In Luke 22, we are told that Satan entered into Judas before the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh. By this, we should be reminded of what an unimpressive spiritual event the institution of the Lord’s Supper appeared to be.
Judas the traitor was there, and this meant that Satan was also there. Peter was there, boastful and proud. He would never deny the Lord, and the Lord rebuked His pride. And at that same supper, a squabble broke out among the disciples as to who would be accounted the greatest. If we were to look at the mere externals, we might be justified in thinking that Satan was presiding over that table, and not our Lord.
And if we were to look at our lives over the course of this last week, at our attitudes, at our sins of omission, we might draw the same conclusion. But the central evidence of our folly is our notion that this disqualifies us from the Supper rather than the reverse.
Are you a sinner? Then you qualify. Are you a mess? Then come. Are you fearful of defiling the Supper? No man has ever successfully defiled it, and no man who ever feared defiling it ever received anything but great blessing.
Food exists to feed – it is not a reward for not being hungry. This is a covenant meal, not an awards ceremony.
Do you have scruples about coming? Are you afraid that we are not fencing the table as we ought, since we allow you to come? You are right in this one thing – we do not fence the Table. The Table fences us in order to feed us.