingly, this act of remembrance was doing them little good. They were downcast, discouraged and disappointed. They were looking back with nostalgia and wondering where it had all gone wrong. There was little hope or joy in their present and certainly not in their future. They didn’t realise that they were in the presence of the very One who they were remembering. Little did they realise that they had an opportunity to fellowship, commune with and encounter the One who had not only died, but who was alive, and was with them! They should have realised as He spoke with them and their hearts were ignited by the fire of heaven, that they were receiving more than a Bible study on the road that day, they were conversing with the very Word of God Himself. His life giving and life creating words were piercing their dullness and setting their hearts on fire.

Just looking back and remembering, whilst having some benefits has in itself no power to change us. Only a fresh, new encounter with the Living God will do that. When our Communion services go from just reminding each other of the old story, and we come to realise that He is actually here with us at the table – get ready for our acts of Communion to be life changing and transforming!

Although He was there all the time, it was during the breaking of bread that they “recognised Him.” The Greek word used here for “recognised” is the word Ginosko; it means to come to know, to experience. It doesn’t mean to just intellectually know something, but to know something by experience or exposure. This same word can also be used for the act of sexual intimacy between married couples. How wonderful this is! Although Jesus is always with us, something wonderful happens as I break bread with Him at the table. It is during the act of communion with Him at the Table that I experience Him, and have an encounter with Him. It is at the Table that I am exposed to His presence. As I recognise that He is here with me, I am no longer just remembering with my mind the past but my whole being – spirit, soul and body is experiencing Him in the now. It is here at the Table, that I am experiencing true intimacy with the Bridegroom.

At the Lord’s Table we deliberately turn our thoughts, attention, worship, and gaze upon Jesus. It is in that moment that the veils that keep us dull, discouraged and spiritually blind are lifted. It is at the Table, as we behold the Lamb that we see Him face to face. In this powerful act of communion we experience true freedom, and we ourselves are transformed as we become like the One we behold.

Whilst the NIV translation says that they “recognised Him,” the NKJV says “they knew Him.” There is such beauty in this translation! It is here, at the Table that we truly come to know Him. We can never fully know Him just by reminding ourselves of what happened two thousand years ago; but in actually communing with Him at the Table is how we truly get to know Him, not just as an historical figure, but as a present day lover and friend.

They had had an encounter with Jesus as they broke bread! When was the last time you left a Communion service like that?

The ancients of the Church believed powerfully in the act of Communion. For them, the Lord’s Table was the high point of peoples worship experience. It was at the Table that they met with the risen Jesus, and ate and drank of His presence. They truly believed that Jesus was in the Communion, that the Holy Spirit was present in the Bread and the Wine.

Would it surprise you to learn that the altar call is a relatively new concept in Christendom? It was really only during the ministry of the great Charles Finney (1792-1875) that the cry “O, come to the altar,” became the main focus of the churches evangelistic efforts. The popularity of coming to a ministry time is an even more recent phenomenon. For the vast majority of the past two thousand years, the appeal of the Church was not “Come to the altar,” but was “Come to the Table.” Do you need forgiveness? - come to the Table. Do you need healing? - come to the Table. Do you long to meet with God? - come to the Table! It was here, at the Table that people had God encounters.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of visiting the site of the Cane Ridge revival, held in Kentucky in 1801. It became the largest and most famous hub of revival that happened in the Second Great Awakening. What is interesting was that these revival services were focused on the act of Communion. The revival began during what was known as “communions,” a version of the Scottish reformed Holy Fairs. Lasting three to five days, the singing, preaching, and teaching would centre around the Lord’s Table, culminating in the act of Communion itself. Interestingly, the most popular texts for the preachers were not the gospel accounts of the crucifixion but the ancient writings of the Song of Songs. Coming to the Table was seen not just as an act of remembering a crucified Saviour, but an act of intimate communion with a loving Bridegroom. Some 20,000 people would gather at these revival services as the preacher would seek to woo the people to the Table, preaching on the “Ravishing Beauty and Glory of Christ,” and inviting them to “Sit under the Shadow of this blessed Apple Tree, and taste His pleasant fruits.” One of the pioneers of that revival, James McGready, would often exhort listeners to feast at Christ’s Table on the hidden manna and be refreshed with the new wine of Canaan. McGready would say the following: “The real Christian, the new born child of God, loves to see Jesus and behold His glory, and with joy, delight, and wonder to admire and adore His soul at...

