The Lord's Table

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor. 10:16)
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​Within Christianity there is this view of the Lord’s Supper (the eucharist) known as the Zwinglian view of the Lord’s Supper which argues that the Lord’s Supper is merely symbolic, a picture, of what Christ accomplished for us by his death on the cross.  While this view certainly did not originate with Ulrich Zwingli (ca. 1484-1531), he was the one who popularized it.  Unfortunately, however, Zwingli failed to grasp the full meaning of what Paul is discussing regarding the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 10.  There he writes, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.  I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.  The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (vv.14-16).  What “cup of blessing” is Paul talking about?  What is the bread that is being broken which is a “participation in the body of Christ”?  Clearly he is speaking about the Lord’s Supper, which he will go on to discuss in greater detail in the next chapter (11:17-34).  For now he is laying the groundwork as to how one ought to approach the Lord’s Supper.  But what does idolatry have to do with the Lord’s Supper?  In the previous verses Paul reminds his readers of how the people of Israel in the Old Testament would engage in the worship of God with one hand, and with the other hand engage in idolatry.  Thus, because of God’s wrath, “twenty-three thousand fell in a single day” (vv.6-11).  As he talks about the Lord’s Supper, Paul warns us not to do the same, not so engage in egregious sinful behavior throughout the week and then come into church and partake of the Lord’s Supper.  This is because, as Paul says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”  He will go on to say, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.  You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.  Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” (vv.21-22).  That is, don’t think for a moment you can engage in egregious sins throughout the week and then take a seat at the Lord’s table and partake in the sacrament without incurring the wrath of God.  “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”  For this reason, Paul will issue a strong warning in 11:27-30, saying that illness and death can be the result of those who take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.  The point is that such strong warnings about the Lord’s Supper tell us that the sacrament is more that symbolic.  When we take the Lord’s Supper, we are sitting at the “table of the Lord.”  In a spiritual, yet real sense, we are supping with Christ himself.