Many people don’t realize that Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, was not part of the original Lord’s Supper on the night before Jesus was crucified. Jesus made sure of it. Yes, he was there for the Passover itself. After all, he was a Jew and had a right to be there. But not the Lord’s Supper. He had no right to be there at all. Listen to John describing the moment in John 13:21-27 NIV.

“After he said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”

“His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

“Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

“Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him.”

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.”

It was after this that Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s Supper was enacted. It was the cup of wine of rejoicing after the supper that they drank and the bread that was always present but which Jesus broke and distributed to those who were there. Jesus did not want Judas to participate in such a holy event. He was not welcome to participate in the celebration of the new covenant which celebrates a new relationship with God through the body and blood of Christ on the cross.

Notice that Jesus dips a piece of bread in a dish to give to Judas Iscariot. He must have been sitting close to Jesus in a place of honor. The dish was full of bitter herbs to represent the years of bitterness in the desert. It was a warning to Judas that what he was about to do would bring him the bitterness of regret. Ultimately, we know that he hung himself out of that regret. He, apparently, had his own agenda for Jesus and was trying to force his hand in declaring himself King and destroying the Romans. We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that he already had agreed with the High Priests that he would tell them where Jesus would be later that night so that they could arrest him. He just had to pick up his payment of the thirty pieces of silver which would certainly be useful in the battle to come. I’m guessing at his intentions at this point, but that would seem to fit his personality and profile at least.

Satan entered him at that moment not against his will but with his full consent. And he would make sure that the job got done and done right. It was strange for someone to leave the meal at that point, or at any point really. Jesus was about to teach and that was not something to miss. Instead of focusing on the past, Jesus taught about the future when the Holy Spirit would come and when he would be gone. He also prayed for himself and the disciples. These were not moments to miss but Jesus had told him to go and go quickly. He didn’t want him there.

Does that seem unfair? After all, we aren’t accustomed to telling certain people not to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Maybe we should. It is called “fencing” the Lord’s Supper and refers to the practice of making sure that people properly “discern” the body and blood of the Lord. That they demonstrate some sort of evidence of a life of discipleship and commitment to the ways of the Lord. In our passive churches, that would be difficult to do.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that we need to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test.”

This is true even more when it comes to the Lord’s Supper. Not everyone realizes that the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. Together with Baptism, the Lord’s Supper is a moment when the Holy Spirit ministers to us his grace and confirms his presence in our lives. It is not that participating in Communion makes you more worthy but rather when you come to the Communion table in the right way and with the right spirit, the Holy Spirit will minister to you his grace.

During the Pandemic a few years ago, we had a few strange homeless people living with us in our small two-bedroom home. We had a large garage which we converted into a bedroom where Alberto and his daughter, Antonella, slept. Rafa slept on the couch for about nine months or so. It was quite an experience.

We met them through the Alpha Program in our church but when the Pandemic hit, it was dangerous for them to be on the street. Besides, they had given their lives to the Lord and were baptized in our church swimming pool. We have pictures. It was a beautiful moment, and we spent the next nine months to a year sharing our lives and trying to disciple them. But it didn’t take.

Like many people on the street, they were willing to say anything and do anything to get ahead, to get some food, to find a place to sleep that was safe and secure. I don’t really blame them although it makes me sad.

The point is that their baptism was nothing more than a swim in the pool in front of an audience. There was no grace, no work of the Holy Spirit to confirm his presence and give peace and joy to a new believer. The same is true with Communion. Just because you eat the bread and drink the wine, it doesn’t mean anything if your heart is not right with God and your brother or sister. Communion is a celebration of spiritual unity through the ministry of reconciliation. If you are not in spiritual unity with God and others, you should not participate. It could be dangerous to your body and soul.

Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NIV where he rebukes the Corinthians in how they celebrate the Lord’s Supper. He says, “In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent, I believe it.”

He goes on to talk about some getting drunk and others remaining hungry. Apparently, in the early church, they had an entire meal, an agape feast, prepared with the actual Lord’s Supper happening near the end. But “each one goes ahead without waiting for anybody else” (vs. 21) when the idea was to celebrate their spiritual unity as a church. In addition, they didn’t share their food with those who had nothing to bring but rather they “humiliate those who have nothing” (vs. 22). That speaks to the kind of relationships they had among themselves.

Paul rebukes them again by telling them, “What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!” (vs. 22b). Then he gives us those famous words that are repeated at almost every Lord’s Supper throughout the world about what the Lord’s Supper is really all about. We remember Christ and his death on the cross for our sins certainly, but it is more than just a remembering, it is a celebration of his death. Paul put it this way, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (vs. 26).

What does it mean to “proclaim” the Lord’s death? To “proclaim” is to preach, to speak out, to let it be known that you have been transformed by his death, that you acknowledge that his death was for you and that he has taken upon himself your sin and you have received his righteousness. And because that is true, from your own lips and your own actions in participating in the Lord’s Supper, you are also proclaiming that you have received the Holy Spirit and are walking in the Spirit in spiritual unity with God and others. Yes, it means all of that. The death of Christ was no simple physical death. We aren’t just remembering him as a good teacher, a wonderful mentor, or a good man but as the Son of God given for us unto death to save us from our sins. Nothing less.

Now listen to Paul’s warning in the next few verses where he says, “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” What is that “unworthy manner” that Paul is speaking about? He tells us further on that it is not “recognizing” the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper and acting accordingly. It is a serious thing to sin against the body and blood of the Lord but millions of churchgoers do it regularly without thought or remorse.

Paul goes on to say “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup” (vs. 28). This reminds us of the other passage that also tells us to examine ourselves “to see if we are in the faith.” Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life? How would you know? What does the evidence look like? Is it about speaking in tongues? Is it about giving alms to the poor? Is it about showing up at church and getting involved in Sunday School? Or is it something more, something deeper that Paul is talking about here? Obviously so.

Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian of the Great Awakening that happened in America a few centuries ago saw it all. He saw people with hands raised in worship, laughing uncontrollably, crying like a baby, the whole nine yards. He saw miracles and pseudo-miracles. He saw every conceivable manifestation of the Holy Spirit that you can imagine but he knew that a lot of it was counterfeit and ingenuine. Some of it was true and transformative. So he wondered how to distinguish between the two.

What he realized is that when confession, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation was involved in the transformation of the human heart, it was genuine. Why? Because it takes great humility and spiritual courage to submit yourself to the Lord and others in confession and repentance. It also takes great spiritual insight and courage to forgive those who may not even confess their sins and forgive them anyway. And to reconcile and treat people as they are in Christ even though it is dangerous. These are not things that the unspiritual can do or even want to do. But those who have the Holy Spirit within them are willing to pay any price for spiritual unity with God and others.

No divisiones. No humiliation of the poor. No starting without the rest as if you were something special or set apart or simply insensitive to the unity that the Lord’s Supper represents. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Is that a reference to the Lord’s Supper? I would say so.

Not that we actually “drink” the Holy Spirit but that in the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine, the Holy Spirit is at work in a special way. The same is true at Baptism. There is a special work of the Holy Spirit at baptism that regenerates the heart, confirms his presence, and brings joy and peace to the new believer. In the Lord’s Supper, much of the hard work is done beforehand when you take the time to prepare by confessing your sins to one another, repenting of your wrongs, forgiving others based on the blood, the “death” of Christ, and reconciling with everyone so far as you are able. Including with God.

When you come to the Lord’s Supper prepared, after having examined yourself, recognizing the significance and meaning of the spiritual event you are about to participate in, then the Holy Spirit will confirm his presence, empower your walk with him, lead you into effective ministry and bring the anointing on the church. Does that sound like what happens in your church? Not likely.

The same was true of the Corinthians and Paul had to warn them of the negative consequences of taking this means of grace lightly. He says, “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (vs. 29,30).

Paul calls this judgment a “discipline” from the Lord (vs. 32) which is interesting. We know that God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6 NIV). So, there is a distinction here between those who do not have the Holy Spirit but participate anyway without much thought and those who are truly disciples of the Lord who are not careful enough to do it properly. Not just in terms of starting together and making sure everyone has something to eat but also in terms of getting rid of “divisions” and promoting spiritual unity in the church.

But even believers can get sick and die if they continue to disrespect the Communion table. That is serious enough, even if their salvation is still intact. This is a physical discipline by the Lord, but I would also interpret this “weakness” in terms of our witness to the world and our joint ministry together. After all, Paul says “If we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (vs. 31,32). In other words, if we do not respect the Lord’s Supper and we do not respond to the discipline of the Lord, we are in danger of being “condemned with the world.” Not exactly a great witness, is it?

And isn’t that the problem in most of our churches?

There seems to be no difference between the wheat and the tares. The good, moral, upstanding church member is no different than the worldly, moral, upstanding citizen. The divorce rates are the same. Everyone is in a race to accomplish the American Dream rather than seeking first the Kingdom of God. What difference is there between us and the world? What evidence sets us apart? What difference does it make to participate in the Lord’s Supper if we do not receive the means of grace and the anointing of God upon the church for effective ministry?

It is better to “leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24 NIV). Jesus was clear enough with his disciples and he, himself, made sure that Judas was not there. He was in enough trouble as it was.

But what should a Pastor do?

Should he “fence” the Lord’s Supper and require that there be evidence of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life before they would be allowed to participate? That would be dangerous, but it has been tried a number of times over the years.

Even Jonathan Edwards tried it and was promptly fired by his Board. He went on to preach to the indigenous Indians in the region and even took a smallpox vaccine to prove to them that it was safe. The problem was that he was fighting a cold at the time, and he got the smallpox himself. He was called to be the first president of Princeton University which validated him somewhat, but he died a year later from the disease.

Yes, it’s dangerous to “fence” the Lord’s Supper. It is a public affair after all and has social and economic repercussions. After all, if you were a wealthy merchant and the church told you not to come to the Communion table, there would be people in the church who would not want to buy from you much less socialize with someone who was not walking in the Spirit and may not even be a Christian. It is dangerous.

Perhaps it is better to allow everyone to make up their own minds whether they are prepared to participate in the Lord’s Supper. That’s what I would do. But I would also preach regularly, perhaps the Sunday previous, about the meaning and importance of preparing yourself for the Communion table. That may be the best you can do.

What is clear is that the Lord’s Supper is dangerous either way. If the religious spirit has invaded your church, you would not consider it a big deal and it becomes nothing more than a “remembrance” of the death and resurrection of the Lord and not a means of grace that can bring great anointing on the church for effective ministry. If your church has a toxic belief system, it may treat the Lord’s Supper as a means of manipulation and coercion to support and honor your leaders rather than the Lord. It can take many forms.

But when the church is an anointed church focused on the ministry of reconciliation together, spiritual unity is ongoing, and the Lord’s Supper is a true celebration of what the Holy Spirit can do in us through the death and resurrection of the Lord. Then the means of grace becomes an anointing of power for effective ministry. Once again, when we focus on what our true ministry is, the rest will fall into place.

We don’t have to worry about each occasion of baptism or the Lord’s Supper and whether or not we are doing it right. We will have developed a lifestyle of spiritual unity from the very beginning that will bring us into every blessing, every anointing, every opportunity for ministry that we could ever want. The dangers of the Lord’s Supper will become a blessing for the church as it was always meant to be.