“To partake of the Holy body and blood of Christ is good and beneficial, for He says quite plainly: he that eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. Who can doubt that to share continually in life is the same thing as having life abundantly.” - St. Basil the Great

The Old Covenant, represented by the Tabernacle of Moses contained just ceremonial food (perhaps speaking of the bread that was placed on the altar in the Holy Place). Overtime this bread, which the Old Testament refers to as “the bread of the Presence” (Exodus 25:30) had become just an empty religious emblem. Hebrews tells us that just eating this bread as an emblem, as part of a religious ceremony has “no benefit” for those who eat of it. But then the writer contrasts this bread with the bread of the New Covenant - an altar from which those before Christ could not eat of - but we can. The writer is indicating that the bread that we eat is not just ceremonial, not just an emblem, but something that is of benefit to us as we partake. The challenge is that if we only see the Bread and Wine as tokens, we can eat and drink, and it may be nice, but it doesn’t actually do us any good. But if we see that the Bread and Wine are so much more than that, eating and drinking it becomes of great benefit to us. It is as we eat and drink of the bread and wine of the New Covenant that our “hearts are strengthened by grace.” This is powerful! As we come to the Lord’s Table we are not just partaking of religious symbols but we are feeding on grace itself! We are being nourished, sustained and empowered by grace! Hebrews says that this is good for our hearts! The word “good” here can also be translated “beautiful” - it is a beautiful thing to be strengthened by grace which comes thr...

The Lord’s Table is spiritual nourishment for my body, soul, and spirit. As I partake I am being strengthened in my inner man (my spirit), renewed in my soul, and my physical body is being quickened by the resurrection life.

John Calvin put it like this: ‘Now Christ is the only food of our soul, and therefore our Heavenly Father invites us to Christ, that, refreshed by partaking of Him, we may repeatedly gather strength.’

How often should we partake of Communion? If it is only an act of remembrance then I guess doing it too often can become routine. But if the Table is spiritual nourishment, the thing that actually sustains us, what then? How often do our bodies need nourishment? Three meals a day? Then how much more our spirits?

The early church fathers firmly believed that as they took Communion something supernatural, and Heavenly took place.

Although Jesus Christ Himself is the substance (not the Bread and Wine), He has so closely identified Himself with the Bread and Wine, that they are never just empty symbols, but one of the methods that the Holy Spirit uses to allow us to feed on Christ Himself.

Perhaps another way of looking at this that may be particularly helpful for Pentecostal/Charismatic readers is to think of the laying on of hands during a healing service. The person that is sick will approach the minister, who will lay hands on the person requiring ministry. Now whose hands are being laid on? Do we believe that the hands of the minister have literally become the hands of Jesus? No of course not. But do we believe that the laying on of hands is just an empty, symbolic gesture? No, we don’t believe that either. The hands remain the hands of the person praying, but nevertheless in that moment, they are infused by the Spirit, and in faith they become the hands of Jesus and received in faith - they become a source of healing. Likewise, the Bread and Wine never literally become the body and blood of Christ, but neither are they empty religious symbols. If we approach in faith, the Bread and Wine become infused with the presence of Christ and as we receive in faith, they become for us His flesh and His blood; instruments of His divine power, love and mercy.

Paul firmly believed that as he ate the bread and drank the wine at the Table, he was receiving - taking into himself - the very life of Christ. The NIV says that as we eat the bread and drink the cup we are participating in the body and blood of Christ. The Greek word for “participate” that is used here is the word koinonia; it means fellowship, sharing, intimacy.

