Communion Points Us to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb
This Communion meditation connects the Lordโs Supper with the wedding feast described in Revelation 19. It reminds believers that Christ has paid the bride price with his blood and that Communion looks both backward to the cross and forward to eternal joy with him.
- Communion reminds us of the price Jesus paid for his bride, the church.
- The Lordโs Supper also points forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
- Believers wait with hope for the day when Christ brings his people home.
By John Mulpas
Most of us have been to a wedding. Typically, there is a reception that follows the ceremony that includes a meal with music and dancing and other forms of celebration.
This tradition goes way back. In Jesusโ day, weddings had three basic parts:
First, there was an agreement made between the parents of the bride and groom that was signed and sealed with a payment called a dowry. That began what we call the engagement today.
Then, often much later, the groom, accompanied by his guy friends, would go to get his bride at her houseโsometimes in the middle of the nightโand he would lead a parade through the streets with his bride back to his home.
And thatโs when the third phase would begin: the wedding feast itself, which sometimes lasted for days.
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
In Revelation 19, the apostle John records a vision where he sees a future wedding that is bigger and more beautiful than any wedding we have ever experienced.
He hears heaven rejoicing because โthe wedding supper of the Lambโ (v. 9) is about to begin. And this isnโt just any bride and groom. This wedding celebration is for Christ himself, and his bride, the churchโincluding all of us who have put our faith in him. This wedding feast will begin in heaven following Jesusโ return.
When we share in Communion every Sunday, we find ourselves in the middle of the wedding proceedings.
The agreement was signed when we accepted Christ and became part of his bride, the church.
The price, the dowry, was paid with the blood of Jesus on the cross.
But right now, weโre in that waiting period, watching and waiting for the groom to come and take us to his homeโto the place he has been preparing for us (John 14:2, 3).
Communion and the Feast to Come
Communion reminds us of the price that has been paid, but itโs also a taste of what is to come. One day weโre going to sit at the table in Godโs presence with believers from every nation and generation. And hereโs how theology professor Dr. Jack Cottrell described what it will be like: โWe will feast on the perpetual buffet of the โmarriage supper of the Lamb,โ nibbling on the fruit of the tree of life, drinking our fill from the river of the water of lifeโwalking and resting with Jesusโ (see https://jackcottrell.com/a-tribute-to-sam-gonzalez/).
The bread and the cup point us to that day when the celebration will never endโwhen every hope and promise will be fulfilled. So, as we take the bread and the cup, letโs remember what Christ has done, and letโs look forward with anticipation. Weโre not only remembering his sacrifice โฆ weโre looking ahead to another meal, a wedding feast, and to a joy that will โnever perish, spoil or fadeโ (1 Peter 1:4).
Father, we canโt thank you enough for what you have done for us in Christ and for the wedding feast that awaits us for all eternity. Encourage us with that hope today. As your Word says in Revelation 19, we pray: โHallelujah! For you, our Lord God Almighty reigns. We rejoice and are glad, and we give you glory.โ In Jesusโ name, amen.
Author: John Mulpas
John Mulpas is the lead pastor of the Orrville Christian Church in Orrville, Ohio.