His presence is the true bread, His presence is the new wine.

The Lord’s Table is real food and real drink. Communion with Jesus is more than just a metaphor, it is real and it is powerful.

“I will raise them up at the last day.” The Lord’s Table is a prophetic act, reminding us of the future day of resurrection. Every time I partake of Communion I am reminding myself that this world is not my home. I am prophesying that Christ is coming, and that I will be resurrected with Him, and I will rule and reign with Him. But remember, eternal life begins not at the Resurrection Day, but at the moment of communion. At the Table, I am feeding on the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. Therefore, every time I take Communion, I am being raised up. Every time I eat and drink of the presence of Jesus I am being raised up out of shame, out of fear, out of depression. I am being lifted to that place of being seated at the Table with Christ, in Heavenly Places. I am seeing things from Heaven’s perspective.

But not only does communion enable us to abide in Him, it also enables Him to abide in us. The very life of Christ Himself is imparted into us as we eat and drink of Him. If it is true that “you are what you eat,” then the consequences for the ones who eat and drink of Christ are truly staggering!

“All the good that is in me is due to Holy Communion. I owe everything to it. I feel this holy fire has transformed me completely.” - St. Faustina

David’s heart is a reflection of the heart of God, and David himself is a prophetic type of the King above all Kings, Jesus Christ. Jesus has all power and all authority. He can issue orders and angels do His bidding. He could click His fingers and destroy nations. He could withhold His breath and wipe out the planet. And yet when our King looks at us - pitiful creatures though we are at times - His heart bursts with the question, “Is there anyone in my Kingdom whom I can show kindness to?” This is His delight. This is His joy. The word “kindness” used in this passage is the Hebrew word hesed. It is one of the most powerful and beautiful words used to describe the heart of God. Translated in some places as “love” and in other places as “kindness,” in other places these two words are joined together and hesed is translated as “loving kindness.” It is a rich word meaning grace, favour, and unconditional love. This is the heart of our King!

We are all objects of wrath, enemies of God, and deserving of death and hell. None of us could have any complaints if a holy and righteous God showed us judgement and punishment. And yet He decides to show mercy! He chooses to show grace! He delights to pour His loving kindness into us! Instead of sending us to hell, He longs to invite us to His Table! This is our Jesus!

And yet this broken, crippled man was ushered into the presence of the great king and invited to dine at his table. In this culture it was scandalous grace, reckless mercy. As we look at the broken legs of Mephibosheth we are reminded of our own brokenness. Life has broken all of us in some way. The fall of Mephibosheth as a child is a reminder that we are all fallen creatures, living in a fallen world. Our sin and the sins of others has left us all broken, stumbling through life, walking with a limp. Maybe it was our stupid choices or mistakes that left us broken. Maybe - like with Mephibosheth - we are broken through no fault of our own. Maybe the words and actions of a friend, a spouse, a partner, a boss, or just the circumstances of life have left us wounded and broken. Maybe, like Mephibosheth, the person who was meant to be looking after you: a teacher, parent, or pastor ended up hurting you and leaving you broken. Thank God that our King doesn’t ignore the broken ones amongst us! Instead the broken, hurting, wounded, crippled, and limping ones are the very ones He loves to invite to His Table. It is the lost, the abused, the divorced, the addicts, the ones living in shame, the ones who life has left shattered - the King is calling them to His Table!

For many of us it seems we live a life that seems dry and barren. Many of us know what it is to struggle and get by, planting much but reaping little. For many of us life is just tough. It’s hard. It’s difficult. For many of us “the winter season” has become a lifestyle of winter; the wilderness the place we have camped in for far too long. But at the Table something remarkable happens - we find that our location changes! We find that we have come to “the heavenly Jerusalem….to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the Church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.” (Hebrews 12:22-24) We find that “the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother”. We find that “we have a building from God, an eternal house…not built by human hands.” (2 Corinthians 5:1) We have been transported from Lo Debar and are now “seated with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

Throughout Song of Songs the bride compares the drinking of wine with experiencing the love of her bridegroom. More than the food on the table, what she really wants is to experience his love.

When we take our place at the Lord’s Table we may not physically change locations, but in the Spirit we have been transported to another dimension. We are in the presence of Almighty God - the place of ultimate love, joy, and freedom. We have found our home in His presence, sitting under His shadow and living in our new identity as His beloved.

“From now on, near the Eucharist I shall be able to…wait for heaven in peace, keeping myself open to the rays of the Divine Host. In this furnace of love I shall be consumed.” - St. Theresa of Lisieux

Many of us have lived with an identity of shame, of fear, of uselessness; of being ashamed or embarrassed of who we are or what we have done. Many of us can’t see any value in who we are. But the King of Kings longs to strip away from us any identity that isn’t found in Him. For in Him we are sons and daughters of God! We are royalty. We have been chosen and adopted into His family, into His Kingdom. We can call the King, Abba - daddy. We have been given worth and value. We have been honoured, favoured and blessed. We have been lifted to an exalted place where we have dignity and acceptance. This is the miracle that takes place at the King’s Table - those who see themselves as dead dogs, suddenly find themselves in royal robes, as sons and daughters of God, royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we dine with the King, we don’t need to sit feeling like we don’t belong or we are not good enough. He has called us His own. He has made us worthy. He accepts us and welcomes us as His very children. Indeed our Saviour is ‘not ashamed to call them (us) brothers.’

Perhaps some reading this have felt like they were living in a prison. A prison of shame, or fear, or low self-esteem. Maybe you have lived in a prison of addiction, or of depression or anxiety. Whatever it is, it’s like you are trapped and can’t get out. Maybe you have lived in this prison for nearly 40 years, maybe your whole life. Perhaps it’s reached the point where you no longer believe that freedom is possible. I want to encourage you today that in a moment everything can change! The King of all Kings is calling you to His Table. He is calling you to leave your prison and be seated with Him. The seat at His Table is one of freedom, one of honour, one of provision, one of dignity. He is calling you to leave behind the prison clothes, and put on His royal robes. The exchange of garments is an exchange of identity. Old things have gone and all things have become new. You are no longer bound, you are no longer a slave - you are a child of the King! Seated at His Table, He longs to whisper in your ear words of kindness, affirming you as His son and daughter. The King makes a new decree over you today - “You are My son, you are My daughter. You are loved, accepted, chosen, and forgiven. Leave behind the prison cell, leave behind your chains, leave behind your prison clothes. Sit here with Me. Dine with Me, fellowship with Me at My Table. Your captivity is over. You are free!”

The spacious place, free from restrictions, is none other than the Table of the Lord. It is at the Communion Table that restrictions and limitations are lifted off of us. When I am dining with the Lord, there is an anointing that is present at His table that destroys every yoke. He is there to set the captives free and to break every chain. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. So if I am where He is, if I am communing and fellowshipping with Him at His table, how can I remain bound? How can I remain restricted and limited in my walk with Him?

It is at the Table, as we partake of the Lord’s body and blood that all He achieved on the cross is applied to our lives. God is wooing us to the Table. That means He is inviting us, drawing us, urging us - but the choice is yours.

You may not be deserving of the kindness of the King, but it’s not about you, it’s about Him! It’s about the fact that He always remembers and keeps His covenant. Even when we don’t deserve it, He still invites us to His table, He still dines with us, He still calls us His own.

When we come to our King’s table, perhaps we see our faults and our mistakes and our unworthiness, but the King sees something different. He sees His own image reflected in us. He looks at His hands and feet, and sees the wounds and the scars, and He remembers. He remembers the covenant He made. And He says “That’s why I’m doing this.”

“To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed. You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face.” - St. Theresa of Avila

Esther knew something that we as the Bride of Christ also have to discover. Discovering this will change our prayer life and the way that we view spiritual warfare. Esther knew that the king craved communion. And Esther knew that if she could satisfy the heart of the king by dining with Him, everything else would take care of itself.